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Reckonings-Film presented at Sarasota Jewish Film Festival

Featured21mar3:00 pmReckonings-Film presented at Sarasota Jewish Film FestivalTemple Imanu, 151 Mcintosh Rd., Sarasota3:00 pm AreaSarasotaTypeFestival,Film,Fundraising EventCostVirtual Pass - All 14 Films $180.00, This event- $15

Event Details

What happened to survivors of the Holocaust was complex and nowhere near resolved as individuals all over the world and the State of Israel continue to negotiate reparations with Germany. But the whole concept of settlement payments has been hugely controversial for Jewish groups who cannot place a financial sum on the moral magnitude of Jewish persecution and annihilation. Roberta Grossman’s 75-minute documentary Reckonings explores the immediate aftermath of the Second World War and how the conversation about reparations first began.

Germany’s willingness to engage in discussions about responsibility for the Holocaust and to confront its actions as a nation is one of the most interesting aspects of its Post-war history. Reckonings actively admire this, charting the process first for Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, from public statements within Germany through to the signing of the first Luxemburg Agreements with Israel and the Claims Conference while explaining the nervousness of Jewish representatives as they pushed this, already controversial, agreement to its conclusion.

The focus in Reckonings is on the debate over whether restitution was ever possible and Grossman clearly presents the two strands of negotiation; first the larger claim made by Israel, for the establishment of the state following the influence of displaced refugees and survivors in the late 1940s, and the individual claims managed by the Claims Conference seeking compensation for stolen property and goods taken by the Nazis. On the whole, that division is well managed by the documentary, and the complex negotiation over many days in the conference room is clear – sometimes with dramatic reconstruction and at others with letters or official records underscoring an experience in which two Jewish organizations met separately with the German delegation as well as with each other to ensure voices were well represented.

The film is also very clear on the context of the European conference, repeatedly referencing the horrors of the Holocaust itself in original footage and photographs as a reminder of the scale of the discussions. It also examines the debt negotiations being conducted simultaneously in London as Germany was pressed to pay for damages to British and American property. But the film’s most important contribution is to record the testimony of Holocaust survivors who received reparations as well those who formed part of the delegations to understand the moral challenges of accepting a settlement and the, often very positive, use they put it to, including paying for their education.

Reckonings is occasionally confusing in its reference to individuals representing the Jewish groups, particularly cutting from photographs to an actor portraying them, and there is too little time to really understand who they all were and the different roles they played with any clarity. Yet, the film does emphasize the ongoing discussion of reparations to which Germany continues to attend, and why this is a continuing conversation. Forgiveness is more complicated, something many in the film both in the 1950s and today think will never come. Germany, at least, seems to have made its peace with that.

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Time

March 21, 2023 3:00 pm

Location

Temple Imanu, 151 Mcintosh Rd., Sarasota

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Organizer

Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee

The Federation focuses its attention on three areas: 1) Preserving the Jewish heritage through cultural, educational and social programming. 2) Providing help for those in need by bringing sustenance, shelter, help and empowerment to the most vulnerable and disadvantaged members of the community. 3) Protecting the people of Israel and countries around the world by connecting our local community with Jews worldwide and funding human service and educational programs in 60+ countries. Our Facebook Page Policy: Our Facebook page is a place to communicate on topics related to our organization and community. It is our home on Facebook, and while we value an open exchange of ideas, we do maintain a few guidelines to make sure that we are able to assist people with questions and issues quickly and efficiently. We reserve the right to delete or mark as spam any and all comments that are not topical, are abusive, or repetitive. We also have the right to block access to any one from posting to this Facebook Page. Specifically: • While this is an open forum, it’s also a family friendly one, so please keep your comments and wall posts clean and respectful. In addition to keeping it family friendly, we ask that you follow our posting guidelines here. If you don’t comply, your message will be removed. • We will not allow personal attacks or vulgar, abusive, offensive, threatening or harassing images and/or language. This includes creative spellings of swear words using asterisks or spaces between words. • We will not allow comments that promote, foster or perpetuate discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, age, religion, gender, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, national origin, physical or mental disability or sexual orientation. • We will not allow comments that contain sexual content or links to sexual content. • We will not allow comments that promote or advertise a person or a business or commercial transaction. • We will not allow the same content to be posted multiple times. Any subsequent posting of substantially identical information will be deleted, and the person posting it may be banned. • We will not allow comments that promote or oppose any political cause, advocacy, or campaign. This is a business page, and any such posts will be deleted, and the person posting it may be banned. • We will not allow comments or posts that disclose personal information. • You participate at your own risk, taking personal responsibility for your comments, your username and any information provided. Opinions expressed in public comments do not necessarily reflect official positions of the organization. Any information posted here is considered public information and may be subject to monitoring, moderation or disclosure to third parties.

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Cost

Virtual Pass – All 14 Films $180.00, This event- $15