The United Nations Department of Public Information, in partnership with the New York-based Simon Wiesenthal Tolerance Centre, will organize a screening of the documentary film Among the Righteous: Lost Stories from the Holocaust in Arab Lands at the New York Tolerance Centre from 6-8 p.m. on Monday, 24 May.
Based on the literary work of the same title written by Robert Satloff, an expert on the Middle East, this new documentary retells largely forgotten stories about Arabs who saved their Jewish neighbours from the Holocaust as the Second World War raged in North Africa. It digs into history to uncover not only cases of persecution in North Africa similar to the Jewish experience in Europe, but also stories of ?righteous? Arabs who protected Jews. Produced by McNeil-Lehrer Productions, the documentary premiered in April as part of the featured PBS (Public Broadcast Service) Holocaust Remembrance Week programming.
?Much of this history is unknown to the public,? Mr. Satloff said. ?On the dark side, this includes stories of more than 100 labour and internment camps set up for Jews in North Africa; the transfer by Vichy France of European Jews to desert camps in the Sahara; and the deportation of dozens of Tunisian and Libyan Jews to concentration camps in Europe. On the more hopeful side, this includes stories of Arabs ? from royalty to religious figures to common folk ? who stood by Jews in their hour of need.?
Filmed in eight different countries stretching from Morocco to Israel and across Europe, the documentary reveals surprising discoveries about the past that can help challenge how Arabs and Jews view this part of Holocaust history. The screening will be followed by a question-and-answer session with the Mr. Satloff, Executive Director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. (For information on the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, please visit www.washingtoninstitute.org. Journalists interested in interviewing Mr. Satloff, please contact Kimberly Mann at e-mail: mann@un.org.)
The event is organized by the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme of the Department of Public Information, established under General Assembly resolution 60/7 to encourage Holocaust education and remembrance in order to help prevent future acts of genocide. The multifaceted programme develops educational activities and products, including a Discussion Papers Journal for university students, which explores the underlying causes of genocide and lessons to be learned from this tragedy. (For information, please e-mail holocaustremembrance@un.org, or visit www.un.org/holocaustremembrance.)
The New York Tolerance Centre, an east coast educational branch of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre, is a professional development multimedia training facility that provides educators, law enforcement officials and Government practitioners with interactive, experiential workshops, exhibits, and videos to explore the issues of prejudice, diversity, tolerance and cooperation in the community. The Simon Wiesenthal Centre, a Jewish human rights non-governmental organization associated with the Department of Public Information and the Economic and Social Council, works closely with several United Nations offices in these areas. (For more information, please visit www.wiesenthal.com.)
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