While the entertainment industry can easily go online to reach their audiences during the lockdown, an interactive museum, with eight carefully curated historical galleries, cannot easily translate into the digital realm.

Watch Professor Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, Chief Curator of Muzeum Historii Żydów Polskich POLIN (POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews) and Zygmunt Stępiński, its recently appointed director, as they discuss reopening and future directions of the award-winning museum.

Professor Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett is a world-renowned scholar, cultural anthropologist, author, and museologist. Her work merges performance studies, history, and museum design to provide engaging, memorable, and authentic experiences for visitors. As the Chief Curator of the award-winning POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, Professor Kirshenblatt-Gimblett has created a compelling and interactive journey through 1,000 years of Polish Jewish life. A recipient of many awards and honorary doctorates, she was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2017. In 2020, she was honored with the Dan David Prize.

Zygmunt Stępiński graduated from the Department of History at the University of Warsaw. Prior to joining the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews as its deputy director in 2012, he was a publisher and journalist, and the co-founder of the MURATOR Publishing Company. During his tenure as deputy director, Mr. Stępiński supervised the departments of education and communication, as well as sales and marketing. He is credited with overseeing the Museum’s record-breaking attendance and the success of its well-received temporary exhibitions as well as the institution’s cultural and educational programs. He was appointed POLIN Museum Director in March 2020.