A film by Sarah Golabek-Goldman, whose mission to restore a Jewish cemetery in Poland leads to unexpected discoveries of family heritage and the legacy of her people. Produced by Little Pigeon Productions with Phyllis Pollak and TV Bialystok.
“It is my hope that finding Leah Tickotsky will inspire students to explore
profound ethical issues,
such as the dangers of apathy,
as well as
encourage Polish-Jewish dialogue.”
—Sarah Golabek-Goldman
In the summer of 2007, 19-year-old Stanford University student Sarah Golabek-Goldman traveled to Poland to teach English in the village of Zakliczyn. While there, she also visited the towns where her family lived before World War II to search for Poles who remembered her relatives. In the village of Jasionowka, Sarah discovered the gravestone of her great-great-grandmother, Leah Tickotsky.
Two years later, Ms. Golabek-Goldman received a Davis Projects for Peace Fellowship and, with a grant from the Taube Foundation for Jewish Life & Culture, returned to Poland with educator Phyllis Pollak of the New Roads School in New Jersey to restore a Jewish cemetery and research Polish memory of the Holocaust. She interviewed more than 200 Polish historians, clergy members, government officials, presidents of NGOs, professors and pupils to understand the impact of family stories and communist propaganda on memory of the genocide.
In collaboration with TV Białystok, Sarah produced finding Leah Tickotsky, a documentary that explores Polish-Jewish relations as well as Sarah’s personal journey to discover her family roots. Through her eyes, finding Leah Tickotsky provides a unique perspective on one of the most painful periods in history and serves as a reminder of the extraordinary contributions Jews made to Poland over nine centuries.
Email Sarah Golabek-Goldman at gogoldman1@gmail.com.
Visit Sarah's Facebook page. 
Press and Events
WTTW Chicago Premier, March 2011
Presentation and premiere at the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies
in Chicago, January 2011
Chicago Jewish News feature story
Radio interview on WGN's The Sunday Papers with Rick Kogan, January 2011
Presentation at Stanford University Holocaust Remembrance Day, April 2010
