“At the Crossroads” – a documentary film about a Polish priest who discovered that he is a Jew

Romuald Jakub was born, in March 1943, into a Jewish family in the Święciany ghetto near Vilno. His parents, Sonia and Jakub Weksler, decided to save their child by handing him over to be cared for by Poles. The month-old infant was left on the veranda of the home of friends, the Waszkinel family. The adoptive parents treated Romuald Jakub as their own son. Furthermore, they never told him of his Jewish origins. It was only in 1978 that his mother, Emilia Waszkinel, revealed the truth to him. At the time, he was 35 years old.

From that moment, Romuald Jakub has lived “At the Crossroads” In the 1990’s, he begins searching for his Jewish relatives and travels to Israel. He wants to be a Jew but, at the same time, wishes to remain a Catholic priest. Israeli rabbis do not agree with such a position. Without totally rejecting Christianity, in their eyes, he could never be a religious Jew and will also not receive Israeli citizenship status.

Director, Ronit Kertsner, portrays the priest, Weksler-Waszkinel, as torn between two religions and cultures. The film’s hero talks about his childhood and his struggle with his dual identity. We see his departure from Poland and his attempt at finding a place for himself within Israel.

In May 2009, Karolina Dzięciołowska, from the “Polish Righteous – Recalling Forgotten History” project, interviewed Weksler-Waszkinel:

A story by Reverend Jakub Weksler-Waszkinel

Romuald Jakub’s adoptive parents, Emilia and Piotr Waszkinel, for the help that they extended to the Jewish boy, were honoured with the title of “Righteous Among the Nations” in 1995.

More about the Waszkinel family

Source: www.tvn24.pl