Holocaust era rail car to be displayed April 17

10 Apr

We attended an event recently to receive a Holocaust era rail car from Macedonia that arrived by ship in Long Beach for the new Museum of Tolerance that is being developed in Chandler, Arizona. Holocaust Survivor Gerda Seifer was among the small group of Survivors’ descendants, museum founders and press who attended the early morning ceremony. (Here’s a link to the coverage in The Long Beach Press Telegram.) Gerda even got up from her wheelchair with two canes and took a fork lift up into the car with the rest of us for the service, which lasted over an hour. Gerda was mentioned in the book, Freedom Writers, that was later made into a movie with Hilary Swank. She still speaks regularly at the LA Museum of the Holocaust.

One of the museum founders looked at the Rabbi and later remarked, “just think about the last time a Rabbi was in this rail car.”

The rail car should be on display April 17 at the Chandler Center for the Arts. The event is Colonel Edward Shames: A War Hero Remembers, a speaking engagement unlike any other in honor of Yom Ha’Shoah. Tickets to this event can be purchased here. Please keep in mind that doors open at 5:30 p.m., the theater opens at 6:00 p.m. and the event starts at 6:30 p.m.

Even disabled Survivor Gerda Seifer had to use a precarious fork lift to enter the rail car.

This group included Executive Director Steven Tepper of the new Holocaust museum in Chandler, Arizona, other museum founders, Rabbi Mendy Deitsch, Holocaust Survivor Gerda Seifer and her husband, members of the press, and the crew from the shipping line that made it possible to have the ceremony.

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Update: Holocaust era rail car arriving in Long Beach Now Friday March 29

28 Mar

Image

pictured: Mary Bauer before she was deported to Auschwitz.

An update on the update, this has been delayed until Friday, March 30.  We will be accompanying Holocaust Surivor, Los Angeles resident Mary Bauer to Long Beach to join a group from the new Center for Holocaust and Tolerance Education, from Chandler, Arizona, to receive an authentic Holocaust era railcar for their new museum.  Photos and videos will be made available for the press. Contact griggsc(at)evjcc dot org or call 480-897-0588.

Holocaust era rail car arrives in Port of Long Beach
11-ton car first artifact for Chandler, Ariz. museum, first of its kind west of the Mississippi

 

What:         A Holocaust era rail car arrives in the United States at the Port of Long Beach nearly 11,000 miles from its start in Macedonia, which was occupied by Germany during WWII. The rail car is a cornerstone piece to the Holocaust & Tolerance Museum project under development in Chandler, Ariz.

Several people will gather at Pier A to welcome the car to the U.S., including local LA Holocaust survivor, Mary Bauer [Bauer will be available for comments.]. Rabbis from Arizona will offer a blessing.

When:        8:00 a.m., Friday, March 30

Port of Long Beach

SSAT – Pier A

2700 Pier A Plaza

Long Beach, CA 90813

Why:           The Holocaust & Tolerance Museum project seeks to be a premier museum and education facility for the Southwest, including Southern California — teaching acceptance, social action and respect using lessons from the Holocaust. Rail cars, like the one arriving on Thursday, were integral to Germany’s ability to transport and murder mass numbers of Jews as they worked to carry out the ‘Final Solution’.

“Museums cannot simply be photos or artifacts on a wall,” said East Valley Jewish Community Center Executive Director Steve Tepper. “They must provide an experience to leave a lasting memory. A piece like this 11-ton rail car gives future generations some context to understand the horror of the time period, so that they won’t let it happen again.” [Tepper will be available for comments.]

Visuals:      Rail car itself on the ship, inside access likely; Holocaust survivor reaction, crowd reactions, Rabbi offering a blessing

About the project

In November 2009, the East Valley Jewish Community Center announced plans to build a museum dedicated to educating the public about the Holocaust in order for them to take action on issues facing the world today. The museum will be part of its current campus at 908 N. Alma School, Rd., Chandler, AZ 85224. Exhibits may include Holocaust history and education, exhibits on other genocides, and rotating exhibits on current diversity and tolerance issues.

Museum railcars are given certification of `being of the type and era` used to transport Holocaust victims, and this car will meet that certification criteria.  Germans used these cars not only for victim transport, but for day-to-day transportation of cattle, and other goods.

About Mary Bauer

Holocaust survivor Mary Bauer was a teenager in Hungary when she and her mother were deported and imprisoned at Auschwitz. At the concentration camp, Bauer was forced to weave the shorn hair of fellow prisoners into items for the Nazi war effort. In the spring of 1945, she and her mother were liberated by the Russian Army. She became a nurse and immigrated to America five years later. Now 84, Bauer tells her story in an effort to raise awareness about the horrors of genocide and ethnic cleansing.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Railcar photos taken in Macedonia available immediately. Video footage captured at the port available.


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Mapping Auschwitz today in LA for International Holocaust Remembrance Day & Survivor Henry Oertelt’s Yahrzeit

27 Jan

Today is Author and Holocaust Survivor Henry Oertelt’s Yahrzeit – the one year anniversary of his death. He died at age 90 after speaking about his experiences surviving the Holocaust for almost forty years. Coincidentally this is also International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

I optioned Henry’s book, An Unbroken Chain: My Journey through the Nazi Holocaust when he was eighty-seven years old. I knew that time was of the essence. After we came to an agreement, we traveled to Minnesota and met him in person with the rest of his family one memorable September weekend.

Henry read my first draft of the screenplay adaptation of his book and gave us his blessing for the project. After a few years of research, I started volunteering at the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust as a docent. Then, the Museum recently came on board as our fiscal partner, giving us credibility and more exposure. After a few years of fundraising, we came up with enough money to produce a high quality short film. We felt this was better than doing nothing. If this film moves people, it could still evolve into a feature length film.

We are now in postproduction with our short film with the working title, Bashert – which means “Meant to Be.” We look forward to sharing it with everyone in the coming months.

Additionally, to commemorate this important day in history, the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust and their community partners will mark an area the same size as Auschwitz around Los Angeles with a flash event.

To participate, go to their map (sign in with your Google account) and pick your location to participate in this exciting event.

You can also sign up for our text message alert which will update and inform you about Mapping Auschwitz news. To join, text the phrase mapLA to 25827.

Check out the museum website to learn more.

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Production Underway for Short Film Bashert Sponsored by Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust

18 Jan

Steve Alderfer as Commander Arthur Fink

Hollywood, Calif. January 18, 2012—launch flix, a production and digital media company, is currently in post-production on a short film, Bashert (Meant to Be), from the award-winning book they optioned from Holocaust Survivor Henry Oertelt, An Unbroken Chain, My Journey through the Nazi Holocaust. The oldest Holocaust museum in the United States, the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust, is sponsoring the film.

Bashert details an important evening in Oertelt’s life after he immigrated to Minnesota from Berlin when he met the American commander whose military unit liberated his concentration camp when Henry was on a three-day death march outside Flossenburg, Germany. This exchange is documented in Oertelt’s life story. Oertelt’s granddaughter, Dr. Corey Samuels, is an associate producer on the film.

Steven Spielberg’s Shoah Visual History Foundation made Henry’s life story one of five selected survivor testimonials featured on their Web exhibit from among over 55,000 collected stories in 2005.

launch flix CEO, Stephanie Houser, worked with many people to make this production a reality. Among them was her friend—and writing and producing producing partner—Pamela Lynn Sullivan, who was instrumental in making this project a reality. Additionally, Pam’s nine-year-old daughter, Caroline Sullivan, will make her acting debut, starring as Stephanie “Steffi” Oertelt in the short.

Houser has been a volunteer docent at Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust since the museum opened their new location in October 2010. The museum is celebrating their fifty-first anniversary this year according to Mark Rothman, Executive Director of the museum.

“We are excited to follow the film’s progress as it gets entered to film festivals,” said Mark Rothman. “We look forward to eventually hosting the film in our museum’s screening room,” he said.

launch flix is partnering with the museum in order for people to be able to make tax-deductible donations for the film project. To make a donation, visit http://www.lamoth.org/support-the-museum/ and click on the blue button on the right that says “Donate Now.” Then choose “Bashert: A Short Film” in the drop down menu for the designation option half way down the page.

Born in Berlin Germany of Jewish faith, Heinz (Henry) Oertelt was twelve years old when Hitler came to power in 1933. Oertelt died earlier this year at age ninety on January 27, the International Day of Remembrance of the Holocaust and the anniversary of the day Auschwitz was liberated. One year later, January 27, 2012, Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust is hosting an elaborate community event called the “Mapping Auschwitz Project.”

Henry Oertelt was liberated by General Patton’s Third Army during the Flossenburg Death March in April 1943. He arrived in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1949 and spent 40 years speaking about his experiences and the importance of tolerance, political involvement and confronting hatred. Oertelt was past chairman of the Jewish Community Relations Council and Holocaust education committee. He was recipient of the JCRC’s “Volunteer of the Year” award, as well as the distinguished “Eleven Who Care” honor from KARE 11 TV in Minnesota in May 2006. Additionally, the city of St. Paul, Minnesota proclaimed “Henry A. Oertelt Day” on April 23, 2006.

Henry’s half brother, ninety-seven-year-old Maine resident Kurt Messerschmidt, is currently featured in the first chapter of a new teacher’s curriculum called Echoes and Reflections recently put out by the Anti Defamation League, USC Shoah Foundation and Yad VaShem. You can learn more about the brothers and their story at http://6mfor6m.org.

launch flix is currently fundraising and developing a feature film with a $6 million budget based on the life story of Holocaust survivor and author Henry A. Oertelt. The filmmakers have created a grassroots campaign called $6M for 6M. The goal is to reach six million people willing to donate at least one dollar each, share Henry’s story of confronting hatred and raise awareness for Holocaust education. Tax-deductible donations are currently being accepted.

About the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust
Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust (LAMH) has a two-fold mission that has remained constant since its inception in 1961: commemoration and education. http://www.lamoth.org/.

About launch flix
launch flix is an award-winning production company in Los Angeles. launch flix creates and produces original content films, shorts and Web videos that inform, entertain and educate diverse audiences. They focus on “green” production, internet marketing and profitability to give partners the highest return on their investment. For more information on launch flix, the short film Bashert or the movie, An Unbroken Chain, visit www.launchflix.com.

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We’re getting TANKED with the American Heritage Park Military Museum

20 Dec

Thank you so much to Craig Michelson, the curator of the American Heritage Park Military Museum! He’s giving us a screaming deal for an M8 Armored car, an Army Jeep, a genuine German rifle, a US military uniform and even K rations!
We couldn’t shoot our short film without the support of menches like Craig. Visit the museum located in South El Monte. You can visit their web site for hours and pricing.

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Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust to Sponsor Short Film

16 Dec

Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust


Hollywood, Calif. December 15, 2011– Launch flix, a production and digital media company, today announced that the oldest Holocaust museum in the United States, the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust, has become their new fiscal sponsor for a special Holocaust film project. This relationship is timely as launch flix is gearing up to shoot a short film, Bashert, next month, from a book that they had optioned from Survivor, Henry Oertelt. Oertelt’s grand daughter, Dr. Corey Samuels will act as associate producer on the short.

Launch flix, CEO, Stephanie Houser has been a volunteer docent since the museum opened their new location in October, 2010. This year the museum is celebrating their fiftieth anniversary.

“We couldn’t think of a better way to end the year. What made this especially attractive was that we could help an important project move forward while working with Stephanie, who has distinguished herself through her volunteer work with us,” said Mark Rothman, Executive Director of the museum. “It was an easy yes.”

Bashert, which means “meant to be” in Yiddish, is about a story that happened after Henry Oertelt immigrated to Minnesota from Berlin. In the 1950’s he attended a party where he met an American soldier who had been in the exact place, at the same time of his liberation from a three-day death march. This exchange is documented in Oertelt’s life story.

Oertelt’s award-winning book is called An Unbroken Chain, My Journey through the Nazi Holocaust. Born in Berlin Germany, of Jewish faith, Heinz (Henry) Oertelt was twelve years old when Hitler came to power in 1933. Oertelt died earlier this year at age ninety on January 27, the International Day of Remembrance of the Holocaust, and the anniversary of the day Auschwitz was liberated. One year later, January 27, 2012, the museum is also planning an elaborate community event called the “Mapping Auschwitz Project.”

Launch flix is partnering with the museum so people can make tax-deductible donations for the film project. Visit http://www.lamoth.org/support-the-museum/ and click on the blue button the right that says “Donate Now.” Then choose “Bashert: A Short Film by Stephanie Houser” in the drop down menu for the “Designation” option half way down the page.

Henry Oertelt was liberated by General Patton’s Third Army during the Flossenburg Death March in April, 1943. He arrived in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1949 and spent 40 years speaking about his experiences and the importance of tolerance, political involvement, and confronting hatred. Oertelt was past chairman of the Jewish Community Relations Council and Holocaust education committee. He was recipient of the JCRC’s “Volunteer of the Year” award, as well as the distinguished “Eleven Who Care” honor from KARE 11 TV in Minnesota in May, 2006. Additionally, the city of St. Paul, Minnesota proclaimed “Henry A. Oertelt Day” on April 23, 2006. Oertelt participated in Stephen Spielberg’s University of Southern California Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education in Los Angeles, California. In 2005 Stephen Spielberg’s Shoah Visual History Foundation made Henry’s story one of five selected survivor testimonials featured on their Web exhibit from among over 55,000 collected stories.

Additionally, Henry’s half brother, ninety-six year old Maine resident, Kurt Messerschmidt, is currently featured in the first chapter of a new teacher’s curriculum called Echoes and Reflections that was recently put out by the Anti Defamation League, USC Shoah Foundation and Yad VaShem. You can learn more about the brothers and their story at http://6mfor6m.org

Launch flix has been fundraising and developing a feature film with a $6 million total budget based on the life story of Holocaust survivor and author Henry A. Oertelt. Since they were raising $6 million dollars, the filmmakers created a grassroots campaign called $6M for 6M. The concept was that even if they received a dollar per person, they could reach six million people with their story and raise awareness for Holocaust education at the same time.

About the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust
Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust (LAMH) has a two-fold mission that has remained constant since its inception in 1961: commemoration and education. http://www.lamoth.org/

About launch flix
launch flix is an award-winning production company in Los Angeles. Launch flix creates and produces original content like films, shorts, and Web videos that inform, entertain and educate diverse audiences. They focus on “green” production, Internet marketing, and profitability to give partners the highest return on their investment. For more information on launch flix or the movie, An Unbroken Chain, visit http://launchflix.com.

A short film: Bashert (Meant to Be)

19 Nov

We are so excited to report that this weekend we have officially started casting for our short film, tentatively titled Bashert (Meant to Be.) Bashert is a Hebrew word.

(beh-sheert) destined, fated, meant to be.

The short is based on a true story that happened to my friend, Holocaust Survivor, Henry Oertelt, a few years after he immigrated to Minnesota. Henry’s granddaughter, Dr. Corey Samuels, is acting as associate producer on this production and she will actually be present at our casting sessions this weekend.

The log line is… a German immigrant is questioned during a cocktail party in Minnesota regarding his whereabouts during World War II…and discovers that the world can be a very small place.

In the early 1950’s, Henry found work at a furniture store. Both Henry and his new wife, Inge were learning English and studying to be citizens of the United States. They were extremely grateful to have made it to the United States, and in fact, they never left St. Paul. They saved up enough money for a car and eventually had their own house.

Henry, like many Survivors, originally never wanted to talk about his experiences in Germany during the Holocaust. However, he and Inge attended a party where Arnold Fink, one of the guests was very nosy and kept pestering him with questions. Henry tried to dodge him but he was very persistent. Finally, Arthur extracted the information he’s looking for– the time and place of Henry’s liberation. They discover that both of them were there at the exact same time!

Our goal is to finish the short by year’s end so that we can enter into into film festivals in 2012. This short is meant to raise awareness for our larger feature film project called An Unbroken Chain.

We hope that this film will help raise visibility and financial support for Henry’s life story. Not only did he talk to Arnold about what happened to him during the war, but eventually he spoke to schools, churches and other organizations. Henry told his story for almost forty years and received numerous awards, honorary doctorates and even the key to the city! He and his daughter Steffi also wrote a book called An Unbroken Chain: My Journey through the Nazi Holocaust, which you can buy here. We’ve optioned the book and have already raised two million dollars towards the six million dollars needed to shoot it in Europe.

Sadly, Steffi passed away in May, 2010 after a long battle with brain cancer. Henry just died this year at age 90, but he had seen the script for the film and was very excited to have his story help teach many people the important lessons he shared.

If you are interested in participating in this production, please email casting (at) 6mfor6m dot org. We are still looking for some crew, as well as an editor, sound technician, and other positions.

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