The Darien Dilemma A father and his filmmaker son explore the previously untold story of 1,000 Viennese Jews stranded on the frozen Danube River in 1941 awaiting rescue by Ruth Klieger, a senior agent of the newly created Mossad. Using a clever mix of dramatic re-enactments and interviews, director Erez Laufer has created a potent hybrid documentary that is visually arresting and intellectually challenging.
The Toronto Jewish Film Festival http://thedariendilemma.com/ Dear Librarian We completed The Darien Dilemma a year ago and we had a very successful year screenings the film all over the world: in Jewish film festivals, JCC film series and special screenings. My son Erez Laufer, the Director, toured with the film in the United States & Canada April-May 2007 . The screenings had a big turn out and the audiences were moved by the story and wanted to know more & more about this tragic affair. Yad Vashem & Beit Hatpozot (Diaspora House) have included the film in their libraries and regular screenings. We composed a web-site with background materials, for the younger generation and especially to help teachers & students to understand that time in the history. The site also has a list of festivals and special screenings, reviews and a trailer. http://thedariendilemma.com/ We feel that it is very important that many people should see The Darien Dilemma and we will keep showing the film all over the world to both to Jewish & Non Jewish, Young & Senior audiences. We hope you'll take the time to look into our site and be interested in procuring the DVD for your library.* Shalom and all the best Nahum Laufer [EMAIL PROTECTED] Also look into Erez Laufer's (my son) website www.erezlauferfilms.com *JCCs, congregations, colleges etc' buying screening rights will be able to leave the DVD for their libraries. The Darien Dilemma- Recommendation I had a friend, I had a brother Give me a hand when I call I had a friend, I had a brother Give me a hand when disaster comes I am your brother- don't forget, Be my brother be my friend . (Yoram Tahar-Lev) I chose this poem as a motto for my recommendation for the Doco-drama "The Darien Dilemma". This is one of the "side-line" stories of the giant drama the "Holocaust", a chapter about experiences and possibilities of saving Jews. A saga about people, Jews, "Simple Jews" that managed to escape in the last minute from Vienna, their life or death depending on the sailing on time of a ship. A story about Youngsters "members in Youth movements" their Zionism didn't save them from the inferno, but helped them to organize while waiting for the "savior" ship. Yet mainly it's the story of two groups of young Israelis, one: Mossad Le-Aliya Beth agents (Institute for Illegal immigration), running around all over Europe aware what will happen to the Jews after the German occupation. Another group "Haggannah Guys" are dealing in "high" politics and are planning towards the future interests of the arising state without even feeling basic empathy for those that the future state should be their solution and savior. No happy-end in the film, even though some of the young Jews waiting for rescue were saved, but this fact strengthens the feeling of failure and one "small" tragedy that maybe wouldn't have happened, if unusual common sense and humanity was used by some of the interested parties. The film is a doco-drama with minor historical inaccuracies. Yet it brings to the surface very strongly national, human and personal dilemmas of the individual and the group. It asks queries on collective responsibility and human sensitivity. The film enlightens a less known corner of the terrible era, the tragic non-heroic story of the illegal immigration, though some of the characters are real heroes. From the educational point of view "The Darien Dilemma" can be a lever, an eye opener for deliberation on what can be seen as a side-issue in the big puzzle, but it is definitely relevant to national and social questions that Jewish and Israeli youngsters still ask and specially today. From my experience in "teaching' the Holocaust era and my work in "Meshoa" as academic- pedagogic consultant I believe in educational value of "The Darien Dilemma". The film opens for discussion questions that till now we didn't deal with, though they are important both as unique and universal questions Nili Keren Researcher of Holocaust Education Seminar Ha-kibbutzim College. AcademicPedagogic advisor at "Meshoa" Institute Kibbutz Tel-Ishak Messages and opinions expressed on Hasafran are those of the individual author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) =========================================================== Submissions for Ha-Safran, send to: Hasafran @ lists.acs.ohio-state.edu SUBscribing, SIGNOFF commands send to: Listproc @ lists.acs.ohio-state.edu Questions, problems, complaints, compliments;-) send to: galron.1 @ osu.edu Ha-Safran Archives: Current: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html History: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/history.html AJL HomePage http://www.JewishLibraries.org
