Past Events
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Victory in Algiers! The Jewish Heroes of North Africa who Changed the Course of World War II
1 PM LOS ANGELES • 4 PM NEW YORK
This film and discussion program tells the extraordinary unsung story of how the Jewish resistance in Algeria, led by José Aboulker, ushered in the Allied capture of North Africa in November of 1942. This was the first major Allied victory of World War II (codename: “Operation Torch”) — an event that changed the course of the war and saved the Jews of North Africa from potential deportation. The film Shadows of Freedom tells the dramatic true story.
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Randy Schoenberg’s Time Travel Through Jewish History
11 AM LOS ANGELES • 2 PM NEW YORK
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A very special event! In the new award-winning documentary film Fioretta, famed attorney Randy Schoenberg embarks with his son Joey on a journey across Europe in a quest to find their family roots. Schoenberg, whose success in forcing Austria to return five Nazi-looted paintings to their rightful Jewish owner was told in the Academy Award-winning film Woman in Gold, will be joining us in person and answering your questions. Moderating will be the celebrated genealogist Adam Brown. Not to be missed!
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Hiding in Holland — My Father’s Story
1 PM LOS ANGELES • 4 PM NEW YORK
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On this Father’s Day program, Dr. Shulamit Reinharz tells her father’s story of resistance and survival during the Holocaust. Her stirring new book, Hiding in Holland: A Resistance Memoir, combines the voices of a father who survived the Holocaust and a daughter who explains the historical context of his experiences. Running through the story is a commitment to resistance, from the father’s religious youth in Germany to his embrace of Labor Zionism, his incarceration in Buchenwald and his flight to freedom in Holland. This uplifting story of hope will focus not only on history but also on life lessons passed from one generation to the next.
The Ritchie Boys
1 PM LOS ANGELES • 4 PM NEW YORK
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The Ritchie Boys is a term used for American soldiers who trained at Camp Ritchie during World War II. At Camp Ritchie, military instructors taught intelligence gathering and analysis to approximately 20,000 soldiers. Several thousand of these soldiers were Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany who had immigrated to the United States and were then put in the position of interrogating Nazis captured by the Allies. This fascinating film-and-discussion program tells their story.
The Vanished World of Roman Vishniac
11 AM LOS ANGELES • 2 PM NEW YORK
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Not to be missed! The photographer Roman Vishniac captured iconic images of Jewish life, from the cafes of pre-war Berlin to the shtetls of Eastern Europe. His book A Vanished World, produced in collaboration with Elie Wiesel, is widely known. This film-and-discussion program presents the story of the fascinating man behind the photographs.
The Egyptian Doctor Named Righteous Among the Nations
11 AM LOS ANGELES • 2 PM NEW YORK
The documentary film Anna and the Egyptian Doctor tells the extraordinary story of Dr. Mohamed Helmy, who rescued a Jewish teenager in Berlin by disguising her as his Muslim assistant. He is the first and only Arab to be recognized as Righteous Among the Nations, but his family refused to accept the award for decades out of fear of reprisal. Helmy’s nephew, Dr. Nasser Kotby, who finally accepted the award over his family’s objections, is the first Arab Muslim to commemorate the Holocaust on film. Anna and the Egyptian Doctor presents a story that transcends the boundaries of time, religion, and politics.
Heroes of the Jewish Resistance
11 AM LOS ANGELES • 2 PM NEW YORK
Paula Apsell‘s stunning new documentary film, Resistance – They Fought Back, will be the basis of this film-and-discussion program. This groundbreaking film uncovers a deeper and fuller story than has yet been told, using cutting edge techniques of documentation, including forensic archeological investigation. Meet the filmmaker and two of the people interviewed in the film, Dr. Steven Meed and Prof. Yoel Haari, whose mothers were the real-life heroes Vladka Meed and Bela Hazan. Dr. Jud Newborn, a leading world authority on Jewish resistance during the Holocaust, will moderate.
Sousa Mendes Museum Virtual Tour
11 AM LOS ANGELES • 2 PM NEW YORK
The Aristides de Sousa Mendes Museum is open! Please join us for this behind-the-scenes look at the exciting new museum in Portugal devoted to the Holocaust rescuer Aristides de Sousa Mendes. This program comes with the rare opportunity to view the film Disobedience: The Sousa Mendes Story free of charge!
Max’s War — The Story of a Ritchie Boy
1 PM LOS ANGELES • 4 PM NEW YORK
Max’s War tells the story of one man’s decision to fight back against Hitler. As the Nazis conquer Europe, Jewish teen Max Steiner and his parents flee German persecution to Holland, where Max finds true friends and a life-altering romance. But when Hitler invades in 1940, Max escapes to Chicago, leaving his parents and friends behind. When he learns of his parents’ murder, Max immediately enlists in the US Army.
“We were the lucky ones” — The Psychology of Kindertransport Survivors
1 PM LOS ANGELES • 4 PM NEW YORK
Into the darkness of the Holocaust it is important to add true tales that are life affirming. My Knees Were Jumping; Remembering the Kindertransports was screened at the Sundance Film Festival and was short-listed for an Academy Award nomination. This film, by Melissa Hacker, focuses on the psychology of the child survivors and the transmission of memory from one generation to the next. The filmmaker’s mother, the Academy Award nominated costume designer Ruth Morley (Taxi Driver, Annie Hall, The Hustler, The Miracle Worker, Tootsie, and many more classic American movies) fled Vienna on a Kindertransport in January of 1939. She is a strong presence in the film talking about her experiences alongside other former child refugees.