UNC Asheville to Host Holocaust Film Screenings and Talks;
Films to Explore Jewish Resistance Groups and Refugees

Photo credit: U.S. Holocaust Museum                       Still from "The Long Way Home"

UNC Asheville’s Center for Jewish Studies will host a pair of film screenings chronicling lesser-known aspects of the Holocaust at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31, and Tuesday, Nov. 1, in UNC Asheville’s Humanities Lecture Hall. The films will cover a variety of topics, from Jewish defiance and resistance during the Holocaust to the plight of Jewish refugees following World War II. The screenings will be followed by talks facilitated by Robert Novak, national director of development for the Simon Wiesenthal Center, an international Jewish human rights organization. Both screenings are free and open to the public.

The Academy Award-winning documentary “The Long Way Home” will be shown at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31. The film examines the years following World War II and the plight of the refugees who survived the Holocaust. The documentary combines rare archival film and stills with new interviews to tell the story of refugees’ struggle to get back to the Jewish homeland and the resistance they met from much of the world.

Acclaimed documentary “Unlikely Heroes” will be screened at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 1. The film chronicles little-known stories of Jewish resistance and individual heroism throughout the Holocaust. The documentary highlights seven men and women who exemplified the highest levels of courage and dignity during the darkest days of the Holocaust.

Following the screenings, Novak will discuss topics covered in the films and the work of the Simon Wiesenthal Center. The Simon Wiesenthal Center dedicates itself to preserving the memory of the Holocaust by fostering tolerance and understanding through community involvement, educational outreach and social action. The center confronts contemporary issues including racism, anti-Semitism, terrorism and genocide, and operates the Museum of Tolerance, founded to challenge visitors to confront bigotry and racism.

For more information, call UNC Asheville’s Center for Jewish Studies at 828/251-6576.

Media Contacts:

• Dr. Rick Chess, UNC Asheville Center for Jewish Studies director, 828/251-6576

• Jill Yarnall, UNC Asheville Public Information Assistant Director, 828/251-6526