The documentary “Kinderblock 66:return to Buchenwald” was presented at the JCC Manhattan as part of the program ‘Saviors on the screen’ in commemoration of  Iom ha Shoah.

At the special screening, a Q&A session with the film’s producer proved to be enlightening.

The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation is the fiscal sponsor of the film Kinderblock 66: Return to Buchenwald, a documentary about the lives of the children who survived Buchenwald concentration camp with the help of Antonin Kalina. Kalina was declared “Righteous Among the Nations” by Yad Vashem, Israel´s world center for documentation, research, education and commemoration of the Holocaust.

The film is also a tribute by the Foundation to the great humanitarian example set by Kalina, rescuer of hundreds of children. Sensitive and well documented, Kinderblock 66 follows the journey of the children who survived from Block 66 from their homes in Europe, Israel, the U.S., Weimar and Buchenwald.

The mission of the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation is to develop educational programs and public awareness campaigns based on the values of solidarity and civic courage, ethical cornerstones of the Saviors of the Holocaust.

Related  link: http://www.raoulwallenberg.net/news/tribute-to-antonin-kalina-rescuer-of-hundreds-of-children/

The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation announces the special screenings of the movie “Kinderblock 66: Return to Buchenwald.” The film is part of the Jerusalem Film Festival from 5 to July 14. The film was also screened in Tel Aviv on July 11, on a special occasion where an exchange of questions and answers with the producers took place. On the same day Kalina was declared “Righteous Among the Nations” by Yad Vashem, Israel´s world center for documentation, research, education and commemoration of the Holocaust.

The IRWF sponsors this film, yielding thus a tribute to Antonin Kalina, who was responsible for the salvation of approximately 1000 children in a barrack at Buchenwald concentration camp at the end of World War II.

Buchenwald was one of the largest and more known concentration camps in Germany. In 1944, the field was flooded with the remnants of European Jewry during the war, which was nearing its bloody end. Among them was a large and growing number of children and adolescents, many of whom had lost their families in the ghettos and camps of Nazi-occupied Poland, Hungary or the most recent deportations to Auschwitz-Birkenau.

The German Communist underground, which administered the camp day-by- day, recognized this influx of children and youth who required special response. The underground took the conscious decision to do as much as possible to protect the young.

The children came in such numbers that the leaders decided to establish a new children s block, the “Block 66″. The area was so horrible and disease ridden, the SS guards seldom went there.

The block was led by Antonin Kalina, a Czech communist and his deputy, Gustav Schiller, a Polish Jew, who strove to keep children safe. On April 11, 1945, Buchenwald was liberated. About 1,000 children survived. After the war, Antonin Kalina disappeared behind the Iron Curtain and was never properly recognized for his heroism. The filmmakers are trying to bring Kalina postumous recognition as Righteous Among the Nations, and are also looking to find members of his family.

The film Kinderblock 66, sensitive and well documented, follows the journey of the children who survived from Block 66 from their homes in Europe, Israel and the U.S. Weimar and Buchenwald.

The mission of the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation is to develop educational programs and public awareness campaigns based on the values of solidarity and civic courage, ethical cornerstones of the Saviors of the Holocaust. It was created by Baruch Tenembaum and is presided by Eduardo Eurnekian .

Website of the film http://kinderblock66thefilm.com

Through recent research conducted in Berlin and New York, the IRWF confirmed that Paul and Leni Pissarius sheltered Ernst Joseph and his parents, Leopold and Bertha, in their Berlin home for more than two years.

After losing their family business and the increased round-ups occurring in 1940-1941, Ernest feared for the safety of himself and his parents. A business associate, Oscar Materne encouraged them to contact Paul and Leni Pissarius, who agreed to help them. For the next two years, the Joseph family hid in the Pissarius’ home. While Ernst occasionally left to search for food and other supplies, his parents never left the apartment.

Leopold Joseph died of a stroke in February of 1945.  When Berlin surrendered on May 2, 1945, Ernst and his mother had been in hiding at the Pissarius home for 27 months. For decades, the heroic works of Paul and Leni Pissarius have gone unacknowledged, but now their day has come.

Director of the National Museum Ms. Renata Peros gave a speach welcoming the guests and pointing out what a special honor it was to host the exhibit in the most eminent exhibition space in Zadar.

“This exhibition is one of the events celebrating the Day of the City of Zadar,” said Mayor of Zadar Mr. Zvonimir Vrancic, “it is a testimony of the sufferings of the Jews during the Second World War, as well as a message that nothing of the kind should ever happen again. It also testifies to the fact that there were many good and righteous people who gave of themselves in efforts to help the Jewish population.” The Mayor ended his speech with a recomendation to all the schools from the area to visit the exhibit, “to draw conclusions from the history and build their world on mutual respect.”

On April 17^th, 1941, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia was entirely occupied by Nazi Germany and partitioned into provinces under German, Hungarian and Italian rule. The majority of the Jews from Croatia found themselves in the Independent State of Croatia, a Nazi puppet state declared on April 10^th, 1941; while the ones living in central Dalmatia were under Italian rule. After the declaration of the Independent State of Croatia many racial laws were passed targeting Jews, Serbs, and Roma populations, followed by large-scale genocide campaigns.

The Righteous from Croatia presents isolated cases of 39 people, part of a group of 106 men, women and teenagers, who showed solidarity with the persecuted Jews.

“The humanitarian actions of these people were not done out of courage, but as answers to the question of moral responsibility – the only right thing to do. It is especially important for young people to visit this exhibition as our goal is to convey this message to future generations,” said H.E. Yosef Amrani, Ambassador of the State of Israel in Croatia.

Among the guests present at the opening were Vitomir and Ivica Buterin, sons of Mate Buterin, one of the Righteous from Croatia, whose case is presented at the exhibit.

Previously organized in Buenos Aires, Argentina, at the initiative of the Croatian Embassy in that city, this is the first time that the Righteous from Croatia is exhibited in Croatia.

For their help in organizing the exhibit, the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation, Casa Argentina en Israel Tierra Santa and the National Museum Zadar would like to thank to: Yad Vashem; Mrs. Miriam Steiner Aviezer, researcher and member of the Committee for the Recognition of the Righteous and the author of the book “Righteous from Croatia”; Mr. Zvonimir Vrancic, Mayor of the city of Zadar; Ms. Renata Peros, Director of the National Museum Zadar; Ms. Mira Martinec, Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia in Japan; Ms. Nikolina Zidek, Head of the Consular Department of the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia in Buenos Aires; and the Angelo Roncalli Institute, New York.

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Righteous from Croatia
November 8 – November 20, 2011
City lodge, the exhibition pavilion – National Square
National Museum Zadar
City of Zadar, Croatia
Monday – Sunday, 9.00AM – 8.00PM

Started in 2006 following an initiative of the IRWF, Saviors on the Screen is organized annually to commemorate Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day.

All the presentation will take place at the JCC Manhattan, located at 334 Amsterdam Avenue at 76^th Street.

2011 Saviors on the Screen Program:

Sunday, May 1

7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Double Bill:
IN THE SHADOW OF THE ACROPOLIS
IT WAS NOTHING …IT WAS EVERYTHING

Nearly 90% of Greek Jews—almost 65,000 individuals—perished during the Shoah. Of the approximately 10,000 who did survive, most were helped by neighbors who risked their own lives to save them. On Monday 1, 2011, at 7pm, two documentaries that tell the story of Greek rescuers will be screened:  In the Shadow of The Acropolis (by Laura Zelle and Maxine Davis in Association with Tolerance Minnesota) and It Was Nothing …It Was Everything (by filmmaker Sy Rotter and the Foundation for Moral Courage).
A post-screening discussion will include representatives of the Greek Orthodox Church and Greek Jewish survivors.

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Monday, May 2

7 PM

INGELORE
Directed by Frank Stiefel
(40 min, US, 2010)

Ingelor tells the remarkable story of Ingelore Herz Honigstein. Born deaf in 1924 to Jewish parents in Kuppenheim, Baden-Baden, Germany, Ingelore witnessed the rise of anti-Semitism, Kristallnacht, and her father being sent to and then released from Dachau. Mixed with re-enacted drama and archival footage, Ms. Herz Honigstein tells her story of hope and survivor in spoken English and ASL.

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8:30 PM – 10:30 PM

THE ROUNDUP (LA RAFLE)
Dir. Roselyne Bosch
(124 min, France, 2010)

On July 16th 1942 French police, following orders from the Nazi Authorities in occupied Paris, rounded up 13,000 Jews including 4,000 children at the Vélodrome d’Hiver (Winter Velodrome), an indoor bicycle racing cycle track and stadium not far from the Eiffel Tower. The Roundup traces the voyage from the Vélodrome d’Hiver to Auschwitz through the Drancy internment camp, showing the real destinies of the victims and the executioners.
With Jean Reno (The Da Vinci Code, The Professional) and Mélanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds, The Concert).

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Tuesday, May 3

7:30 PM

THE LAST SURVIVOR
Directed by Michael Pertnoy and Michael Kleiman
(88 min, US, 2010)

The Last Survivor is an award-winning documentary that follows the lives of survivors of four different genocides as they struggle to make sense of tragedy by raising awareness and promoting social activism.

For more information and to buy tickets please call 646-505-5708 or visit the JCC Manhattan’s website.

With Anne Frank and her fate as a point of departure for a dramatic and moving look at the destinies of children who went into hiding, Hidden Children – Unknown Heroes, by Kirsten Esch, follows survivors as they recall their experiences and visit the places where they were hidden. The film takes them to Poland, Holland, and Germany.

No. 4 St. of Our Lady, directed by Barbara Bird, Judy Maltz, and Richie Sherman, tells the remarkable, yet little-known, story of Francisca Halamajowa, a Polish-Catholic woman who rescued 16 of her Jewish neighbors during the Holocaust, while cleverly passing herself off as a Nazi sympathizer.

All screenings will take place April 11-12 at The JCC Manhattan, located at 334 Amsterdam Avenue. For more information and to acquire tickets, visit JCC Manhattan’s website.

Esfira Maiman – a young-spirited 94 years old lady has realized a life-long dream. This week, she embraced Roman Slawinski, the nephew of Stanislawa Slawinska, the Polish Catholic woman who, more than sixty years ago gave shelter to her and to other persecuted Jews at her own home in Grodzisk Mazowiecki.

November 10th., 2008 was a very special day for Esfira Maiman.

On that day, Roman Slawinski, his son Jacek and his grandson Milosz, landed in Israel. Last time Esfira and Roman saw each other was more than six decades ago, at the wake of WWII.

From the airport, the Slawinski’s were rushed to Esfira’s home, where they held an extremely moving encounter.

The next day, on November 11th., 2008, Yad Vashem bestowed the posthumous title of Righteous among Nation to Stanislawa Slawinska. Roman received the distinction on behalf of his late aunt.

In his speech, Roman underscored his gratitude toward the IRWF for having conveyed the case to Yad Vashem and thus greatly contributed to his aunt’s recognition.

Danny Rainer – Head of the Jerusalem office of the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation – congratulated Yad Vashem for having bestowed the well-merited distinction to Stanislawa and pointed-out that ”while we regret that the hero is not here, at least we are lucky that three generations of both families, the Slawinski’s and the Maiman’s, are here today, embraced in a brotherly hug”. He also thanked his colleagues and volunteers at the IRWF, for their devotion and dedication to this case and stressed that ”Esfira has taught us a great lesson: gratitude has no expiry date”.

On November 13th., 2008, the IRWF, together with the Polish Embassy in Israel, held a moving ceremony at the private residence of HE, Ambassador Agnieszka Magdziak – Miszewska. Among the attendants were the Ambassador of Turkey in Israel, H.E. – Mr. Namik Tan, and his wife, H.E. – the Ambassador of Sweden in Israel – Ms. Borsiin Bonnier, H.E., the Charge d’Affairs of the Peruvian Embassy in Israel, Dr. Voto Bernales, Ambassador Hertzel Inbar, members of the Maiman family and friends, as well as members and friends of the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation.

Ambassador Miszewska greeted the guests and congratulated the IRWF for the initiative. She also read a warm support letter especially sent for the occasion by the Foreign Minister of Poland, HE Mr. Radoslav Sikorski.

On behalf of the Foundation, Mr. Rainer thanked Ambassador Miszewska and all the guests. He also thanked all those who could not attend the ceremony but sent warm messages of support and endorsement, such as the legendary leaders of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, Dr. Marek Edelman and Mr. Simcha (Kazik) Rotem.

Mr. Rainer also highlighted the paramount contribution made by HE., Ms. Izabela Matusz, First Secretary at the Embassy of Poland in Buenos Aires, and by Ms. Agnieszka Krawczykowska, an official from the Municipality of Grodzisk Mazowiecki, who moved by the humanitarian quest, helped the Foundation in this case.

Mr. Rainer took the opportunity to thank Esfira Maiman for serving as a source of inspiration for the Foundation’s activities and announced the establishment of the Esfira Maiman Women Rescuers Institute, which will be devoted to the research and documentation of the feats of women rescuers during the Holocaust.

Finally, two medals were granted to the Slawinski’s. The Raoul Wallenberg Women Rescuers Medal was co-presented to Roman Slawinski by Ambassador Magdziak – Miszewska and by Dr. Yoav Tenembaum, a Member of the Executive Board of the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation.

Another distinction, the Esfira Maiman Women Rescuers Medal was co-presented to Milosz Slawinski by Mr. Yossi Maiman and his sister Michele

As far as Esfira Maiman is concerned, she has closed the most important chapter of her life. Her dreams have come true.

For the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation, this is only the beginning. Many more Rescuers, women and men, are awaiting their turn to be discovered. This is a debt we all have not only towards them, but above all, to the younger generations.

• See the Photo Gallery

With the support of the Werthein Family, Argentina

Some of the highlights of the evening included remarks by Mrs. Catherine Boura, Consul General of Greece in New York; His Grace Bishop Dimitrios of Xanthos, Director of the Ecumenical Office of the Greek Orthodox Church in America; and testimonies from Rosina Asser Pardo and Laura Molho Sard, two Greek Jewish women who were ‘hidden children’ during the Second World War. Also speaking were Mr. Andre Gregory, the President of the Hellenic-American Chamber of Commerce; Dr. Mimis Cohen, original founding member of the American Friends of the Jewish Museum of Greece; Abigail Tenembaum, Vice President of the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation, and David Dangoor, the President of the American Sephardi Federation.

Greek Jewry suffered almost total destruction during the Holocaust. Eighty-seven percent of the 77,000 Jews living in Greece before the Second World War were deported and brutally murdered in concentration camps in Germany and Poland. This is one of the highest percentages in Europe. Most of the Jews who survived owed their lives to the help offered to them by the Christian population of Greece. The leadership of the Greek Orthodox Church, Greek police, but above all ordinary citizens, risked their lives (the penalty for sheltering Jews was death), providing assistance and shelter, and moral and physical support to their Jewish compatriots. Others assisted Jews to escape from occupied territories or join the resistance against the Axis forces in the mountains.

The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation awarded medals to honor the memory of four citizens of Greece for their eminent patriotism and their courageous efforts to help save the lives of their Jewish compatriots during the Second World War: Archbishop Damaskinos of Athens and all Greece (1891- 1949), who stood strong to German command and formally petitioned against the deportation of Greek Jews during the Second World War; Angelos Evert (1894-1970), who put his life on the line producing fake Greek identification certificates to all Greek Jews who requested it of him; and Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Zakynthos (1890-1958) and Loukas Karrer, Mayor of Zakynthos (1909-1985), whose steadfast courage, when a Nazi commander demanded a list of all Jewish inhabitants on the island, caused them to give them their own names instead of Jewish names. Following the award ceremony, an exhibit organized by the Jewish Museum of Greece, ”Hidden Children in Occupied Greece”, brought to the United States for the first time was displayed.

In November of 2003, Deputy Interior Minister Nikos Bistis made an announcement that opposition parties and competent government ministers agreed to designate January 27th as Holocaust Remembrance Day. There had been a public request for the introduction of a Holocaust Remembrance Day in February of that year by the Jewish community of Thessaloniki. The Greek Parliament in 2004 officially proclaimed January the 27th as: ”Day of Remembrance of Greek Jewish Martyrs and Heroes of the Holocaust.”

In addition to Greece, the UK, Germany, Poland, Spain, Italy, Romania, France, Norway, Finland, Russia, Etonia, Israel, the Council of Europe and the United Nations recognize January 27th as Holocaust Remembrance Day and will commemorate the date with events every year.

The event was sponsored by The Consulate General of Israel in New York, The Consulate General of Bulgaria in New York, The American Society for Yad Vashem, The American Jewish Committee, The American Sephardic Federation, The Center for Jewish History and organized in collaboration with The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation

Esme Berg, Excecutive Director of the American Sephardi Federation and H.E. Arye Mekel, Consul General of Israel in New York, opened the event with some remarks.

Following the screening of the film, Father Dmitri Dmitroff a metropolitan of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church accepted an award on behalf of the two Bulgarian Metropolitans highlighted in the film, Bishop Stephan and Bishop Kiril, whose acts of defiance during the war helped save 50,000 Bulgarian Jews from deportation. The award was presented by Dr. David Elcott, the Director of Interreligious Affairs of the American Jewish Committee.

H.E. Arye Mekel, Consul General of Israel in New York, H.E. Stefan Tafrov, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Bulgaria to the UN, H.E. Elena Poptodorova, Bulgarian Ambassador to the United States; Nikolay Milkov, Consul General of Bulgaria in New York; Victoria Schonfeld, Honorary Bulgarian Consul in New York and Abigail Tenembaum, Vice President of the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation., were some of the distinguished participants at the ceremony.

Film producer and director Jacky Comforty and H.E. Elena Poptodorova, the Bulgarian Ambassador the United States, were available for a question and answer session where Bulgarians living in New York had the opportunity to express their gratitude to the director for the production of the film. Comforty told the audience about the almost twenty years it took to finalize the film, ”I didn’t make the film for my mother, who appears and was saved by the Bulgarian people, I did it in order to educate the world about the great deeds of these people and about how one person can really change the course of history”.