WORLD PREMIERE FILM

CREATING HARMONY: THE DISPLACED PERSONS’ ORCHESTRA AT ST. OTTILIEN TO DEBUT

at the Museum of Jewish Heritage—A Living Memorial to the Holocaust

NEW YORK, NY — The St. Ottilien Displaced Persons’ Orchestra performed “classical symphonies… Jewish ghetto, folk and Zionist Hebrew songs to grief-eroded souls. It gave them a reason to go on,” according to Sonia Beker, daughter of Max Beker, the orchestra’s violinist. It was 1945 and Jewish survivors in displaced persons camps were struggling to come to terms with the incomprehensible reality of the Holocaust, while trying to hold onto their last shreds of hope and dignity. In this shadow of destruction, when spiritual resistance was more important than ever, something extraordinary took place. Creating Harmony: The Displaced Persons’ Orchestra at St. Ottilien (2007, USA, 75 minutes, DVD) is a remarkable documentary about renewal, resistance, and resilience. The world premiere will be shown on June 10 at 2:30 p.m. at the Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. The screening will be followed by a discussion with co-producers John J. Michalczyk and Ronald A. Marsh.

The film tells the story of the Jewish orchestra at the St. Ottilien Displaced Persons camp in Bavaria. From 1945 to 1948, the orchestra played triumphantly in striped concentration camp uniforms, in front of a banner that read “Am Yisroel Chai,” (“The people of Israel live”). After garnering praise for their inspirational performances all over war-torn Europe, the orchestra was asked to perform for the International Tribunal during the Nazi trials in Nuremberg and for the first Zionist congress. David Ben-Gurion and Golda Meir were among the orchestra’s fans, and on two occasions the ensemble was joined in Germany by conductor Leonard Bernstein.

While the members of the St. Ottilien Displaced Persons’ Orchestra were extraordinary musicians in their own right, their contributions and experiences were far more than just musical. Henny Durmashkin — whose story is told through historic footage — was profoundly affected by her time as a musician in the orchestra. Ms. Durmashkin’s daughter, Rita Lerner, says, “Music nourishes the soul. My mother often spoke of how fulfilling it was to bring music back to the survivors, helping them to restore their faith and leading them down the long road to healing.

“When Leonard Bernstein came to work with the ex-concentration camp orchestra and accompany my mother on the piano as she sang, it was the most incredible and moving experience. For that brief moment in time Leonard Bernstein helped them feel that they could leave behind the hell they survived and soar into the magical world of music they loved so much. He left an indelible mark on her soul, as well as an amazing legacy,” says Lerner, who is interviewed in the film.

The uplifting history of the orchestra is documented in the film through photographs, archival footage, concert programs, and interviews with participants, audience members, and witnesses.

The film is screened in conjunction with the critically acclaimed exhibition, Daring to Resist: Jewish Defiance in the Holocaust.

Tickets to the film are $10 adults, $7 students/seniors, $5 members. Tickets may be purchased online at www.mjhnyc.org or by calling 646-437-4202.

About the Filmmakers

John J. Michalczyk’s other films include: The Cross and the Star: Jews, Christians and the Holocaust; In the Shadow of the Reich: Nazi Medicine; and Displaced: Miracle at St. Otillien. He is also professor/co-director of Film Studies and current chair of the Fine Arts Department at Boston College. A documentary film producer since 1991, and founder of Etoile Productions, he has produced and directed 12 documentaries, scripting eight of them. Several of his films have received regional Emmy awards among other distinctions. Creating Harmony is the much-awaited sequel to the acclaimed Displaced: Miracle at St. Ottilien.

Ronald Marsh was responsible for archival and bibliographical research for the film, as well as co-producing.

About the Exhibition

Daring to Resist: Jewish Defiance in the Holocaust
April 16, 2007-July 2008

“An important exhibition…” The New York Times

During the Holocaust, Jews throughout Europe, through individual and collective acts of resistance, sought to undermine the Nazi goal of the annihilation of the Jewish people. Jews engaged in a range of resistance activities with the aim of preserving Jewish life and dignity despite unimaginable difficulties. Their efforts powerfully refute the popular perception that Jews were passive victims. Through testimony, archival footage, and authentic artifacts, the exhibition helps visitors to understand the dilemmas that Jews faced under impossible circumstances. Whether praying clandestinely, documenting the experiences of Jews in the ghettos, or taking up arms to fight, these responses took many forms, but each and every one was a courageous act of resistance.

This exhibition is made possible through major funding from: Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, the Elizabeth Meyer Lorentz Fund of The New York Community Trust, the Edmond J. Safra Philanthropic Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Humanities,* as well as generous leadership gifts from: Frank and Cesia Blaichman, Patti Askwith Kenner and Family, George and Adele Klein, Ingeborg and Ira Leon Rennert, David and Klara Ringel and Family, Shalom and Varda Yoran. Additional support from: The David Berg Foundation, Nancy Fisher, Robert I. Goldman Foundation, The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, L’Oréal USA, Righteous Persons Foundation, and Gil and Claire (Israelit) Zweig. Media sponsorship provided by The Jewish Week.

*Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily reflect those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Pets of Holocaust Victims
I believe in the Sun,
Even when it is not shining.
I believe in love,
Even when I am alone.
I believe in God,
Even when He is silent.
(Author unknown – inscription found on a wall in Auschwitz)

The Holocaust, one of the most horrible events in recent history, has yet one untold chapter–the pets owned by the Holocaust victims.
Today we understand the depth of the human/animal bond, but no one has told the stories about what the pets of Holocaust victims meant to them.
When researching this topic, survivors said that they were glad someone cared enough to ask about their pets. The fact that they needed to share their stories is testimony to how much their pets meant to them.
The account below is a dramatization of actual events as told to the author.

Hungary
By K. R.

It was around 1939 when my father brought a small, furry puppy home. His eyes were like liquid chocolate and he would give us little kisses. All five of us, my parents, older brother, sister and me, loved to hold him and bury our face in his soft, shiny fur. Bogar, a 20 pound, all black mixed breed dog made us laugh and followed us everywhere. He was a constant source of joy, amusement and companionship to us. I felt very close to Bogar and told him all of my secrets.
Our family managed to survive the first five years of the war. But the war had affects on us all; even Bogar hated the sound of planes and shooting. Before we could hear it, Bogar would growl and raise the hair on his back when an airplane approached.
In June of 1944 we were marched to the Ghetto. We left Bogar free at home, hoping that he would survive, but he followed us to the Ghetto. Since dogs were not allowed in the Ghetto, we had no idea where he was or what happened to him. Even though we were afraid and uncertain about our own fate, we all worried about Bogar. Who would take care of him? How would he survive?
After three weeks we were herded out of the Ghetto and forced to walk to the train station in Hajduhadhaz. To our surprise, when we left the Ghetto, Bogar was right there beside us. He had waited outside of the Ghetto for us. I was thrilled to see that he was alive, but he followed us all the way to the train station where we had to leave him again. What would happen to our precious Bogar?
For an entire year, through all of our trials and tribulations, we wondered and prayed for Bogar. Then on one glorious June day in 1945, we were free!!! We went back to our home and looked for Bogar, but he was no where to be found. Though we were glad to be alive, we mourned the loss of one family member, Bogar.
A month later, I was walking down the road about a mile from home when I saw a dog that looked like Bogar. My heart skipped a beat and I held my breath as I called his name. The dog stopped and looked, frozen in place. Then like a shooting star, he ran to me, jumping and licking my hands and face. It was Bogar, my sweet, wonderful Bogar!
The two of us ran home and I burst through the door shouting to the family, “Bogar’s home! Bogar’s Home!” We hugged and kissed him, then gave him some of our precious little food, water and a soft, warm place to sleep. After we got over our excitement we saw that Bogar had had a rough life while we were gone. He was thin, his coat did not shine and it seemed that there was a haunting look in his eyes.
We found out from people in our neighborhood that he had lived on the street, stealing food when he could. Bogar lived for a year or so and then at a little over seven years of age, got sick and died. We all mourned, but for one glorious year our family was complete and that meant a lot to us.

Note: If any reader knows about a Holocaust pet, please contact the author at susanb21 {at} juno(.)com or write to her at 15 Hemlock Dr., Jim Thorpe, PA 18229.

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(Edison, New Jersey)

________________________________________________________________

For Immediate Release May 30, 2007

President George W. Bush today announced his intention to nominate five individuals and designate two individuals to serve in his Administration:

The President intends to nominate J. Christian Kennedy, of Indiana, to be accorded the Rank of Ambassador during his tenure as Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues. Mr. Kennedy, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, currently serves as Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues. Prior to this, he served as Senior Advisor of the Career Development Program in the Bureau of Human Resources at the Department of State. Earlier in his career, he served as Minister-Counselor for Political Affairs in Mexico City. Mr. Kennedy received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago.

The President intends to nominate James L. Caswell, of Idaho, to be Director of the Bureau of Land Management at the Department of the Interior. Mr. Caswell currently serves as Administrator of the Office of Species Conservation for the State of Idaho. Prior to this, he served as Forest Supervisor of Clearwater National Forest. Earlier in his career, he served as Acting Deputy Regional Forester for the Northern Region of the United States Forest Service. Mr. Caswell received his bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University.

The President intends to nominate William J. Garvelink, of Michigan, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Mr. Garvelink, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, currently serves as Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator of the Bureau of Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance at the United States Agency for International Development. Prior to this, he served as Mission Director for Eritrea at the United States Agency for International Development. Earlier in his career, he served as Deputy Director of the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance at the United States Agency for International Development. Mr. Garvelink received his bachelor’s degree from Calvin College and his master’s degree from the University of Minnesota.

The President intends to nominate Roderick W. Moore, of Rhode Island, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Montenegro. Mr. Moore, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, currently serves as Deputy Chief of Mission at the United States Embassy in Serbia. Prior to this, he served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the United States Embassy in Bulgaria. Earlier in his career, he served as a State Department Fellow and taught at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Mr. Moore received his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from Brown University.

The President intends to nominate Ronald Jay Tenpas, of Maryland, to be Assistant Attorney General (Environment and Natural Resources Division) at the Department of Justice, and to designate him Acting. Mr. Tenpas currently serves as Associate Deputy Attorney General at the Department of Justice. Prior to this, he served as United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois. Earlier in his career, he served as Branch Chief and Deputy Criminal Chief and Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney’s Office of the District of Maryland. Mr. Tenpas received his bachelor’s degrees from Michigan State University and Oxford University and his JD from the University of Virginia.

The President intends to designate Senator Ted Stevens, of Alaska, to be Personal Representative of the President of the United States at the 47th International Paris Air Show.

The Associated Press Published: May 29, 2007

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina: The Red Cross-issued passport used by high-ranking Nazi Aldolf Eichmann as he escaped to Argentina after World War II has been turned over to the Holocaust Museum in Buenos Aires after a judge stumbled up it in a musty court file.

Eichmann, a leader of a campaign of mass deportation of Jews to extermination camps in Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe during the war, fled to Argentina in 1950 under the alias “Ricardo Klement.”

The passport was left behind when Eichmann was abducted by Israeli agents in 1960 from a Buenos Aires suburb where he lived. He was taken to Israel, tried for crimes against humanity and hanged in 1962.
MORE.

My parents from Australia will be in New York the last week of June and they have asked me to place an announcement to locate survivors from Wolbrom, Poland.

My father, Morris MAJTLIS born in Wolbrom, Poland (may have been known as Moniek or Moyshe Majtlis) and currently living in Melbourne Australia, is seeking people who may have been his neighbours in Wolbrom, Poland in the 1920’s or 1930’s.

If you know any Survivors and can assist, please contact Morris Majtlis between Friday June 22 and Friday June 29. 2007.

g at The St Regis Hotel Telephone 212 753 4500).

David Rosenbaum

By Shahar Ilan, Haaretz Correspondent

The organization responsible for locating and retrieving the assets of Holocaust victims intends to publish a list of properties so that victims’ heirs may come forward and claim them, but banks have refused to cooperate with the organization by transferring Holocaust victims’ accounts to it.

Two MKs from the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee yesterday threatened to petition the High Court of Justice to force the banks to return the money to Holocaust victims’ heirs.

“I stand shamefacedly before people who have been waiting for seven years for us to return the money they deserve, and none of them has received anything yet,” said MK Colette Avital, who headed the parliamentary inquiry committee. She and MK Marina Solodkin (Kadima) said at
yesterday’s meeting that they would petition the High Court to make the banks return the Holocaust victims’ money to the heirs.

“It’s scandalous that Bank Leumi isn’t giving the money. We must ask the High Court to revoke the bank’s license,” Solodkin said.

MORE.

World Federation of Jewish Child Survivors of the Holocaust
19th Annual International Conference of Child Survivors,
Second and Third Generations, Spouses & Families

“Together in Israel, 2007!”

Renaissance Hotel, Jerusalem, Israel

Monday, November 5, to Thursday, November 8, 2007

Registration takes place Monday November 5, 2007. Conference programs begin Monday evening,

continue all day Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday, November 8, special program at Yad Vashem until 4PM.

REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS OCTOBER 1, 2007, NO REGISTRATIONS AFTER THAT DATE

Modi’in Tours and Travel Ltd.

POB 31824

Jerusalem 91317 Israel

www.wfjcsh.org or email holocaustchild {at} comcast(.)net

SESCIL BY Leon Wells

While attending one of Rabbi Bemporad’s inspirational Saturday morning talks, I asked, “Is the Bible an example of positive human behavior? When Noah was told to build the ark, why didn’t he see other people’s children and try to take them in, too? Was it only his wife and three daughters, and pairs of each animal species that he cared about? Isn’t such blind obedience to God—without regard to the moral implications of Noah’s “selfishness”—a crime against humanity?

I think about the Kalwinskis when I read this Biblical tale. I don’t believe God spoke to Josef Kalwinski or his wife and daughter, or his son, Kaziek, when they embarked on their mission.

In 1943, during the Holocaust, I was 18 years old when, after almost two years, I escaped from the Death Brigade. The Brigade exhumed the murdered bodies of the Nazi victims and burned them to erase any trace of the atrocities. At the time, I was the only survivor of my entire family, 70 members in all. Thinking I had hidden away a cache of gold, a fellow inmate, Korn, took me along with him to the farm of Josef Kalwinski. Korn assumed that I had gold because it was my job to keep count of the gold sieved from the ashes and to turn it over to the Nazis. It never occurred to me to take any of this loot for myself and I used some of it only to bribe the SS guards to treat our group with leniency. This is what made it possible for us to escape, because as we approached the gate on the day we decided to escape, the guard assumed I was bringing him gold and opened the gate. We struck him down and ran away.

I had no idea where I was, but Korn, who worked with the locals before the war, did. When we met Mr. Kalwinski, Korn asked him to hide both of us, and assumed I had gold to pay for it. When he realized that I had nothing, he told Josef Kalwinski he could lose me, because I was a stranger and did not know where I was.

Mr. Kalwinski gave me a long look and said, “how can I leave him to get lost? He’s only a baby. Baby was the only English word he knew, and that became my nickname. I joined 22 other Jews hidden on his property. They were not overjoyed to have me, because of the extremely cramped quarters.

The Kalwinskis were risking their lives, since Aany Pole found hiding Jews was hanged, together with his entire family. The Kalwinskis fed us, cleaned our living space, carried out our slops and did it without raising the suspicion of their neighbors. With kindness and care, his wife,helped by her young daughter and son—a boy my age—worked night and day. Their youngest son had been sent away to distant family, lest he forget and mention our presence to the neighbors.

Why did the Kalwinskis make this great sacrifice for a boy they did not know and for the other twenty-three Jews they hid? Was because of their sense of righteousness and a feeling of humanity for their fellow man? They did not think only of themselves and their safety. Should their tale be added to our Bible, to the literature that describes this as ultimate way to conduct one’s life?

You can read this story and others in Janowska Road by Leon W Wells, published by the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC.

STRIKE

(Strajk – Die Heldin von Danzig)

STRIKE will open on June 15th in New York City at The Lincoln Plaza Cinemas

The Lincoln Plaza Cinemas is located at 1886 Broadway, between 62nd and 63rd St.

Volker Schlöndorff, the Academy Award winner director of The Tin Drum, returns to North American screens with “Strike” (“Strajk”). Based on actual events, “Strike” is the true story of a remarkable and little known figure who was integral in beginning the Solidarity movement and setting Poland on the course to democracy.

In the film, Agnieszka is a shipyard welder and crane operator who is a loyal and dedicated worker. Taunted by her peers for being such a paragon of virtue, she nonetheless advocates tirelessly for workers’ rights and is a thorn in the side of her Communist Party bosses. Her radical politicization begins when she witnesses many of her fellow workers die in an industrial accident. When their widows are denied pensions, she really begins to confront her superiors about the many inequities of working in the shipyard. Then, when she is fired after 20 years of uncompromised service to the company, her fellow workers show their solidarity and strike in order to force her reinstatement. Suddenly the whole shipyard is striking and as a groundswell of outrage and support builds nationwide, all Polish factories soon have a work stoppage. Solidarnosc is born.

“Strike” is a touching tribute to a true overlooked hero, a woman who undergoes an important awakening – the realization of an ordinary person who simply looks around her and distinguishes right from wrong. Just as the simple action of Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat provided a catalyst for the entire Civil Rights Movement, so the actions of this single worker set the strikes in the Lenin Shipyards in Gdansk in motion, ultimately bringing about the Solidarity Movement, the rise of Lech Walesa, Perestroika, and eventually to the fall of the Berlin Wall.

“Strike” reunites actress Katharina Thalbach (as Agnieszka) with Volker Schlöndorff, who directed her in The Tin Drum, which won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. One of Schlöndorff’s more recent credits is The Ninth Day. The “Strike” screenplay is by Andreas Pflüger. The producer is Jürgen Haase. The distributor is Red Envelope Entertainment/Laemmle Zeller Films.

Running Time: 104 minutes MPAA Rating: Unrated

Please join us for the following screening:

Tuesday – June 5th – 4pm – Magno Review 2

Wednesday – June 13th – 4pm – Magno Review 1

Magno Sound and Video is location at 729 7th Avenue (Between 48th and 49th)

Please RSVP to rsvp {at} murphypr(.)com or by calling 212-340-1984. For more information or to ask questions please call MURPHY PR at 212-414-0408.

I am looking for child survivors of the Holocaust who lived in Kloster Indersdorf, near Dachau, Germany, right after the war (1945-1948), before they were transported to other countries. There were three different DP Children’s Centers at Kloster Indersdorf: The first DP Children’s Center Kloster Indersdorf, Germany 1945-1946 was led by UNRRA Team 182 (Principal Welfare Officer Greta Fischer). The second center, the ‘Jewish Children’s Center Kloster Indersdorf’ lasted till 1947 and was led by UNRRA Team 1066 and had different Kibbuz organisations from Poland and Hungary. The IRO and Kibbuz Dror were in charge of the last ‘Jewish Children’s Center’ until 1948. Who can remember this time in Kloster Indersdorf?
Please, contact

Anna Andlauer
andlauer {at} onlinehome(.)de