Shtetl (full documentary) | FRONTLINE

39 thoughts on “Shtetl (full documentary) | FRONTLINE”

1. A very strong document,!!!!! Thanks Frontline PBS,

2. I found it an enlightning documentary, but was irritated by the narrator's pushing the young Polish man to do even more than he already have done for the Jewish cause. He took a personal risk in trying to understand the history of his town. Especially aggrevating is the focusing on the Jewish suffering in view of current events in Ghaza, where Orthodox Jews seem to have learned from the Nazis in their treatment of the Palestinians

3. THE SHETYL

4. Will we ever live in peace? will the hate ever stop?

5. 1:00:30 – the silver, the siddur, table cloth… wow!!! what treasures. to think that all those kinds of things were stollen and taken away from millions of people. so hard to fathom.

6. 35:00 – no shame at all to Gell what he took from the jewish homes. disgusting!!! he learned nothing from the atrocities.

7. Wow, very powerful. Europe has made a grave mistake by attempting to annihilate us, and have paid an enormous price, both emotionally and in the development of these shtetles and cities. The Jews were the market people, the ones who brought life to these places. Europe is a huge cemetery since and now are terrorized by the muslims they let in.

8. The irony of the is.raeli state committing a genocide in 2025 is seemingly lost on many people.

   I guess they're not as grateful for life as this man was.

9. That young Polish man is an abosolute hero. He has discovered so much Jewish history, so many artefacts that the Nazis wanted to destroy. The finding of the gravestones is so moving and replacing them is incredible. I found the local farmers etc to be a puzzle, just nonchalently describing how they went to dig up Jewish belongings – things that did not belong to them. Very heart breaking to hear that dead Jewish bodies were searched for anything of value – a very disturbing thought – compassion seems lacking. This town looks very poor and rather in need of resources and money – before the war it was probably better with the Jewish people caring for it, the Nazis destroyed everything and anything of beauty. I would love to see the synagogue restored to its former self. I'm only half way through so maybe I will change my mind about the people interviewed, but so far not impressed with them – except for the young Polish hero who is an absolute gem.

10. And now Palestine is contained and starving. Ironic.

11. MERCI POUR CE BEAU DOCUMENT ❤

12. The more I find out about the Jews the angrier I become. For what happened to them one would think they wouldn't be doing the same thing to the people in Gaza!!!

13. 59:40 – Death eats at his soul. Eternal death.

14. An important, moving documentary I had been unable to watch for some time; now it seems sadly fitting and chilling in the aftermath of the Hanukah massacre in Sydney, allowing me to better understand the ongoing fear of my Jewish friends here in France. The shameful loss of the Christian message in Catholic countries, now flamed for two years, ironically, by Israel itself. Rough times for humanity.

15. Film is 25 y. old.

16. How can a so called “civilised” people commit mass murder & still call themselves Christian? What would Jewish Jesus say? Pure evil.

17. Very sad to have hundred of years erased to almost nothing … I’m sorry for your Jewish heratige loss in Your town

18. What the Jews had to suffer and to this day still ……. Sad

19. My Grandfather Khaim Bross left bransk in 1922 after Polish liberation from the Soviet army.

    The pessimist left for America. The optimist ended in Treblinka.

20. This is probably my favorite documentary I've seen.
    I first watched it the last day I drank.

21. It seems Israel has forgotten all the horror once it concerns its neighbour country . Killing woman and children with bomb attacks at night !

22. I must say this is the most boring documentary despite the theme! Could have been done in less than an hour

23. It's sad how humanity can't do something like this, amazing documentary I got to meet a two surviving beautiful woman's from holocaust it was Felicia and Helen God Bless you for your documentary

24. I just watched this in Dec. 2025. The film captures the contradictions and denialism of historical memory for Poles. They portray themselves as victims but they were also perpetrators. Jan T Gross writes about this in Neighbors (Jedwabne). This was an amazing documentary on so many levels — so deeply affecting.

25. the answer is forgiveness god's forgiveness not to be found in a church or a priest or a synagouge or a rabbi but only in a jewish peasant yeshua

26. I read and watch about the war and every time I learn of some new atrocity. It’s like a stab in the heart!

27. Что-то тут не стыковка..при советской власти еврейская тема была табу…почему не объяснили…ведь спас евреев от неминуемой смерти только советский солдат..и советская власть

28. I found this documentary to be hard to watch Like Schindler’s list. It showed the antisemitism that existed in Poland during World War II. It was hard to view the pictures of the people who were murdered.

29. It can happen again, right now or very soon, to a different group who has been designated “the other”.

30. Great Documentary …

31. It becomes clear that there was animosity towards the Jews from the Poles even before the war and the invasion of the Nazis. It didn't just start in 1939. The Jews were an easy target because, even though they weren't all rich, "they were all Jews" as the oldtimer tells Jack at 2:23:00. A lot of Poles probably felt it was necessary to curry favor with the Germans and betray the Jews. And they had a lot of pent up hostility. They probably felt the Jews had no future anyway. Not making excuses for anyone, but who knows what any of us would do in such a situation? Watching this excellent video, you begin to understand the dynamics of groups…and of people under stress, …..jealousy, and the danger of living with an "identity" that marks you as "different".

32. I couldn’t stand zbyszek attitude and this is from a wee Scottish woman sitting on her sofa , I don’t like him one bit

33. Excelente. Muito obrigado.

34. Right at the beginning the song Mein Stadtele Belz…. oh what beauty and sadness
    much love to the Jewish people from Serbia

35. The Lord bless them all❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

36. Anyone knows the name of the song at 8:48?

37. NO COMPLAINTS: :JEWISH THE HAVE THE BEST LIVE. FREE

38. In usa YOU'RE HAVE LIVING. ::FREE

39. JEWISH POLISH PEOPLE:GO TO DATH CUMP POLISH PEOPLE SAVE JEWISH PEOPLE AND POLISH GO SOUTH FROM GERMANY:WHAT YOU WONT POLISH PEOPLE HELP ALAT :NOW YOU ARE GET MONEY FROM ::POLISH PEOPLE GET NOTHING:

Comments are closed.