Traces: Portraits of Resistance, Survival, and Resolve

An Animated Trilogy
Presented in Commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day

We never forget the lives lost, the impossibly colossal scope of the Shoah, and the promise that it will never happen again. Yet through this darkest chapter of humanity, there is also hope. As we commemorate the victims of the Holocaust, we also memorialize the heroes of this devastation, the ones who saw injustice being done and did something about it. Whether they be the Jews who helped warn others of their impending doom or their Christian neighbors who hid them in their homes, every individual has a story to tell. The list of these people is endless, and their courage in risking their lives to save others will never be forgotten.

2023 now marks 78 years since the liberation of Auschwitz. For years now, stories of survival and heroism during Hitler’s regime have continued to be told through a visual lens, and they will never stop being told. The years go by, but we will never forget these brave souls.

PJFM is proud to present a FREE, three-part animated trilogy titled TRACES: PORTRAITS OF RESISTANCE, SURVIVAL, AND RESOLVE. Presented by Humanity in Action and co-presented by the Holocaust Awareness Museum and Education Center (HAMEC), all films will be available to stream on both our digital platform AND digital app from January 28-30, 2023.

Co-produced by Irene Braam, Executive Director of Bertelsmann Foundation (North America), Inc., and Judith Goldstein, Executive Director of Humanity in Action, TRACES reminds us that the Holocaust may be over, but we must never refrain from stopping an injustice when we see it.

PJFM is eternally grateful to Humanity in Action for allowing us to showcase these incredible true stories.

TRACES PART I: VOICES IN THE VOID

Directed by Juan Pablo De Gamboa
Animation/Documentary Short | USA | 2021 | 18 min | English

Rabbi Bent Melchior was just a child when the Nazis entered Denmark. When his father heard rumors of the regime’s nefarious plans, he sprung to action in letting the townspeople know. In this exquisitely detailed film, Rabbi Melchior narrates his harrowing escape to neutral Sweden and the accompanying Jews and Christian townspeople who aided in the escape of over 7,000 Danish Jews.

TRACES PART II: TWO TREES IN JERUSALEM

Directed by Juan Pablo De Gamboa
Animation/Documentary Short | Germany | 2022 | 27 min | English and German with English subtitles

At Yad Vashem, there are close to 2,000 trees, each one commemorating a “Righteous Among the Nations,” a non-Jewish individual who assisted in the thwarting of the extermination of Jews. Two of those trees are for Eberhard and Donata Helmrich, a married couple from Germany. In a country filled with Nazi-sympathizing Germans, this duo went the opposite route, evading persecution by the Nazis as they clandestinely helped smuggle out as many as 200 Jews. Their daughter, Cornelia Schmalz-Jacobsen, reminisces about her parents’ daring fortitude and how their valor inspired her to become an advocate for human rights.

TRACES PART III: MY FATHER’S WAR

Directed by Juan Pablo De Gamboa
Animation/Documentary Short | Germany | 2022 | 25 min | English

When the Nazis invaded the Netherlands in May 1940, little Peter Hein was whisked away from his parents and placed into hiding from one family to the next, each one guaranteeing his safety. The same went for his own parents, both of whom narrowly evaded capture by the Nazis by jumping from one safety house to the next. In this unique true story of intergenerational drama and courage, David Hein, Peter’s son, talks about the side effects of his family’s story and how their survival triggered his desire to become involved in taking part in larger, global human rights issues.