Pas t Forward The Newsletter of the Shoah Foundation™ SPRING / SUMMER 2001 Regarded as one of the most prolific and significant tion from Children from the Abyss may help explain why this images from left to right: Broken Silence: directors in postwar Europe, Wajda has made films (such as documentary explores such horrifying events. Vojtech Jasny Man of Iron and, most recently, Pan Tadeusz) that have been Children from the Abyss tells the stories of people The Shoah Foundation’s International Documentary acclaimed as both artistically brilliant and politically out- who survived mass executions during the Holocaust, when Janos Szasz spoken.Wajda received the Lifetime Achievement Award from they were children and teenagers in the former Soviet Union. One of first tasks for each filmmaker was to choose Stanislaw Jonas, Series Speaks to New Audiences around the Globe the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1999. Producer James Moll believes that Russia’s bloody a survivor featured in I Remember which testimonies to include in history, especially its tragic losses during World War II, meant his documentary. Because the László Kiss, 12 13 that this documentary’s audience might be more challenging Shoah Foundation has cata- a survivor featured in Eyes of the There is a moment in Luis Puenzo’s Some Who Lived when the age of . The film shows a young girl, about years old, Holocaust Liza Zajak-Novera, one of the many Holocaust survivors who finding an old book about the Holocaust. She opens the book Algunos que Vivieron to reach. “The graphic details of what these survivors endured logued only English-language testimonies and developed only sought safe haven in Argentina after the war, describes her and begins to learn about the past. Szasz sees this girl as a (Some Who Lived) are often difficult to listen to, yet these stories might more Eugenia Unger, 3 English-language educational a Spanish-language documentary a survivor featured in Some Who Lived effectively communicate to an audience who has strong mem- discovery that an infamous Nazi lived across the street from “shelter for this book,” someone who will protect it from the materials, the testimonies in directed by Luis Puenzo ories of their own suffering.” Many people in these regions two images from Eyes of the Holocaust the beach where she played with her children. ravages of time. Each director faced a challenging objective: to raise other languages (about 52% In the film, this encyclopedic book defines concepts are not aware of the mass executions of Jews during the war. of the archive) have, until now, archival images from Broken Silence awareness of the Holocaust and its relevance to current acts The film is divided into three sections: childhood In countries around the world, the ghosts of a violent past such as antisemitism and deportation. The definitions intro- been largely unexplored. of hatred and intolerance in countries where the Holocaust (before the war), the war (in particular mass executions), and continue to visit the present, in a woman’s fear for her family’s duce sections of the film that deal with these topics. Szasz then does not have the same public significance as in the United life in the ghettos. Children from the Abyss investigates the To narrow down the number of safety, in a child’s ignorance of history, in a man’s apathy weaves together survivor interviews and archival footage to States or Israel. Argentine director Luis Puenzo chose to motivations of those who collaborated with the Nazis, as interviews that would be sent to Five Documentaries. Five toward an act of intolerance. Holocaust revisionists and others clearly illustrate each concept in the most personal of terms. pursue this goal by relating the events of the Holocaust to each director, the Foundation Countries. Five Directors. well as the rescuers who remained humane despite their own who encourage hate prey on the uneducated and apathetic. In Szasz, an accomplished theatre and film director (best darker moments in his own country’s history. worked with bilingual 1994 suffering. The film also examines the survivors’ memories of researchers who watched The Broken Silence documentaries response to educators and community leaders who confront known for his film Woyzeck), says he knew that the day First, Puenzo addresses the irony of the Argentine witnessing their parents’ deaths and their desire for revenge hundreds of testimonies. will be broadcast on television the rise in Holocaust denial, racial hatred, and wars of “ethnic would come when he would make a film about the Holocaust. 1940 in their home countries during nationalist regime of the s that gave refuge to Jews who during and after the war. One of these researchers, 2001. However, broadcast dates cleansing,” the Shoah Foundation has produced five foreign- His parents, both survivors themselves, never spoke about survived the Holocaust as well as to the Nazis who persecuted Writer and director Pavel Chukhraj, best known for Cataloguer Zsuzsanna Aradi, have not yet been finalized for language documentaries based on testimonies in its archive their experiences and Szasz felt the heaviness of their unspo- all the films. them. Then he draws a parallel between the Nazi regime and his award-winning drama The Thief, used narration, archival originally from Budapest, for international television broadcast. ken memories throughout his childhood. Today Szasz is a describes the experience of the infamous military junta that governed Argentina from footage, and original music to underscore the deeply affect- Argentina 1976 1983 30,000 watching interviews in Algunos que Vivieron Initiated by Foundation Chairman Steven Spielberg, father himself and is proud to have made this very personal to , which murdered more than people. As ing survivor testimonies in this film. Hungarian for the first time: (Some Who Lived) these five films, known collectively as Broken Silence, represent film. Though it was a painful process “to hear the knocking survivor Pedro Boschan states, “When the dictatorship took Broadcast date unavailable at press time an important step in the Shoah Foundation’s global mission on the door of [the survivors], to open it, and to listen,” Szasz place in Argentina, it was much like it was in Europe. This I have been listening to English- Station: TELEFE to increase awareness of the Holocaust to counter the devas- says, “I’m very happy that I made this film for my child and proved that … this is something we are all subject to, perma- Peklo Na Zemi language testimonies as a Czech Republic tating impact of intolerance. James Moll, director of the Oscar- for other children.” nently, no matter where we live and no matter who we are.” (Hell on Earth) cataloguer for nearly four years. Listening to interviews in Peklo Na Zemi winning The Last Days and a founding executive director of Finally, Puenzo included survivors’ references to the antise- 5 a Czech-language documentary (Hell on Earth) Hungarian made the whole the Foundation, produced these documentaries, which focus mitic bombings in Buenos Aires (of the Israeli Embassy in directed by Vojtech Jasny Tentative broadcast date: process of watching and 11.29.01 at 8 p.m. on Argentina, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Russia. Pamietam 1992 and the Argentine Jewish Federation Building in 1994). “I opened my heart and did the best I could.” This is Station: CT2 network analyzing testimonies effortless. These countries were selected because of their dire need for 2 (I Remember) The bombings, which remain unresolved, badly shook some how director Vojtech Jasny describes his experience making I was immersed in my language, Hungary Holocaust education, their enduring legacy of antisemitism a Polish-language documentary survivors who have looked to their adopted country for a the documentary Hell on Earth. which was very pleasurable. A Holocaust Szemei directed by Andrzej Wajda (Eyes of the Holocaust) (as in many parts of the world), and their direct involvement sense of safety and belonging. Jasny’s film gives an overview of the events of the At the same time, listening to Tentative broadcast date: in the events and/or the aftermath of the Holocaust. Polish survivor Stanislaw Jonas remembers that Graciela Nabel de Jinich, the Shoah Foundation liai- Holocaust, specifically how the Czech population was affected. these stories was much more 7.2.01 at 8 p.m. painful; I knew the places Built around excerpts from survivor testimonies in when hiding as a child during the war, he had to be careful son for Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay, notes that this Beginning with the Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1939, Station: TV2 survivors talked about, and each country’s native language, these documentaries will be which songs he hummed. “Sometimes I would hum ‘bad songs’ documentary shows “part of the story of the Jewish commu- Hell on Earth goes on to examine Theresienstadt (Terezin), in my mind my own images Poland [Jewish songs] and we would get found out as Jews.” Pamietam broadcast on television in their country of origin. Five world- nity in Argentina.” She was proud to assist Puenzo who, she the “model ghetto” the Nazis built near Prague to prove to the were mixed with the images (I Remember) class directors worked with researchers and historians to Jonas is one of four survivors featured in Andrzej says, “knew what to tell.” international community how humanely they treated Jews. In created by their experiences. Broadcast date: 4.30.01 Wajda’s I Remember. Wajda says he used a small number of Station: Channel 1 make these documentaries as gifts to their home nations and An internationally acclaimed filmmaker, Puenzo is reality, about 33,000 people died in Theresienstadt, mainly of the world. Moll notes that the directors, faced with the task testimonies because he wanted to tell “the emotional story of best known for his 1985 Academy Award-winning political hunger and disease. The film follows the path of many sur- Hungarian survivors in Russia of building a film that would resonate in their own countries, a few people whose experiences describe the facts, as well as testimonies recorded in Deti iz besdny drama The Official Story. Puenzo hopes that Some Who vivors who were deported from Theresienstadt to Auschwitz. Hungary are more specific (Children from the Abyss) the atmosphere and spirit of what happened.” constructed five very different films, “yet all succeeded in Lived will help its audience “realize that the Holocaust could Jasny’s own father, a Czech patriot, was killed in when it comes to naming Broadcast information The son of a Polish cavalry officer killed early in unavailable at press time presenting a personal, affecting vision of the Holocaust and happen again anywhere.” Auschwitz when Jasny was 15. It was then that Jasny decided perpetrators and less often its lessons for the future.” World War II, Wajda also wished to focus on the “dramatic “I could survive only if I fight back.” During World War II, use general terms like In addition, the Shoah Foundation and specific relations between Jews and Poles in Nazi- hopes to show the Broken Silence Jasny did some work for British Intelligence. After the war, “the Hungarians.” These survivors are still part of documentaries in other countries; occupied Poland.” The film presents both Jews who survived Deti iz besdny Stalin’s government sent him to China to make documen- currently, plans call for airing the with the help of their Polish neighbors and those who were Hungarian society, and subtitled documentaries in the US A Holocaust Szemei (Children from the Abyss) taries with the Chinese army. Despite this “adventurous life,” generalizations like this on the Cinemax cable network, (Eyes of the Holocaust) betrayed by Poles. 4 a Russian-language documentary as part of their Reel Life series. the horrors he witnessed in Siberia and in Soviet-ruled would be too painful or 1 a Hungarian-language documentary I Remember does not include any historic archival directed by Pavel Chukhraj Czechoslovakia convinced him to resist. He became a leading impossible to live with. directed by Janos Szasz Please check the Foundation’s footage or narration. Instead, the film intercuts footage of “In a country that has endured so much, it’s difficult figure in the Czech “New Wave” cinema of the late 1960s with website at www.vhf.org for Janos Szasz believes that children are the most impor- the “March of the Living” (an annual journey made by to empathize with another’s suffering. Many people say ‘they updates on broadcast dates such films as his antitotalitarian To All My Good Country- and stations. tant audience for his documentary, Eyes of the Holocaust. thousands of teenagers to Holocaust-related sites in Poland were not the only ones! Look at how many we lost, how men. After refusing to publicly recant the political criticism on the cover: After viewing about 60 Shoah Foundation testimonies in and Israel) with the survivor testimonies. This juxtaposition much we suffered in that war.’… It’s difficult to get through poster for Broken Silence Hungarian, Szasz decided to show “everything.” He realized provides a symbol of hope and improved dialogue between to those who won’t care about a child or an old man’s suf- this goal by creating a Holocaust dictionary for children over young Jews, Poles, and Germans. fering just because they are of a different blood.” This narra- continued on page 15. . . 2 spring/summer 2001Past Forward spring/summer 2001Past Forward 3 international views foundation news

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STEVEN SPIELBERG Founder and Chairman Erinnern für Gegenwart und Zukunft Testimony Exhibit Opens at the Museo Storico GERALD BRESLAUER A Letter from Volunteer Profile: BRUCE RAMER MICHAEL RUTMAN (Remembering for the Present and the Future) della Liberazione di Roma, a Former Gestapo Douglas Greenberg Ruth BenAmy Board of Directors

President and DOUGLAS GREENBERG The Shoah GmbH Unveils a New CD-ROM Prison in Italy Chief Executive Officer President and Chief Executive Officer

in Germany Dear Friends, A vital part of the Shoah Foundation, volunteers play an ARI C. ZEV “I thought I was ready to hear anything. Interviewing Over the past few months, I have had the pleasure of repre- essential role in helping the Foundation achieve both its Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer camp survivors did not frighten me … morally, tech- senting the Shoah Foundation at various events, including long-term goals and its daily tasks. Over the past seven by Ahavia Scheindlin, Vice President, European Affairs JUNE BEALLOR nically, or historically. ...Yet, watching my interview our successful Humanity through Technology fundraiser held years, thousands of people around the world have gener- JAMES MOLL with Settimia Spizzichino again last night affected in New York this past January (please see page 7 for a full ously donated their time and energy to this work. In the Los Founding Executive Directors “I was shattered after watching the cd-rom, and then, me deeply … and enlightened me on the real value of report). The highlight of the evening was the presentation of Angeles office, forty volunteers are active – answering KAREN KUSHELL strangely, I was also hopeful.” This is how Jasmin Tabatabai, BRANKO LUSTIG these testimonies.” leadership awards to Severin Wunderman and Rena Rowan- phones, leading tours, translating letters, photocopying GERALD R. MOLEN a German musician and actress, described her response to Founding Advisory Committee Damone, both longtime ardent supporters of the Founda- documents, data processing, and dozens of other jobs for Erinnern für Gegenwart und Zukunft (Remembering for the Interviewer Elio Limentani, the grandson of Holocaust survivors, who conducted two tion’s work. These two stellar honorees and the event’s three every department from Cataloguing to Development. Ten of FOUNDATION MAIN OFFICE Present and the Future), the Shoah GmbH’s cd-rom for of the seven Shoah Foundation interviews included in the Museo Storico della MAILING ADDRESS co-chairs, Development Board Member Robert Katz, emc these Los Angeles volunteers are themselves survivors; Ruth high school students, recently released in Germany. Liberazione di Roma exhibit. Survivors of the Shoah ceo Michael C. Ruettgers, and Foundation Chairman Steven BenAmy is one of them. Visual History Foundation Tabatabai is one of the role models helping to pro- P. O. Box 3168 Spielberg, offer a model of leadership – leadership with heart mote the cd-rom. Her response illustrates that viewers On January 27, 2001, the anniversary of the liberation of Los Angeles, CA 90078-3168 and compassion – that all of us seek to emulate. Every Monday and Wednesday, Ruth BenAmy U.S.A. The Shoah GmbH is a non-profit will make connections from history to the present and future. Auschwitz, some European countries observed their first telephone: 818 777 7802 The Shoah Foundation enjoyed another New York answers the Shoah Foundation’s hotline. Ruth’s fluency in fax: 818 866 0312 foundation established by the Developed with student focus groups across official Holocaust Memorial Day. Italy commemorated il success last November, when the Friends of the United multiple languages and her keen ability to differentiate accents website and online donations: Shoah Foundation in Germany Germany, this user-friendly cd-rom focuses on testimony Giorno della Memoria (the Day of Memory) with ceremonies www.vhf.org Nations named the Foundation as one of the winners of its immediately put survivors at ease. Her comforting voice even email: [email protected] to promote tolerance. segments from German survivors, witnesses, rescuers, and around the country, including the opening of a unique exhibit Global Tolerance Award, honoring our international com- made her the confidante of a woman who was contemplating resistance fighters and provides access to 700 pages of histor- in Rome. EUROPEAN OFFICE mitment to Holocaust remembrance and education. Friends disowning her father after finding his old Nazi uniform hid- ical text and 400 archival photographs. Students can also Located in a building that once housed a Gestapo MAILING ADDRESS For information about how to of the United Nations honors three groups every year as part den in the attic. Shoah GmbH explore political and cultural timelines that provide context prison, the Museo Storico della Liberazione di Roma (His- Axel Springer Strasse 65 purchase the CD-ROM Erinnern of its International Day for Tolerance. Ruth, a semi-retired travel consultant, Hebrew teacher, for the testimonies. An extensive glossary allows students to torical Museum of the Liberation of Rome, also known as 10888 Berlin, Germany für Gegenwart und Zukunft, I had the opportunity to promote the Foundation’s and lifelong volunteer, found herself drawn to the Foundation telephone: (49 30) 2591 1270 search for information about specific topics, and a link to the via Tasso, after the street where it is located) unveiled a per- fax: (49 30) 2591 1266 international goals when I traveled to Israel recently. There, I after giving her own testimony five years ago. One of the rea- website: www.vhf.org please contact: cd-rom’s website (www.erinnern-online.de) provides manent exhibit documenting the persecution of Roman Jews spoke to 1,000 customers, employees, and partners of EMC sons survivors, witnesses, and their relatives feel comfortable moderated chats and information on-line. during the Holocaust. The centerpiece of the exhibit is a 45- PASTFORWARD Cornelsen Verlag to discuss that company’s continuing dedication to the Foun- talking freely about their experiences and feelings with Ruth Many German teens continue to feel shame or guilt minute videotape composed entirely of Shoah Foundation ROSEMARY NEWNHAM Mecklenburgische Strasse 53 dation’s work through its generous donations of technology is that they share a common bond: Ruth was forced to leave for what happened during the Holocaust. This cd-rom’s testimonies conducted in Italy. The reel includes excerpts from Managing Editor 14197 Berlin Germany and resources. The most moving part of the evening was a her homeland as a child because she was a Jew. MERYL POLLEN message to them is that the Holocaust is not their fault. The five survivors’ and two rescuers’ interviews. This is the first tel 0049-180-121 20 20 concert by the International Symphony Orchestra, an organ- For almost 400 years, Ruth’s family lived in Germany. Designer Shoah GmbH hopes that by learning more about the time Italian testimonies from the Foundation’s archive have fax 0049-180-121 20 12 ization of young, talented musicians from 20 different nations. Her great-great-grandparents were court Jews, Jews who SUE HENGER Holocaust, young Germans will discover that this knowledge been made available to the Italian public. Copy Editor www.erinnern-online.de How fitting to have an event where the technological com- served as bankers for royal houses and suppliers for armies. can help shape their present and future, and feel empowered This exhibit, “The Jews of Rome: 1938-1944,” opens MIKKO ALANNE munity could connect with those who will put our technology Ruth was born into a comfortable household in Uslar, where SCOTT CHAMBERLIN to build a more tolerant society. a new section of the museum devoted to oral history, audio- Consultants into motion – the young leaders of tomorrow, who will carry her father, a notable furniture designer, ran a factory that Germany’s largest schoolbook publisher, Cornelsen visual tools, and the recollection of the Shoah of Italy. Designed ELIOTT GORETSKY the Foundation’s message of hope and tolerance to future employed many of the town’s inhabitants. Heeding the signs of ANDREA KEMP Verlag, wants to help this cd-rom reach every high school for both students and the general public, the exhibit focuses generations. Our busy Israel office was instrumental in coor- an imminent Nazi takeover, Ruth’s father shepherded the BONNIE SAMOTIN in Germany. In addition to producing a teacher’s guide, on seven themes: prewar Jewish life in Rome; the Racial Laws; AHAVIA SCHEINDLIN dinating this special event, and this edition features an article family to safety in Antwerp, Belgium. “A factory I Contributing Cornelsen is providing teacher training on the cd-rom’s the Nazis in Rome; October 16, 1943 (when more than 2,000 about that office and its unique experiences. can replace, a life I cannot.” After Hitler’s invasion Writers classroom use. To help students further explore the cd- Roman Jews were captured and deported); the Massacre at As we continue our plans to disseminate our archive of Poland, the family fled to Palestine, and, in 1947, rom’s themes, the Shoah GmbH and Cornelsen announced a Fosse Ardeatine; concentration camps; and liberation. through educational materials and research institutions world- came to the United States. nationwide contest called A Dialogue about Tolerance. The Financed by Italy’s Ministry for Arts and Culture, wide, we also hope to reach a broader audience through our Sixty years after her flight from Germany, After leading the Shoah GmbH’s contest urges students to open a dialogue about tolerance the exhibit was initiated by Giovanna Melandri, Minister of five new foreign-language documentary films to be aired this Ruth received a letter from her old hometown. An Berlin office for three years, with an individual or institution, then report on their Culture. Professor Paola Carucci (with the Archivio Centrale year on international television (see cover story). In Germany, Uslar church congregation was asking her to for- Ahavia Scheindlin is moving back to experience in the creative medium of their choice. German dello Stato) and one of the curators, Micaela Procaccia, also her home in the United States. we are premiering the Foundation’s second cd-rom, designed give the church and its members for idly standing President Johannes Rau and Steven Spielberg will honor the worked tirelessly with museum staff and the Shoah Founda- The Foundation thanks Havi for her specifically for use in German-speaking classrooms. And, as by as the Nazi regime took over their country. She winner in a special ceremony in Berlin. tion to prepare this exhibition. years of dedication and leadership. the information superhighway continues to connect people wonders why her countrymen waited this long and Since its launch at the Frankfurt Book Fair, the cd- After Minister Melandri officially opened the exhib- worldwide, the Foundation will soon be premiering a new where they were 50 years ago. Ruth is poised to rom has received extraordinary reviews, including an honor it, the videotape reel was played twice for a large audience. and improved website to keep up with our many online visitors. write back to this church to acknowledge their for best educational cd-rom. For Project Manager Jessica Doris Felsen Escojido, Foundation Liaison in Italy, read a Ruth BenAmy Of course, this edition of the newsletter has many letter, but is not certain that she can grant forgive- Photograph by Yosi A. R-Pozeilov Mehler; Pixelpark, the production team; Cornelsen Verlag; letter from ceo Douglas Greenberg, urging that “We must other interesting articles and updates on the progress of the ness. She says that “for my own experiences, perhaps senior Partners Bertelsmann ag, Hubert Burda Media, and resist letting our past fall into oblivion. The more we under- Shoah Foundation, like the recent opening of an exhibit in I could forgive, but when I hear what other survivors went Axel Springer Verlag ag; the Shoah GmbH and the entire stand [our history], the more likely our future will be as we the Historical Museum of the Liberation of Rome which fea- through, I’m not so sure.” In the meantime, Ruth continues Shoah Foundation, this cd-rom is an achievement to share. dream it for our children.” When Doris finished reading, Tullia tures Foundation testimonies. We invite you to read on! to come to the Shoah Foundation every Monday and Wednes- With best wishes, day, working to ensure that her grandchildren will not have Douglas Greenberg to face such decisions. continued on page 15. . . 4 spring/summer 2001Past Forward spring/summer 2001Past Forward 5 ® Development News education technology Partners in History and the Future Shoah Foundation™

Department Activities Report DEVELOPMENT BOARD Shoah Foundation Presents Tolerance Education Just Point and Click: Foundation Launches EDGAR M. BRONFMAN RENEE CROWN Initiative at Conference New Website LEW WASSERMAN Rena Rowan-Damone and Steven Spielberg Honorary Co-Chairs

by Bonnie Samotin, To meet the demands of an ever-growing online community, Shoah Foundation Honors Exceptional Donors SUSAN CROWN Project Manager, Educational Resources department the Shoah Foundation is building a new website (www.vhf.org) WILLIAM LAUDER at EMC-Sponsored New York Event Co-Chairs to replace the website it originally created in 1995. Impossible, On February 17, 2001, Shoah Foundation staff and key per- Inc., a California-based interactive development company, will STEPHEN A. COZEN, ESQ. by Andrea Kemp, Grants Associate, Development department and Foundation staff members, and learned more about EMANUEL GERARD sonnel from five U.S. school districts led a tolerance education create a new online look for the Foundation and add many ERIC GREENBERG the Foundation’s educational goals. Several survivors fea- ALAN HASSENFELD presentation at the American Association of School Adminis- new features. The site will include an efficient, user-based On January 10, 2001, nearly 500 guests assembled at the tured on the cd-rom and in The Last Days documentary ROBERT J. KATZ trators (aasa) National Conference on Education in navigational structure to allow for interactive video demon- BARBARA LEVY KIPPER American Museum of Natural History in New York City for were in attendance. Other notable guests included Devel- KENNETH LIPPER Students in a pilot classroom in Sarasota, FL, Orlando, Florida. A culmination of the first year of a three- strations, support online donations, and provide information expressed themselves in a portraiture assignment the Shoah Foundation’s second annual Humanity through opment Board Members Robert Katz (who generously Douglas Greenberg and SKIP PAUL ALEX SPANOS after using the Shoah Foundation CD-ROM. year pilot education initiative, the presentation illustrated about the Foundation’s educational initiatives and materials. Severin Wunderman Technology dinner. Academy Award-winning actress Helen served as a co-chair of the event), David Strassler, Cynthia JERRY SPEYER how each district has integrated the Shoah Foundation’s edu- The website’s design combines pertinent historic images with a Hunt presided as Master of Ceremonies for the event, which Stroum, and Stephen Cozen. More than 50 representatives DAVID H. STRASSLER cational materials into its tolerance education programs. modern, technological, and journalistic feel. CYNTHIA STROUM featured the presentation of the Shoah Foundation’s first of print and broadcast media, including several members of SEVERIN WUNDERMAN The goal of the initiative is to partner with pilot Scott Milden, ceo of Impossible, Inc., remarked, Members of the Board Humanity through Technology Leadership Awards to philan- the international press, added to the excitement. school districts in order to evaluate current strategies and “We are honored to be associated with the Shoah Foundation thropists Rena Rowan-Damone and Severin Wunderman. Following welcoming remarks by Robert Katz MAILING ADDRESS identify curriculum gaps in the teaching of the Holocaust; and to have been selected to work on this project. This is an Survivors of the Shoah Information storage leader emc Corporation presented this (General Counsel/Managing Director of Goldman, Sachs develop strategies to assess the effectiveness of the programs; excellent opportunity to use today’s technology to preserve Visual History Foundation landmark fundraising dinner, which raised approximately & Co.) and Helen Hunt, survivor Henry Rosmarin recited Campaign Office develop and implement lesson units based on Shoah Founda- history, increase awareness, and expand the Foundation’s P.O. Box 3168 $2,000,000 for the Foundation. the blessing over the bread. Shoah Foundation President and Michael Ruettgers and Los Angeles, CA 90078-3168 tion materials; and facilitate a dialogue in which participating global presence.” Robert Katz Bonnie Samotin, with Dr. Leon Hendricks The Shoah Foundation established the Leadership ceo Douglas Greenberg discussed the Foundation’s goals U.S.A. (Dir. Of Character Education, Chicago districts share ideas and resources with one another. The new site will premiere later this year and will telephone: 818 866 2004 Public Schools), Bernadette Glaze Awards to honor those who have tirelessly supported the and presented a compelling video highlighting the Founda- “This initiative is one of the most important projects provide expanded material about the Foundation, including: fax: 818 866 5241 (Advanced Academic Prog. Specialist, Foundation’s mission of furthering cultural tolerance and tion’s recent accomplishments. website: www.vhf.org Fairfax Co. Public Schools), and Cathy we’ve undertaken in the past several years,” said Dr. Leon understanding. Rena Rowan-Damone, founder of Jones Apparel To illustrate the impact of the Foundation’s work, email: [email protected] French (P.A.R. Consulting Teacher, Long Hendricks, Director of Character Education for Chicago • Testimony collection procedures and catalogu- Group, and, as a philanthropist, founder of Rena Rowan guests from New York’s Satellite Academy spoke about their Beach U.S.D.) Public Schools. “This will help move us from an academical- ing procedures; Foundation for the Homeless and the Rena Rowan Breast experiences using the Foundation’s educational materials. ly performing school system to one that is ethical and moral, • Up-to-date information on how the Founda- Center at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, was Teacher Alice Braziller noted that eyewitness testimonies as related to tolerance and diversity.” Dr. Hendricks spoke about tion is creating access to the archive; one of the Shoah Foundation’s first Founding Partners. Rena show students that “history has a human face and that face how the pilot program fits into the Chicago Public Schools’ • Information about the testimonies and the is also a Polish refugee who was exiled to Siberia during looks remarkably like their own.” Students Brandon Hull curriculum for character education. In addition, Chicago has archive; World War II. and Xiomara Ruiz read poems they had written about sur- assembled an advisory board of community and religious • Expanded links to our newsletter and outside Severin Wunderman, a successful watch distributor vivors featured on the cd-rom. Survivor Silvia Grohs- Foundation representatives exchange ideas at leaders, to involve the community on an ongoing basis. Chicago resources; conferences around the world, including: (Gucci and Corum), art collector, and philanthropist, has been Martin then joined them onstage to deliver a heartfelt call hopes to expand the program throughout its 600 schools. • Sites for each of our educational products, Vic Damone, a passionate supporter of the Shoah Foundation. Through his for effective Holocaust education. Steven Spielberg and february Each of the school districts reported on its progress including the Foundation’s foreign-language Michael Ruettgers, Severin Wunderman generosity, the Foundation has achieved many goals, includ- Michael Ruettgers, Chairman of emc, then spoke Rena Rowan-Damone, and highlighted a unique aspect of the initiative. Professional documentaries, along with purchasing infor- Confronting the Past: Memory, Identity, and Society ing the videotaping and cataloguing of 1,500 child survivor of his company’s continuing commitment to the Shoah Helen Hunt, University of California at Los Angeles, February 4 & 5 development strategies were shared by Long Beach Unified mation. Steven Spielberg, Jessica Wiederhorn (Manager of Academic Affairs), testimonies. The Severin Wunderman Collection of Child Foundation. After a stirring performance of the Schindler’s Severin and Colleen School District (ca), while Sarasota Public School District Alejandro Baer (Translations Assistant), Kirsten Anderson Survivor Testimonies from the Holocaust includes Severin’s List theme by world-renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman, Wunderman, (Cataloguer), and other staff members attend this sym- (fl) focused on the development of curriculum to satisfy In addition, the new website will include sample Robert Katz, and posium examining how nations confront the violence of own testimony, which details his childhood experiences of Shoah Foundation Founder Steven Spielberg addressed the Douglas Greenberg state mandates in Holocaust, Character, and Multicultural portions of a testimony from a survivor who participated in the 20th century. being hidden from the Nazis in a Belgian school for the blind. audience and presented the Leadership Awards to Severin Education. Fairfax County Public Schools (va) discussed the the Shoah Foundation cd-rom to demonstrate what the Building and Sustaining Digital Collections: Models During a pre-dinner reception in the museum’s majestic Wunderman and Rena Rowan-Damone. progression of Holocaust studies from grades seven to eleven. testimonies are like. for Libraries and Museums CLIR/NINCH (Council on rotunda, guests had an opportunity to tour a comprehensive As Ruettgers said in his speech, the Foundation’s Library and Information Resources/National Initiative Teachers from Portland Public Schools (or) shared how Of course, visitors will find plenty of information on for a Networked Cultural Heritage) presentation of the Foundation’s technology, including unprecedented archive will “ensure that the testimonies of their district teaches this material through literary and visual how to support the Foundation through donations, planned Washington, D.C., February 14-16 demonstrations of the Foundation’s cd-rom, Survivors: Holocaust survivors and witnesses will live on for genera- Sam Gustman (Director of Technology) speaks about the arts. Portland teacher Michele Lackaden made the following giving, and other specific funding opportunities, such as under- Shoah Foundation’s digital library. Testimonies of the Holocaust, and the cataloguing and digital tions to come.” The Shoah Foundation is indebted to the personal observation, “I see important changes in the class- writing the Foundation’s planned translation of portions of library systems. Guests conversed with students, educators, night’s honorees for helping to realize that goal. Holocaust and Citizenship Education Forum room, and in the way kids treat each other. After completing the website into languages other than English. In the meantime, Cynthia Stroum and Budapest, Hungary, February 18-21 Leah Adler (Steven This conference for Hungarian educators focused on the unit, students did journal writing that reflected their feelings online donations are now possible on the current website Spielberg’s mother) practical and theoretical issues involved with Holocaust about prejudice. [The unit’s] interactive activities brought the (www.vhf.org). The Foundation looks forward to your cyber- The Shoah Foundation would Leadership Partners Benefactors Patrons Supporters education. Luca Illy (Regional Coordinator, Hungary) speaks about the educational potential of the Foundation’s work. kids closer together, the level of respect increased, the class- visit, and welcomes your comments and suggestions. like to thank the following [$100,000 plus] [$25,000] [$15,000] [$10,000] room became more of a community.” Benefit Committee members Corum Swiss Timepieces Bvlgari Terry and Russ Bernard Deutsche Asset Management Images of the Shoah for helping make this event Rena and Vic Damone Alex G. Spanos Creative Artists Agency HBK Investments Udine, Italy, February 28 Former Florida regional coordinators Linda Holtz such a success. EMC Corporation Cozen & O’Connor Bruce McCaw At this month-long event consisting of symposia, films, and Judith Lowenthal assisted the Educational Resources Gabriel A. Erem Mr. Tom Cruise Richard Witten and videos about the Shoah, Doris Felsen Escojido (Liaison, department staff at the conference. Lillian Goldman The Cypress Fund LLC Italy) introduces a screening of The Last Days and leads Jane and Bob Katz Hachette Filipacchi Magazines a symposium about the Foundation’s work in Italy. Kerzner Family Mr. and Mrs. William P. Lauder The Leo Rosner Foundation has underwritten costs of the Pilot Education Steven Spielberg L’Oreal USA Henry and Janet Rosmarin, Steven Spielberg, and students from Initiative in Florida. Severin Wunderman National Broadcasting Company the New York Satellite Academy continued on page 11. . . Silicon Graphics Verizon Foundation

6 spring/summer 2001Past Forward spring/summer 2001Past Forward 7 SURVIVORS OF THE SHOAH VISUAL HISTORY FOUNDATION recognizes with gratitude the support of our Major Donors. If you wish to change the way your name is listed, please contact the Development Department: 818 866 6649.

Gifts of $25, 000+ Gifts of $10, 000+ continued European Union Elaine & Kenneth Leventhal Allan & Paula Rudnick James Alevizos and Capitol-Husting Co., Inc. Patrice Auld Elias & Monica Fasja Mitchell S. Levey Foundation Jeffrey Salaway & Toni Ross Roger & Julie Baskes Barbara & Jon Avnet Felissimo Universal Corp. of America Stuart & Sheri Levine Family Foundation Scott & Lori Sale Gifts of $250,000+ Gifts of $100, 000+ continued Jack and Becky Benaroya Adrienne Baranowitz Mrs. Avery Fisher Lawrence Levy Jack & Anita Saltz Foundation, Inc. The Abramson Family Foundation Andrew Tobias Russel & Terry Bernard Baxter International, Inc. Ms. Nancy Fisher Mark Levy Florence & Irving Sandorf Creative Artists Agency Unisys Joan & Allen and Robert & Elisa Spungen Jerry Baron, Max Behm & Associates Alphonse Fletcher, Jr. Sydney & Frances Lewis Foundation Scott M. & Ellen G. Sassa Davis Oil Company Gary & Karen Winnick Bildner Michael, Melissa, Ilana, Lev & Joshua Michael J. Fox & Tracy Pollan Adam Lilling – Pentagon Inc. Mr. & Mrs. Paul Schoen and Family Eric Greenberg Mortimer B. Zuckerman & Marla Prather Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation Berenbaum Philip Friedmann Theresa & Warren Littlefield Paola & Mickey Schulhof Vera & Imre Hecht Anonymous Donor Block Distributing Company, Inc. Edward and Janine Biskind Peter & Adrienne Fritz L’Oreal USA, Inc. Silicon Graphics Computer Systems Richard Kandel / Theodore & Renee Weiler Neil Bluhm Leon & Debra Black Daniel & Elie Gazzar Doreen & Meyer Luskin Mr. & Mrs. Larry A. Silverstein Foundation Dr. Leon Bromberg Charitable Trust Fund Bloomberg News Lawrence M. Gelb Foundation Maestro Lorin Maazel The Steinberg Family Fund, Inc. Bruce & Martha Karsh Alexandra Brookshire & Bert Green BMG Entertainment Goldring Family Foundation Joseph and Florence Manaster Foundation Marcia & Neil Strauss Lyn & Norman Lear SPONSORING PARTNERS David Brown & Richard Zanuck Britannica.com Keith Grinstein James Marcus Sun International The Maurice Marciano Family Foundation $10, 000 to $99, 999 J. Morton Davis Nadine & Bill Bron Mr. & Mrs. Charles Gwathmey Bruce R. McCaw Harry Thomason & Linda Bloodworth- Max Palevsky Discovery Communications, Inc. David Brown / Helen Gurley Brown Hachette Filipacchi Magazines Ron & Diane Miller Thomason GIFTS & PLEDGES Turner Broadcasting Gifts of $75, 000+ Hilda & Harry Eisen BSMG Worldwide Helene Hahn Ira and Diane Millstein Elaine Trebek-Kares & Peter Kares Richard Witten Breslauer & Rutman LLC Epstein / Rubenstein Foundation Burger King Corporation The Halpern Family Minow Family Foundation Tycoon Enterprises through May 2001 Robert & Mary Ellen Zemeckis Gary Goldberg & Diana Meehan Federal Express Corporation Calcined Coke Corp. Stephen & Eleanor Hammerman Foundation Jack & Nancy Mishkin USA Home Entertainment 3 Anonymous Donors Tom Hanks & Rita Wilson Richard A. & Susan P. Friedman Family Maria Cantwell William & Jane-Howard Hammerstein The Steven T. Mnuchin Foundation Viacom International Inc. from MAJOR DONORS Interscope Records Foundation Channel One Network Richard Harriton/Bear Stearns Securities Corp. NBC Entertainment George Weinberger Gifts of $100,000+ The Leo Rosner Foundation Furman Selz LLC Josephine Chaus HBK Investments Bruce & Nancy Newberg Gerald L. and Kathleen A. Weiner Foundation Merv & Thea Adelson Russ Solomon / Tower Records Saul and Karen Gamoran Michael Cooper Steven Holzman Oaktree Capital Management LLC Barry Weiss Howard & Roberta Ahmanson Universal Studios, Inc. Rob Glaser and Sarah Block The Cypress Fund LLC IATSE - Local 44 Ethan & Monica Penner Jane & Stuart Weitzman FOUNDING PARTNERS The Barrington Foundation, Inc. Anonymous Donor Brad & Anne Globe The Davidson Foundation IBM Corporation Philip Morris Foundation Tom & Jill Werner $1 Million & above The Jacob and Hilda Blaustein Foundation James & Andrea Gordon Clive J. Davis Foundation Michael Jackson Jeffry M. & Barbara Picower Foundation Wilf Family Foundation Blum-Kovler Foundation Gifts of $50, 000+ GQ Magazine on behalf of David & Sybil Yurman Max Delfiner Memorial Foundation Jenner & Block Plum Foundation Fred Wilpon / Sterling Equities Bvlgari Herb & Lani Alpert Jill & Brad Grey Deutsche Asset Management Quincy Jones Richard Portogallo James & Linda Wimmer Gifts of $10 Million+ Corum Swiss Timepieces The David & Andrea Baum Foundation Guardsmark, Inc. Marcia Diamond Sandi & Alan Kassan The Louis and Harold Price Foundation, Inc. Karen & Stan Winston Steven Spielberg Sandy & Steve Cozen Harvey Belson / Ben Arnold- Sunbelt Beverage Bill & Carole Haber Gandolfo DiBlasi Louis Kestenbaum PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Ed Winter / U30 Group Rena Rowan-Damone and Vic Damone Co. of S.C. The Hite Foundation Dreamworks SKG Linda Kloner Prudential Securities Richard and Lili Zanuck Foundation Gifts of $5 Million+ DDB Needham Worldwide Frank Biondi & Ron Meyer Hoffberger Family Fund, Inc. The Durst Foundation Lester Knight Radio City Productions, Inc. Aaron Ziegelman Foundation Wasserman Foundation Communication Group Inc. Linda Burrows Jonathan & Debbie Klein Alvin & Joan Einbender Michael Krasny Albert & Audrey Ratner Hans Zimmer Severin Wunderman Douglas Foundation (including proceeds from Castle Rock Entertainment Patty & Jonathan Lazarus The Einhorn Family Foundation Fred Krehbiel Denise Rich Barry & Jan Zubrow the book, The Broken Mirror) Charmer Industries, Inc. Dan and Stacey Levitan Lois and Richard England Family Foundation Mathilde & Arthur Krim Arthur & Toni Rock Roy J. Zuckerberg Family Foundation Gifts of $3 Million+ The Eastman Kodak Company Joan & Joe Cullman Major Brands, Inc.: Robert Epsten, David J. Epstein Foundation U.S. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg Gary Rose 4 Anonymous Donors The Samuel Bronfman Foundation: Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin Fisher Brothers Foundation Vittor, Todd Epsten & Bradford Epsten Ernst & Young LLP Dr. Gail Lebovic Marshall Rose Edgar M. Bronfman & Charles R. Bronfman The Feintech Family Foundation Bruce & Gretchen Jacobsen Mr. & Mrs. Karl Malden Essential Dental Systems Francine LeFrak & Rick Friedberg Mr. Leslie Rudd National Broadcasting Company, Inc. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Rikki and Barry Kaplan Morgan Stanley, Dean Witter, Discover & Co. Universal Studios Foundation Susan Harris & Paul Junger Witt Gershon Kekst / Kekst and Company Ann & Jerry Moss Robert J. & Jane L. Katz Foundation Paul & Susanne Kester Paul Newman & Joanne Woodward Gifts of $1 Million+ The Marilyn and Jeffrey Katzenberg Foundation Nicole Kidman & Tom Cruise Scott and Laurie Oki The Shoah Foundation recognizes with gratitude donors worldwide who have made gifts ranging from $1 to $9,999. ABC, Inc. The Kemp Family Foundation Leonard & Evelyn Lauder Ted & Hedy Orden / Thrifty Oil Co. The Paul G. Allen Charitable Foundation Kathleen Kennedy & Frank Marshall Mr. & Mrs. Ralph Lauren Jack & Connie Ostrovsky The Annenberg Foundation Sol Kerzner Blanche & Irving Laurie Foundation Rhea Perlman & Danny DeVito IN-KIND DONATIONS The Ron Burkle Family KingWorld Productions Mr. & Mrs. Richard Leventhal Lionel I. Pincus The Crown Family Barbara Levy Kipper & David Kipper George Lucas Pritzker Family Foundation FOUNDING PARTNERS $1 Million & above Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation recognizes with gratitude the support of our Major In-Kind Donors. The David Geffen Foundation William B. & Sheila Konar Foundation Nancy & Howard Marks Burton & Judith Resnick The Lillian Goldman Charitable Trust John & Janet Kornreich Mattel, Inc. Tony Ressler & Jami Gertz The Hassenfeld Foundation The Levy-Markus Foundation Carol & Bill Mechanic Greg & Jeri Rice Gifts of $5 Million+ Gifts of $250,000+ Bay Networks Sidney Kimmel & Rena Rowan Peter B. Lewis Peter Morton Donna & Joe Roth / California Community Fund EMC Corporation Equant FileMaker, Inc. The Fred Kort Family Foundation Ted Mann Foundation Walter F. Parkes & Laurie MacDonald Tom Rubin / Focus Media Sybase Fore Systems Exabyte Corporation Marie Josée & Henry R. Kravis Susan & Morris Mark Sumner Redstone, Jonathan Dolgen and Martin Selig GTE California Iona Technologies LEGO Company Maxell Corporation of America Sherry Lansing Melvin & Betty Sembler Philanthropic Fund Gifts of $3 Million+ Anonymous Donor Kutsher’s Country Club Kenneth and Evelyn Lipper Foundation Ron Meyer & Kelly Chapman Republic Bank California N.A./ Republic Charles & M.R. Shapiro Foundation, Inc. Andersen Consulting, LLP Littler Mendelson Ovitz Family Foundation Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation National Bank of New York Lorraine & Sid Sheinberg Silicon Graphics Computer Systems Gifts of $100,000+ Walter Scheuer Ronald O. Perelman Pacific Theatres Foundation The Marilyn & Barry Rubenstein Family Linda Grobman Silverberg & Dr. Alan Silverberg Breslauer & Rutman LLC Bren & Melvin Simon and Herbert Simon Mr. & Mrs. Murray Pantirer, Foundation Sam & Althea Stroum Gifts of $1 Million+ Impossible, Inc. Gifts of $10, 000+ Sony Corporation of America Mr. & Mrs. Abraham Zuckerman Kenneth & Wendy Ruby Simpson Thacher & Bartlett ADIC/Sony Nextel ACI, Inc. Time Warner Inc / Warner Bros and Dr. & Mrs. Charles Feldman Eva & Mickey Rutman and Joyce Klein & Virginia & Alan B. Slifka Maxell Corporation of America Adobe Systems Inc The Families of Laurence & Preston Robert Norman and Mary Pattiz Foundation Jerry Breslauer The Slovin Foundation McKinsey & Company Burrelle’s Information Services Tisch Skip Paul Richard & Esther Shapiro James & Joanne Smith QWest SPONSORING PARTNERS Dale Chihuly United States of America PepsiCo Foundation The Skirball Foundation The Grant A. Tinker Foundation Sony Electronics, Inc. $10,000+ to $99,999 Dan Hotels Corporation Ltd. The Ziff Family The Pratt Foundation Ted & Carole Slavin Unicom Corporation Unisys Gary Becker Company, Inc. Bruce M. Ramer & Madeline Peerce and Jay Sunday Sontag Union Beverage Company United Parcel Service Electrosonic Harold & Eileen Brown The Sam Spiegel Foundation Weeden & Co., L.P. Gifts of $75,000 Ergotron Inc. Michael Recanati / Ira Statfeld Barbra Streisand Frieda & Judd Weinberg RogueWave Software, Inc. Hewlett - Packard LEADERSHIP PARTNERS William F. Reilly / K-III Communications Howard Stringer, John Calley and Lucy Fisher Isak & Rose Weinman Foundation LEADERSHIP PARTNERS Tycoon Enterprises Human Dynamics, LLP $100,000 to $999,999 Fredric D. & Rikki Rosen Family Foundation William & Jerry Ungar Robert Weinstein $100,000 to $999,999 International Power Machines Courtney Sale Ross Harvey Weinstein / Co-Chair, Miramax Wolfensohn Family Foundation Gifts of $50, 000+ Kreiss Enterprises Inc. Robert Russell Memorial Foundation Film Corp. Gloria & David L. Wolper American Power Conversion Macromedia Gifts of $500,000+ Saban Entertainment, Inc. Robin & Marsha Williams Marie and Gary Zwerling Gifts of $750,000+ Gateway 2000 Microsoft Corporation Burda Media Sara Lee Foundation Cynthia & Bud Yorkin 2 Anonymous Donors Alias Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher Regal Rents Inc. EMC Corporation Southern Wine and Spirits of America, Inc. 2 Anonymous Donors Intergraph Corporation Keith Storey & Christine Jerry-Storey Leo & Julia Forchheimer Foundation Alex G. Spanos Gifts of $10, 000+ Gifts of $500,000+ Relational Data Systems The Westin Bonaventure Emanuel Gerard Jerry I. Speyer & Katherine Farley Alan & Arlene Alda The Eastman Kodak Company Todd-AO/Glen Glenn Studios GTE California Judy & Michael Steinhardt Harriet Ames Charitable Trust Gang, Tyre, Ramer & Brown, Inc. Gifts of $25, 000+ Universal Studios Karen and William Lauder Cynthia Stroum Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. Apple Computer Warner Bros Anonymous Donor Aon Coporation Arthur Goldner & Associates Zebra Technologies Corporation Arthur Andersen Arie Becker, Banca Mifel

8 spring/summer 2001Past Forward spring/summer 2001Past Forward 9 The Shoah Foundation thanks the LEO ROSNER FOUNDATION for helping to underwrite the cost of this newsletter. interviewing

Regional Coordinator Shoshana Mandel Heads Kim Simon (Director, Archival Access & Community Relations), Shoshana Mandel, and Marilyn Koolik Spotlight on Partners in History and the Future: Shoah Foundation Announces California (Director, Steven Spielberg Jewish Film Archive) in the Foundation’s Busy Jerusalem Office Jerusalem

New Gifts since November 2000 Challenge Campaign Shoshana Mandel (far left) and Executive Director At one time, the Shoah Foundation videotaped 300 testimonies Ari Zev (far right) visit the Ginzach Kiddush Hashem In December 2000, longtime Foundation supporters Tom Hanks The Shoah Foundation has received grant funding to cata- every week; today, the weekly average is 15. Since reaching its Archives with Tova Yoskovich (liason between the Archives and the Foundation), Esther Farbstein & Rita Wilson made a $10,000 donation in honor of Steven logue 160 videotaped testimonies of Holocaust survivors and initial goal of interviewing 50,000 survivors and witnesses in (a professor of Holocaust Studies and a Foundation Spielberg. witnesses living in California. This grant was awarded by the December 1998, the Foundation has reduced the number of interviewer), and Miriam Stern (researcher at Kiddush Hashem) interviews videotaped weekly to allow for the cataloguing Breslauer & Rutman LLC gave $25,000; Gang, Tyre, Ramer & Brown United States Institute of Museum and Library Services under and dissemination of the testimonies. Production Manager gave $25,000; and the Skirball Foundation gave $10,000 to the the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, Bill Steinberg explains, “Interviewing wasn’t stopped alto- Event Calendar Shoah Foundation in generous end-of-year donations for the which is administered in California by the State Librarian, Dr. Kevin Starr. The University of Southern California, which gether, because we realize that there are still people out there and a translator, Shoshana opened a study center for young Conferences, continued from page 6 . . . April 1-15 year 2000. The Last Days screens as part of film series at Silent Voices serves as fiscal agent for the grant, is partnering with the who want to give testimony.” Russian immigrants. “The center was special,” she remembers, $10,500 Speak: An Art Exhibit & Lecture Series. San Francisco, CA Meyer and Doreen Luskin donated to the Shoah Foun- Foundation on this project so that its libraries may be among The Shoah Foundation will conduct about 750 inter- “because … I could understand what happened to my parents april dation last December. Meyer Luskin is President of Scope April 10 the first in the U.S. to offer public access to this priceless views a year for the next few years, mostly with witnesses when they arrived in Israel. For me, it was like a closure.” Lost but Not Forgotten: Our Town- Artistic Retrievals International Media Day. Foundation headquarters. Industries in Los Angeles. resource of eyewitness accounts about 20th century history. and survivors already in the Foundation’s database. The It was a feeling she experienced again working with of Holocaust Communities Hosted by the Shoah Foundation and EMC; 20 journalists 160 East Tennessee Holocaust Conference, University of from various countries tour Foundation’s main office and Head of New York City’s Baron Capital Ronald Baron and his The interviews to be funded by the federal grant majority of the interviews will be coordinated through the Holocaust survivors through the Shoah Foundation. “My Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, April 1-3 interview EMC and Foundation representatives. wife Judy donated $20,000 to the Shoah Foundation. are among 3,630 interviews videotaped in California for which Foundation’s regional offices in Hungary and Israel. The Los parents never spoke about their experiences. [I] miss most the Lisa Plante (Research Manager, Cataloguing) heads this conference which features lectures, exhibits, and per- April 17 the Foundation seeks cataloguing funding. The Holocaust Angeles office organizes all interviews not conducted in those ability to relate on a personal level [to my parents] and ask After learning about the Shoah Foundation at an event last formances that explore the nature of prejudice taken Center for Holocaust Studies, Clark University. Worcester, survivors and witnesses who have come forward to entrust two countries. Working closely with the L.A. office and local questions, and now there’s no one to ask.” Shoshana found to extremes. MA. Douglas Greenberg (President and CEO), speaker. May, Dan & Stacey Levitan of Seattle donated $25,000. their testimonies to the Shoah Foundation were interviewed volunteers, Shoshana Mandel oversees the Foundation’s that working at the Foundation allowed her to feel closer to Computerworld Honors Program April 19 Richard Gelb, Chairman of Bristol Myers-Squibb Company, in 291 different cities throughout the state. Jerusalem office. her late parents. In two cases, she found survivors who knew San Francisco, California, April 8-9 The Last Days screens at high schools in Israel in honor of gave a $10,000 gift to the Shoah Foundation. 1995 Sam Gustman attends this Smithsonian-sponsored event Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day). This cataloguing project will speed public access to When it opened in early , the Jerusalem office her mother’s family – one told Shoshana the name of an aunt where the Foundation is included in the Computerworld $250,000 the California testimonies in the Shoah Foundation archive, was housed in Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs’ and she never knew existed. Honors Collection. April 19 and 21 Max Palevsky recently made a pledge to support the Schindler’s List airs on American PBS stations in honor of work of the Educational Resources department and under- thus encouraging a wide range of research, classroom-based Heroes’ Remembrance Authority. Dulcy Leibler, the first Shoshana’s own family has been very supportive of Organization of American Historians Yom Hashoah. PBS generously donated 10 minutes of coordinator, assembled a multilingual staff to launch the her commitment to the Shoah Foundation. Her husband, Los Angeles, California, April, 26-29 airtime for the Shoah Foundation to promote its work to write the marketing and distribution of the Broken Silence and public-education projects that will allow future generations 1996 1968 President and CEO Douglas Greenberg chairs a session a national audience. international documentary series. to learn about the Holocaust and about California as a place project. In , as interviewing pace and staff size increased, also a translator, came to Israel from Canada in . They entitled Approaching the Holocaust. of refuge after World War II. California is home to the second- the office moved to a downtown Jerusalem location. From have two daughters, a son, and one granddaughter. April 20 Essential Dental Systems of Hackensack, NJ, gave a corporate In conjunction with Schindler’s List broadcast, Yahoo.Com largest community of Holocaust survivors in the nation. 1996 to 1998, Michelle Kleinert, former Los Angeles regional Shoshana considers the Shoah Foundation her inter- gift of $10,000 in May 2000. hosts an online webchat with guests Douglas Greenberg national family: every volunteer, interviewer, and staff may and Renee Firestone (survivor featured in The Last Days). Their testimonies will also provide a useful cross-reference coordinator, ran the Jerusalem office. Michelle, an American, From Chicago, Roger & Julie Baskes and the Pritzker Family tool in the study of hate crimes and group prejudice and will was impressed by her Israeli colleagues’ dedication to the member brings unique personality and skills to the project. International Task Force on the Holocaust June 14 Foundation both gave generous gifts of $25,000. Amsterdam, Netherlands, May 2-5 Screening of The Last Days. Museum of Jewish Heritage, NY. encourage the development of other oral history projects and project, even in the face of conditions most would consider Interviewers like the late David Liepschitz, who threw a 100 Denise Citroen (Liaison, Netherlands) and Executive collections to benefit the state’s diverse population. extraordinary. Michelle recalls that a volunteer manning the party for the survivors he interviewed, helped create this Director and COO Ari Zev will attend this important June 27-29 The State Library recommends that this $200,000 phone calmly continued taking down a survivor’s informa- sense of family. Together, the main office and the regional event in the yearlong Netherlands presidency of the Online Inquiry Working Group. Foundation headquarters. Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Hosted by Ella Thompson (Project Manager, Technology) grant be put to immediate use to attract other grants to help tion even as a bomb exploded across the street from the office. offices have “learned to work on an international level … Education, Remembrance, and Research. in collaboration with California Writing Project, and the complete this important cataloguing initiative. The Shoah Since 1998, Shoshana Mandel has served as Regional from one emotional center. From this project came an insti- Gevirtz Graduate School of Education at University of Cali- Southwest Oral History Association Annual Meeting fornia at Santa Barbara. In this collaborative conference, Giving Information Foundation is therefore pleased to announce the California Coordinator in Jerusalem. She first joined the Foundation as tution. We created something.” Tempe, Arizona, May 3-6 leaders in technology and education exchange ideas. Challenge, a fundraising campaign to raise an additional an interviewer after her husband saw an advertisement in the In every regional office, the Shoah Foundation faces Jessica Wiederhorn will lead a workshop on interviewing individuals about traumatic memories. The Shoah Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity in the U.S. and has non- 7,000,000 3,470 profit status in several other countries. $ to catalogue more English-language testi- paper. Shoshana recalls, “When I read it, I knew I wanted to challenges unique to each country and culture. Shoshana is Please make checks payable to the Shoah Foundation and use enclosed monies videotaped in California. take part.” Soon, she began to work part time in the Founda- careful about scheduling interviews in certain regions of Israel, envelope, if possible. The Shoah Foundation accepts Visa, MasterCard, and Initially, more than 7,000 individuals, corporations, tion office, scheduling interviews and contributing her Russian/ out of concern for the safety of the interviewing teams. june American Express. A phone representative can accept your donation by and foundations within California will receive funding requests Hebrew/English translation skills. In 1996, Shoshana traveled Another major challenge for this office was the collection of credit card Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm PST. 16th Annual Conference of the Assocation of Holo- from the Shoah Foundation to participate in the California to Moscow and Kiev to help lead interviewer training ses- interviews within the insular ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) com- caust Organizations (AHO) Challenge, to help the Foundation underwrite the costs to sions in those regions. munity. The Shoah Foundation set up interviewer training Atlanta, Georgia, June 2-5 phone 818 866 2004 Michael Nutkiewicz (Senior Historian/Educational Pro- catalogue all the testimonies videotaped in California. The Plum It was a homecoming for Shoshana; she was born in sessions tailored to meet this community’s needs. Mrs. Tova grams and Grants Associate) will chair a panel about the Foundation of Southern California has already made a grant Moscow to Polish parents. Her parents lost their entire fami- Yoskovich, of the Ginzach Kiddush Hashem Archives, serves relevance of the Holocaust to tolerance education. Community Relations Manager Sherry Bard will also attend. 15 3,470 lies in the Holocaust, but they survived because each had as a liaison between the Shoah Foundation’s office and the Stock, In-Kind or Planned Gifts please phone the Development office at to catalogue of the remaining California testimonies. gone to the Soviet Union before the war. Her mother went to ultra-Orthodox survivors and interviewers. (The Archives now The Association of Genocide Scholars 818 866 2004. We hope you will consider underwriting the cata- Minneapolis, Minnesota, June 9-12 143 Major Gifts Contact Carol Stulberg, Major GIfts Director, in the Development loguing of a testimony. For a donation of $2,000, you can study drama with Solomon Michoels at the Yiddish State houses a collection of ultra-Orthodox interviews.) Thanks Jessica Wiederhorn (Manager of Academic Affairs) will office at 818 866 2004. Theatre in Moscow. Her father had been out of town when the to about 40 ultra-Orthodox interviewers, and the coopera- present segments of testimony from the Foundation's sponsor the cataloguing of a testimony in your name or in archive in a session entitled Holocaust Witnesses: The Matching Gifts Your gift to the Shoah Foundation could double in value if honor of a friend or family member. We welcome contribu- war started and became stranded in the Soviet Union. Her tion of religious and community leaders, the Shoah Historical Significance of the Survivor's Voice. your employer has a matching gift program. Please ask your human resources tions at any gift level to help with this important work. To parents met and married after the war, and when the opportu- Foundation has interviewed more than 100 ultra-Orthodox sur- office to contribute to the Shoah Foundation in your name. contribute to this campaign, please use the enclosed envelope nity arose, they and their daughter immigrated to Israel. If you wish to honor or memorialize someone with your gift, the Foundation 818 866 2004 will mail a Tribute Card. or call the Development office at . In Israel, Shoshana spent time on a kibbutz and went continued on page 15. . . to school, eventually earning a degree in Russian Studies from Hebrew University. After several years working as a teacher 10 spring/summer 2001Past Forward spring/summer 2001Past Forward 11 them of a roundup the night before their departure, insisting Joining Forces: the entire family come to her home. Other townsfolk watched cataloguing Marthe and her mother push Marthe’s grandmother across the border on a bicycle, without denouncing them. Once her From the Archive As Part of the Allied Armies, These family was safely settled in a remote mountain town, Marthe Boris Brauer, a Survivor of Soviet Labor Camps went to Marseilles to continue her nursing studies. and a Liberator, Is a Valuable Asset to the After graduation, Marthe moved to Paris. Confident Boris Brauer’s parents’ wedding in Survivors Helped Liberate Europe in her Germanic appearance and false papers, she worked as Cataloguing Department Panevezys, Lithuania, 1924. Marthe Hoffnung Cohn from left to right: Boris Brauer’s grandmother a private nurse and avoided roundups for the rest of the war. Shayna; mother, Fanja; father, Eduard; and In August 1944, Paris was liberated, and “every window grandfather, Menashe In the spring of 1945, much of the area occupied by the Nazis chosen to become an interpreter for the Canadian army in opened and everyone sang La Marseillaise.” Except for her On Tuesdays at 12:30, a small group gathers in a Shoah during World War II was liberated. To commemorate that summer 1944. On April 13, 1945, he was sent to the Nether- sister Stephanie, who was deported to Auschwitz for resist- Foundation trailer to listen to a bright-eyed, white-mus- anniversary and pay tribute to those who were members of, lands, to the Westerbork concentration camp, liberated the ance activities, Marthe’s entire family had survived. tached man speak Hebrew. This is not a typical lunch hour, or affiliated with, the Allied Forces that freed occupied day before by Canadian tanks. His job was to question the Soon after France’s liberation, Marthe joined the but Boris Brauer isn’t a typical senior citizen. Three days a Europe, Past Forward is honored to share these stories from camp population to determine if the Germans had left any French army, where her fluent German earned her an intelli- week, Boris works as a research assistant in the Foundation’s the Shoah Foundation’s archive. spies or saboteurs behind. gence position. After 13 attempts to cross German lines, Cataloguing department. A staff of cataloguers, many young Every testimony in the Foundation’s collection pro- Dressed in motorcycle gear, Erich and his fellow Marthe successfully entered the country to gather informa- enough to be his grandchildren, relies on Boris’ fluency in vides a unique and valuable insight into the events surround- interpreters waited for permission to enter Westerbork. On tion about the remaining German forces. Marthe played a seven languages to help them catalogue interviews with mul- ing liberation. Interviewees speak about liberation from every the other side of the gate, a group of prisoners had gathered. “good German girl” fleeing the Allies’ advance. A group of tilingual survivors. However, it is his knowledge of the “lan- angle: camp survivors who waited for the Allies’ arrival; U.S. No one spoke until a prisoner pointed to Erich and said, “He ambulance drivers told her not to worry, citing the exact guage” of prewar Europe – its places, traditions, and idioms soldiers who walked into camps; British airmen who flew looks Jewish.” Erich said he was; then, knowing that his location of a large German army contingent nearby. Marthe – that is his most indispensable contibution. missions over German lines; refugees who waited anxiously mother and sister were somewhere in the Netherlands, asked smuggled much information back to the French and in so Whether pinpointing a Lithuanian town, or inter- for news of relatives they left behind. Some interviewees the prisoners if they had heard of his family. “What is your doing saved many lives. preting a Yiddish proverb, Boris often answers questions were liberated, or escaped Nazi territory, then assisted efforts sister’s name?” “Hannelore Cahn.” “She’s here, in Westerbork.” A year after World War II ended, Marthe volunteered that could take hours to research. Cataloguer Kirsten to liberate others. The entire group of prisoners led Erich to his sister’s to enter another war zone – this time in Vietnam. Accustomed Anderson explains that “… [as cataloguers] we can get so The liberators featured here knew the suffering that barrack. There, Hannelore, whom he had not seen in seven to danger, she spent three years there, working as a head nurse bogged down in the details, it’s good to have Boris there was endured under Nazi occupation, because they lived years, ran out and flung her arms around him. The next day, in mobile medical units. She later went to Switzerland, where to help us navigate the labyrinth. He is indispensable when through it themselves. Fueled by their own experiences, each at the request of a prisoner who had known their father in she studied for her Swiss nursing degree. Having met her it comes to helping us with languages and geography, because went on to contribute to the Allied victory in a different way. Hamburg, Erich led Shabbat services for the camp. American husband in Geneva, Marthe moved to the United most Americans, even if well-educated and well-traveled, Two months later, Erich went to Germany, where he States in 1956, where she became a nurse anesthetist. Since just don’t have the exposure to the variety of languages, interrogated suspects for the Nuremberg Trials. He discov- 1979, Marthe has lived in California with her husband, Dr. cultures, and geographies we contend with every day.” From Kindertransport to Canadian Army: ered that his father had perished in the Theresienstadt ghetto Major L. Cohn. They have two sons and one granddaughter. Boris was born in Panevezys, Lithuania, a peaceful, from right: Boris Brauer; his in Czechoslovakia, but that his mother had been rescued Marthe was awarded the French Medal of Honor in 2000 and provincial town of about 20,000 people. His father, Eduard, father, Eduard; mother, Erich Cahn Fanja; and brother, Gary; in from a deportation train by the Swedish Red Cross. is currently writing a book about her experiences. a successful merchant, and mother, Fanja, raised Boris and Panevezys, Lithuania, 1940 It was November 1938 in the fields outside of Hamburg, After his discharge, Erich rejoined his family in the his brother Gary in a small estate area near an orchard. In 1963 1930 Germany, and 16-year-old Erich Cahn was on a hachshara – a United Kingdom, where he became a rabbi. In , he, Olga, From Polish Refugee to Private First Class: the late s, Lithuania became unstable, with increasing Zionist-sponsored agricultural train- and their two sons immigrated to Melbourne, Australia. Today, antisemitism, and in 1940 was occupied by the Soviet Union.

ing course – in preparation for his Erich continues to be active in interfaith work and conducts Fred Wahl Feeling that his family was beginning to “stick out” in their Eduard Brauer’s death intended immigration to Palestine. When weddings (including that of one of his two granddaughters). small town, Boris’ father went to nearby Kaunas (Kovno) in certificate issued in 1946 from He also leads services in a Jewish old-age home every Shabbat. 1941, intending to send for his family soon. The arrival of the International Information he saw armed German men go by, he Born Rafael Blumenberg in mostly Catholic Przmesyl, Poland, Office for the former assumed they were on routine army After all, says Erich, “The Almighty has been very good to me.” Fred Wahl spent most of his childhood trying to fit in. After the Soviets in Panevezys changed those plans. At three concentration camp Dachau maneuvers. In fact, it was Kristallnacht, enduring years of beatings in school and being made to sit in o’clock in the morning on June 14, 1941, 16-year-old Boris, his mother, and his eight-year-old brother were taken with the violent pogrom that compelled thou- From False Identity to French Intelligence: the back of the class by his antisemitic teachers, Fred looked sands of Jews to flee Germany. for other places to belong. He joined the Zionist group other “Zionist bourgeoisie” to a train bound for Siberia. Erich’s mother and sister fled Marthe Hoffnung Cohn Gordonia and dreamt of emigration. At the first labor camp, Boris worked as a car- 1939, Erich Cahn’s father, Rabbi Erich Cahn to his mother’s native Netherlands, while Erich accepted a One of his five older siblings, Edek (Eddie), had immi- penter’s assistant for a few months. Then, transferred to Sigmond Cahn, who was the Chief Cantor of spot on a Kindertransport to the United Kingdom on December As a young girl, Marthe Hoffnung was buying eggs for her grated to Cuba in 1927. When Fred was eighteen, Eddie sent another camp near Barnaul, Boris cut lumber in the the last prewar synagogue 14, 1938. (Since his parents’ divorce, Erich had lived in Hamburg family when another girl called her a “dirty Jew.” Marthe tickets for Fred and their brother Henek to join him. As Fred’s Siberian forest, while his mother and brother worked in in Hamburg with his father, a popular cantor, while his sister Hannelore broke the eggs over the girl’s head and ran home train pulled away, his parents told Fred not to forget them. the barracks with other Lithuanian Jews. Boris stayed had stayed with their mother.) In less to her mother, who applauded Marthe’s response. In Cuba, Fred sold neckties on the streets of there from October 1941 until December 1943. He says Erich Cahn with sister, Hannelore, outside of than two years, Erich went from being a The fifth child of eight in an open-minded Havana. To him, Cuba was full of “beautiful cars, beautiful the experience “would have been the best kind of uni- Westerbork German schoolboy, to an enemy alien Jewish family, Marthe grew up in Metz, France, girls … like heaven coming out of Poland.” He was content versity for a young man” if not for the endless hunger that concentration camp Boris Brauer and his wife, held in a British internment camp, to a near the German border, later moving to Poitiers, there until September 1939, when the letters from home sud- caused hallucinations, accidents, loss of teeth, and disease. Eugenia (center), on the British army volunteer. southwest of Paris. Marthe was 20 when the denly stopped coming. That May, Fred had witnessed the In late 1943, Boris was summoned by a secret police occasion of their wedding in Tel Aviv, Israel, 1951 Along with many other foreign Germans invaded France in 1940, and several ship S.S. St. Louis, carrying 900 Jewish refugees, being turned officer. This man plied Boris with butter, sausages, and nationals, Erich was sent to the Pioneer members of her family became actively involved away from Havana and sent back to Europe. Afraid for his vodka, then proceeded to question him about the political Corps, whose units helped supply the in resistance movements. family, Fred approached the Polish embassy where he was and cultural particulars of Lithuania. Impressed by Boris’ British army. While stationed in Northern England, Erich met The Hoffnungs fled to unoccupied France told that if he wanted to help, he should go to the United intelligence and immaculate Russian, he proposed a plan: He his future wife Olga in nearby Darlington, and they married in in 1942 with the help of many non-Jews. A Poitiers States and volunteer. would insure that Boris’ family received sufficient rations if 1943. Their first son arrived while Erich was waiting to be sent City Hall employee freely gave the entire family Boris would join the Soviet army, which was in desperate to France. false identity cards without the German-mandated After several months on the continent, Erich was Jewish stamp. A classmate of Marthe’s warned continued on page 14. . . continued on page 14. . . 12 spring/summer 2001Past Forward spring/summer 2001Past Forward 13 cataloguing archive feature continued international views continued

Cataloguing, continued from page 9 . . . Joining Forces, continued from page 9 . . . Broken Silence, continued from page 3 . . . Jerusalem Office, continued from page 11 . . .

need of men. Boris agreed, and after three weeks’ training, After stowing away on a United Fruit Company ship in his films, Jasny fled into exile in 1970 and has taught film vivors.To Shoshana, this is proof that although “Israeli society was sent to the Belorussian front. (His mother and brother bound for Miami, Fred and Henek found work in New York. directing in the United States since 1984. can be extremely divided, this project has connected people.” survived the war, staying at the same camp until 1950.) In 1942, Fred joined the U.S. army and, as part of the 850th Jasny says the challenge of making a film about a In conversation, Shoshana emphasizes that the Foun- Boris (at left) with friend Dan Danieli, a Holocaust As part of the Fifth Army Division of the 433rd Aviation Engineers, built airstrips for Allied bombers in the topic like the Holocaust is to “show the human touch, the dation’s work in Israel, and elsewhere, has been a team effort survivor from Hungary Regiment, Boris escaped antisemitism by looking and sound- United Kingdom. In a local synagogue, he met lovely Rosi divine spark of humanity in this hell.” Thus, his film begins – between generations, between cultures, and between nations. Photograph by Yosi A. R-Pozeilov ing Russian, and by not volunteering the information that he Rindsberg, who had left Germany on a Kindertransport in 1939. with a poem written by a boy who was killed in Auschwitz at When asked how working with the Foundation has impacted was a Jew. His unit suffered an extremely high number of Smitten, they corresponded throughout Fred’s tour of duty. age 14. The film also features paintings and artwork produced her life, Shoshana replies, “I became more sensitive, more casualties as they moved toward Germany. The Soviets On June 16, 1944, Fred’s unit waded ashore in France. by the prisoners of Theresienstadt during their incarceration. understanding … everything has gained a different perspective. Oral history provides fascinating, thought that the concentration camps held prisoners of war The Allies needed troop replacements, so Fred was sent to the Jasny has a huge respect for those who survived. He I am so fortunate to have this experience.” personal glimpses into the past. and were not prepared for what they experienced when they 12th Armored Division, where he became a radio operator describes how he discovered the concept of the film through Owing to the violent chaos of war, liberated a Bromberg subcamp of Stutthof in early 1945. and an interpreter. In March 1945, his company liberated watching Shoah Foundation interviews: “You love [the sur- Although the Foundation is no longer actively doing outreach most survivors remember their experi- ences vividly, but not always the “Dante’s hell,” is how Boris describes what he saw Hurlach, a prisoner-of-war work camp located in Kaufering, vivors]; you go into hell with them; [I thought] I will follow to Holocaust survivors and other witnesses, potential intervie- specific dates and places. Every day, when he walked into the camp. As freezing rain fell, camp Germany. There, Fred interviewed a Polish prisoner who these people; they will show me what I shall do.” wees are still welcome to call the Foundation if they are inter- researchers in the Shoah Foundation’s prisoners, many of them “walking dead,” asked for food boasted of killing Jews in Fred’s hometown. The result is a film that incorporates interviews with ested in being interviewed (toll-free number 800 661 2092 in the Cataloguing department search for and medical help. Having no orders on how to help the pris- Soon after Hurlach, Fred was relieved and overjoyed 19 different survivors, music, narration, and contemporary US and Canada; in Israel 180 021 2177; in Hungary 413 6012; information that will unravel tangled threads of history and memory, trying oners, the soldiers handed out their rations and talked to to receive a telegram from the Red Cross, informing him that and archival footage. He made this film out of a strong from the rest of the world, please call 818 777 4673). Although to pinpoint which towns a liberator these survivors. Boris met a woman from Kaunas who had his sister Zonka had survived Auschwitz. Fred’s company sense of responsibility. “If I don’t do it – who will? It is up we cannot promise to interview everyone, every effort will be freed, in which forest a partisan known Boris’ father in the Kaunas ghetto, where he worked moved into Austria, where they liberated Mauthausen con- to us, those who lived it, to do this work.” He hopes his made to interview those wishing to give testimony. Because the fought, or in which camp a survivor as a baker and spoke about his family often. A year later, centration camp in May 1945, but Fred rushed to Paris to see film will inspire young Czechs to understand the past and to number of testimonies collected is limited, the Foundation is was imprisoned. Boris discovered that his father had been deported to Zonka. She told him how the Nazis took their parents away act compassionately. not looking for any new interviewers or videographers. Researcher Dan Danieli, himself a Dachau and died there in 1945. after Polish neighbors revealed their hiding place; how after Jasny explains why he is so passionate about edu- Holocaust survivor from Hungary, Boris’ unit followed the fighting until sudden her husband and child were killed, Zonka lived as a Polish cating and motivating his audience: “When people say they researched a question about Boris silence and white flags heralded v-e Day. “The joy was ter- Catholic; and later, when taken as a Polish laborer, how she cannot believe in God because he let such things happen, I Brauer’s testimony for Past Forward. say, ‘Why did people let it happen?’ The great mistake of In his testimony, Boris speaks about rific,” Boris remembers. Unfortunately, the casualties con- worked as a nurse in Auschwitz, caring for Jewish prisoners. liberating a subcamp of the Stutthof tinued, as their unit pursued pockets of German snipers in Fred stayed with Zonka for two weeks and arranged for her humanity is too much ignorance and indifference.” Museo Storico, continued from page 4 . . . concentration camp in January or the forests of Poland and Germany. Later in 1945, Boris left departure to Cuba. She later came to the United States, where February 1945. Below, Dan explains the army and began to “live like a human being again, she still lives in Los Angeles. To fight ignorance and indifference, it is necessary to reach Zevi (former president of Unione delle Comunità Ebraiche how he concluded that the camp Boris’ out to those who might not otherwise seek out information. Italiane) called out “Brava!” Several survivors, interviewers, unit liberated was most likely doing something I believed in.” By the time Fred rejoined his unit in Mauthausen, the one of the Bromberg subcamps. For three years, Boris lived in Munich, where he war was ending. Shortly before his discharge, Fred became a By broadcasting these films on national television in vari- and videographers who worked with the Shoah Foundation handled dp camp correspondence for the Central Committee U.S. citizen and brought his sweetheart Rosi to America. Reunited ous countries, the Shoah Foundation aspires to reach large in Italy also attended the opening. for Liberated Jews. His American bosses didn’t know that he at last, the couple married and lived in New York, then Los and diverse audiences. After the event, Ms. Procaccia commented that “The Boris’ unit probably liberated a was also a committed member of Berihah, an underground Angeles, where Fred ran a driving school. Today, they live in survivors, their families, and people who remembered those Stutthof subcamp called Bromberg- Braunau (Bydgoszcz) or Bromberg-Ost, organization that helped smuggle Jewish refugees into then- Colorado and enjoy their two children and three grandchildren. Made in five different countries, by directors, editors, and years were very moved. The teenagers who saw [the video- both camps for women and children British Palestine. After one of the Berihah transports was musicians from those five countries, these documentaries tape] … said they were shocked, and that they are ready to (Boris mentions the liberated camp was captured, Boris decided to leave for Palestine himself. address the Holocaust in a way their audiences can best fight against racism. This is the real success.” for women). According to Red Cross On the day the British left, May 10, 1948, Boris understand. The survivors featured in the films speak the Giovanna Boursier, a Foundation interviewer who documentation, these camps were liber- Museo Storico della Liberazione di Roma ated on January 27/28, 1945 exactly arrived in Israel on a “miserable fishing boat.” Working first language of their fellow countrymen, both literally and cul- attended, saw “ex-deportees, partisans, antifascists, young turally. The Shoah Foundation hopes that audiences will people, politicians, historians, and important intellectuals, within Boris’ time frame. The horrible in the Israeli army, then for the Ministry of Agriculture, Boris Rosi and Fred Wahl The Shoah Foundation conditions in the camp Boris described 1953 stayed there until . Then, he, his wife Eugenia, and son feel the impact of these survivors’ stories more strongly all reunited in that little room that was once a place of torture. in Italy could have been aggravated by the Edward came to Los Angeles, where their son Andrew was because of common roots of language and culture, and will It was as if voices and faces of yesterday could meet today fact that three women’s camps in Thorn 419 interviews to date born in 1958. Boris worked as a store manager, salesman, and realize just how relevant this history is to their own time through the [video] screen, [through] memories that the Shoah (Torun) were evacuated by the Germans Fred Wahl sits on top of a Nazi 42 interviewers 30 and place. Foundation has so tenaciously gathered.” to Bromberg just before the liberation. business consultant for years. After retirement, he cared airplane that his unit gunned 16 videographers for his wife until her passing in 1993. A few years later, he down in December 1944, France The Shoah Foundation would like to acknowledge Boris mentions that a few days after gave his testimony to the Shoah Foundation. Translations Assistant Alejandro Baer contributed to this article. the survivors and witnesses whose testimonies are included liberating the camp, he continued to in this exhibit: Piero Terracina, Giulia Spizzichino, Vittorio move with his unit to Pilau (Pila). Pilau When he saw a newspaper announcement that the is 60 kilometers west of Bromberg, Foundation was looking for cataloguers and researchers, he Foá, Mirella Anticoli, Settimia Spizzichino, Marcella Girelli, confirming (or at least pointing decided to apply. Since then, he has supported the researchers and Giuliana Limiti. In addition, the Foundation thanks toward) the location where the camp in the Cataloguing department and launched two lunchtime interviewers Manuela Consonni, Elio Limentani, Noemi liberation took place. classes: colloquial Hebrew and Yiddish proverbs. His co- Procaccia, Sara Piperno, Federica Barozzi, and videographers workers appreciate his wealth of knowledge, his quick wit, Giorgio Heller, Angelo Piperno, and Amihai Grinberg. and his habit of bringing candy to share with everyone. Boris says that his work at the Shoah Foundation is a per- Foundation Liaison Doris Felsen Escojido, interviewers Giovanna Boursier and Elio Limentani, and Community Relations Manager Sherry Bard con- fect match for him. “As a witness of those times, those tributed to this article. events, I feel like I belong here.”

14 spring/summer 2001Past Forward spring/summer 2001Past Forward 15 testimonies recorded as of May 5, 2001 total: 51,428

2 Broken Silence International Documentaries COUNTRIES LANGUAGES 4 International Views Argentina 737 Lithuania 133 Bulgarian 622 5 Foundation News Australia 2,481 Macedonia 9 Croatian 394 6 Education/Technology Austria 184 Mexico 112 Czech 573 Belarus 253 Moldova 283 Danish 72 11 Interviewing INSIDE Belgium 207 Netherlands 1,051 Dutch 1,080 12 From the Archive Bolivia 22 New Zealand 55 English 24,919 13 Cataloguing Bosnia & Herzegovina 43 Norway 34 Flemish 5 Brazil 567 Peru 2 French 1,886 Bulgaria 636 Poland 1,429 German 929 Canada 2,844 Portugal 2 Greek 303 Chile 65 Romania 147 Hebrew 6,317 Colombia 14 Russia 712 Hungarian 1,211 Costa Rica 19 Slovakia 665 Italian 432 Croatia 330 Slovenia 12 Japanese 1 Czech Republic 567 South Africa 254 Ladino 10 Denmark 95 Spain 6 Latvian 6 Dominican Republic 1 Sweden 330 Lithuanian 45 Ecuador 9 Switzerland 68 Macedonian 9 Estonia 9 Ukraine 3,434 Norwegian 34 Finland 1 United Kingdom 873 Polish 1,571 France 1,675 United States 19,812 Portuguese 562 Georgia 6 Uruguay 126 Romani 28 Germany 676 Uzbekistan 25 Romanian 123 Greece 303 Venezuela 227 Russian 7,010 Hungary 681 Yugoslavia 361 Serbian 374 Ireland 5 Zimbabwe 6 Sign 4 Israel 8,447 Slovak 574 Italy 419 Slovenian 6 Japan 1 Spanish 1,350 Kazakhstan 6 Swedish 269 Latvia 77 Ukrainian 317 Yiddish 512

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