ARCO Forum Presents Auschwitz Documentary

Though Germany surrendered to the Allies on May 8, 1945, European Jews were still not safe. Many, when they tried to return home, were turned away by their former neighbors. Others spent months in displaced persons camps that were often as restrictive and dirty as the German camps.

The Long Way Home, a 1997 Academy Award-winning documentary, tells the story of the Jews during the three years after the end of World War II. Tuesday night's showing of the film by the Institute of Politics attracted more than 100 students, faculty members and Cambridge residents to the ARCO Forum.

Richard Trank, producer and director of media projects at the Simon Wiesenthal Center, introduced the film.

He said the film covered an important era that few people understood.

"Many people think the gates of Auschwitz opened...and the story ends there," Trank said.

Audience members had different reasons for attending the movie showing. Some were curious about the subject matter.

"I was ignorant of this period of history and I was curious to know what happened," said Matthew Kohl, a Cambridge resident.

The movie, which has sparked controversy, also drew people who had heard about it.

"Its reputation preceded it," said Elizabeth A. Bailey, a student at the Kennedy School of Government.

The Long Way Home, which lasts an hour and a half, begins with the liberation of prisoners in Dachau.

The movie uses dairies, manuscripts and survivor's voices to show the Jewish search for acceptance.

When Jews returned to their pre-war homes, they were met with more hatred.

In one scene, a Jew sees a former neighbor, and the neighbor says to him, "You're still alive? I thought you would be a bar of soap by now."

The film describes how American officials were sent to investigate the displaced person camps, and were horrified by the conditions they saw. President Truman urged the British, who then controlled Palestine, to allow more Jews to immigrate.

Because of Arab pressure, and the need for oil, however, a homeland for the Jews remained merely a dream for three years, the film recounts.

Illegal immigration was one route that Jews took to Israel, while others worked on a diplomatic level.

More Jews were turned away from Israel and sent to detention camps. Jewish extremists stepped up their bombings of British buildings.

The movie ends with the passage of the United Nations' partition plan passed in 1947. Israel declared itself a Jewish state, and the war for Israel's independence began.

As the showing ended, the audience remained silent for a full five minutes.

"The suffering will never lose its shock," Bailey said. "It was disturbing to see even after the war how the Jews were treated."

Many in the audience thought the film was well done and accomplished its goal.

"I thought it was awesome," Kohl said. "The movie really emphasized the importance of a haven for the Jews."