At the Movies: The U.S. and the Holocaust by Ken Burns, Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein

A documentary examines how what the U.S. did — and did not do — helped shape the Holocaust. Three documentarians, including the famous Ken Burns, realized that a retelling of the persecution of European Jews was be just as essential to their film as detailing the xenophobia, racism and political decisions that made American inaction toward refugees so tragically consequential.

Here is the synopsis of The U.S. and the Holocaust:

“The U.S. and the Holocaust is a three-part, six hour series that examines America’s response to one of the greatest humanitarian crises of the twentieth century. Americans consider themselves a “nation of immigrants,” but as the catastrophe of the Holocaust unfolded in Europe, the United States proved unwilling to open its doors to more than a fraction of the hundreds of thousands of desperate people seeking refuge. Through riveting firsthand testimony of witnesses and survivors who as children endured persecution, violence and flight as their families tried to escape Hitler, this series delves deeply into the tragic human consequences of public indifference, bureaucratic red tape and restrictive quota laws in America. Did the nation fail to live up to its ideals? This is a history to be reckoned with.”

Premiered September 18, 2022.

KJ