Maja Gordon was born in 1947 in Chorzów. Her parents were pre-war communists. Her mother came from Vilnius and her father from Białystok. After the war, they were involved in building a new political system of the Polish People's Republic and became members of the PZPR (Polish United Workers' Party). At first, they lived in Gliwice, then moved to Warsaw. Her father worked in the Ministry of Heavy Industry, and her mother was a Russian language lecturer at the University of Warsaw. In 1957, the family emigrated to Israel. Maja Gordon completed art studies in Israel and the Netherlands. She lives in the Netherlands. INTERVIEWEE NAME: Maja Gordon INTERVIEWED BY: Natalia Romik RECORDING: Grzegorz Liwiński DATE OF RECORDING: August 23, 2017 COPYRIGHT TO RECORDING: POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews MAIN TOPICS: 00:00:25 - Basic information about the parents and the fate of the family after the war; the father’s involvement in the reconstruction of Polish industry; settling in Gliwice; moving to Warsaw; receiving an apartment. 00:02:33 - The mother’s work as a Russian language teacher; the father’s work at the Ministry of Heavy Industry; he worked at the Ministry of Heavy Industry; the parents’ use of the Yiddish language; only partial awareness of being Jewish; the parents’ communist views. 00:05:32 - Upbringing in the spirit of communism; atmosphere at home. English: 00:06:10 - Childhood memories – home surroundings, opening of MDM and the Palace of Culture. 00:08:22 - Experiences of anti-Semitism in childhood. 00:09:50 - Anti-Semitic atmosphere in 1957; father's patriotic attitude during and after the war. 00:12:00 - The need to leave Poland; mother's reluctance to leave. 00:16:18 - Being raised as a Polish woman. 00:16:46 - Circumstances of departure; farewells at the station; long train journey; journey by ship. 00:22:14 - First days in Israel and greeting with sweets and milk. 00:23:28 - Stay in an immigrant camp; division of the barracks into barracks for academics and workers. 00:25:05 - Contact with Hebrew, reluctance to learn in Hebrew; impressions from school; differences between Israeli and Polish schools. 00:27:00 - Longing for Poland; moving to Jerusalem; school in Jerusalem; breaking the ban on speaking Polish. 00:28:00 - A recurring dream for three years about returning home to Poland. 00:28:30 - Coming to terms with the necessity of learning Hebrew and feeling Israeli. 00:29:07 - Parents’ career paths in Israel; working in worse positions than in Poland. 00:31:26 - The interviewee’s artistic path: gaining self-esteem during her studies at the Academy of Fine Arts; discussion of the most important inspirations; childhood memories and longing as recurring motifs in the artist’s work. 00:37:53 - The necessity to verify communist views in Israel; the interviewee’s political views – opposition to the political situation in Israel and Poland. 00:39:48 - Reference to the national symbols of Poland and Israel in the works of art. 00:41:32 - The importance of regaining Polish citizenship; the desire to belong to Poland. 00:44:27 - A message against chauvinism. Discover the POLIN Museum's oral history collection: https://sztetl.org.pl/pl/historia-mow... Subscribe to our channel: / @historiamowionapolin Watch the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews channels: POLIN (announcements and reports from events at the Museum): / mhzp2013 Virtual Shtetl (history and culture of Polish Jews): / wirtualneshtetl Polish Righteous (stories of help provided to Jews during the Holocaust): / polscysprawiedliwi Contact regarding the interview: [email protected] #historiapowiedziona #muzeumpolin #marzec68