When Erica Lehrer, a graduate student in anthropology, drew up the itinerary for her first trip to Eastern Europe, Poland was not the foremost thing on her mind.
"Warsaw's there, and Auschwitz is there, and that's all (my brother and I) knew about Poland. We had a vague sense that our ancestors were from there, but it was very unclear. We figured we'd stay there for a week," Lehrer said.
But what sparked Lehrer's interest in subsequent trips to Europe became the topic of a photo exhibit titled, "Commercializing the Jewish Past in Poland," currently on display in Rackham's East Gallery.
"I'm trying to say something a little bit more universal about the appropriation of pop culture in a commercial context," Lehrer said.
The inspiration for the exhibit came to Lehrer in an unusual way.
"I opened my refrigerator one day, and I saw my little Land-O-Lakes butter tub staring me in the face with this little Indian maiden on it, and I thought, 'Wow, we do the exact same thing here.' I connected the whole theme in my mind on what was going on with Jews in Poland," Lehrer said.
Lehrer, however, wants her theme to be interpreted on a deeper level.
"I just want people to think, and hopefully people will make connections to themes in the United States. Not just with Native Americans, but with other ethnic groups in general, about sentimentalizing the past and sort of trivializing other cultures, and then using that for profit," Lehrer said.
While Lehrer said the trivialization of Judaism in Poland has a negative slant, she said she also sees it as "an expression of Poles taking an interest in Jewish culture."
"I didn't even realize that there was a Jewish culture in Poland," said Ann Arbor resident Cathy Weingrot, who visited the exhibit. Weingrot's father lost his entire family in Poland.
"His whole background is a mystery. Anything I can find out is a real mystery," Weingrot said.
"I find it interesting the way the Polish people are reconstructing whatever Jewish culture they have left," said Rashi Jackman, a second-year graduate student in history. "Every clear image you bring forth of the Jewish community also brings forth a certain impact. It's interesting to see the ways they're dealing with that."
Carrie Bettinger, an LSA anthropology senior, is currently researching issues of identity in the Cuban-Jewish community.
"Two-thirds of Cuban-Jews were from Poland and areas in Eastern Europe," Bettinger said.
The exhibit is open 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 12-5 p.m. on weekends through Oct. 13.
JOSH BIGGS/Daily
Scott Specter takes a look at the photo exhibit in Ann Arbor. "Commercializing the Jewish Past in Poland" is on display in Rackham's East Gallery.