Holocaust Remembrance

Tuesday, January 27^th was International Holocaust Remembrance Day where our world is called on to pause, reflect and commemorate the victims of the Holocaust, which resulted in the genocide of 6 million people representing two-thirds of the European Jewish Population.

I didn’t recall this that evening when my wife and I sat down after dinner to watch a movie that had been highly recommended to us by friends, Eleanor the Great on Netflix.

It didn’t take long for me to become captivated by the story of Eleanor Morgenstein (played by June Squibb) who, after the death of her oldest friend, moves from Florida to New York City for a fresh start. Wandering into a support group for Holocaust survivors, she tells a tale that takes on a dangerous life of its own.

This movie, which is Scarlett Johansson’s directorial debut, is captivating on several levels.  It got me thinking of my own mother who, in her later years, was dealing with memory loss which resulted in our family looking for assisted living arrangements for her.  One of the other sub-themes is the grieving process that is depicted in the film from several points of view.  But the most poignant moment in the film deals with how one person chose to remember the Holocaust in a most unusual way.

If you’re not familiar with this film, I strongly encourage you to add it to your own list of films worth watching.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt30268321/