Besa — The Promise

11 AM LOS ANGELES • 2 PM NEW YORK

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This is the true story of an American photographer determined to record the bravery and compassion of Albanians who rescued Jews during the Holocaust. It is also the story of an Albanian Muslim who must fulfill a promise his father made to the Jewish family they sheltered. Their meeting sets in motion an extraordinary and unexpected drama that bridges generations and religions … uniting fathers and sons, Muslims and Jews.

Rachel Goslins, Director/Producer

Christine S. Romero, Producer/Editor

Jason Williams & Bill Morgan, Producers

Music by Philip Glass

Special Jury Award, Festival of Albanian Film
Best Documentary, Washington Jewish Film Festival
Best Documentary, Beaufort International Film Festival
Best Director, Beaufort International Film Festival
Best Documentary, Seattle Jewish Film Festival

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SEE THE TRAILER

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THE SCHEDULE

⇒ April 21-24, watch the film Besa – The Promise on your home device. A link will be provided to all who register.

⇒ Sunday, April 23 at 2:00 p.m. US Eastern Time, tune into the program with our distinguished panel of guests. A link will be provided to all who register.

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MEET THE SPEAKERS

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Dr. Mordecai Paldiel (right) headed the Righteous Among the Nations Department at Yad Vashem from 1982-2007. His books include The Path of the Righteous, Sheltering the Jews, Saving the Jews, Diplomat Heroes of the Holocaust, Saving One’s Own: Jewish Rescuers During the Holocaust and The Righteous Among the Nations. He teaches at Stern College and Touro College and serves on the Board of the Sousa Mendes Foundation. Thanks to his efforts, there is now a square named for Aristides de Sousa Mendes as well as a street named for Raoul Wallenberg, both in Jerusalem. He is a member of the B’nai Brith committee in Israel honoring Jewish rescuers of Jews during the Holocaust.

Born 1968 in Tel Aviv, Shay Etrogy (left) is the son of Aron Etrogy — who was born in Bulgaria in 1932 and was saved by the Hoxha family in Albania. Both Shay and Aron appear in the film Besa — The Promise. Shay Etrogy studied at the Henrietta Szold school. After service in the Israeli army as a wireless operator, Shay graduated (Bachelor of Science) in civilian engineering from the Israel Technological Institute. He works as chief executive officer of the Ashtrom construction company (specializing in residential and public buildings). Shay is married to Osnat, and father of three children.

Filmmaker Jason Williams (left) possesses a rare skillset, combining nuanced storytelling with deal-making acumen. The result – to date – are two wholly independent production companies as well as multiple Primetime and News & Documentary Emmy Awards. He has executive produced, produced and directed over 400 hours of programming for Smithsonian, PBS, Discovery, National Geographic, History and the UK’s BBC, Channel 4 and C5. His films share a common belief: that scientific enquiry, commercial success and editorial excellence are not opposing forces. His film Besa — The Promise has been highly acclaimed.

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Registration for this program is closed.