Irene Kronhill Pletka was born in Shanghai. Thanks to a Sugihara visa, her parents, Jakob and Lilka Kronzylberg, both Polish citizens, were able to flee Vilna in January 1941 and cross Russia to Japan and then Shanghai. The family moved to Melbourne, Australia in 1946. Educated in Melbourne, she later studied and lived in London and Boston, earning degrees in psychology and fine arts. She settled in Manhattan in the 1990s.

She is committed to the vitality of secular Jewish culture and the Yiddish language.  She founded and is Director of The Kronhill Pletka Foundation, which is dedicated to the memory of her parents. The foundation supports Jewish cultural, educational, and social justice projects around the world. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research and Center for Jewish History and a supporter of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, which helped her family and so many others during our darkest hours. She is a Distinguished Benefactor of POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, where the reconstruction of timber-frame roof, painted ceiling, and bimah of the Gwoździec wooden synagogue were made possible by her generosity and that of her foundation.

Jeffrey Yoskowitz is a Jewish food pioneer based in New York. He is a leader in plant-forward dining, fermenter, writer, and cookbook author. He has been published in The New York Times, The Atlantic, and The New Republic, among others. Jeffrey co-authored The Gefilte Manifesto: New Recipes for Old World Jewish Foods, a finalist for a National Jewish Book Award. As Papaya founder and Chief Culinary Officer, Jeffrey is building a robust platform for plant-forward dining. As Gefilteria founder and Chief Pickler, he produces culinary events, presents cooking demos around the world, and manufactures a category-defining gefilte fish. He was named to both the Forbes 30 Under 30 in Food & Wine and to the Forward's list of 50 most influential Jews, and has been a guest chef at the esteemed James Beard Foundation on numerous occasions.

Mary Seidler is the English social media manager for POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews. She also coordinates the international version of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising Campaign put on by POLIN Museum on April the 19th. She’s a traveler, foodie, musician, and singer who resides in Warsaw. 

Marysia Ostrowska has been a POLIN Museum employee since 2018, and enjoys exploring the roots of Polish Jewish Cuisine. In college she majored in Polish-Jewish relations of the 17th century. She is a wife, mom, and is an avid baker.

Mary Seidler is the English social media manager for POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews. She also coordinates the international version of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising Campaign put on by POLIN Museum on April the 19th. She’s a traveler, foodie, musician, and singer who resides in Warsaw. 

Marysia Ostrowska has been a POLIN Museum employee since 2018, and enjoys exploring the roots of Polish Jewish Cuisine. In college she majored in Polish-Jewish relations of the 17th century. She is a wife, mom, and is an avid baker.

POLIN Museum will be featuring guest cooks, both professional and those who are keeping the traditions alive in their own kitchens on our Virtual Shetl website. Many people around the world have their roots in Poland, and have recipes that have been passed down through the ages that we would like to share with you. 

Join POLIN employees as they take our visitors throughout Poland via the food scene. We'll be featuring interesting food related content, vlogs, recipes, and even some travel foodie videos that are designed to inspire futures travelers to Poland. We'll also include historical Polish Jewish food content as well.