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Religion, Morality, and Ethics

Abraham And His Children: An Interfaith Dialogue
An interfaith discussion among religionists regarding the similarities and differences within the Jewish and Christian traditions.

AMEN
Kurt Gerstein (Ulrich Tukur) is a World War II SS officer and chemist who is horrified to learn that the pellets he helped to develop are being used in concentration camps to gas Jews. He secretly tells a young Jesuit priest, Father Riccardo (Mathieu Kassovitz), who promises to pass the information on to Vatican representatives, in hopes that the information will be relayed to the pontiff, who could then reveal the Nazis' true intentions and stop the Jewish genocide. (130 min)

Angels Of Austria: The Church That Reached Out To Holocaust Survivors
An unusual group of Christians attempt to reverse eight centuries of Antisemitism in their hometown by inviting Jewish Holocaust survivors formerly of Wiener Neustadt to return for a "Week of Reconciliation" in 1995. Judy Faust accompanies her mother and together they embark on an emotional roller coaster ride of grief, compassion, friendship, and healing. The Ichthys Church (or Free Church) takes them on a tour of places that mark centuries of Jewish life: synagogues, museums, cemeteries, as well as escorting them to The House of Parliament to be honored by the Austrian mayor, but the moment of healing for Judy's mother happens when sharing her story to a high school assembly where students listen to Holocaust survivors for the first time. From the initial tentative moments to the last joyous laughter, viewers will share the difficult and rewarding journey towards forgiveness and compassion for both the returning Jews and the Christian hosts (many who were descendants of former Nazis). Together they willingly explore their painful past while creating new milestones that they hope will mark an era of friendship and understanding. 37 mins. DVD only.

As We Forgive
Could you forgive a person who murdered your family? This is the question faced by the subjects of As We Forgive, a documentary about Rosaria and Chantal-two Rwandan women coming face-to-face with the men who slaughtered their families during the 1994 genocide. The subjects of As We Forgive speak for a nation still wracked by the grief of a genocide that killed one in eight Rwandans in 1994. Overwhelmed by an enormous backlog of court cases, the government has returned over 50,000 genocide perpetrators back to the very communities they helped to destroy. Without the hope of full justice, Rwanda has turned to a new solution: Reconciliation. But can it be done? Can survivors truly forgive the killers who destroyed their families? Can the government expect this from its people? And can the church, which failed at moral leadership during the genocide, fit into the process of reconciliation today? In As We Forgive, director Laura Waters Hinson and narrator Mia Farrow explore these topics through the lives of four neighbors once caught in opposite tides of a genocidal bloodbath, and their extraordinary journey from death to life through forgiveness. Running time: 53 minutes

Au Revoir Les Enfants
Directed and written by Louis Malle. Based on Malle's experience, this film documents the story of Julien, a Catholic schoolboy, and his friend Jean, a Jew being sheltered by a courageous French priest. After an act of betrayal, the Gestapo deports Jean and the priest to Auschwitz. Julien must say goodbye to his friend - and to his childhood. In French with English subtitles. (JHS/MS+). Color. (103 min)

Auschwitz: If You Cried, You Died
A 24-minute video chronicling the journey of two Holocaust survivors as they revisit the hell they knew as Auschwitz Concentration Camp. This compelling video illustrates how the prejudice, intolerance, and violence that characterized the Holocaust provide timely lessons for all of us today. This revised edition now features youth discussing these important topics. The accompanying teacher's guide provides rich materials for further class discussion around the dangers of prejudice, the value of diversity, and the need to respect others. Visit WWW.IMPACTAMERICAFD.ORG fo additional information. VHS and DVD.

Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Pacifist, Nazi Resister
A documentary, directed by Martin Doblmeier, about the life, times, and eventual fate of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the Lutheran minister who was imprisoned by the Nazis and hanged in 1945. Interest in Bonhoeffer shows no sign of abating, not least because his practicality and rootedness-and the struggle, which intensified in his last months, to reforge the role of faith in the world-demand that we engage with his example rather than simply revere it. The film is straightforward, and no less affecting for that; we are led through the chronology of Bonhoeffer's life, including his two trips to America, and even shown the code by which family members smuggled messages into his cell. As far as talking heads go, there are perhaps too many commentators; happily, however, they are outclassed by Bonhoeffer's contemporaries, including his close friend Eberhard Bethge. The voiceover, for the readings from Bonhoeffer's books and letters, is by Klaus Maria Brandauer. -Anthony Lane 90 minutes. DVD only

Christianity: The Second Thousand Years
Christians can often be quick to assume that the form and meaning of Christianity is static, but if we reflect on the year 2000 as a significant milestone, the second millennium of the world's largest religion has truly been an amazing journey of faith and turmoil. This four-tape series is a millennial celebration, examining the evolution--good and bad--of Christian churches and theologies over the last thousand years. After a brief summary of the origins and early growth of the Church, the first tape starts out examining how war and Christianization went hand in hand under Charlemagne and other Holy Roman emperors while military and perceived cultural threats loomed on the frontiers with Islam. The second tape examines the height of the Church's influence and its corruption, which led to the Avignon papacy and the Reformation (the subject of the third tape). The fourth tape looks at primarily American reform movements in the 20th century through the leadership of people like Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa, and Desmond Tutu. Although 1,000 years of Christian history will clearly be treated with some superficiality in only four VHS tapes--Eastern Orthodoxy and postwar ecumenism have been almost entirely left out, for example--this is an informative and entertaining documentary with A&E's typically high production values. --Erik Macki VHS.

Constantine's Sword
Constantine's Sword is the story of James Carroll; a former Catholic priest on a journey to confront his past and uncover the roots of religiously inspired violence and war. His search also reveals a growing scandal involving religious infiltration of the U.S. military and the terrible consequences of religion's influence on America's foreign policy. Carroll focuses on Christian antisemitism as the model for all religious hatred, exposing the cross as a symbol of a long history of violence against Jews (and, most recently, Moslems). The film brings the history of religious intolerance to life, tracing it as a source of the fanaticism that threatens the world today. At its core, Constantine's Sword is a compelling personal narrative - a kind of detective story - as one man uncovers the dark areas of his own past, searching for a better future.

Desperate Hours
The little known story of Turkey and the Holocaust...of what happened there and abroad, of what it did and what it could not do - as the world around it plunged into darkness. At a time when millions were murdered before the eyes of an indifferent world, there were some men, and at times, some governments, who chose to act - not for praise, not for glory, but in the name of simple human decency. In doing so, they dispelled the myths that people were powerless to resist the Nazis. Desperate Hours is an inspiring story of how a Muslim country gave refuge to German Jews and how its diplomats risked their own lives to save Jews from concentration camps. Desperate Hours tells the stories of those precious few who, in the face of utter darkness, never lost their sight. In telling these little known stories from WWII, the film documents this moment in time, when groups of Muslims, Jews and Christians all worked together to save lives. Some of the areas explored in the film are: How Turkish diplomats in France and Rhodes put their own lives at risk rescuing Jews of Turkish origin. How Turkey recruited the talented men and women Hitler discarded to revamp Turkish sciences, architecture, music, medicine, legal education, and art. How the Yishuv -Jews from Pre-State Israel- daringly used Turkey as a base to rescue Jews in locales such as the famous Pera Palace Hotel - terminus of the Orient Express. The tragic sinking of the Struma Refugee Ship with 760 refugees aboard and the odyssey of its lone survivor- David Stoliar. How Monsignor Roncalli (who later became Pope John XXIII), then the Apostolic Delegate in Istanbul, worked with delegates of the Yishuv and whose experiences there later inspired him to change Catholic teaching towards Jews. The infamous "Jews for Sale" deal - the attempt in 1944 to trade one million Jews for 10,000 trucks. Desperate Hours is based on authoritative scholarship by American, Israeli, Turkish, and Italian historians as well as interviews with survivors, former diplomats and clergy in Israel, Italy, Turkey, Austria and the United States. Shenandoah Films produced Desperate Hours in association with The Berenbaum Group and Mainstreet. Desperate Hours is directed and produced by Victoria Barrett. Dr. Michael Berenbaum is the Executive producer, historian and writer. Ronald Goldfarb is the producer for Mainstreet. "Desperate Hours, a new documentary about Turkey's role in the Holocaust, is proof that there are still stories to be told and people to be applauded." - Jerusalem Post

Here Am I, Send Me: The Journey of Jonathan Daniels
"One of the most heroic Christian deeds of which I have heard in my entire ministry and career for civil rights was performed by Jonathan Daniels." - The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King In the spring of 1965, Jonathan Myrick Daniels, a 26-year-old student at an Episcopal seminary, became one of the many young Americans who answered the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s call to help register African-American voters in Alabama. By the following August, Daniels was dead, shot by a sheriff's deputy. His last act was pulling a young black woman out of the line of fire. Here Am I, Send Me: The Journey of Jonathan Daniels is an outstanding and inspiring documentary narrated by acclaimed actor Sam Waterston. Scripted largely in Daniels' own written words, it features stirring television footage and interviews with leaders from the civil rights era. 57 minutes

Heritage: Civilization and the Jews
The history of the Jews is a history of involvement: with Near Eastern and Classical civilization in the Biblical period, with Christendom and Islam in the Middle Ages, with the nations of all the earth in modern times. It is a history as old as civilization itself, and it is the history of the involvement of one people with civilization. The involvement was total, complex and reciprocal. It was total in the sense that the Jewish people never enjoyed the luxury of detachment: even when intermittently masters of in their own land, that land was the vortex of all surrounding lands and shared their fates. It was complex in the Jewish people, before and above any other people, experienced the tension of diaspora and homeland, a tension ever shifting but never resolved. It was reciprocal in that Judaism took, learned and borrowed from the civilizations of other peoples - but at the same time contributed in essential respects to civilization at all times and in many different places. The interaction of Jewish history and Western civilization successively assumed different forms. In the Biblical and Ancient periods, Israel was an integral part of the Near Eastern and classical world, which gave birth to Western civilization. It shared the traditions of ancient Mesopotamia and the rest of that world with regard to it's own beginning; it benefited from the decline of Egypt and the other great Near Eastern empires to emerge as a nation in it's own right; it asserted it's claim to the divinely promised Land of Israel and struggled to a precarious independence there for a thousand years until forced to yield to the greater power of Greece and Rome. In the Medieval era Jewish history took place on a larger stage, including all of Europe and the Mediterranean world. Fewer and fewer Jews were able to remain on the soil of the Holy Land itself. For more and more of them, it became the object of prayerful longing as they sought refuge in all the lands of the dispersion. Gradually the pious hope of a return to the true homeland gave way to the more practical desire to participate in the life of their new surroundings. But no matter how deeply the Jews became involved in the various lands of the dispersion, they faced the necessity of being uprooted again and again. They became the classical example of a diaspora population: confined or committed to intellectual or commercial pursuits; linked to their co-religionists in other lands through the bond of a common faith as interpreted by rabbinic authority; and an ever yearning to live, or at least to die, in the Holy Land. The contemporary pattern of Jewish life presents another model for it's interaction with civilization. Where previously that life had been concentrated successively in Israel and the diaspora, it is now balanced between the two. Israel is once again politically sovereign, and it commands a central position in Judaism, both culturally and emotionally. But equally significant centers of Jewish population and hence of Jewish cultural, religious, and political activity exist in the United State, the Soviet Union and other parts of the diaspora. World Jewry, as always, continues to gravitate towards the rising centers of world civilization and hence to play a part in the shaping of world events. At the same time it lives in a creative tension with Israel. The interdependence of diaspora Jewry with the Israel on the one hand and with world civilization on the other, characterizes the present scene and will no doubt influence yet other patterns, whatever the precise shape they may take in the future. Episodes: A People is Born 3800-586BCE The Power of the Word 586-72CE The Shaping of Traditions 30-732CE The Crucible of Europe 732-1492 Search for Deliverance 1492-1789 Roads from the Ghetto 1789-1925 The Golden Land 1654-1930s Out of the Ashes 1919-1947 Into the Future 1880-1990s

The Holocaust In A Catholic Educational Setting
Three faculty members discuss why and how they incorporate Holocaust studies into the curriculum at the College of Saint Elizabeth. Strategies and resources for courses and for special weeks of Holocaust Remembrance are provided. (Adult). Color. (28 min.)

I am Joseph Your Brother
"From darkness, to light to partnership" Pope John Paul II's pilgrimage to the Holy Land was the climax of a journey that has lasted half a century – the journey of the Catholic Church's recognition and reconciliation with the Jewish people. A story of self-examination and soul searching leading to deeper understanding and mutual respect. (60 min)

Jerusalem: Center of the World
This PBS documentary tells the story of the world's most incredible city, capturing the rich mosaic of the city's Christian, Jewish and Muslim communities. Covering a history of over 4,000 years, the film explores the founding of the city; the birth and convergence of the world's three major monotheistic religions; and the key events in Jerusalem's history as described in the varied religious sacred books. DVD. 120 minutes.

Jews and Christians: A Journey of Faith
This award winning two hour television documentary examines how contemporary Jews and Christians perceive each other, confront prejudice and stereotypes, how they can understand and respect one another despite their differences, and continue to work toward achieving mutual respect and understanding. The video is based on the book Our Father Abraham: The Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith by Marvin R. Wilson, Ph.D. and is produced by Auteur Productions with Connecticut Public Television, the presenting station to Public Television. It is a documentary that explores common beliefs, traditions and rituals shared by Judaism and Christianity. Winner of the Silver Angel Award 2001 for excellence in media. For use by churches, synagogues, universities, high schools, and libraries. 1:56

Joseph Schultz
NON CIRCULATING. FOR CENTER USE ONLY. Jospeh Schultz was a German soldier on the Eastern Front. On the 20th of July 1941, he along with seven of his brothers in arms were sent out on what they thought to be a routine mission. After a short march they soon understood that they were on a quite different mission than what they were used to: Ahead of them, they saw fourteen captured local civilians who were blindfolded , positioned up against a wall. The 8 soldiers in Schultz' platoon were halted 10-15 meters away, and an NCO ordered them to execute every one of the civilian. Seven of the soldiers took aim, and in the silence that followed you could only hear the sound of a rifle beeing dropped. Jospeh Schultz disobeyed a direct order, dropped his rifle and walked slowly towards the 14 civilians which only heard cautious footsteps in the grass in front of them. The young Schultz positioned himself together with the soon-to-be executed civilians, and choosed death instead of killing helpless civilians. A few seconds later 14 civilians and 1 German soldier laid dead in the grass. He was executed by his own brothers in arms by order of the NCO. The issue of individual moral responsibility vs. obedience to authority is dramatized. This eloquent production relies on images rather than dialog to tell its timeless tale of personal values. VHS. Color. 13 minutes. (Comment: If you think about what the message of the movie is, it is possible that it becomes a justification for actually following orders, even if they are immoral, especially if it means life or death. Although a short film, teachers should develop the lesson with an eye to this concern. Note too that this is a story about atrocities committed against "innocent civilians." Shultz' courage is striking. However, there are no documented cases that I am aware of of Nazi soldiers or their collaborators being executed for refusing to shoot Jews. For many of the perpetrators, Jewish families and their children were not perceived as "innocent." Christopher Browning's book, Ordinary Men, provides fascinating insights.) VHS only.

Les Miserables
Not an adaptation of the 19th-century novel, this monumental film translates Victor Hugo's themes to 20th-century France, World War II, and Hitler's "Final Solution". As an illiterate moving van driver helps the Zimans, a Jewish family, escape to Switzerland, M. Ziman reads aloud the story of Les Miserables. The driver is enraptured, and inspired by the life of his literary counterpart, Jean Valjean - is transformed into a true life hero. The lavish, challenging, and ultimately uplifting film examines fundamental issues such as the bystander's dilemma, good and evil,and the regenerative power of love. In French with English subtitles. Note: rated R for violence, brief sex, and language. (HS+). Color. (175 min.)

The Longest Hatred
"They are the other. They are not us." Throughout time, words such as these have been used to justify and vilify. This stunning documentary takes an unsparing look at the ways such words have shaped the experience of Jewish people, from the first century to the present - a revealing history of antisemitism with roots long before the Holocaust and branches that continue to sprout in surprising places today. Part One, "From the Cross to the Swastika," traces an image that begins with the earliest writings of Christianity, which leveled the charge that Jews were responsible for Jesus' death. In this segment, historians show how demonizing dogma has affected Jews through the centuries - in Italy, Spain, England, and Germany - reaching its zenith with the development of Nazi ideology. Part Two, "Enemies of the People," shows how antisemitic sentiment has accompanied a growing nationalism in Europe in recent decades, causing a mass exodus of Jews from Russia and even resurfacing in Poland and Austria, where few Jews remain. In Germany, the remarkable collapse of the Berlin wall has been followed by the rise of neo-Nazism among German youth. Part Three, "Between Moses and Muhammed," takes a humanistic look at relations between Arabs and Israelis, once linked by pseudo-science under the degrading label "Semite" and now enmeshed in one of the world's most violent conflicts. Experts on both sides tell how Arabs and Jews, who for centuries lived in relative peace, have been drastically alienated by political turmoil - and how the anti-Jewish propaganda now disseminated in the Arab world is so eerily like that seen in Europe before World War II. Color, 150 minutes.

The Other Side Of Faith
Although it portrays none of the familiar horror scenes of the Holocaust, this story cannot be easily forgotten. Its strength and validity are derived not only from the understated truths of its two narrators, Stefania and Josef, but also from the basic message it imparts: that the other - and truest - side of faith may be found in a morality that transcends religious and ethnic boundaries to recognize our common humanity. (Adult). Color. (27 min.)

The Quarrel
This story, set in Montreal, details the resolution of an old conflict between two old friends - one who abandoned the Jewish faith of his heritage and the other, an orthodox rabbi who started a Yeshiva in Montreal. Both are survivors of the Holocaust, and they nurse the wounds of both the Holocaust and the fight they had the night one left Yeshiva for a life of worldly "freedom." Fiction. This reunion of two Holocaust survivors leads to a searing examination of the questions all must answer before they find a future. (Adult). Color. (90 min.)

Reputations: Pope Pius XII
This excellent video presents the largely bystander role of the Vatican and the Catholic Church during the period of World War II in which Nazi policy toward Europe's Jews escalated from persecution to mass murder and genocide. Special focus is given to the circumstances of the Jews in Italy and Hungary. The BBC production aims not to be a polemic by giving voice to both those who believe that Pope Pius XII did everything he reasonably could to forestall the Holocaust to those who believe he failed to act as "the Vicar of Christ." For college-age audiences and above.

The Restless Conscience: Resistance To Hitler Within Germany, 1933 1945
This powerful and provocative feature documentary explores the motivating principles and activities of the anti-Nazi resistance inside Germany from 1933 to 1945. This film is deeply moving portrayal of individual destinies, charting with dramatic power, passion and depth, the development of the underground resistance. This film highlights the tension between an individual's responsibility to a personal ethical code and to a tyrannical political system. (HS+). Color & B/W. (113 min) VHS & DVD

Secret Lives: Hidden Children and Their Rescuers During WW II
Before the Second World War, more than 1.5 million Jewish children were living in Europe. By the end of the Holocaust, less than one in ten had survived. SECRET LIVES tells the emotional stories of a small number of those who were saved by non-Jews in extraordinary acts of bravery and kindness. These men and women of uncommon decency did everything from bringing Jewish children into their families to securing hiding places in closets, attics, or hastily dug bunkers. Directed by Academy Award winner and former hidden child Aviva Slesin, this captivating documentary reveals what happened between the children and their rescuers and shows ho this experience forever changed their lives. Highly recommended by the Coordinator of Educational Outreach. High School and up. DVD only. Color and B/W. 72 minutes.

Shadow On The Cross
A powerful critique of the essential failure of Christianity in its response to antisemitism and the Holocaust. It concludes with some cautious but hopeful possibilities in the future. (52 min.)

Sister Rose's Passion
Nominated for an Academy Award for Best documentary, SISTER ROSE'S PASSION tells the inspirational story of a most unlikely activist and powerhouse who has made the battle against antisemitism her life's work. This poignant, must-see film chronicles the life story of Sister Rose Thering, a gutsy Dominican nun who had the courage, the toughness, and the passion to resist the status quo and push for what she believed was right. Sister Rose's work had a direct bearing on the historic Vatican II Council that reformed the Catholic Church's position on Jews and Judaism, and her spirit of resistance that shines throughout this documentary as she combines her energetic crusade amidst the swirl of controversy that surrounded Mel Gibson's blockbuster film, The Passion of the Christ. With SISTER ROSE'S PASSION, award-winning filmmaker Oren Jacoby has created an exceptional portrait revealing "how one person can change the world." (The New York Times), keenly capturing Sister Rose's determination and unprecedented sense of right and wrong. 88 mins, color.

Sophie Scholl: The Final Days
2005 Academy Award Nominee for Best Foreign Language Film, this is the true story of Germany's most famous anti-Nazi heroine brought to thrilling, dramatic life. Julia Jentsch stars in a luminous performance as the fearless activist of the underground student resistance group, The White Rose. Armed with long-buried historical records of her incarceration, director Marc Rothemund expertly re-creates the last six days of Sophie Scholl's life: a heart-stopping journey from arrest to interrogation, trial and sentence in 1943 Munich. Unwavering in her convictions and loyalty to her comrades, her cross-examination by Gestapo quickly escalates into a searing test of wills as Scholl delivers a passionate call to freedom and personal responsibility that is both haunting and timeless. 117 minutes. DVD. In German with English subtitles.

The Diary of Immaculée
Immaculée Ilibagiza grew up in a country she loved, surrounded by a family she cherished. But in 1994 her idyllic world was ripped apart as Rwanda descended into a bloody genocide. Her family was brutally murdered during a killing spree that lasted three months and claimed the lives of nearly a million Rwandans. Miraculously, Immaculée survived the slaughter. For 91 days, she and seven other women huddled silently together in the cramped bathroom of a local pastor's home while hundreds of machete-wielding killers hunted for them. . . . Now, the award-winning and three-time Academy Award®-nominated documentary film producer Steve Kalafer (More, Curtain Call, Bottom of the Ninth, Price of Freedom, Going Home, and Sister Rose's Passion) brings together the same creative and production team for their most challenging and powerful cinematic journey. The Diary of Immaculée reveals the horrific, yet inspiring story of a remarkable woman's experiences in the midst of one of history's most tragic events. Immaculée Ilibagiza, and others who were there, will tell you what happened . . . and you shall never forget it. With powerful and emotional on-camera appearances from the good Samaritans who kept Immaculée alive in Rwanda, to inspirational personalities such as Dr. Wayne W. Dyer and Carl Wilkens, this amazing story of a journey through the darkness of holocaust will touch your heart and soul. This is a documentary that will take you to a place where horror and hope and hatred and love lived side by side, clasping hands and breathing the same air. With unwavering faith and courage, one young woman faced the threat of unspeakable acts; endured incomparable despair; and quietly, graciously, and bravely came through the living hell of holocaust searching for safety, peace, and an everlasting Heaven. The Diary of Immaculée is a film that abounds with drama and compassion . . . and makes us all realize that heroes and heroines will always walk among us. DVD. 38 minutes

The Judge and the General
When in 1998 Chilean judge Juan Guzmán was assigned the first criminal cases against the country's ex-dictator, General Augusto Pinochet, no one expected much. Guzmán had supported Pinochet's 1973 coup against the democratically elected president, Salvador Allende, and had worked as a judge during Pinochet's dictatorship. The filmmakers trace Guzmán descent into what he calls "the abyss," where he uncovers the past - including his own role in the tragedy. A cautionary tale about violating human rights in the name of "higher ideals." DVD, 83 minutes.

Theologians Under Hitler
In the days after World War II, a convenient story was told of church leaders and ordinary Christians that defied the Nazis from the beginning. Recent research has uncovered a very different story. Rather then resisting, the greater part of the German church saw Hitler's rise in 1933 as an act of God's blessing, a new chapter in the story of God among the German people. This film, based upon ground-breaking research, introduces the viewer to three of the greatest Christian scholars of the 20th century: Paul Althaus, Emanuel Hirsch, and Gerhard Kittel, men who were also outspoken supporters of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. In 1933 Althaus spoke of Hitler's rise as "a gift and miracle of God." Hirsch saw 1933 as a "sunrise of divine goodness." And Kittel, the editor of the standard reference work on the Jewish Background of the New Testament, began working for the Nazis to find a "moral" rationale for the destruction of European Jewry. This provocative film asks: how could something like this happen in the heart of Christian Europe? Could it happen again? How does the scholarship of this period affect the church today? Does the church of today retain the ability to recognize profound evil? DVD only. 64 minutes.

To Know Where They Are
This sensitive documentary follows, a father and daughter who travel to Poland in hope of finding traces of their lost Jewish ancestors. They gain an appreciation of the agonizing choices faced by those who defied the Nazis against Europe's Jews. Suitable for use in teaching about ethics and Christian-Jewish relations, as well as the Holocaust. Grades 7 and up. (28 min.)

View From The Underside: The Legacy of Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Legacy of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Stage production of the life of one of the great heroes of the twentieth century. Bonhoeffer awaits execution in a prison cell and the audience listens to his struggles with evil, injustice and God. (General Audience). Color. (50 min)

Walking God's Paths: Christians and Jews in Candid Conversation
Walking God's Paths is a six-session process to stimulate candid conversation between Jewish and Christian congregations. Produced by the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning on behalf of the National Council of Synagogues and the Bishops' Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the series consists of 15-minute discussion-starting videotapes and a detailed online User's Guide containing dialogue questions and resources. Participants will experience each tradition's understanding of how it walks God's path and how the two faith communities could relate to one another in positive ways. 1. A New Future: Building Shalom between Catholics and Jews Offers an overview of the past, present, and future of Christian-Jewish relations. Introduces participants to the dynamics of interfaith dialogue and the different perspectives Christians and Jews bring to the conversation. 2. Shared Origins, Diverse Roads Explores the Late Second Temple period that gave birth to Christianity and Rabbinic Judaism. Participants will see how the centrality of the Torah for Jews and of Jesus Christ for Christians was significantly intensified by the destruction of the Temple by the Romans. 3. Common Texts, Different Scriptures Examines how the Bible both unites and divides Jews and Christians. Although Christianity and Judaism share many of the same scriptural books, they are arranged differently and read through different traditions of interpretation. Participants will experience this diversity by reading common texts together. 3. Common Texts, Different Scriptures Examines how the Bible both unites and divides Jews and Christians. Although Christianity and Judaism share many of the same scriptural books, they are arranged differently and read through different traditions of interpretation. Participants will experience this diversity by reading common texts together. 4. Season of Freedom, Season of Rebirth In the springtime, both Christians and Jews celebrate the saving power of God. Participants will experience how the related feasts of Passover and Easter ritually re-enact defining foundational events for both religious traditions. 4. Season of Freedom, Season of Rebirth In the springtime, both Christians and Jews celebrate the saving power of God. Participants will experience how the related feasts of Passover and Easter ritually re-enact defining foundational events for both religious traditions. 5. Metaphors for a Unique Relationship Presents different ways of picturing the relationship between Judaism and Christianity. Participants will compare various images and examine how best they could impact the way Christians and Jews educate about each other. 6. Mending Relationships, Mending the World Old stereotypes and misconceptions still hamper Jewish and Christian rapprochement. While engaged in dialogue to overcome these problems, Christians and Jews are increasingly aware that both traditions understand themselves to have been given a mission to the world. Participants will explore the significance for the rest of humanity of Jewish and Christian reconciliation. DVD only.

Weapons Of The Spirit (Classroom Version)
Directed, written, and narrated by Pierre Sauvage. A moving remembrance of the courage of the residents of the French village of Le Chambon, ordinary people whose virtually unparalleled efforts saved 5,000 Jewish lives from Nazi persecution. Newsreel footage, interviews with the rescuers and those they saved, and the personal reflections of Pierre Sauvage - who was born in the village while his parents were sheltered by area farmers - depict the horror of life for French Jews, and the "conspiracy of goodness" that occurred in the midst of terror and death. (JHS/MS+). Color. (35 min)

Weapons of the Spirit (Classroom Version)
During World War II in and around one village in Nazi-occupied France 5000 Jews were sheltered by 5000 Christians. Pierre Sauvage, born and protected in Le chambon-sur-Lignon, returns to tell the story. Adapted from the 90-minute feature, this version speaks to the goodness and righteousness in humanity in the face of unimaginable evil. (25 minutes). Middle and High School.

The White Rose
While the vast majority of the German people enthusiastically supported Nazism, a tiny group of university students had the courage to stand up and speak out against the Third Reich. THE WHITE ROSE dramatizes the true story of how a small number of German students printed and distributed thousands of anti-Nazi leaflets throughout the country. (HS+). Color. (108 min.)

Why Us?
In trying to understand the horrendous events we now call the "Holocaust", the quick and easy answer has always been to blame Hilter and the Nazis. But any serious analysis of what happened must go beyond this simplistic approach. How could any moral, God fearing nation have allowed this to happen? The sad fact is that the citizens of Germany, and most other european nations, were poisoned with deep rooted antisemitism and bigotry, products of hundreds of years of false teachings and hatred by the Catholic church. We cannot just lay the blame on Hitler. the christians of europe permitted these atrocities to occur - in fact, some Catholic collaborators were active participants in the killing of Jews in Poland and the Ukraine. Even after Nazi atrocities, the Vatican, under Pope Pius XII, issued passports and priestly garb that allowed these criminals to escape to Argentina. Even the Swiss Red Cross, supposedly a bastion of neutrality and civility, issued papers that helped the murderous Germans escape. So the question "Why us?" is not a rhetorical cry of misery by the Jewish people. Instead, it is a question that must be answered by every human being. Bigotry and prejudice are not inborn traits...they are learned - from parents, grandparents, teachers, and religious leaders. When religious groups fail to teach and practice tolerance - of other races, cultures, and beliefs - they have lost both morality and humanity. Until the human race learns tolerance for the beliefs and rights of others, we will not have learned the horrific lessons of the Holocaust.

Zegota: A Time To Remember
A Story of Polish-Christian courage during the Holocaust. The Zegota Council was the only government-sponsored social welfare agency established to rescue Jews in German occupied Europe. The Council provided hiding places and false identity documents for Jewish men women and children and saved thousands of lives. Filmed in Poland, Israel, and London. (Adult). Color. (52 min.)

Zegota: Council For Aid To Jews In Occupied Poland
Using archival photographs and film footage, together with interviews, this film narrated by Eli Wallach, tells the story of the desperate plight of the Jews in Poland and the conditions of terror under which the Zegota rescuers tried to help. More then 40% of the Righteous Gentiles recognized for their rescue of Jews are Poles, the highest percentage of all national groups who assisted Jews. ( 28 min)