"Jews of Cracow Await US Bar Mitzvah Boy," read the New York Times headline, as Eric Strom, a 13-year-old Connecticut boy, stood at the center of a complex human drama that attracted world-wide attention. Cracow's handful of Jews, survivors of one of the largest Jewish communities prior to World War II, were eager to participate in his bar mitzvah in their synagogues for over forty years.

In following the emotional journey of Eric and his family to Poland, the filmmakers capture a riveting story: a woman rabbi faces a storm of controversy over religious traditions and modernity; a holocaust-devastated Jewish community reflects on its past, present and future; a boy comes of age; an elderly woman, Maria, sees her wish of forty years come true.

These remarkable events are set against the backdrop of the rich heritage of Polish Jewry. As archival footage reveals, Poland was once the center of the Jewish world. Before World War II, Cracow's Jewish population was 60,000; now only 200 remain. Members of the younger generation of Poland's remaining Jews wonder if they will be able to maintain religious and cultural identity in contemporary Poland. Elderly holocaust survivors explain why they remained in a place of painful memory.

Eric's mission to fill a spiritual need of an elderly survivor many miles away evokes poignancy, humor and debate. The gesture becomes a symbol of renewal, a testament to the continuity of a people. Spark Among the Ashes is a landmark film for audiences concerned with the holocaust, cultural survival, and the conflict between orthodox and contemporary religious movements.