Posts tagged ‘Holocaust’
‘Stumbling Stones’
Yesterday as we were waiting to leave Würzburg and head off to the final phase of our trip, Sophie asked me if I had seen the “Stumbling Stones” in Würzburg. I had no idea what she was talking about, so we glanced at our watches—our bus was scheduled to leave in eight minutes—and made a quick dash down the block so she could show me.
Stumbling Stones, or Stolpersteine, are the work of an artist named Gunter Demnig, who was looking for a way to memorialize the victims of the Holocaust one by one. So, all throughout Europe, you see these four-inch squares in the sidewalk, typically in front of the last house where the person lived before he or she was deported and taken off to a concentration camp. Many of them say “Hier wohnte”—that is, “here lived”—and include whatever details are available about the person.
You can click on the photo above to see it larger. In the stone for Julius Susser in this photo, for example, you don’t need to know much German to figure out what “Deportiert 1942 / Auschwitz / Ermordet Okt 1944” means.
You can read more about Stolpersteine here.
Tina Hay, editor
‘No. 4 Street of Our Lady’ in Pittsburgh
No. 4 Street of Our Lady, the Holocaust-themed film created by three Penn State faculty members, has its Pittsburgh debut this weekend. The 90-minute documentary will be shown at Adat Shalom synagogue near Fox Chapel on Sunday at 2 p.m. There’ll be a Q&A session afterward with Judy Maltz, one of the three College of Communications faculty members behind the film.
There’s a nice article about the film in Pittsburgh’s Jewish Chronicle this week. According to the story, No. 4 Street of Our Lady will also be shown at the Three Rivers Film Festival in November.
Tina Hay, editor
Big Honors for “Our Lady”
Got an e-mail yesterday from Judy Maltz, one of the three Penn State faculty members behind the film No. 4 Street of Our Lady, which we wrote about in our Nov-Dec 2008 issue. She was writing to say that the film won the grand prize for best feature documentary at the Rhode Island International Film Festival last weekend.
The film tells of the heroism of a Polish Catholic woman, Francisca Halamajowa, who successfully hid 16 of her Jewish neighbors from the Nazis during World War II. One of those she saved was Herb Maltz, Judy Maltz’s father.
What’s especially cool is that the Rhode Island International Film Festival is an Academy-Award qualifying festival—meaning that No. 4 Street of Our Lady may be eligible to compete for an Oscar.
Tina Hay, editor
‘Street of Our Lady’ Wins National Award
Penn State filmmakers Judy Maltz, Barbara Bird, and Richie Sherman have shared some good news with us: Their documentary No. 4 Street of Our Lady won a Golden Eagle Award during the spring CINE competition.
Francisca Halamajowa
The movie tells how Francisca Halamajowa, a Polish Catholic, hid Jewish families from the Nazis. The 15 people she saved—including Maltz’s father and grandparents—were among only 30 Jews who survived in the town of Sokal, out of an original 6,000.
Past winners of the CINE Golden Eagle have included Ken Burns, Steven Spielberg, and Martin Scorsese.
You can find out more about the film in Vicki Glembocki’s award-winning story from the Nov./Dec. 2008 Penn Stater (note: clicking on that link downloads a PDF) and at the film’s Web site.
—Chas Brua, contributing editor
‘Street of Our Lady’ in Philadelphia
Francisca Halamajowa
We just noticed that No. 4 Street of Our Lady, made by three filmmakers from Penn State, is scheduled to be shown in Philadelphia in August. The International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies hasn’t announced an exact date yet for the screening, but a genealogical blogger lists the film as having been confirmed for showing. The film made its world premiere in State College at the beginning of March.
As our November/December issue described, No. 4 Street of Our Lady tells how Francisca Halamajowa, a Polish Catholic in the town of Sokal, hid more than a dozen Jewish neighbors on her property for almost two years, right under the noses of the Nazis. Sixty years later, some of the survivors went back to Sokal with filmmakers Judy Maltz, Barbara Bird, and Richie Sherman—a powerful experience for all.
Chas Brua, contributing editor
No. 4 Street of Our Lady
Francisca Halamajowa with daughter Hela
I went to the State Theatre yesterday to see the premiere of No. 4 Street of Our Lady, a documentary made by three filmmakers from Penn State and chronicled in the November/December Penn Stater. What a powerful movie. Barely a dry eye at the end.
It told the story of Francisca Halamajowa, a Polish Catholic who risked her life by hiding 16 of her Jewish neighbors in her home during World War II—one family in a hole under her kitchen floor, and two families in a hayloft in her pigsty.
All this happened while there were Nazi troops camped out by the pigsty. The very shrewd Francisca warned the troops that if they stayed there and the pigsty were hit, well, you can imagine what would happen—so the troops moved a few hundred feet from there, although they remained on her property. Of the Jews harbored by Francisca, 15 survived. They have 100 descendants living today. Herb Maltz, one of the survivors and the father of Penn State filmmaker Judy Maltz, was among the people at the screening. (Today’s Centre Daily Times also has a good article about the screening.)
During a brief Q & A after the show, the question was asked, “Would you do the same?” I believe that without a doubt, I would. If I could help save one or more lives and it cost me my own, it would be well worth it.
Judy Maltz and the other Penn State filmmakers—Barbara Bird and Richie Sherman—plan to release the movie in several languages, including Hebrew, German, French, Spanish, and Ukrainian. Another screening, for middle and high school students, is scheduled for April 22 at Drew University in Madison, N.J.
Barb Marshall, editorial assistant
Premiere Event
In the November/December Penn Stater, writer Vicki Glembocki ’93, ’02g told the story behind the new film No. 4 Street of Our Lady—how a crusty Polish Catholic named Francisca Halamajowa helped 15 of her Jewish neighbors survive even as the Nazis were systematically murdering the other 6,000 Jews in her town. Penn State filmmakers Barbara Bird, Judy Maltz, and Richie Sherman traveled with some of the survivors (including Maltz’s father) back to the town where the story had played out 60 years before, and the resulting film promises to be powerful.
The film will debut at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 1, at the State Theatre in State College. Tickets are free, but the theatre (814-272-0606) recommends getting tickets in advance since demand has been high. For more about the film, check out the filmmakers’ Web site.
Chas Brua, contributing editor
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