The Holocaust Documentary Educational
Resource for Teachers & Students and Versions for Institutions
Holocaust Film The Absence – Synopsis
The Holocaust documentary film for education, The Absence – La Ausencia, is the complete history of The Holocaust as well as the events that lead to it, featuring the Holocaust survivors’ stories through their testimonies, the historical context of why it occurred, and how The Final Solution was implemented, the most relevant archival footage, re-enacted scenes, and a message to humankind.
The Absence presents the historical context of The Holocaust, featuring the survivors from the majority of countries in which it took place. This Documentary Film encompasses a historical narration of the Holocaust. It foretells the causes and the events during World War II that lead to the systematic destruction of the European Jewry as well as other minorities victimized by the Nazis.
The Absence Holocaust Film describes how The Final Solution was implemented through re-enacted scenes of the Mass Graves, Death Trucks, Death Camps, and Labor Camps. It presents a meticulously researched recreation of Belzec, Sobibor, and Treblinka, where no one was expected to survive.
The Absence is a Holocaust movie enriched with revealing archival footage obtained from the most relevant sources of the world. Artistic illustrations with musical and theatrical scenes bring messages throughout the film in which present and past are intertwined, contrasting liberty vs. captivity. The Absence is a historical legacy for present and future generations. It presents The Holocaust in a global context, with lessons that embrace humankind in its desire to strive for liberty and peace.
Holocaust Film The Absence - History
The Absence Holocaust Film was conceived when survivors met at the Yad Vashem Venezuelan Committee and opened their old wounds with heartbreaking accounts of their experiences.
The oldest, Regina Hirshorn, brought a well-kept letter from her son, written at age 10, stating:
“This beautiful world is not for me…for me, they prepare trains that take me to my death in Belzec.”
Judy Rodan, an orphan whose entire family was murdered in Auschwitz, listened to their stories. She related them to her daughter Lizbeth, who envisioned La Ausencia as it came to be.
From then on, filmmakers, artists, and intellectuals worked pro bono in order for the Documentary Film For Education non-profit project to come true. Fifty college students interviewed survivors at their homes.
The recreated scenes in this Holocaust movie are enacted by 300 women and children, men, young and old, from the community, who revived what occurred to their ancestors as part of the educational project. The artistic and musical illustrations are performed by 400 children from schools of diverse cultures and ethnicities. The Absence is a historical legacy in which students will participate by learning about The Holocaust with their teachers and will preserve the message of the survivors to the benefit of the world in peace.
Yad Vashem Venezuelan Committee:
David Yisrael, President
Trudy Spira, Annie Reinfeld, Françoise Zitzer, Jose Libfeld, Dr. Benek Jelinowski, José Pardo, Judy Rodan
Research Committee: Elia Schneider, Sonia Chocrón, Janoj Labovitz, Goldy Ysrael, Luis Rodan
Intellectuals Advisers: Rab. Pinchas Brener, Mariane Becker, Bernardo Kliksberg, Mario Nassi, Juan Nuño, Carlos Gueron
The Absence – La Ausencia is forever grateful to the Yad Vashem Venezuelan Committee who promoted this project, the sponsors who financed its realization, the filmmakers, artist, and musicians who contributed pro bonno, the hundreds of children from diverse schools as well as communities of Venezuela that participated in the film. We solemnly thank the Survivors of The Holocaust for their Legacy to the present and future generations.
Diffusion Directors The Absence – La Ausencia
Argentina – Sandra Goldstein
Australia – Steven Rodan
California – Anne Reisman
Canada – Natalie Schonfeld
Israel – Susana Zinn
Mexico – Becky Shefer
Mexico – Aaron Gilbert
Florida – Lizbeth Schonfeld
New York – Marilyn Rodan
Spain – Noemi Zafrani
Texas – Maria Christina Jarmillo
Venezuela – Judy Rodan
Creative Team
Script, Production, Direction
Lizbeth Schonfeld
Filming Directors
Rolando Loewenstein & Eitan Steinmetz
Artists
Soledad Bravo, Karina, Ilan Chester, Vivian Fulop, & Pedro Stern
Narrators
Eva Gutierrez & Porfirio Torrres
Promoter
Comite Venezolano Yad Vashem
