Our Final Post: Bashert is now “Becoming Henry”

5 Nov

This was taken during the making of the short film, Becoming Henry at the American Military Museum in El Monte, CA.

We are excited to announcement the end of a long chapter in the making of our friend’s life story. We have completed work on the short film with the working title, Bashert. We have renamed our short, Becoming Henry.

We are grateful that The Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust has come on board as our fiscal sponsor earlier this year. A huge thank you goes out to Mark Rothman, Executive Director of LAMOTH, for all his help and encouragement.

Now that we have completed our film, we are going to wind down our former non profit, 6Mfor6M, including all web sites as well as the Twitter handle of the same name, by the end of the year. We will be using the new web site, http://becominghenry.com for promoting the short and selling Henry’s book for his family. We will continue to use our Unbroken Chain Facebook page, and you can follow our news and screenings for 2013 there as well.
Thanks for all of your support! We hope you will come out to theaters to see the short when we are in your area.

Film Synopsis:

Henry, like many Holocaust Survivors, originally never wanted to talk about his experiences during that dark time in his life. He immigrated to Minnesota in his 30′s with his wife, Inge, and new baby, Stephanie, and began to make a new life for his new family. However, he and Inge  attended a party where Arnold Fink, one of the guests was very nosy and kept pestering him with questions. Finally, Arnold extracted the information he was looking for– the time and place of Henry’s liberation. They discover that both of them were at the same place at the exact same time!  Arnold was the American officer who stopped his vehicle in front of Henry’s tired marching group of survivors after a three-day death march outside of Flossenberg.

This prompts Henry to share his story of survival publicly for the first time. A schoolteacher named Mrs. Reese overhears their conversation and asks Henry to speak to her students. Although Henry initially says no, he goes on to speak to students and community groups for the next 40 years.

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You’re Invited: Living Witnesses book launch Oct. 11

10 Sep

We invite you to join us for a heart warming event to support Holocaust Survivors in our community.  The Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust, the oldest Holocaust museum in the U.S., and A Dime and A Penny Foundation, a Holocaust non profit, are pleased to announce the release of the portrait book trilogy, Living Witnesses: Triumph Over Tragedy.The launch event will take place at Paramount Studios’ Paramount Theatre on October 11, 2012 at 6:30pm. To RSVP or for questions, call 248-867-8448 or email steph at 6mfor6m dot org.

“The books serve as a reminder and a testament to the spirit of survival burning in anyone who suffers and overcomes,” said Mark Rothman, Executive Director of the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust.

The project captures the lives and experiences of Holocaust Survivors including 30 people from Los Angeles as well as other parts of the US, Israel and Europe. Each photo illustrates the glorious conquest of the heart-wrenching past and how those experiences helped shape the Survivors’ lives.  Book proceeds will be donated to Jewish Family Services on behalf of Holocaust Survivors in need.

“I understand the value of a photograph,” said Monni Must, portrait photographer and co-author of the books. “Five years ago when I lost my daughter tragically, I turned to Holocaust Survivors who not only taught me the value of a photograph, but they taught me the most important lesson of all: how to go on in the wake of tragedy.”

The world-renowned, one hundred and three year old Sir Nicholas Winton, a man responsible for saving the lives of 669 children during the Holocaust, is one of the many featured in the project. His grandson, Laurence Winton, will be speaking at this event on his grandfather’s behalf. Sir Winton lead an effort to provide safe train passage from Europe to London as part of what became known as the kindertransports.

The event is free and all are invited to attend and learn about these Survivors and how their stories are an inspiration to all who have endured tragedy.   All three books are available on-line for $350.00 at http://dimeandpenny.org/store/.  Holocaust Survivors will receive a discount.

As Survivors age, organizations such as Jewish Family Services find them needing increasing amounts of a wide range of assistance. Their needs are often much greater than those of other elderly men and women, in large part because of the depravations they suffered during the Holocaust.

About Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust

Holocaust Survivors founded the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust in the early 1960s as a permanent repository for their personal artifacts from the Holocaust and the world the Nazis destroyed.   Today the Museum hosts docent-led school tours, survivor lectures, exhibitions on the Holocaust, and numerous special events. Museum admission is always free.  Visit us on-line at www.lamoth.org on the Web.

About A Dime and A Penny Foundation

A Dime and A Penny 501(c)3 was created in 2011 by Detroit-based photographer Monni Must. The photographic charity endeavors of the organization exist to help others find hope in the midst of tragedy. The foundation produces books, exhibits and other projects whose proceeds help those in need. To RSVP, email RSVP@dimeandpenny.org or for more information about visit http://www.dimeandpenny.org/.

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They Were Just Like Us

6 Sep

Check out this video, They Were Just Like Us about  life masks of Holocaust Survivors.  My friend, Scottsdale, Arizona based artist, Robert Sutz is the creator. He did one of Henry Oertelt which is in his collection. Robert is very dedicated to preserving these stories.
You can see more at Robert’s web site, http://www.robertsutz.com.

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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 http://www.launchflix.com.

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