The Last Stage, Pioneering Polish Film, to Mark 75th Anniversary of Liberation of Auschwitz.

Hollywood Temple Beth El, in conjunction with the Consulate General of Poland-Los Angeles, the Polish Film Festival of Los Angeles, and Jewish Renewal in Poland, is screening the historic Polish film, The Last Stage, to mark the 75th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz on United Nations Holocaust Remembrance Day, Monday, January 27, at 7:00 PM.
This is a landmark film, the first feature film after the Holocaust, directed by a woman, Wanda Jakubowska, herself a former inmate at Auschwitz, and acted by former prisoners; it was based on the actual account of Mala Zimetbaum, who was executed at Auschwitz. This was a cinematic first in many ways, notable for the director’s struggle with her Communist Party supervisors to emphasize the Jewish victims. Many Holocaust films, such as Spielberg’s Schindler’s List, were influenced by her pioneering work. Jakubowska has been called “the grandmother of Polish cinema.”
There will be a panel discussion following the film, with Consul General of the Republic of Poland, Jaroslaw Łasiński, Rabbi Haim Dov Beliak, who is involved with the revitalization of Jewish life in Poland through his work with Beit Polska-Jewish Renewal in Poland, and Ms. Elizabeth Kanski, President of the Polish Film Festival of Los Angeles. Rabbi Norbert Weinberg of Hollywood Temple Beth El, himself author of a Holocaust -era history, will moderate the discussion.
There will be an admission fee of $12 to help defray expenses and make this historic screening possible; donations to further our efforts are welcome. Tickets and donations can be handled online at https://laststage.brownpapertickets.com or through the Temple office by calling 323-656-3150.

Hollywood Temple Beth El is located at 1317 N. Crescent Heights Blvd, West Hollywood.