The Essential Link: The Story of Wilfrid Israel (2016)
(Director: Yonatan Nir | Documentary | Israel | 2016 71 min. | Hebrew, German - w/ subtitles)
RJFF. Most of us have heard of the Kindertransport, the program that saved thousands of Jewish children during the WWII. But few have heard of a key player in its success, Wilfrid Israel, a wealthy Jewish businessman and owner of Berlin’s largest department store in the 1930s. Although Israel knew some of the 20th Century’s most influential people, including Albert Einstein, he seems to have vanished from history. Filmmaker Yonatan Nir set out to discover why, and the quest quickly became surprisingly personal. A history lesson in the shape of a mystery, THE ESSENTIAL LINK is a riveting experience.
POST-FILM Q&A with Filmmaker Ophir Baer and Kindertransport survivor Ruth Bernard. Moderated by Bonnie Abrams - Director of Center for Holocaust and Information (CHAI) of the Jewish Federation of Greater Rochester.
Generously underwritten by Israel Bonds