SPECIAL C01111111111TAIIT

Director Raises Concerns
Over Last Days' Review

JAMES MOLL
Special to The Jewish News

idney Bolkosky's review of
The Last Days ("Documen-
tary Triumph at DIA," Feb.
19), although overwhelming-
ly positive, raises a cautionary red flag
for those in the field of Holocaust
remembrance and includes an unjust
attack upon the tremendously success-
ful efforts of Survivors of the Shoah
Visual History Foundation, which was
launched by Steven Spielberg in 1994.
, As the director and editor of The
Last Days, I am pleased that Professor
Bolkosky wrote a largely favorable
review of the film. But although he
admits to the film's merits, he peppers
his comments with a bias that does a
disservice to the memory of the Holo-
caust.
For Professor Bolkosky to take the
phrases "triumph of the human spirit"
and "lessons of the Holocaust" and
deem them "naive, cliche-ridden ideol-
ogy" demonstrates a lack of sensitivity
to the current state of global ignorance
that exists on the subject.
Sadly, there are enormous numbers
of people who know little or nothing
of the Holocaust. I should know.
Since I grew up Catholic, with no per-
sonal connection to the Holocaust, I
4
was exposed to what one might con-
sider a typical education on the sub-

James Moll is the founding executive
director of the Shoah Foundation and
director and editor of "The Last Days."

ject. But it wasn't until I
began to hear testimonies
from Holocaust survivors
that my Holocaust education
truly began.
I sincerely hope that Pro-
fessor Bolkosky would agree
that there are indeed "lessons
of the Holocaust" and that
the concept of "triumph" is
perfectly suited to the prolif-
eration of those lessons.
It is a fact that the sur-
vivors profiled in The Last
Days are five resilient human
beings who did triumph over
adversity in ways that should
be an inspiration to all of us.
Without diminishing what
they went through during
the war, we need to recog-
nize what they've been able
to accomplish in their post-
war lives.
James Moll during the filming of "The Last Days," which is nominated for an Oscar for Best
During these past five
Documentary Feature. The Academy Awards will be presented Sunday in an ABC telecast
years, I have witnessed a
beginning at 8:30 p.m.
strong need by most sur-
vivors to repudiate Hitler's
Bolkosky's piece reduce the survivors'
Bolkosky's review are even more dis-
evil. A lot was taken from them, but
memories to tired anecdotes. When
turbing, the least of which is when he
the Holocaust was not able to destroy
Renee Firestone describes the last time ( -f;
as
"inap-
Ave
Verum
criticizes Mozart's
their ability to "rebuild," as survivor
she saw her father, a chance sighting
propriate
for
a
film
about
the
Holo-
Bill Basch states in the film.
of him dehumanized in Auschwitz,
caust," citing it as "Christian and
Although the Holocaust continues to
Professor Bolkosky complains of this
is never
Ave
Verum
plaintive."
In
fact,
haunt survivors each day, an over-
profound moment as "painfully famil-
used
in
the
film.
The
music
to
which
whelming majority has managed to
iar comments." Familiar to whom?
Professor Bolkosky refers is actually an
find some joy in their lives. However
He refers to photographs of the
original score by German-born Jewish
cliche it may seem to some, the
selection
process at Auschwitz-B irke-
composer Hans Zimmer. •
phrase "triumph of the human spirit"
nau, dismissing them as "more or less
Beyond
this
error,
some
of
the
most
hits the nail on the head.
questionable comments in Professor
DIRECTOR on page 31
Other sections of Professor

LETTERS

Comments
Misinterpreted

The Jewish News headline and story,
"From 'Jewish' To 'White'," miscon-
strued the comments of an expert on
the Detroit Jewish community who
recently spoke at the Wayne State
University/Cohn-Haddow Center for
Judaic Studies symposium "Jews and
the Urban Experience."
It was not claimed that Detroit
Jews moved to the suburbs because
their self-identification shifted from
"Jewish" to "white." Rather, Professor
Thomas Sugrue of the University of
Pennsylvania argued that a contribut-
ing factor to the mostly uncontested
Jewish migration from a Jewish urban
ghetto to the suburbs was "white
privilege"; suburbanites saw Jews pri-

3/19

1999

28 Detroit Jewish News

marily as "white" rather than as "Jew-
ish."
For a history of the Detroit Jewish
community, I suggest, as many of the
conference presenters did, Harmony
and Dissonance, Voices ofiewish Identity
in Detroit, 1914-1967 by Professor
Sidney Bolkosky of the University of
Michigan-Dearborn.
Donald H. Cohen
Anti-Defamation League, Michigan
Director, Southfield

Unification
Through Art

The exhibit was an overwhelming
success, thanks to The Jewish News,
Rabbi Elimelech Silberberg of Sara
Tugman Bais Chabad Torah Center of

West Bloomfield and the artists. A
wonderful evening was enjoyed by all
— socializing with the artists, a
dessert reception and a raffle. Raffle
prizes included an original Picasso
etching, as well as a piece of art from
each of the exhibitors.
We brought Jews together from
the entire community to celebrate
our heritage through the arts. It is
obvious there is a demand and appre-
ciation for quality Judaica in our
community.
Bais Chabad of West Bloomfield
looks forward to hosting another art
exhibit and sale in the near future. I
would appreciate hearing from local
Jewish artists who are creating
Judaica.
Natalie Lipnik
West Bloomfield

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•

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