The Essential Link - The Story of Wilfrid Israel
From the creators of "My Hero Brother", "Dolphin Boy" and "Picture of His Life"
Online screening and Q&A with Director Yonatan Nir
Marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day with a special screening on January 31st at 5pm EST
About the Film
2017 | 71 minutes | Language: English / German / Hebrew with English subtitles
"Never in my life have I come in contact with a being so noble and as selfless as Wilfrid Israel" - Albert Einstein
Wilfrid Israel, the owner of Berlin's largest department store and a member of one of Germany’s most prominent Jewish families at the time of Hitler’s rise to power, was one of the great saviors of Jews during the Holocaust. He helped save thousands of Jewish children through the Kindertransport operation and secured escape for hundreds of his employees and their family members from Nazi Germany, yet little is known about his personal life and heroic endeavors. Why did his story remain untold? What was there to hide?
The previously unknown story of this extraordinary man becomes very personal, as filmmaker Yonatan Nir takes us on an adventure in search of the mysterious hero and the real reasons for his disappearance from history.
Since it's premiere at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, the documentary has been screened in over 100 film festivals and organisations around the world, including Yad Vashem, the United Nations HQ in Vienna, the Holocaust Museum in Montreal and the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. The film also received the Audience Award at the Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival and New Hampshire Jewish Film Festival.
“Through your film, generations to come will be able to get to know our nation’s history and better understand where its firm roots derive from”
- Shimon Peres
A Message from Director Yonatan Nir
