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