“All I owned was a rifle, a leopard coat and my camera,” says Faye Schulman, whose clandestine photographs of Jewish partisans living in the forests documented their efforts to disrupt the Nazi killing machine by blowing up bridges, derailing trains, and smuggling Jews. The image of Schulman with an ammunition belt slung over her fashionable shoulder is one of many stunning archival images in this historically important documentary. Against extraordinary odds, over 25,000 Jewish partisans escaped Nazi slaughter and fought back against Hitler’s soldiers and their collaborators from deep within WWII’s primeval forests.
In this award-winning film, some of the last surviving partisans tell their story, from young innocents facing down a ruthless enemy, cold, hunger, and fear, to becoming courageous resistance fighters with great determination, altruism, and resourcefulness. As fierce and skilled soldiers, they joined together and formed partisan brigades. Shattering the myth of Jewish passivity, FOUR WINTERS reveals a truthful, inspiring and riveting narrative of heroism and resilience.
Trailer Here: fourwintersfilm.com/trailer.
Following the screening, there will be a panel discussion titled: The Inspiring Legacy of Resistance and Bravery with Julia Mintz, the Director, Writer, and Producer of FOUR WINTERS, Dafna Yoran, Assistant District Attorney & daughter of Jewish Partisan Shalom Yoran, and Eva Haller, Human Rights Activist and member of the ghetto underground, whose Partisan brother Jonas was killed in the fourth winter. Lucy Lang, New York State Inspector General, will moderate this exciting panel discussion.
The panel will explore the powerful legacy of the Jewish Partisans who courageously and fiercely fought back against the Nazis and their collaborators – bringing to light the inspiring impact the Partisans continue to have as we face the challenges of rising antisemitism, bigotry, and hate in the world today.
The panelists will discuss their life’s work as activists – as each panelist has personally been inspired by the Partisans’ legacy – from marching with Dr. King, to trying cases in the NYC District Attorney’s Office, to creating films that celebrate and tell stories of resistance against brutality in all its forms to initiate activism and change. The panel will focus on how the legacy of the Jewish Partisans has inspired and motivated them to create a more just and equitable society.
FOUR WINTERS had its world premiere at Lincoln Center and has been screening around the world winning numerous awards and recognition, including winner “Best Documentary” at the Toronto Jewish Film Festival, winner “Human Rights Award” at Hamptons Doc Fest, Audience Awards in Australia, Palm Beach, and Seattle, and Special Feature Screenings with the Jerusalem Jewish Film Festival and at the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation in Tel Aviv.
Julia Mintz is the director, writer, and producer of “FOUR WINTERS.” Mintz has been a documentarian and art activist for more than two decades producing documentaries that have focused on narratives of bravery and resistance against unimaginable odds. She has been on the producing teams for films which have been shortlisted for the Academy Awards; have premiered at Cannes, Sundance, and TriBeCa; and won Emmy, Peabody, and festival awards. Her films can be seen on HBO, PBS, American Masters, Netflix, Amazon, and are shown on college campuses across the country. She is a sought out public speaker and has taught seminars and workshops worldwide and has held an adjunct faculty position at Long Island University in NYC. Mintz is also an award-winning artist and accomplished multi-grant recipient for her work in visual arts and documentary film.
Eva Haller is a devoted activist in service of social justice for all people – from marching in Selma with Dr. Martin Luther King, Kolkata with Mother Theresa, and traveling the world as a UNICEF volunteer. At just 13 years old, she joined her older brother Janos in the underground Hungarian resistance. Her first activist experience was helping to make and distribute anti-Hitler leaflets. When German forces occupied her city, 14-year-old Eva managed to convince a Nazi officer that she was too young and too beautiful to die and to let her escape. Her older brother had previously escaped and joined with the armed Jewish resistance; Janos was killed in the fourth winter when his partisan brigade was ambushed by Nazi soldiers and collaborators. Haller’s extensive professional service includes Board Chair of Free the Children, Trustee of UC Santa Barbara, Co-Founder and President of the Campaign Communications Institute of America, Visiting Professor at Glasgow Caledonian University, Board Member of Counterpart International, Sing for Hope, and Creative Visions.
Dafna Yoran is a Senior Trial Counsel at the New York County District Attorney’s Office, where she has been a prosecutor for the past 29 years. In that capacity, she holds defendants accountable for committing murders and has prosecuted some of Manhattan’s most notorious murderers. Yoran was born and raised in Israel, and se currently lives in Manhattan with her wife, Peruvian artist Ana De Orbegoso. Yoran is the proud daughter of a partisan, Shalom Yoran, who deeply inspired FOUR WINTERS and is the author of The Defiant: A True Story of Jewish Vengeance and Survival.
Lucy Lang is New York State’s Inspector General. Lang previously served as an Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan, where she investigated and prosecuted violent crimes. Lang brings her longstanding commitment to justice to bear in the Office’s investigations into corruption in state government as well as designing and implementing practices that promote institutional integrity, transparency, and accountability. She has been published in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The New York Daily News and was the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Gender and Law at Columbia Law School where she received her JD. She was appointed to and served on the NY State Bar Association Task Forces on Racial Injustice, Police Reform, Racism, and Social Equity in Law and is currently Vice Chair of the American Bar Association Criminal Justice Section, a member of the Council on Criminal Justice, and a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
This is a in-person only event and a recording will not be available afterwards. Museum Exhibitions and Cafe Hours: The Museum is free and open to all on Thursdays from 4:00 to 8:00 PM with Jewish and Russian fare on offer from LOX Cafe. Currently on view: The Holocaust: What Hate Can Do, Survivors: Faces of Life After the Holocaust, and Andy Goldsworthy’s Garden of Stones.
In-person tickets are $8 with a suggested additional donation to the Museum | Members receive free admission to this public program.