Are there ever such things? Or threads in the universe strumming, at just the right moment, to begin a new song? These were the thoughts floating through my mind, after connecting in a circle of grandmothers last weekend.
Enter stage right A few hours pass with nine blessed souls: lives connecting for but a moment on the timeline of our lives. Yet profound, they rang as music to my ears, struggling to help loved ones understand the danger of our day, and the need to prepare. I heard about a World War II veteran, one woman’s Father, whose study by commission during and after World War II was to find out, among the Nazis,
“How did it happen? How did so many steer so far awry? And what was the state of mind of the German population by and large, immediately after?”
This Teaching Guide accompanies the documentary: Untold, Stories of a Word War II Liberator. The Guide includes excerpts from the documentary’s letters as well as discussion questions for students and additional resources. It also includes section on the Nuremberg Trials and on newspaper journalists accounts of Holocaust death camps.
“Untold: Stories of a World War II Liberator proves that there are always new truths to learn and new heroes to celebrate when studying the horrors of the Holocaust. This work is arriving at a critical time; as the voices of survivors and liberators pass, those who teach history are confronted with increasingly loud cries of distortion and denial. A resource such as Untold allows students to both learn about and humanize the Holocaust.” ~ Dr. Rich Quinlan: Director, Holocaust and Genocide Education Center Chair, History Dept./Saint Elizabeth University
“Deborah Levine’s work continues to be of utmost importance for students of all ages. The specific story of ‘UNTOLD’ must be told today and forever, so that the words ‘Never Again’ never lose their meaning!” ~ Avi Hoffman: CEO, Yiddishkayt Initiative, Inc.
“Many liberators such as Levine’s father kept their experience largely secret So the publication is an important resource for Holocaust education and research…and a very readable introduction to the journey of the Jewish community over the past century” ~ The Rev. Dr. John T.Pawlikowski: Founding member of the US Holocaust Center, Prof of Social Ethics/Catholic Theological Union
Note: Also available are Deborah Levine’s memoirs:The Liberator’s Daughterand The Magic Marble Tree, upon which the documentary is based. They include the wartime letters with eye witness accounts.
This Teaching Guide accompanies the documentary: