Finding Kalman

Gr 10 Up—A paintbrush audibly working a canvas, a solo viola, and an articulate woman named Anna recalling how her family was brutalized during World War II open this touching story about a boy whose life is memorialized by four generations of his relatives. Kalman's older sister, Anna, remembers the Warsaw ghetto and the Nazi occupation. From just a few photos and stories, Anna's daughter, Roz, painted the Memory Project in which she portrayed her uncle Kalman, the boy who didn't survive the Holocaust. Multiple portraits evidence the moods this child must have known. Roz's Israeli-born daughter, Maya, a violist, performs the film's original music score. Anna talks about her brother's charm and wit, their devotion to one another, and the separations and reunions they endured while living as prisoners in the Warsaw ghetto. Despite years of silence, Anna finally shared the pain of losing everyone she loved, giving Roz a chance to honor the memory. Then, great grandson Roy is interviewed and his resemblance to Kalman is obvious. Art, and music, and love make this inspirational intergenerational documentary a worthy addition to Holocaust studies.—Robin Levin, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Teacher/Fellow, Ft. Washakie School/Community Library, WY