Above: Poster for Raise the Roof, the 2014 documentary about the Gwoździec Re!construction.

Project Overview:

Through the MAKING/HISTORY Wooden Synagogue Project, Handshouse produced an extensive collection of historical material research that is vital to the continued work of recovering lost heritage. We have also established a powerful educational model for learning-by-doing through workshops that collaboratively remake lost historic objects, reawakening whole worlds of both tangible and intangible cultural heritage. The calls for access to our research and continued interest in our unique hands-on educational approach are leading us to explore new ways to expand our capacity to share our process and resources. 

Through the support of Mass Humanities grant funding, and collaboration with the POLIN Museum, we are starting the next chapter of the MAKING/HISTORY: Wooden Synagogue Project, creating A Portal to Gwoździec: a window illuminating the history of wooden synagogues for a wider public.

Above: (2 min) Trailer for the 2014 documentary Raise the Roof. Courtesy of Trillium Studios.

Raise the Roof

1 hr 24 min

Producer: Cary Wolinsky • Executive Producer: John Rubin • Directer & Editor: Yari Wolinsky
Featuring music by Di Galitzyaner Klezmorim, John Kusiak, and Neoklez

Rivaling the greatest wooden architecture in history, the synagogues of 18th-century Poland inspired Handshouse Studio to embark on a 10-year pursuit—to reconstruct the elaborate roof and painted ceiling of the Gwoździec synagogue. Leading more than 350 students and professionals from 16 countries, Handshouse grapples not just with the echoes of World War II, when these buildings were destroyed by the Nazis, but also with warped timbers, tricky paints, and period hand tools. By the end of the project, they have done more than reconstruct a lost synagogue: they have recovered a lost world. In 2013, the Gwozdziec roof was unveiled as the centerpiece of the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw. 

“Raise the Roof is about a remarkable dream and a journey of rediscovery—one that starts with tragedy and ends in triumph,” said director Yari Wolinsky. “It highlights the optimism of a new generation and a growing dialogue between Jews and Poles about the past and the future, providing a unique and positive way to connect with history.” The film sparked out of Handshouse’s passion for the subject, as well as their incredible track record in reconstructing lost wooden structures. But getting into the story of the Jews of Poland was something that grew as the film developed. “Just learning that Poland, before World War II, was home to the largest Jewish community in the world was something that surprised us and drew us in. The more we learned about the history, the more we came to understand the relationship between Jews and non-Jews in the period—it wasn’t what we expected–and appreciate the huge significance of the Polish wooden synagogues to the communities they served,” said Wolinsky.

Stream it here (Rent or Buy on Amazon).

Find a screening near you or arrange a screening for your community here.