Hong Kong Jewish Film Festival – school screenings

The HKHTC were delighted to take the film No Place On Earth around 9 schools in Hong Kong.

This film, chronicles the survival story of 38 Jewish men, women and children who survived for 511 days, longer than anyone in recorded history, hiding from the Nazis in underground caves in Ukraine.

This film is a remarkable testament to their will to survive and is a powerful educational tool for those wishing to educate students about the Holocaust.

We ran Q and A sessions with pupils after the screenings to enhance the educational impact of the film.

Dr Alan Rosen earned his PhD in literature and religion at Boston University where he studied under the supervision of renowned Holocaust survivor, Nobel Peace Prize winner, and Founding Chairman of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, Elie Wiesel.

Dr Rosen gave a captivating seminar using three texts written during the Holocaust, to discuss literature and the terrible events occurring during this period.

Click here for a Jewish Times Asia article about the event

The theme of this years Yom HaShoah ceremony was ‘Maintaining Humanity’ In collaboration with the Tsofim of Hong Kong, we held our annual ceremony at the Jewish Community Centre, using music, poetry and readings to commemorate special people who are remembered for their acts of bravery, humanity and courage during the Holocaust.

We also welcomed Joanna Millan, child Holocaust survivor who spoke about her experiences as a child survivor of Theresienstadt and about her journey of discovering her roots and family history.

In April we were delighted to host Joanna Millan from London, on a speaking tour of Hong Kong schools. Joanna talked to over 1800 pupils at 13 different schools about her experiences as a child survivor from Theresienstadt concentration camp.

The pupils and teachers were captivated by her primary source material and for many it was their first introduction to the Holocaust.

Joanna also spoke at the jewish Communities Yom HaShoah event as well as to a Church based group.

The Hong Kong Holocaust and Tolerance Centre collaborated on two public screenings of Claude Lanzmann’s monumental testament to The Holocaust, the film Shoah, as part of the Hong Kong International Film Festival. The screenings were introduced by HKHTC’s Chair, Jeremy Amias, and followed by a discussion with professor Glenn Timmermans of Macau University.

HKHTC Board member, Silvain Gilbert, has been active all year going to schools in Hong Kong to tell pupils about his experiences as a hidden child, during the Holocaust. Children have been captivated by his story and primary source information about the Holocaust and for many it stimulated further enquiries and study.