JUNE 17 • 2021 | 47

“I think they find it refreshing 
that we’re doing something in a 
unique way, about a subject that’s 
been told over and over again,
” 
Famie said. “I think they look 
at it feeling hopeful, that maybe 
we’re doing something that’s 
going to reach an audience that 
would not normally be reached 
or care about it.
”
Realizing that Holocaust survi-
vors who are still alive are getting 
up in age, Famie’s biggest goals 
with the film are sharing their 
experiences with the younger 
generation and Holocaust edu-
cation. The other main goal is 
wanting the younger generation 
to know the value of their voices.
“I want them to understand 
just how powerful and how 
important their voice is, and how 
important their future leadership 
is in any capacity, and to never 
take it for granted,
” Famie said. 
“It’s this younger generation that 
really has the impact to change 
how we treat each other, how we 
learn compassion and empathy 
and understanding of one anoth-
er’s cultures and beliefs.
” 

FIRST REACTIONS
When Famie needed an artist 
and asked Callahan if she would 
be interested in making a piece 
for the documentary, Callahan 
jumped at the opportunity. 
“It’s been interesting for sure 
because I’ve never done anything 
like this,
” Callahan said. “It was 
definitely interesting meeting 
the survivors, I was speechless. 
Learning their stories, going 
through the museum and walk-
ing through seeing everything, it 
was really heavy.
” 
When Callahan first visited the 
HMC, the first thing she saw was 
the life-size train car in the lobby, 
which inspired her to make the 
piece. 
“The glass butterflies [on the 
train I created] are symbolic to 
the lives that were lost but also 
symbolic of resilience through 
change,
” Callahan said. “They 
all go through this awful tran-

sition after the Holocaust and 
they somehow wake up every 
morning, smile and continue on 
with their life. The resilience and 
strength they have is really what 
inspired my piece.
” 
Callahan said it took at least 
100 hours, and possibly upwards 
of 150 hours to make the train 
car.
“I hope the younger generation 
will see my piece, be curious, ask 
questions, do their own research 
and have an interest to learn 
what happened,
” Callahan said. 
“I hope the documentary as a 
whole will make some impact 
because we need to know and 
remember what happened, honor 
the lives lost and make sure it 
doesn’t happen again.
” 
Callahan took part in the 
filming at survivor Fred Lessing’s 
home, which ended up as a short 
film called Bear and Fred that 
Famie decided to enter into sev-
eral national film festivals to see 
what would happen. 

To date, the short film is a 
recent selection to be featured 
in the Big Apple Film Festival, a 
finalist in the Independent Shorts 
Awards (Los Angeles) and won 
Best Documentary Short in the 
Los Angeles Movie Awards.
The short film tells the story 
of a teddy bear that accompa-
nied Lessing in his wanderings 
from one hiding place to anoth-
er during World War II, and 
became a symbol after being 
loaned to Yad Vashem in 1996 
as part of an exhibition called 
“No Child’s Play.” The story is 
also the subject of a children’s 
book released in May 2020, 
titled “Bear and Fred: A World 
War II Story.”
Lessing’s hopes for the film as 
a whole align with Famie’s hopes.

NEW GENERATION
“I would hope [Famie’s] goal is to 
address and give this information 
from Holocaust survivors to a 
new generation,
” Lessing said. 

“The actual survivors like myself 
are getting very old and most of 
them are dying off.
“I don’t know how it will be for 
the young generation, but since 
they’re listening to new genera-
tion people asking the questions 
and getting the answers, maybe 
it will work. I hope it will speak 
to them.
” 
While seeing antisemitism on 
the rise across the board, Lessing 
would like Holocaust education 
to continue gaining steam. 
“We need to understand what 
happened in the past in order 
to go into the future,” Lessing 
said. “What’s encouraging is that 
racism in this country is finally 
being talked about and argued 
about. It’s not just hidden as it 
has been. If you don’t under-
stand and know what happened 
in the past, it’s going to happen 
again.” 
Singer-songwriter Curtis Bates 
has written two songs for the 
film, one about what he learned 
from the HMC tour called 
“Stolen Dreams,
” and one con-
cept song that came about from a 
conversation with one of the sur-
vivors involved in the film, Rene 
Lichtman, called “Never Again.
”
Bates’ role in the film bridges 
a mutual understanding of the 
adversities experienced as an 
American Black male with the 
marginalized survivors, where 
both experienced and continue 
to experience racial and religious 
discrimination. 
“I do see similarities in the 
adversities we face and they face,
” 
Bates said. “Being discriminated 
against due to things that should 
be basic human rights like race 
and religion, they’re definitely 
similar.
” 
Bates said he learned a lot 
from spending time with 
Lichtman, with the one thing 
that stuck out to him most being 
to “always question and challenge 
authority.
”
Lichtman was immediately 
attracted to participating in the 
film as it went right along with 

continued on page 48

COURTESY OF KEITH FAMIE

Director Keith 
Famie and 
artist Hailey 
Callahan, 23, 
with her train 
car proudly 
in hand, pose 
together at the 
end of a night 
of filming.

