In honor of Yom HaShoah, Central Synagogue and the Museum of Jewish Heritage are proud to present a New York screening of The Last Musician of Auschwitz, a new documentary from the BBC, in collaboration with the Museum of Jewish Heritage – a Living Memorial to the Holocaust.
The compelling documentary, from director Toby Trackman, explores the legacy of music at Auschwitz, told through testimonies of survivors and victims who were forced to create and play music while they were in the concentration camp. Honoring their contributions by including new interpretations of the music created there, the film also pays tribute to the horrors, loss, and dehumanization experienced at Auschwitz and honors the lives of the dwindling number of survivors left to share their stories.
Rated five stars by The Guardian, which called it “exceptionally moving and intelligent… posing questions about art and humanity that should ring in your ears for years to come,” the opportunity to see the film in New York is not to be missed.After the 90-minute film, Rabbi Sarah Berman will lead the group in a short reflection.This screening is open to the public; registration is required. Doors for the museum will open at 5:00 pm; attendees are encouraged to arrive early and visit the museum on their own beforehand. Doors for the screening open at 6:30 pm.
About the film:
How can there be music in the worst place in the world? Told through the words of victims of Auschwitz who played and created music during the terrors of the Holocaust, this film shows how, in the most brutal and dehumanizing situations, music could be a lifeline, a way to give testimony, and even a way to resist. Woven throughout are new interpretations of musical works written by victims of the camp, mainly filmed at resonant locations in the environs of Auschwitz. Between them, they touch on themes of loss, longing, and cultural memory, and address head-on the barbaric and murderous regime at Auschwitz.