6 Million Silences
"Never Forget" is a phrase that has become completely wed to the Holocaust in our minds. Survivors say it, historians say it, and even Holocaust deniers and revisionists have been known to utter it. But what does it really mean?
Holocaust survivors living in the United States today are mostly in their 70's and 80's, and as they age and pass away, their children-- the Second Generation members, as they are called-- are being asked to carry on their legacy... through "never forget." American public schools teach the Holocaust under a "never forget" curtain.
This film attempts to understand what the phrase "never forget" means to those involved with Holocaust studies, history, and memory. It asks the descendants of Holocaust survivors what it was like to grow up with survivors as parents, to be told their stories of concentration camps and deportations, and what they will do with this oral history as their parents pass away.
Interviews with historians will probe what our culture does with stories and history of genocide, and statements like "never forget." The film will also interview controversial Holocaust deniers and revisionists, for their views on history and "never forget."
Featured Interview
Profile: Magda Brown and Rochelle Brown-Rainey
Magda Brown survived the Holocaust as a teenager, after being inprisoned at Auschwitz, where 70 members of her family were killed, and later taken to work in a bomb factory where the deadly chemicals burned her and turned her skin and hair yellow and orange. Today, she lives in Skokie, IL, and is an active public speaker on the Holocaust. Magda raised her children with an open dialogue about what happened to her, and this joint interview with her daughter reveals a closeness between them that her stories have helped create. Even though she grew up being told her mother's Holocaust stories since she can remember, Rochelle still hears new pieces of information every time she talks to her mother about her experiences.
View a clip from their interview: