Holocaust Remembrance

Lillian and her father avoid capture by the Nazis with the help of a real-life hero. It is 1939 in Berlin, Germany, and twelve-year-old Lillian and her Papa are on the run from Nazi soldiers. Because they are Jewish, they are in danger of being arrested and put in prison. Lillian's father is blind and it seems no one is willing to help them-until they meet Otto Weidt. Mr. Weidt runs a factory that makes brushes for the Nazi army, and his secret is that he employs blind Jewish workers. Lillian learns that Otto Weidt is determined to keep her, Papa, and all the Jewish workers safe. But will he be able to? Inspired by a true story.

Irene grew up traveling around Germany with her family's circus, surrounded by her loved ones and thrilling the crowds with her performance on the high wire...until one day, the audience boos. The Lorch family is Jewish, and the increasing power of Adolf Hitler's Nazis has put them all in grave danger. When the circus is forced to shut down and Irene's father is taken away, Irene and her mother must go into hiding with another circus. Every day is a frightening new kind of balancing act, caught between the desire to perform and the need to hide, even in plain sight.

What does it take to stand up for what's right? It's 1938 in Dusseldorf, Germany, and Paul is feeling pressured to join the Hitler Youth. The last thing he wants to do is march around with a bunch of bullies, supporting the Gestapo and abusing the city's Jews, but even Paul's parents think he should go along with his classmates in order to keep himself safe. Just when he's starting to despair, Paul meets the Edelweiss Pirates, a group of teenage boys and girls who are working to undermine the growing power of the Nazis. When he joins the rebel organization, he finds out just how hair-raising and dangerous it is to sabotage the Third Reich and rescue Jews wherever they can. But choices have consequences, and during the terrifying violence of Kristallnacht, Paul must step out of the shadows and make a life-changing decision. Inspired by the true story of the Edelweiss Pirates, a group that declared "Eternal War on the Hitler Youth," Under the Iron Bridge is a tale of courage in the face of cruelty.

Jakob and his family hide their Jewish identity in Nazi-occupied Hungary. Discovered, he is sent as a prisoner to Auschwitz where he keeps himself alive out of a desire for revenge on the friend he believes turned on him, only to discover when he is free that things are not as he thought. Thirteen-year-old Jakob's family has hidden their true identity as Jews and are living as Catholics in Budapest during WWII. One day, in a burst of loyalty, Jakob decides to reveal that he is Jewish, a choice that puts his whole family in danger. Jakob hopes his best friend Ivan, a Christian whose father is a high-ranking military official, will help his family, but he comes to believe that Ivan has abandoned them. Sent as a prisoner to Auschwitz, Jakob is kept alive by his passion for revenge against Ivan. When Jakob is finally freed, he discovers that Ivan too made a choice that day, a choice that changes everything Jakob thought was true.

The true story of Edith Schwalb, a young Jewish girl who was saved from the Nazis by the courage of the entire French village of Moissac. Edith's story is remarkable not only for her own bravery, but for the bravery of those that helped her: an entire village, including its mayor and citizenry, heroically conspired to conceal the presence of hundreds of Jewish children who lived in the safe house. The children went to the local school, roamed the streets and ate good food, all without having to worry about concealing their Jewish identity. And during Nazi raids, the children camped out until the coast was clear. Hiding Edith details not only the amazing courage and struggles of one young girl, but the inspiring spirit of the people she met. Shatta and Bouli Simon, the couple who ran the house, taught the children everything they needed to survive, including how to change their identities in new hiding places once conditions in Moissac became too risky. Sarah Kupfer, another Jewish child in hiding, became Edith's closest friend, sharing both birthdays and bomb attacks, losses and love. And Muti, Edith's mother, sacrificed everything she could for her children-even the comfort of having them close at hand.