|
|
Oct. 19, 2007
More than mere words
"Never again" means that we must fight racism.
CYNTHIA RAMSAY
Don't be indifferent. That's not only the message of the documentary
Ever Again, which screens on the evening of Oct. 30 at Vancouver
Talmud Torah, but of the entire eight-DVD set that comprises the
Simon Wiesenthal Centre Collection.
"The Holocaust began with the Jewish people. But it did not
end with the Jews," said Simon Wiesenthal, a Holocaust survivor
who lost 89 family members in the Nazi horror. In his lifetime,
Wiesenthal helped track down more than 1,100 war criminals and continually
fought anti-Semitism and prejudice against all people.
The recently released DVD collection includes I Have Never Forgotten
You: The Life and Legacy of Simon Wiesenthal, narrated by Nicole
Kidman. Major Hollywood actors are also involved in the other documentaries,
two of which have won Academy Awards. Genocide combines historical
narrative with actual stories of ordinary people caught up in the
Holocaust, and won the 1981 Academy Award for best feature documentary.
The 1997 award in that category went to The Long Way Home,
which focuses on the period between 1945 and 1948, when tens of
thousands of displaced Jewish refugees coped with the aftermath
of the Nazi brutality.
Ever Again proposes that the world is failing at its task
to ensure that the Holocaust "never again" takes place.
It provides many examples of how violent anti-Semitism is increasing
and how terrorism threatens us all – Jews and non-Jews alike.
It warns of the danger posed by Islamic extremism, noting that calls
for murder and hate can be heard from Europe's mosques and Islamic
satellite television broadcasts. It also examines neo-Nazism in
Germany. Through interviews and archival footage, it raises disturbing
questions about the future, but, unfortunately, offers little by
way of methods to counter the spreading and seeming progression
of hate against Jews (and Americans). The main suggestions are that
we do not remain silent and that education can play a key role in
ameliorating the situation – perhaps the VTT screening of the
film will begin a constructive local discussion on how to do this.
The other documentaries in the Wiesenthal collection – all
of which are co-written by former Schara Tzedeck Rabbi Marvin Hier,
now of the Wiesenthal centre – are Beautiful Music,
about an American-born, Orthodox Jewish pianist and composer who,
after relocating to Israel, taught piano to a nine-year-old blind
and severely autistic Palestinian girl throughout the intifada.
On the same DVD is In Search of Peace, Part One: 1948-1967,
which chronicles the first two decades of Israel's existence.
Unlikely Heroes, which documents stories of resistance during
the war, Liberation, about the Allied campaign to liberate
Europe and Hitler's attempt at genocide, and Echoes That Remain,
a study of Jewish shtetl life before the Holocaust, round out the
collection. For more information, visit www.wiesenthal.com.
Ever Again screens at VTT on Tuesday, Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m.
There is no charge to attend the event, but pre-registration is
requested. To reserve a seat, contact Yael Elron at [email protected]
or 604-736-7307, ext. 3475.
^TOP
|
|
