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At the start of his moving and humane documentary, filmmaker Menachem Daum (he directed with Oren Rudavsky, who made The Last Klezmer) confesses his fear that all religions are being "hijacked" by extremists who pervert their essential message of tolerance and unity. He’s especially worried that his two sons, Talmud scholars in Israel, have withdrawn into an insular version of their faith and may heed teachings that all gentiles are evil. So he travels to Israel to speak with them, reminding them that they would not have been born had a gentile Polish farmer not hidden their maternal grandfather from the Nazis during the war. It’s the first of his journeys, as he resolves to take his sons to Poland to seek out the birthplaces of their forebears. And especially the farmer, or his descendants, who saved his father-in-law’s life. The boys scoff at their dad’s efforts to find long vanished homes in rebuilt Polish towns, but by the time they locate the spot where their grandfather was hidden and meet the bent old woman, the farmer’s daughter, who brought him food, their laughter turns to tears. Perhaps a lesson has been learned. If nothing else, a long-forgotten act of heroism and compassion has been remembered and belatedly honored by the Israeli "Righteous Among Nations" award. Honored also by a film that reflects the simplicity, wisdom, and modesty of its maker. In English, Hebrew, Yiddish, and Polish with English subtitles. (85 minutes)
BY PETER KEOUGH
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