for Honoring Jewish History in A Real Pain
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Warsaw, March 5, 2025 (NAN) – American actor Jesse Eisenberg has been awarded Polish citizenship by President Andrzej Duda in recognition of his work in portraying the country’s Jewish history through his Oscar-winning film, A Real Pain.
Eisenberg, known for his roles in The Social Network and Zombieland, wrote, directed, and starred in A Real Pain, a film that follows two American cousins traveling to Poland to honor their grandmother, a Holocaust survivor. The character was based on Eisenberg’s great-aunt Doris, who fled Poland in 1938, just before the outbreak of World War II. Many of his other family members who remained in the country perished in the Holocaust.
The citizenship ceremony, held in Warsaw, saw Eisenberg reflect on his deepening connection to Poland while making the film. “While we were filming this movie in Poland, and I was walking the streets and starting to get a little more comfortable in the country, something so obvious occurred to me,” Eisenberg said. “My family had lived in this place for far longer than we lived in New York. And of course, the history ended so tragically.”
He added that, beyond the Holocaust’s devastation, he felt sorrow that his family had lost their connection to Poland. “That saddened me and confirmed for me that I really wanted to try to reconnect as much as possible. And I really hope that tonight, in this ceremony and this amazing honor, is the first step of me, and on behalf of my family, reconnecting to this beautiful country.”
Poland’s President Andrzej Duda commended Eisenberg’s decision to embrace his Polish roots. “I am delighted that people from across the ocean acknowledge their heritage, recognize that their ancestors hail from the Republic [of Poland], and seek to forge a connection with our country,” Duda stated.
Eisenberg’s film A Real Pain has been widely praised for its poignant exploration of intergenerational trauma and the struggles of Jewish identity in the modern world. The film won him an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay, while his co-star Kieran Culkin took home the award for Best Supporting Actor for playing Eisenberg’s on-screen cousin.
Eisenberg’s decision to seek Polish citizenship follows a broader trend of Jewish descendants reclaiming their European heritage, particularly in countries where their families faced historical persecution. His story is a testament to the enduring connections between personal history and national identity.
