Holocaust documentary 'The Barn' screens for virtual audience

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Five days before International Holocaust Remembrance Day the National Council of Jewish Women, Peninsula Section will be screening “The Barn” via Zoom, on Jan. 22.

The NCJW is the oldest Jewish feminist civil rights organization working for equity and justice for women, children and families in the United States and Israel.

“Peninsula Section is one of 40 sections around the country of National Counsel of Jewish Women,” said Bonnie Sperry, the section’s executive director. “We have been around over 87 years, and we serve the local community right here in Lawrence.”

Rachel Kastner, Matthew Hiltzik and Phil Berger produced “The Barn.” It features her and the story of her grandfather, Karl Shapiro, 90, and his story of survival in the face of unspeakable evil. Berger also directed the documentary.

Shapiro survived the Holocaust due to the help of a Polish farmer who hid him and 17 other Jews for a year and a half underneath his barn.

To reach a larger audience, the NCJW is contacting various learning institutions for middle and high schoolers, and religious organizations across the U.S. to the free viewing.

From Israel, Kastner will explain her path to documentary film producer. She will hold a Q & A with the participants after the viewing.

Kastner, 26, was 18 when she filmed “The Barn” even though she was not interested in Holocaust storytelling.

“I spent my summers during high school producing short films, working on sets of fiction narrative films and interning at film studios during the summers,” Kastner wrote in an email. “But when I had the opportunity to share my own family story in The Barn, my focus changed. The making of the film, and the sharing of this it with audiences, has been incredibly meaningful for me and expanded my understanding of the impact that stories can have.” 

“The Barn” takes Kastner and Shapiro to the place he swore he would never return.

Kastner saw the living conditions her grandfather endured and became to understand the incredible odds he overcame to survive.

She wanted to share the story after meeting the woman who saved her grandfather and great-grandparents. 

“Paulina and her family were under no obligation to save Jews — and yet, they did,” Kastner wrote. “They are symbols for me of what it means to stand up in dark times and refuse to give in to hatred, racism, antisemitism or any other form of bigotry that is so often contagious. And my grandfather’s story of building a beautiful and fulfilling life after leaving Europe has served as a powerful example of human resilience for me.”

Sharing her grandfather’s story has brought Kastner immense pride, while using their story to share the horrors of the Holocaust.

“It has been enormously meaningful to share my family story with people all over the world — especially in recent years when Holocaust revisionism and denial is increasingly rampant,” she wrote. “For me, being the grandchild of 3 Holocaust survivors is so deeply a part of my core and inspires me to be better - it’s an honor to share that with others.”

Pnina Knopf, Holocaust education chair for NCJW, said screening “The Barn” is more important than ever.

“The time is now!” Knopf said. “With antisemitism and Holocaust misinformation and denial spreading rapidly across social media platforms and in the news globally, we, along with Rachel, are seeking to combat these trends and educate all generations about survival and the Holocaust. We must teach where the dangers of hate can lead.”

To register for “The Barn” go to https://bit.ly/4a3IKCI or call the Peninsula Section office at (516) 569-3660.