F

THE HANGMAN  (1964)

Han

Based on Maurice Ogden's award-winning poem and narrated by Herschel Bernardi, this animated film creates a chilling metaphoric journey of the forces of evil as they grow and flourish in the fertile soil of apathy and social irresponsibility. The story concerns a town where the hangman comes for people, one at a time. No one interferes and, at the end, there is only one person left—and no one left to protest on his behalf. Study guide available. Note: An excellent trigger film for discussions involving the Holocaust, ethics and the danger of apathy.

12 min.  AGE: 12 to Adult

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HANNA'S WAR  (1988)

Han

Dramatization of the story of Hanna Senesh, a Hungarian Jew living in Palestine who worked for the British on a mission in World War II to rescue English fliers downed in Eastern Europe. The account of one woman’s indomitable will in the face of torture in a Nazi prison, fear and despair. Stars Ellen Burstyn, Maruschka Detmers and Anthony Andrews.

2 hrs. 30 min. Rated PG-13, some violence.  AGE: 14 to Adult

F

THE HARMONISTS (1997)

Drama based on the true story of the “Comedian Harmonists” – an a cappella singing group of six male vocalists that was extremely popular in pre-World War II Germany. The members of the group included both Jews and Christians. When the Nazis took power and instituted anti-Jewish laws, the Jews in the group were no longer able to publicly perform. All of the singers found themselves faced with difficult choices - choices which tested both their loyalty and their ethics. A large part of the story line involves the romantic entanglements which occur when two of the singers fall in love with the same woman. Note: Rated R.

In German with English subtitles.  1 hr. 55 min.  AGE:  17 to Adult

Made for television mini-series based on the true story of Ruth Gruber, a U.S. government official and journalist who fought for haven for a shipload of Jewish European refugees reaching America in 1944. Natasha Richardson delivers a powerful performance as the 32-year-old Gruber, a woman determined to accompany nearly 1,000 Holocaust survivors on their trip from Europe to America aboard the U.S. military ship “Henry Gibbons.” This was the only time during the war that a group of Jewish immigrants was permitted to enter the U.S. – on the agreement that they would return to their native countries after the war. Gruber was allowed to accompany them, as she was a government official fluent in Russian, German and Yiddish. The mini-series chronicles the difficult passage of these refugees, as well as some of their individual tragic stories from the Holocaust. Focus of the film, however, is on the opposition from the U.S. State Department and Congress to aiding European Jews during the Holocaust, and their reluctance to help this group of refugees. The refugees were interned at the Oswego Refugee Camp during the war and would have been sent back to Europe at the war’s end had Gruber not fought for them. Eventually, they were given permission to apply for citizenship from President Truman and given true haven in the U.S. Note: Includes a few violent scenes and brief graphic Holocaust documentary footage.

Approx. 4 hrs.  AGE:  13 to Adult

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THE HIDING PLACE  (1975)

Hid

World War II drama based on a true story about a Dutch Christian family who shelter Jews from the Nazis and are discovered and deported to a Nazi concentration camp. The Ten Boom family build a hidden room in their shop when their Jewish friends seek escape from deportation. When the Nazis discover the family’s activities, they are sent to the Ravensbruck death camp, where each family member faces torture and death. Only one daughter survives—and she must try to cope with all that has happened and find a way to regain her faith. Stars Julie Harris. Produced by Billy Graham’s Evangelistic Association.

2 hrs. 25 min. Rated PG.  AGE: 14 to Adult

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HOLOCAUST  (1978)

Hol

This Emmy Award-winning television epic follows the lives of two families, one Jewish and one Nazi, living in Nazi Germany during 1935-1945. The Weiss family is deprived of rights until their very survival is threatened, while the Dorfs join the German war effort and rise to affluence. Stars Meryl Streep and James Woods as an intermarried couple. Note: Teachers may wish to use individual segments to highlight Kristallnacht or the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.

Approx. 7 hrs. 30 min.  AGE: 12 to Adult

291.1

THE HOLOCAUST  (In Two Octaves: A Debate of Eight Parts Between Judaism &

In

Christianity)  (1995)

Part 5 of an eight-part debate which took place in Jerusalem in 1992 between Professor Yeshaiyahu Leibowitz and Father Professor Marcel Dubois. In this segment, Dubois says of the Holocaust, “I believe in redemption according to the teachings of Christ and this tragedy adheres to that redemption.” He also says, “this vast suffering (the Holocaust) is germane to the victory of the cross” and to “salvation through Jesus the Messiah.” Leibowitz, on the other hand, sees no meaning in the Holocaust and views it as “the greatest horror in human history; a horror devoid of any meaning or significance.” He is adamant that the idea of learning a lesson from the Holocaust does not exist. Note: This video should be shown to adult groups and college classes which study the Holocaust in depth—as it illuminates a Christian interpretation of the Holocaust which would probably be surprising to most Jews.

33 min.  AGE: Adult

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HOLOCAUST AND REVOLT (1942-1943)  (Pillar of Fire, Chapter 13)  (1981)

Los

In the face of defeats at El-Alamein and Stalingrad, the Germans continue with the systematic destruction of Europe's Jews. Calls for help from the Warsaw Ghetto fall on deaf ears. In April 1943, the Jews of Warsaw revolt against the Nazis. The ghetto is totally destroyed. Study guide available.

Color/B&W. 1 hr.  AGE: 12 to Adult

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THE HOLOCAUST: IN MEMORY OF MILLIONS  (1994)

Hol

Documentary which chronicles the entire story of the Holocaust—including the rise of the Nazi party and personal testimonies of survivors and liberators. Walter Cronkite hosts this program from the halls of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Contains interviews with Elie Wiesel and survivors from Denmark and LeChambon (France). Note: Disturbing testimonies and some very graphic footage appear, particularly when covering Liberation in the last half hour. Teachers should use discretion.

1 hr. 30 min.  AGE: 14 to Adult

Examines the trial held in early 2000, in which British historian, David Irving (an apologist for Hitler) sued American Jewish scholar, Deborah Lipstadt, for libeling him. In her book, Denying the Holocaust, Lipstadt accuses Irving of being anti-Semitic and a Holocaust denier. This program shows, point-by-point, how Lipstadt’s lawyers traced the origins of the Final Solution, showed evidence of the mass murders of the Holocaust, and demolished Irving’s case. Note: Includes graphic documentary footage.

56 min.  AGE:  14 to Adult

Riveting drama based on the true story of the Israeli capture of Nazi war criminal, Adolph Eichmann in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1960. The story follows a group of Israeli intelligence agents who arrive in Buenos Aires to follow a lead that Eichmann has been living there – protected by a “Nazi Brotherhood” as well as Argentinean officials. The Israeli agents, with the approval of Ben Gurion, form a plan to zero in on Eichmann’s whereabouts and then to catch and hold him until they can transport him to Israel for trial. Suspense builds as Argentinean police clamp down on security, delaying both the arrival and departure of the Israeli plane. Attention is also focused on the interaction between Eichmann and the Jewish intelligence agents as they share close quarters. Eichmann answers questions in a matter-of-fact manner, and it is clear that he is totally unrepentant about his actions during the war (he was responsible for the murder of millions). His captors, some of them survivors themselves, must continually restrain themselves from harming him. Note: Some material may not be suitable for younger viewers.

96 min.  AGE:  14 to Adult

F

I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU NOT (1996)

ILo

(DVD)

Uneven drama about Daisy (Claire Danes), a shy Jewish teen in a New York prep school, who develops a crush on Ethan (Jude Law), the most popular guy in school. Although Daisy is a quiet bookworm, a poem that she writes attracts Ethan’s attention. The two become a pair – much to the disgust of Ethan’s friends. Daisy has an extremely close relationship with her grandmother (Jeanne Moreau), a Holocaust survivor. They share secrets and innermost thoughts, and are inseparable – almost like best friends. Frequently, the grandmother tells Daisy bits about her experiences in the Holocaust, shown through flashback scenes. A repeated scene shows how the grandmother’s best friend rejected her because she was a Jew.

This theme of anti-Semitism is repeated when Daisy’s classmates learn she is a Jew (Daisy is blonde and no on suspected her of being Jewish). First, Daisy finds an anti-Semitic clipping on her locker and eventually, Ethan breaks up with her, telling her that she’s different and “too intense.” Daisy is overwrought with grief but by the end, viewers are led to believe that the love and strength shared with her grandmother will carry her through. Note: The film grapples with many important ideas but doesn’t seem to quite hold it together. A rating of PG-13 was given probably for some obscene language (Daisy has difficulty saying swear words and the grandmother tries to get her to say them aloud as a means to release her anger). Teachers should preview before using this in a classroom.

80 min.  AGE:  13 to Adult

956.94

THE ILLEGALS  (1948)

Ill

Original film by author Meyer Levin, who joined the Haganah’s European underground after World War II. Levin recorded on film the story of the “Aliyah-Bet”—the secret and “illegal” movement of Holocaust survivors to Palestine (as Britain limited Jewish immigration to Palestine after the Holocaust). Levin followed the survivors on their journey across borders and snow-covered mountains, on foot and by truck and ship. He even shot film while the British boarded the Haganah ship that was to take the survivors to Israel. Levin retrieved this film from the British, who had originally confiscated it—and he developed it as a record of what transpired. Note: Sound quality is very poor, and the viewer must really strain to understand pieces of the dialogue. The film is fascinating, however, as it presents actual footage of this underground movement—and of the struggle for Holocaust survivors to reach Eretz Yisrael. Best used for individual viewing, although teachers may wish to select a small section for classroom use.

B&W. 56 min.  AGE: 14 to Adult

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IN OUR OWN HANDS: THE HIDDEN STORY OF THE JEWISH BRIGADE IN WORLD

In

WAR II  (1998)

Fine documentary which traces the history and the activities of His Majesty’s Jewish Brigade—the only all-Jewish fighting unit in World War II, which was composed of young Jewish men living in Palestine. The film opens showing the men in 1995, at a 50^th reunion at the scene of their major battle fought in Italy, and includes interviews with them throughout. The film’s focus, however, is on the operations of the Brigade after the war. In post-war Europe, these young soldiers formed secret vengeance squads to assassinate Nazi officers in hiding, and engineered the rescue and illegal movement of Holocaust survivors to Palestine. Brigade veterans were also instrumental in helping to organize and lead the new Israel Defense Forces in 1948, in Israel’s War of Independence. These men showed the world that Jews can fight to protect their own—and come away victorious. The film sheds light on an important and little known chapter in Jewish history. Note: Teachers may wish to use this film either towards the conclusion of a unit on the Holocaust or include it when studying the history of the State of Israel. This film and The Long Way Home illuminate different aspects of the same time period.

1 hr. 25 min.  AGE: 12 to Adult

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IN THE SHADOW OF THE REICH: NAZI MEDICINE  (1997)

In

Examines the role Nazi physicians played in World War II. It studies the step-by-step process that led the medical profession in the Third Reich from justifying sterilization, to executing experiments on human beings, to genocide. The film documents the racial theories and eugenics principles that laid the groundwork for the doctors’ participation in sterilization and euthanasia, the selections in the death camps and inhuman, unethical human experimentation. Includes documentary footage and interviews with authors of books on the Nazi doctors, as well as an interview with an SS doctor.

54 min.  AGE: 14 to Adult

Poignant film that takes actual drawings of the children of the concentration camp Terezin (Theresienstadt) and animates them to tell about life in the Holocaust through children’s eyes. There are no words - and music or singing, often somber, is always in the background. The film’s creators alternate between using the children’s drawings and using real photographs to tell about life in the camp. Sometimes the animated or drawn figures are actually superimposed on photographic images. This unusual combination brings the presence of the children closer to the viewer. At the end of the film, hand written names of children of Terezin appear on the screen with their birth dates – and usually with their death dates. The film quickly draws viewers into the world of a Jewish child in a concentration camp. Note: Not recommended for a young audience. Effect of the film presupposes a certain Holocaust knowledge level and mature thought. One image in particular, which may be problematic for some, is a hand drawn stereotypical Jewish face (with a loud, evil laugh in the soundtrack) – immediately followed by photographs of traditional Jews. The filmmaker’s intent in this juxtaposition is unclear. Overall, however, the film is both engaging and touching and will generate much discussion.

17 min.  AGE:  16 to Adult

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INTO THE ARMS OF STRANGERS: STORIES OF THE KINDERTRANSPORT  (2000)

Academy Award winning documentary about the Kindertransport, the extraordinary rescue operation which transported ten thousand Jewish children from Nazi-held lands to safely in England between December, 1938 and August, 1939. The film beautifully succeeds in emphasizing the children’s viewpoint of the Kindertransport, as well as children’s reactions to the growing anti-Semitism around them. It does this through utilizing first hand accounts of twelve people who were rescued through the Kindertransport, as well as interviews with a parent, a foster parent, and two rescuers. Narrated by Judi Densch.  Note: An extensive study guide is available. The study guide offers suggestions for breaking the film into 5 separate parts for classroom viewing. The first 20 minute sequence can be very effectively used for simply showing students how the growing anti-Semitic laws affected the lives of Jewish children.

Color/B&W.  1 hr. 57 min.  AGE:  13 to Adult

Werner Herzog film based on the incredible true story of Zishe, a Jewish strongman, who became a sensation in Berlin in the early 1930’s. When the film opens, Zishe is working for his father as a blacksmith apprentice in a Polish shtetl. After he defeats a strongman in a traveling circus, an agent spots him and finds Zishe a job in Berlin at a nightclub called “Palace of the Occult.” There Zishe works for Jan Hanussen, a slick psychic who courts Nazis and seeks power. Hanussan “aryanizes” Zishe by having him don a blonde wig and pose as Siegfried, Wagner’s hero. Zishe is ashamed of the act. In a very gutsy move, Zishe proclaims his true identity as a proud Jew – a Samson among Jews – to a room heavily populated with Nazis. The conclusion of the film portrays the continued rise of the Nazis, the downfall of Hanussen’s club, and Zishe’s return to the shtetl. A subplot involves Zishe’s love interest in Marta, the club pianist, who is abused by Hanussen. Note: A fascinating and beautifully photographed film which would have benefited from further editing. Herzog utilizes some interesting imagery and symbolism, as well as an unusual dream sequence. This film should provoke much discussion – for both its content and its layered meanings.

2 hrs. 15 min.  AGE:  17 to Adult

F

THE ISLAND ON BIRD STREET  (1996)

Orl

Holocaust drama based on the award-winning children’s book by Israeli author Uri Orlev. Alex is an 11-year-old Jewish boy living with his father in the Warsaw Ghetto. When Jews are rounded up for deportation, Alex escapes and hides in a ruined building in the deserted ghetto, waiting for his father as he had been instructed. When his father doesn’t return, Alex is determined to survive and wait, for his father had promised that he would come for him. Months pass, and Alex has learned how to scavenge for food and how to disappear when the Nazis search. His only companions are a white mouse and the book Robinson Crusoe—a book about surviving. A well-acted, well-made adaptation of the book. Study guide available.

1 hr. 43 min.  AGE: 13 to Adult

956.94

ISRAEL: A NATION IS BORN - PART 3  (1992)

Isr

The third installment in a five-part video series in which former Israeli Foreign Minister Abba Eban chronicles his part in the creation of the State of Israel. In this segment, Eban explains how Israel ended its isolation, culminating in the combined Anglo-French-Israeli Sinai Campaign of 1956. He then reveals his involvement in bringing Adolf Eichmann to trial in Israel. This part concludes with Nasser plotting a maritime blockade and invasion of Israel. Insight into these events is given through interviews with President Nixon. Study guide available.

55 min.  AGE: 12 to Adult

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IT WAS NOTHING... IT WAS EVERYTHING (REFLECTIONS ON THE RESCUE OF JEWISH

It

FUGITIVES IN GREECE DURING THE HOLOCAUST)  (1997)

Documentary film which interviews Greek citizens who risked their lives to save Greek Jews during World War II. Nearly 90% of the Jewish community in Greece—almost 65,000 Jews—were annihilated during the Holocaust. Filmmaker Sy Rotter records the stories of these Righteous Gentiles who tell how and why they risked so much to save the lives of strangers.

28 min.  AGE: 12 to Adult