The Franklin D. Roosevelt
Presidential Library and Museum
and the Jewish Federation
of Dutchess County present an
International Holocaust
Remembrance Day film screening
of HERE LIVED a film by Jane Wells
Friday, January 26, 2024 at 2PM
Henry A. Wallace Center at the
FDR Presidential Library and Home
to register
HYDE PARK, NY -- The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum and the Jewish Federation of Dutchess County present an International Holocaust Remembrance Day film screening of HERE LIVED a film by Jane Wells at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, January 26, 2024. The program will be held in the Henry A. Wallace Center at the FDR Presidential Library and Home. This is a free public event, but registration is required. Visit www.jewishdutchess.org/events to register.
Film Synopsis:
HERE LIVED -- a film by Jane Wells -- is the story of hidden children, murdered parents, and the stones that bring healing. Gunter Demnig’s Stolpersteine project provides a path from one of the most egregious wrongs of history, the Nazi reign of terror, to individual and community reconciliation.
When conceptual artist Gunter Demnig first conceived the idea of laying Stolpersteine (literal translation: stumbling stones) for Roma, Sinti and disabled victims of National Socialism in his native Germany, he never imagined his project would grow to become the world’s largest decentralized memorial. The Stolpersteine he crafted are, in theory, quite simple: concrete blocks measuring 10x10cm, topped with permanent brass plates that are hand stamped with the names and fates of victims of Hitler's reign of terror. The stones are laid into the pavement in front of the last voluntarily chosen residence of those murdered by the Nazis. They are deeply personal and draw attention to individual tragedies. They have now been placed in 30 countries across Europe and on May 23rd 2023 we filmed Gunter Demnig laying the 100,000th Stolpersteine.
The Netherlands, second only to Poland in the percentage of Jews murdered in World War II, is where the demand for Stolpersteine is greater than anywhere else in the world. It is here that the film is focused. HERE LIVED tells the story of the current Stolpersteine project, as racism, antisemitism, and autocracy are on the rise and another grim war is being fought in Europe. The film opens as Demnig lays his 100,000th stone in Nuremberg. It retraces his work, journey and impact, through the stories of families of Dutch victims: Ulrika Citron (daughter of a hidden child), Reini Elkerbout (a hidden child), Demnig's Amsterdam apprentice Alexander Stukenberg, local and international politicians, volunteers, and even an American teenager Bella Leavitt. As their stories merge, we come to understand how the art project Demnig calls "social sculpture" has created a new way to help heal the Nazi horrors. And it does so on the eve of the 80th anniversary of the fall of their regime. This is one of the most unusual story-telling projects in history.
Please contact Cliff Laube at (845) 486-7745 with questions about the display.
