In the Shadow of Memory
In 1942, Nazi Germany destroyed an innocent Czech village—Lidice—to avenge the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich. A mastermind of Nazi genocide,Heydrich was the highest ranking Nazi successfully attacked during the war. All 192 men of the town were murdered, all women sent to Ravensbruck concentration camp, 16 children survived, 82 were gassed. German soldiers blew up all the buildings and altered the flow of a river so that the landscape would never look the same. Lidice became a symbol of Nazi barbarism.
In The Shadow of Memory is one-hour documentary film about on-going struggles of children and grandchildren of survivors to come to grips with Nazi horrors suffered by their elders. The film focuses on Jerri Zbiral, the daughter of a survivor of the Nazi destruction of the Catholic village of Lidice, Czechoslovakia. Even though Jerri was born after the war, her mother’s stories continue to have a profound effect on her life. The 50th anniversary of the Lidice massacre provides a back-drop for Jerri to speak with women who survived the ordeal, with German visitors to the memorial ceremony and with others.
In the Shadow of Memory is a compelling story that addresses emotional issues that span generations. What do we tell children about personal tragedies? How do we resolve grief, anger and long-standing hatreds? How do we communicate across ethnic barriers?
“An excellent & fascinating film about coming to grips with a horrific event; instructive on how the ways in which we remember the past impacts on present and future generations. –Leon Stein, Professor of History Roosevelt University