Features
New movie tells story of Joseph Bau, whose dramatization of his marriage in Plazow concentration camp to his wife Rebecca was an unforgettable scene in the movie “Schindler’s List”
By MARTIN ZEILIG A new movie, to be released this coming September, tells the incredible story of Joseph Bau, a Holocaust survivor, master forger, animator, and artist whose own illustrated memoir, Dear God, Have You Ever Gone Hungry? was published in 1998 (Arcade Publishing 1998; Shlomo Yurman, translator).
In that book, Joseph Bau (who lived from 1920-2002) shares his experiences during World War II, including his time spent in various concentration camps. The book also tells of his marriage to his fellow inmate, Rebecca Tennenbaum , within the infamous Plaszow concentration camp.
The scene of the secret marriage ceremony between Joseph and Rebecca (who lived from 1919-1987) on February 14, 1943 was famously dramatized in a short, but poignant scene, in Steven Spielberg’s Academy Award-winning movie, “Schindler’s List.”
A gripping new movie, “Bau, Artist at War” (produced by Deborah Smerecnik, Sean McNamara, David Brookwell, Marc and Michelle Griffith; and distributed by Paramount), is based in large part on Joseph Bau’s memoir. The film was written by Deborah Smerecnik, Ron Bass, and Sonia Kifferstein.
Directed with great skill by award-winning director Sean McNamara and featuring stellar performances by Emile Hirsch (who appeared in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”) as the protagonist, and Inbar Lavi (who appeared in the Israeli television series “Fauda” and the U.S. television series “Imposters”) as Rebecca, the movie is a combination love story and espionage tale that deserves attention in an era, as one commentator has said, “where survivors are fading away, and the Holocaust is slipping from memory.”
It’s also a story about resistance during the Holocaust.
“Because of the understandable need to see light in this dark period, the word ‘resistance’ has been stretched to cover all manner of cultural expression: lectures, reading and discussion circles, theatrical presentations, musical concerts, and even the struggle to maintain one’s moral and spiritual integrity, one’s very humanity, have all been held up as acts of resistance,” Dr. Lionel Steiman, a retired professor of history at the University of Manitoba, has written.
The film depicts how years after the war and, despite his reluctance at first, Jospeh was called upon to be a key witness in the trial of the brutal Nazi officer Franz Gruen, portrayed with frightening intensity by Yan Tual. Gruen had tortured Bau in Plaszow and had killed his father before Joseph’s eyes. Joseph Bau is thrust back into vivid memories of suffering and loss.
But, Bau is no longer the victim. The climactic court scene is a testament to the seamless combination of intelligent scripting, skillful direction and brilliant acting.
“Franz Gruen was finally convicted for his crimes against humanity and lived out the rest of his days in prison,” says information that appears on screen at the film’s conclusion.
“In Joseph’s work for the resistance, in both the ghetto and in Plaszow, Joseph saved close to one thousand prisoners. Rebecca also helped to save numerous members of the Resistance in Plaszow by risking her life as a spy in Goethe’s office. After the war, she testified at six Nazi court hearings, where she was essential in garnering justice for the Holocaust victims.
“Rebecca continued her work as an aesthetician, through which she helped survivors heal emotionally. She encouraged her clients to share their pain with her in the safety and privacy of her home.
“When Israel became a nation, Joseph left a lucrative graphic design career in Poland, and he and Rebecca ‘went home’ to Israel in 1950. Joseph continued his artistic pursuits, opening the first animation studio in Israel. He is often referred to as the Walt Disney of Israel.
“After the Holocaust, he continued his efforts on behalf of the Jewish people by becoming the lead forger for the Mossad, the Israel intelligence agency. Joseph forged I.D. documents for many of Israel’s heroes, such as Six Day War spy Eli Cohen, and the men who captured the Nazi Colonel Adolf Eichmann in Argentina. Both Joseph and Rebecca left behind an international legacy of selflessness, happiness, laughter and love.”
Josef and Rebecca Bau were also among those honoured by the B’nai B’rith World Center in Jerusalem and the Committee to Recognize the Heroism of Jewish Rescuers during the Holocaust during a Zoom meeting on Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes Remembrance Day (Yom Hashoah, Tuesday, April 21, 2020) “to extol the heroism of some 20 Jews who endangered themselves during the Holocaust to rescue fellow Jews,” noted an article in The Jewish Post & News that was published a few days after the ceremony.
“Bau, Artist at War” is a testament to the supremacy of love, perseverance, defiance and even humor during the worst of times. It’s a life affirming message.
Five stars.
The official theatrical release date will be in September 2024. A trailer of “Bau, Artist at War” is available on the IMDB website.
Co-producer and writer Ms. Smerecnik was the primary investor in the film.
“I’ve been working on it for almost fifteen years,” she said during an interview on May 12.
She also mentioned that she first met Joseph and Rebecca Bau’s daughters, Hadasa and Clilia Bau, who operate the Bau Museum in Israel, in 2009.
“We appreciate the limited release (into 50 theatres in the U.S. and possibly internationally) Paramount will be undertaking. But, we’re looking for a wider release of the movie,” she said.
She added that investors are required to help support that hoped-for wider release. Any investors will get 120 percent of their investment returned, Ms. Smerecnik said.
“They are the first to be paid back from the investor pool,” she said.
“As well, they will be listed as executive producer.”
Ms. Smerecnik can be contacted at the email address: dbsmer@gmail.com
Features
James Gershfield’s new book a paean to his illustrious father
By MYRON LOVE About 25 years ago (or so), I took a class given by Rabbi Allan Green, then still the rabbi at the Beth Israel Synagogue – delving into the meaning of the opening prayers that are recited daily during the morning service. It was one of the more interesting classes that I have taken. Regrettably, he didn’t follow up with more classes exploring the origins and meaning of the prayers we recite in shul.
After reading James Gershfield’s new biography of his father, the late Rabbi Rabbi Edward M. Gershfield, who passed away in 2019 at the age of 86, and his passion for the meanings of words and prayers, I think I would have enjoyed studying with him.
James Gershfield’s “Rabbi Scholar Father Friend: The Life, Thought, Humor, and Wisdom of Rabbi Edward M. Gershfield” is, in a sense, a sequel to “Rainy River Girl,” a memoir of his mother, Toby Gershfield, co-written and published by her son – a former computer software developer who decided a couple of years ago to change direction and founded Scribal Scion Publishing LLC, a small publishing company dedicated to publishing – under the Scribal Scion imprint – Jewish books that inspire and comfort.
As reported a few weeks back in the pages of the Jewish Post, “Rainy River Girl” is the story of Toby Gershfield’s early years growing up in the small southwestern Ontario community where her father Dr. Nathan Helman served as the town dentist. Her mother, Sophie, was the daughter of the esteemed Rabbi Israel Kahanovitch – Western Canada’s foremost rabbi in the interwar years and beyond.
While “Rabbi Scholar Father Friend” does have aspects of a biography – largely in the opening and closing chapters – the 180 page book is more an ode to a beloved and illustrious father.
In his short introduction to “Rabbi Scholar Father Friend”, Gershfield observes that “every person is unique, which is a ‘truism,’ as my late father would say. However, some people have a very unusual combination of personal strengths, knowledge, insights and personality that make it worthwhile to get to know them and their life stories”.
He notes that his father combined a variety of qualities that made the elder Gershfield’s life, thought, humour, and wisdom worth studying. His father, he writes, “was a rabbi, a scholar, a father, and a friend. He was also a beloved teacher, an innovative thinker, a gifted orator, a respected adviser to other rabbis, an expert on comparative Jewish and Roman law, a beautiful singer of Jewish prayers, and a talented Hebrew scribe who administered and wrote many Jewish divorce documents, known as Gittin.”
Ed Gershfield was born and grew up in Winnipeg. “Rabbi Scholar Father Friend” chronicles his early years here. The future rabbi actually had a largely secular education – having attended Machray Elementary School and St John’s.
While he did attend synagogue – the Tiferes Israel (aka the Mezhiricher shul) regularly with his father, it was at Talmud Torah (evening school) that his love of Judaism was inculcated. The most important influences were his cheder teacher Mr. Klein and Rabbi Avraham Kravetz, the school’s principal. It was Rabbi Kravetz who recognized promise in the young Gershfield and encouraged him to consider the rabbinical life.
Rabbi Kravetz encouraged his young protégé to enrol in the Jewish Theological Seminary with the idea that, according to James Gershfield, after he received his ordination he would return to Winnipeg to lead a new Jewish Studies Department that Rabbi Kravetz was hoping to establish at the University of Manitoba. When that didn’t materialize, the newly ordained Rabbi Gershfield decided to remain in Manhattan.
Although he did serve as a congregational rabbi for a couple of years early in his career – and again in the early 1980s, his true passions was for teaching and scholarship. In addition to his study at the JTS, he earned an MA in Latin from Columbia University and a PhDl in the study of Jewish law, as compared to Roman Law.
He was one of America’s pre-eminent experts in the field. He also became a specialist in granting Jewish divorces (gittin). His son devotes entire chapters to the subject of gittin and his father’s study of Roman law.
Readers, I am sure, will also enjoy Rabbi Gershfield’s thoughts on Jews and Judaism, examples of his words and wisdom and humour, some of his stories and his analyses of the meanings of some Hebrew words, expressions and prayers in the siddur.
“This book was written from my perspective as his son,” writes James Gershfield, “and is based on both my personal experiences and the knowledge that I have gained about his life from people who knew him, and from his writings and audio recordings.
“Once my father turned 80 years old, I felt that there were many times in my life when I had not paid enough attention to what he was saying, and I was sure that there were many things that he said that I didn’t remember. So, I made an extra effort during the next several years to listen carefully to any stories that he would tell, and to write them down so that I could remember them and preserve them. Many of those stories and thoughts are in this book.”
Rabbi Gershfield passed away in 2019 at the age of 86.
“While I worked as a software engineer for over forty years,” notes James in the book, “I gradually came to understand that you don’t need to be a pulpit rabbi to have a strong connection to Judaism and Jewish learning. As I got older, I gradually figured out a way to connect with my father in a way that we could both understand each other. That is the intended meaning behind the title of this book: “Rabbi Scholar Father Friend”. My relationship with him developed over time from him being my rabbi, which never changed, to a scholar, to my father and finally to being my friend.”
“Rabbi Scholar Father Friend” is available in both paperback and hard cover on Amazon.
Features
What Are the Dos and Don’ts of Online Trading?
Dos and don’ts of online trading, things to keep in mind when looking at an online brokerage account and how to keep your information safe from fraud.
Trading online can be a very beneficial way to grow your wealth, and it can be much more efficient and easy than traditional trading. There are several things that you should keep in mind if you choose to trade this way, however. You shouldn’t simply dive into online brokerage sites without knowing the rules.
In the following sections, we will review the dos and don’ts of online trading, to give you a better grounding to get started on. When you find a reliable site, you may be lucky enough to get one that offers a no deposit bonus Forex to help you get started.
Dos of online trading
When you trade online, there are certain things that you should always do. These include the following:
- Keep an eye out for “assured” returns. Everyone wants to make a lot of money and do so quickly. However, you should beware of sites that offer you assured returns, because this isn’t the way that the market really works. To grow your wealth takes time and effort, and consistently watching the market over a longer period. Therefore, anything that looks overly flashy or too good to be true should be avoided.
- Make a concerted effort to review and adjust your account regularly. You should take the time to review your trading account on a monthly or quarterly basis for several reasons. It will help you keep track of your funds and securities. It will also help ensure that all of your transactions are legitimate and that there haven’t been hacking attempts on your account. And it will help ensure that there are no idle funds or securities that have remained and should be eliminated.
- Keep your broker informed of any changes. If you see any anomalies or suspicious looking activity in your account history, you should immediately notify your broker. The longer problems exist, the bigger they can become. Also, you should always keep your contact details up to date so that representatives can reach you if necessary. This should include an email and mobile number.
- Choose to settle your accounts as often as possible. When you choose the frequency of receiving your account statements, you should be sure to choose 90 days or less. This will help ensure that you are on top of your account changes, and it is also the official policy of many exchanges.
- Make sure that your funds payouts are received into the bank account with which you registered on the site. Exchanges work via bank accounts that match information provided on the corresponding brokerage sites. Any unrelated bank information could cause issues with the site.
Don’ts of trading
What you should avoid doing with regard to online trading is just as important as what you should do. Therefore, keep the following don’ts in mind when you trade online:
- Never transact with unfamiliar brokers. When you choose an online broker, be sure to make sure that it is registered with the SEC and is properly regulated. Unregistered brokers do not have to follow official rules of transparency, data storage, and banking, and you could be risking your money if you trade on them.
- Don’t ignore any type of communication that you might receive from the exchange. When people receive frequent messages from their exchanges – many of which are simply updates or general information – they tend to ignore messages that might be critical to their accounts. Therefore, you should always at least look through messages to make sure your account is in good shape.
- Don’t share your banking information with anyone. When you find a secure exchange site, you will have to enter your banking information in order to receive payouts. However, you should never share this information with anyone outside the site, which should be encrypted and ensure the security of your information. Also be sure never to share your password or login information.
- Don’t transfer any funds to people that are not designated to receive them. Even if you are sending to someone that you know and trust, exposing this information can leave you open to hackers, and you could end up getting your account information compromised.
- Don’t follow investment advice that doesn’t come from an official or objectively trustworthy source. There are many TV and Internet ads, social media sites, and other sources of false and misleading information out there. When you hear about a company, be sure to do independent research on it to make sure that it is reliable before getting involved.
Conclusion
Online trading is making a huge difference in people’s ability to grow their wealth, and do so more efficiently, comfortably, and successfully than ever before. But you should be careful to do it in the right way to make sure that you maximize your profits and avoid falling victim to fraud.
Features
The Risks of Playing Live Roulette Online in Canada
When it comes to playing online, everyone can have a lot of fun. However, at the same time, everyone can experience different issues while trying to have fun with live roulette in Canada. Of course, it’s not the only game that poses such risks, as other gambling games online are also not always secure due to a number of different reasons. In this article, we would like to take a look at the most often discussed risks associated with not only playing live roulette online but also overall attempting to gamble online.
Security Risks
The most important thing is to focus on using only secure gambling platforms. It’s especially important while playing live roulette online, as the player needs to be sure that his personal and financial information are properly secured. Otherwise, hackers could use that knowledge to their advantage, and that’s something nobody wants. Luckily, Canada requires online casinos to meet strict security protocols, but it is still advised to be cautious of new platforms.
| Security measure | Description |
| License | A casino should be properly regulated and licensed |
| Certificates | Inclusion of such trust seals as iTechLabs or eCOGRA ensures a high level of security |
| Encryption | Use of SSL and TSL vastly improves protection of user’s financial and private data |
The Problem of Addiction
The moment we decide to take part in live roulette online, we need to remember that it can lead to developing the problem of addiction. However, if the player is sensible about his gameplay and knows that gambling is only a way of having fun, instead of making money, it should not pose a significant risk. Still, there are a lot of different casino games, including roulette variants, that are not only fast-paced but also immersive. Due to that, for some players it may be easy to lose track of their finances as well as the time. To avoid impulsive decisions, set a budget before attempting to gamble and stick to it no matter what.
Unregulated Platforms
Most casinos that offer online roulette Canada are worth your time and are properly secured, so you won’t experience any problems with them. However, there’s a certain number of gambling platforms that aren’t really trustworthy. They may operate without using a license or do not comply with the rules of a particular jurisdiction. You should always consider such a situation to be a red flag and immediately resign from attempting to play in this kind of casino. Rogue gambling platform may not only rig games, but also withhold your winnings or deliver weak player data protection. Always check the license to avoid such problems.
Technical Problems
Live roulette online is a fun game, but it requires a stable internet connection coupled with well-functioning software to operate effortlessly. Games that aren’t designed well are going to have such problems as glitches or delays in streaming. This is unacceptable as players’ gameplay cannot be disturbed in any way, as it leads to frustration, especially when real money is at stake. In order to ensure lack of technical issues, make sure that you use a licensed casino that is recommended by experts and also have a stable internet connection to avoid unnecessary difficulties on your side.
Unclear Bonus Terms
There are a lot of different promos and bonuses in online casinos that only seem to be worth the money and time of the players. In reality, bonuses include a lot of different requirements, aside from the wager, and the player needs to be properly informed about all of them. Otherwise, it’s impossible to properly assess if a given bonus is actually worth trying. A casino should provide all the necessary information about game, time, wager and win limits when offering a particular bonus. If there are any hidden details by the platform, it means that the casino is simply not trustworthy in this regard.
Financial Risks
At the end, it’s necessary to highlight the financial risks associated with playing live roulette online. Due to the fact that this kind of gambling game cannot be played in a demo version, the player should always remember to properly prepare for a gaming session. Due to the fact that roulette is a game of chance, it’s possible to lose a lot of money quickly, even if you are a seasoned player.
Due to that, it’s best to set a particular budget before starting a game and divide it into a given number of bets. Canadian players should always remember about approaching live roulette online in accordance with responsible gambling rules. Do not gamble more money than you can afford to lose. In case you want to have a stricter control of your actions, use limits provided by casinos or decide to use the self-exclusion option if things go too far.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login