Every Holocaust narrative is a unique thread in a common tapestry
What is the connection between the two stories told in our recent virtual salon? The documentary film Nobody Wants Us reveals the plight of west European Jews in the aftermath of the German invasion of France in May 1940. Live Another Day , a book and web site, portrays the ravages of the Holocaust on east European Jews after the onslaught of Operation Barbarossa beginning a year later. Both stories are about persecution, flight and statelessness, focusing especially on the experience of children. Each work presents its audience with the same fundamental question: How does this story of past injustice relate to and inform our lives today? The film by Laura Seltzer-Duny hit home for us—Walter and Dan—in part because our own mother's Holocaust narrative intersects the circumstances portrayed in the film. In the summer of 1940, 15-year-old Helga Ringel was stranded with her mother and aunt in the south of France, desperate for a way out. Like the refugees depicted in Nobody Wants Us, our family members obtained life-saving visas to exit France for Portugal as part of the rescue campaign by the heroic Portuguese diplomat Aristides de Sousa Mendes, who is a major focus of the film. They were not aboard the ill-fated refugee ship SS Quanza, another focus of the film, but our great-aunt later married a man who was a Quanza passenger. Like we said, unique narratives may produce surprising connections. Below find post-salon links for Nobody Wants Us and learn about another storyteller who is a part of our #HolocaustNarratives community. — Walter Ruby and Dan Ruby
Our salon presentation of Nobody Wants Us was well received by a select audience from the remembrance and interfaith communities. For others who want information about the film, here are the links: • Visit NobodyWantsUs.com for updates about screenings, airdates, and press about the film. • Schedule a virtual screening with your friends, community, class, or organization. Click here for more information. • Educational institutions can visit distributor New Day Films and Kanopy for purchases and school streaming options.