Educational Media Reviews Online

The container cover specifically notes that this is not a Holocaust film but rather a portrait of “remarkable individuals who ignore their well-being for ours.” And so they do. Leo Bretholz is a survivor and he has spent countless years telling his story to others in the Baltimore area high schools and community centers. He is not alone. Baltimore claims to have one of the largest survivor populations. We also meet another survivor Bluma Shapiro, who survived Auschwitz. The telling is getting harder as they grow older because they fear that once gone no one can tell the story the way they actually saw and felt it. It is not comparable to other horrific events in history. The grandchildren of the Holocaust survivors are challenged because they can’t truly relate as their parents or grandparents actually survived.

Leo has written a book recounting his experiences, Leap into Darkness (1999,Random House) but he is still consumed by the memories and the awesome responsibility to never forget. He is a survivor and this is his story.

Other than some interspersed textual description for the viewer to contextualize the journey Bretholz experienced there are no other special features. The film literally follows him from presentation to presentation, from school to community center to synagogue. This film would be useful for discussion about Holocaust survivors and the challenges they have faced.