'Our Greatest Generation' Survivor's voice included in film focusing on Detroiters in WWII. F or many years, Sam Offen, a survivor of slave labor, ghetto confinement and concentration camp horrors of World War II, has shared his story of survival with school groups, the local Holocaust Memorial Center and in his book, When Hope Prevails. Now, on Dec. 13, he will be part of a 90-minute docu- mentary debuting on the big screen in a public premiere at Detroit's Fox Theatre. The film is dedicated to the men and women of Metro Detroit who make up, as the film's title implies, Detroit: Our Greatest Generation. Offen of West Bloomfield is just one of several local residents who lend their experiences to explain, via the film, to future generations the important role that World War II has played in Detroit's history as well as the city's impact on the war itself. Born in Krakow, Poland, Offen remembers the radio broadcasts of September 1939 and the day that Germany invaded Poland. Though he and his family had heard what the Germans were doing to Jewish prisoners, the family had no means of leaving the country. Offen watched his neighborhood turn into a confined ghetto in 1941; he, his brothers Nathan and Bernard and their father were recruited by the Germans as forced laborers. Just a couple of years later, the men were deport- ed to Plaszow and separated from their mother and sister who were sent to an extermination camp. Later in 1945, Sam Offen was transferred to Gusen I, a sub-camp of Mauthausen, by cattle car with his brother Sam Offen with one of his liberators, Donald Montgomery. The men were reunited after nearly 50 years and realized they live only a few miles from each other. 18 December 10 • 2009 Nathan. His brother Bernard and his father were sent to Auschwitz; his father would never return. Remarkably, Sam and Nathan remained together throughout the war and were liberated by American soldiers on May 5, 1945. "You could see the faces of the American GIs when they liberated the camp',' he said. "They could not believe what they saw. They did not know they were liberating a con- centration camp. If they had come only a few days later, I would not be here. I literally owe them my life:' The two brothers searched for survivors. Soon after the war, they were reunited with their brother Bernard, but of the 50-70 members of Sam's immediate and extended family, he found no other survivors. For Detroit: Our Greatest Generation, directed and pro- duced by local filmmaker Keith Famie, Offen shares his experiences within the film and discusses the moment of liberation in 1945, leading to his eventual emigration to Metro Detroit in 1951. "Liberation to me means that I was given a new life," he said. "It is because of my American liberators I want- ed to become an American. These veterans started creat- ing a new life for America and that is why this is such an important project:' Offen also has been selected as one of the introductory speakers to the film. On behalf of Holocaust survivors, he will offer his gratitude to all the World War II veterans who were instrumental in his and the Jewish community's lib- eration. "In the film, we step into the lives of Sam Offen and many other Holocaust survivors as they and their family members explain the tortures of day-to-day life during the Holocaust:' Famie said. "Sam, in particular, helps us understand very clearly, what it was like the day American GIs came into the con- centration camps and liberated the prisoners from the horrors they endured for years!" Legendary Detroit broadcaster and military veteran Sonny Eliot also shares his experiences in the film along with several Jewish Metro Detroiters, who reflect on how the war influenced the rest of their lives. Detroit: Our Greatest Generation, as described by Famie, captures the emotional realities of pre- and post-WWII survivors of Detroit and how their lives impacted the city. Famie's production company, Visionalist Entertainment Productions, based in Wixom, has won eight Emmy Awards for his previous films, which includes the Our Story Of series. The debut will open with a specially recorded message from Tom Brokaw, author of The Greatest Generation and NBC News special correspondent, who also speaks in the film about Detroit's importance in the war effort. The premiere event also will feature WJR's Paul W. Smith as master of ceremonies and Mitch Ryder and Sam Offen has written a book about his Holocaust experiences. Stewart Francke performing with the United States 338th Army Band in a special soundoff to each branch of the current military. The event includes a special Andrews Sisters revue and the Cornerstone Concert Choir singing the national anthem. The film benefits the Michigan Chapter of the Paralyzed Veterans of America and the Yankee Air Museum, Belleville. Tickets are available for $23 and $33 through Ticketmaster or at the Fox Box Office. Doors open at 6:45 p.m. A one-hour version of the film will be shown on WDIV- TV in Detroit, with no commercial interruption, at 8 p.m. Dec. 16 and at 2 p.m. Dec. 25. II Please share your thoughts online: www.thejewishnews.com/ community. Go to General News.