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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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ADL Holocaust Education Training Features Our Subject’s Story

7 Nov

Friday I had the opportunity to participate in a Holocaust Educators training put on by the Anti Defamation League (ADL),  USC Shoah Foundation and Yad Vashem, the Holocaust museum of Israel. They distributed copies of Echoes and Reflections, a new multimedia curriculum on the Holocaust. This program allows teachers to choose as little or as much material as they can cover in a specific time period and still cover the subject matter effectively.

On page one, chapter one, they have used a quote from my dear friend, Holocaust Survivor, ninety-six year old Kurt Messerschmidt. Kurt is the brother of Henry Oertelt, my former mentor and author of An Unbroken Chain: My Journey Through the Nazi Holocaust. We have optioned Henry’s book in to produce a feature film based on the brothers’amazing survival story. Henry passed away earlier this year at age 90.

Kurt’s quote says,

Continue reading →

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Honor Survivors in Your Area May 1

20 Apr


Yom Hashoah takes place this year on May 1. If you are going to be in LA, consider attending the community wide Holocaust Remembrance Day at 2:45pm at the LA Holocaust Monument in the north end of Pan Pacific Park between Beverly and Third Street. From our experience, there’s nothing more inspiring than visiting with Holocaust Survivors. Most of them are now in their eighties and nineties, but have hardly slowed down, especially with their volunteer efforts and continued pledge to Holocaust Education. There should be several of the museum’s popular speakers in attendance.

The program, In their Own Words, Diaries from the Holocaust, will feature John Loftus, a former U.S. government prosecutor and Army intelligence officer, Nazi hunter and the author of several books, including Belarus Secret: The Secret War against the Jews and his just released, America’s Nazi Secret with new revelations about American funding of the Nazis and government cover ups.

There will be shaded seating for all attendees.

Speaking of shade, there’s a Yom Hashoah ceremony in Phoenix, at Congregation Beth El (the image from last year’s service.) The Phoenix program, titled, “We are a People of Memory” will be featuring Rabbi Bonnie Koppell at 3pm, also on May 1. Each year in Phoenix, the Survivors carry candles in a procession to start the service. We will be filming this community service for the third year in a row and consider it an honor and a privilege.

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Henry Oertelt, 1921-2011, St. Paul, Minnesota Inspiration, Teacher to Many

27 Jan

Henry Oertelt by the lake in Minnesota

Today around 9AM Central Time, my friend and mentor, Henry Oertelt, died at age ninety at his home in St. Paul, Minnesota. Henry had recent cancer treatments and started having increasing complications, weakening and needing more and more help with day-to-day care.

Today, coincidentally, is also the International Day of Remembrance and the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. In 2005, the United Nations General Assembly designated this day as International Holocaust Remembrance Day (IHRD), an annual day of commemoration to honor the victims of the Nazi era. Every member nation of the U.N. has an obligation to honor the memory of Holocaust victims and develop educational programs as part of an international resolve to help prevent future acts of genocide.

For the past few years, I have been privileged to get to know Henry and his family.  I first heard about Henry when I met his granddaughter, Corey, in St. Thomas, in the Virgin Islands, of all places. Soon, I read his book. It changed my life and I felt a pull that I still can’t explain towards the material – his personal journey and its message. I wrote him a letter to ask if I could option his book, An Unbroken Chain, My Journey Through the Nazi Holocaust. Today, we have started a non-profit for Holocaust Education, Six Million for Six Million, and are developing a feature film with the same name.

Henry’s name comes up daily as I regularly discuss my project with potential investors, colleagues, family and friends. I even ended up joining the Phoenix Holocaust Survivor’s Association at their request. Many members ask me if I am a second generation survivor – why else would I show up?  At one point, I said to him, “Henry, I might as well call you my adopted grandfather,” and he laughed and agreed.

Henry’s life story will do more than just inspire and educate young audiences. It will remind adults to be grateful for the blessings in their own lives. No matter what our daily challenges bring, there’s nothing that can put things in perspective more than considering the plight of a Holocaust Survivor who had everything, even their identity, stripped away from them.

Henry is an inspiration simply by the fact that he rebuilt his life, and had a family, including 3 great, grandchildren: Haylie, Taylor, and Chance.  He and his wife, Inge, lived the American Dream in St. Paul, where they originally immigrated from Berlin. He told his story to groups at schools, churches, and organizations in the Minnesota, Wisconsin and Dakotas and earned three honorary doctorates from St. Olaf, South West State University and St. Cloud State University. He didn’t originally want to recount his story, but after one teacher persisted he relented, and continued – for forty years.

Oertelt was a member of the Jewish Community Relations Council’s (JCRC) Holocaust Education Commission, a recipient of JCRC’s “Volunteer of the Year” award, as well as recipient of the distinguished “Eleven Who Care” honor from KARE 11-TV in Minnesota. On April 23, 2006, St. Paul, Minnesota, honored him with the key to the city and proclaimed “Henry A. Oertelt Day.”

Additionally his story is one of only five highlighted on USC Shoah Foundations’ Surviving Auschwitz on line exhibit.

His family is asking that in lieu of flowers you donate to his local temple, Congregation Beth Jacob or Six Million for Six Million, (via my synagogue’s Congregation Eitz Chaim’s Holocaust Education fund for our film) to help make the movie about his life story.

I am forever grateful that I got to know Henry and his family and I am honored to carry on his mission of Holocaust Education and teaching acceptance and hope, for the rest of my life.

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Joined Channel 12 News Street Side Studio Kick Off

12 Jan

We made a sign for Henry’s 90th birthday tomorrow and went down to Arizona Channel 12′s new Street Side Studios this morning. You can see me off to the right.

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