54 | SEPTEMBER 8 • 2022
Helena Bonham Carter and co-pro-
duced by Oscar-winning filmmaker
Steve McQueen.
The 69-minute documentary
shows Jewish inhabitants walking
the streets of Nasielsk, children
laughing as they run into school
and the community’s sheer joy
to be included in a home movie,
which was still largely a novelty at
the time.
What viewers can take away,
above all, is how this life that once was isn’t
much different than the lives we lead today.
“This is still very present for us,
” Ohren says
of the Holocaust and its lasting impact. “It
will be present for many more years.
”
A LASTING REMINDER
Serving 700 Holocaust survivors in Metro
Detroit and a 10-state area, Jewish Family
Service was drawn to the film because of its
powerful messaging and historical signifi-
cance.
“It’s not technically a Holocaust story,
but it is a Holocaust story,
” Ohren explains.
Watching the documentary, viewers under-
stand what happens in the years to come.
“Jewish Family Service was interested
because we take any opportunity we can
to let the community know that our work
helping Holocaust survivors is still alive,
sacred and important.
”
Three Minutes: A Lengthening not only
serves as an important piece of media to
educate people about the Holocaust and
pre-war Jewish life, but it gives Holocaust
survivors the “utmost dignity and respect
for their last years on the planet,
” Ohren
adds.
Incredibly, there’s even a local
connection.
Maurice Chandler, born in 1933
in Nasielsk, was the sole survivor
of his family, which owned a textile
store in the small town. Years after
immigrating to the United States
and settling in Michigan after the
war, Chandler’s granddaughter
identified him in the footage shot
by Kurtz in 1938.
Chandler, who appears in the film as a
boy, shares his memories. The documenta-
ry also includes expert commentary from
Glenn Kurtz, grandson of David Kurtz.
Mostly in color, the three minutes of footage
are expanded to uncover the stories behind
them.
Jewish Family Service is hoping for a full
house during the night of the screening.
“I’m sure there are thousands of people in
our community who would love to come see
this,
” Ohren explains. “The film resonates
with a lot of us and there’s a local angle.
”
continued from page 53
ARTS&LIFE
FILM
F E A T U R I N G A N N U A L S I L E N T
A R T A U C T I O N T O B E N E F I T
BIRMINGHAM
STREET ART FAIR
S E P T E M B E R
1 7 & 1 8 , 2 0 2 2
~ 1 0 0 + A R T I S T S
~ L I V E M U S I C
~ F R E E A D M I S S I O N
C OMMON G ROU ND 'S
4 8 t h A NNU A L
PRODUCED IN
A S S O C I ATION WITH THE
S A T 1 0 A M - 6 P M
S U N 1 0 A M - 5 P M
FEATURED ARTWORK BY STEVE SOLOMON
SHAIN PARK | DOWNTOWN BIRMINGHAM