Special screening to be held of ‘The Last Survivors – Echoes from the Holocaust’

The Survivor Mitzvah Project and Jewish Collaborative of San Diego are presenting a special screening of the documentary feature “The Last Survivors – Echoes from the Holocaust” in commemoration of Kristallnacht at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 9, at Jewish Collaborative of San Diego in Carlsbad.

The screening will be followed by a discussion of the film by filmmaker Zane Buzby, the founder of The Survivor Mitzvah Project. Buzby is an award-winning humanitarian, honored as a CNN Hero and the recipient of the Anti-Defamation League’s 2017 Deborah Award.

Kristallnacht, Nov. 9, 1938, the “Night of Broken Glass,” is widely regarded as the start of the Holocaust. Kristallnacht commemorations serve as an important reminder against the dangers of racism and intolerance in today’s world.

It has been 80 years since the Nazis decimated communities in an organized night of destruction and death. Over 25,000 innocent people were forced into prisons and concentration camps. As the world stood by, the horror escalated as millions were eventually slaughtered. The impact of Kristallnacht is still felt today. Those that survived the Holocaust have spent a lifetime of hardship: battling poverty, illness and neglect. The Survivor Mitzvah Project brings emergency aid to Holocaust survivors in Eastern Europe who are still suffering from the results of that fateful night, Nov. 9, 1938.

“The Last Survivors – Echoes from the Holocaust” is the compelling story of the last remaining survivors in Eastern Europe and the heroic efforts of Zane Buzby and The Survivor Mitzvah Project to bring aid to over 2,400 survivors in nine countries who are ill, isolated, alone, and in need of food, medicine, heat, and shelter.

Recorded live at The Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, the film takes viewers on a journey into the lives of these forgotten heroes who fought as Partisans in the forests, survived concentration camps, ghettos, and the brutal massacres of their families. Their stories of loss and perseverance are told through powerful performances by an award-winning cast, including Edward Asner, Elliott Gould, Frances Fisher, Valerie Harper, Lainie Kazan, and Alan Rosenberg.

Buzby has directed/produced over 200 episodes of network television including such hit comedies as “The Golden Girls,” “Newhart,” and “Married… With Children.” She has produced/directed TV series and pilots for CBS, NBC, ABC, HBO, FOX, Columbia, Warner Bros., Universal, Disney, Comedy Central, and Paramount.

Buzby’s life took a dramatic turn during a “roots” trip to Eastern Europe. Along the back roads of Lithuania and Belarus, she connected with Holocaust survivors living in poverty. Expanding her search for other survivors in dire need, these initial aid efforts served as the catalyst for the creation of the award-winning Survivor Mitzvah Project, the 501c3 non-profit public charity she founded.

The Nov. 9 screening is presented by The Survivor Mitzvah Project in conjunction with Jewish Collaborative of San Diego. The Survivor Mitzvah Project’s mission is to provide emergency aid to the last survivors of the Holocaust, who are in desperate need. Led by Rabbi Gabi Arad, Jewish Collaborative of San Diego’s vision is to build, nourish and sustain a vibrant, multifaceted Jewish community as a model for 21st century Jewish Life; Pam Beimel and David Berke are serving as the two lead chairs of this special Kristallnacht program.

Admission is free with a reservation, which can be made on line at jcoprograms@gmail.com. Seating is limited, so reserve your seats today. The Jewish Collaborative of San Diego is located at 7805 Centella Street, Carlsbad, 92009.