Ochberg’s Orphans 2007
Distributed by Cinema Guild, 115 West 30th Street, Suite 800, New York, NY 10001; 212-685-6242
Produced by Jon Blair
Directed by Jon Blair
DVD, color, 58 min.
Sr. High - Adult
Holocaust and Genocide Studies, European Studies, Jewish Studies
Date Entered: 07/11/2008
Reviewed by Barb Bergman, Minnesota State University, Mankato1921. In the aftermath of the Russian Revolution, millions are dead; thousands of children have been orphaned; anti-Semitism is rampant in the form of pogroms (riots and other extreme violence encouraged by those in power).
Isaac Ochberg, an emigrant from Russia who had become a successful South African businessman, chose to use his influence to do something and managed to rescue some of the Jewish orphans in Russia. After successfully raising a substantial amount of money, Ochberg travelled to Eastern Europe to collect as many of the orphans as possible and bring them safely to South Africa.
Interviews with the now elderly orphans provide a cross section of their experiences: the horrors they experienced as children, their experiences after arriving in South Africa, and their universal gratitude to Ochberg for choosing to acknowledge their situation and finding a way to do something about it.
Production values are good. The film uses recent interviews and historical photos to illustrate the story.
The film by itself does not tell the full story of any of the elements involved: the pogroms, Ochberg, nor the orphans, but it does enlighten this time in history. Ochberg’s Orphans could be a useful addition to a variety of courses, such as those covering Jewish history, Russian history, European history between the world wars, genocide studies, or activism in general.
Jon Blair previously directed Anne Frank Remembered.