The U.S. and the Holocaust

As Episode 1 of "The US and the Holocaust" (2022 release; 3 episodes of about 125 min each) opens, we are in 1933 and a certain Mr. Frank has just bought a brand new 16 mm camera to film some family scenes in Frankfurt. We also get a picture of that family, the husband and wife and their two daughters, the youngest one being... Anna Frank. At this point we are 5 min into Episode 1.

Couple of comments: this is the latest documentary from the Ken Burns factory, co-directed by Ken Burns, Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein. Here they examine the complicated history of the US towards Jews. Not that this was the first time, as one of the talking heads reminds us that before this, there was the genocide of the native Americans and the forced importation of black people from Africa. But we divert... In excruciating detail, we are reminded how in the 1930s the US was an isolated country not very interested in the rest of the world, let alone the pending refugee drama and later genocide in Europe following the Nazi's ascent to power in Germany in 1933 that was quickly followed by more and more restrictions on Jews in Germany and elsewhere. The US State Department was openly and unapologetically anti-semitic, as were large segments of the US population, much to the chagrin of FDR. We are reminded along the way that there were dozens of pro-Nazi organizations in the US at that time, and that the US happily chose to participate in the 1936 winter and summer Olympics, which were all but major Nazi propaganda events. Meanwhile things get worse and worse for Jews in Germany, leading to "kristalnacht" in 1938...

Episode 1 premiered on PBS last night and is now available on PBS On Demand. The remaining 2 episodes will air on PBS tomorrow (Tue) and Wednesday. Can't wait to see how it plays out, and to what extent today's parallel ("Jews will not replace us"! Charlottesville 2017) frightening extreme right climate will be included (if at all). If you have any interest in US history including its troubled race relations with Jews, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

*UPDATE 9/23/22* I've now seen all 3 episodes, and this documentary series makes for overall very sobering viewing. In Episode 2 we are reminded of the damage done by isolationists like Charles Lindbergh and US Senator Reynolds, who wants to build a wall on US borders "so tall that it will keep out everyone" (no, really, that is a statement from Reynolds made in 1941). The archive footage of the Warsaw ghetto and the Nazi's killing camps will make you sick. At the tail end of Episode 3, we are reminded that yes, it can happen again, as we get the infamous footage of the White supremacists in Charlottesville in 2017 but also of the mass shooting at the Pittsburgh synagogue.in 2018. This documentary series should be required viewing for all HS and college students.

This film presents an interesting take on Jewish immigration during World War Two. Ken Burns et al do a good job of giving us the backstory of how FDR's administration approached the situation and the constant barrage of anti semitic forces working to keep the United States out of the war for as long as possible. The documentary is raw, graphic , and in your face but people need to see this to realize that life is precious. Man's hatred and cruelty knows no bounds but if we are reminded of it by films such as these, hopefully we can keep ourselves in check to try never to repeat this type of heinous cruelty.

Yes, it's another in-depth, detailed history from Ken Burns and crew.

But having each episode over 2 hours long really drags out. I watched it bite sized chunks and also found myself fast-forwarding at times. Peter Coyote's narration also drones on.

The narration outline, especially in the first episode, parallels immigration issues the USA is having today. Not sure if this emphasis was intentional or as the saying goes, "nothing ever changes."

There are a lot of still photos and videos, taken by the German soldiers, that will likely be new to anyone viewing the documentary.

The testimony from Eva Geiringer in episode 3 about camp conditions will turn your stomach.

Perhaps it's because, unlike others like Lanzmann, Resnais, Spielberg, et al., Ken Burns and his crew of expert documentarians come to the subject with all their finely-tuned skills in presenting important historical events, this is, for me, the most powerful, and upsetting rendering of the subject I have ever seen. Although the subject is, ostensibly, the role the United States played--or did not play--in dealing with the murder of millions of innocent civilians merely because they were Jewish, what I found most impressive was the focus on the transformation of ordinary, often happy lives throughout Europe into a brutal, horrifying nightmare. As one of the interviewees puts it, the emphasis on the death-camps, while certainly justified, tends to overlook the everyday brutality of innocent men, women and, equally, children being routinely and heartlessly ostracized by their "friends," humiliated, beaten, thrown from the rooftops of building, burnt, and, if lucky, merely shot.

It's very hard to talk about this film, but one must acknowledge the great achievement of these filmmakers.

The program for some reason left out the importance of Margaret Sanger and the left democratic eugenics motivating the 3rd Reich for the final solution and holocaust. The idea was hatched and implemented in the US before trips to Germany spread our filth to them. And where were the righteous voices coming to the aid of innocents? They are complicit for now stopping this satanic philosophy that still can be heard in Georgia governor candidate this week. Great job producers and team, wow! Should be required in every high school social studies class. NEVER REPEAT IT IN ANY FORM! The research super!