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‘Traces: Portraits of Resistance, Survival and Resolve’ World Premiere & Talk 03 May 2022

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Humanity in Action is proud to invite you to the first-ever screening of its animated short trilogy, ‘Traces: Portraits of Resistance, Survival and Resolve’. The screening and following Q&A will be part of the Copenhagen Jewish Film Festival, taking place from April 29-May 5, 2022. 

Viewers from all countries are welcomed at the online event!

>> Reserve your ticket here

On the special occasion of the 77th commemoration day of the liberation of Denmark from German rule, Humanity in Action and the Copenhagen Jewish Film Festival are pleased to announce the World premiere of Humanity in Action’s animated short trilogy, ‘Traces: Portraits of Resistance, Survival and Resolve’.

The premiere will take place online on May 3 2022, 19:30 CEST.
The film will be accessible online for 72 hours, until May 6
.

Program of the evening:

  • 19.30 Introduction of the Traces Trilogy by Dr. Judith Goldstein
  • 19.35 Welcome by Anne Dorte Riggelsen, Danish ambassador to Israel
  • 19.45 Film screening 
  • 20.55 Talk and Q&A with Peter Hein & Jair Melchior, moderated by Katherine Tschemerinsky

Watch the introduction and full talk here:

Seventy-seven years after the fall of Nazi Germany, the Holocaust stands as a staggering crime against humanity, and the world continues to grapple with the deep void of the six million souls lost. Yet, in the face of unfathomable horror, fleeting moments of bravery and generosity remind us of our capacity for courage and compassion even under the most harrowing circumstances.

As we push deeper into the 21st century, humanity faces an inflection point: the last survivors and witnesses of the Holocaust and the Second World War leave us, taking with them their personal memories of one of humanities darkest chapters. It is incumbent upon us to safeguard their stories and lessons learned at such tremendous expense.

The Traces trilogy brings three such histories to life and to new audiences. Developed by an international team of documentarians, researchers and animators, the trilogy preserves these critical stories for future generations.

The Traces trilogy was co-produced by Irene Braam and Humanity in Action’s Executive Director Judith Goldstein. It includes the films Voices in the Void, Two Trees in Jerusalem and My Father’s War.

Before the film

Humanity in Action’s Executive Director Judith Goldstein will introduce the trilogy and the story behind its production, followed by greeting from the Danish ambassador to Israel, Ms. Anne Dorte Riggelsen.

After the film

The film will be followed by a Q&A (in English) with the protagonist of My Father’s War Peter Hein and Jair Melchior, Chief Rabbi of Denmark and grandson of the late Rabbi Bent Melchior, the protagonist of Voices in the Void.

The program will be moderated by Katherine Tschemerinsky, the culture editor of the Danish weekly newspaper Weekendavisen

Moderator

Kathrine Tschemerinsky (b. 1988) is the culture editor of the Danish weekly newspaper Weekendavisen. She holds a degree in Anthropology from the University of Copenhagen and Columbia University, New York. Katherine started writing for Atlas Magazine, and since 2015 has been writing for Weekendavisen, where she also edited the Books section. After living in Jerusalem for several years, she currently explores who we were and who we are becoming through the prism of culture.

Guests

Peter Hein was an associate professor in obstetrics and gynecology until his retirement. Since then he has been a guest speaker, writer and sculptor. As a Jewish child he was hidden in the Netherlands during WWII, as were his parents. He wrote the books The sixth year about his own hiding and the first year after the liberation and The hiding, on the dramatic hiding of his parents.

Rabbi Jair Melchior is the seventh generation of Danish Rabbis in his family. His father Michael Melchior was a member of the Israeli Knesset and Chief Rabbi of Norway for three decades, his grandfather Bent Melchior was Danish Chief Rabbi from 1970 to 1996 and a renowned cultural scholar, and his great-grandfather Marcus Melchior was Danish Chief Rabbi from 1947 to 1969. In 1986, his father’s family moved to Israel, where Jair grew up and received his rabbinic training. In 2013 he was appointed Chief Rabbi of Det Jødiske Samfund i Danmark (The Jewish Community in Denmark).

Official Trailers

Our Supporters

Voices in the Void was made with the support of the Embassy of Denmark in Tel Aviv and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.

Two Trees in Jerusalem and My Father's War were made with the generous support of the Alfred Landecker Foundation.