“Steal a Pencil for Me” is the story of Holocaust survivors Jack and Ina Polak, a couple that is about to celebrate their sixtieth wedding anniversary. As the film goes on, we come to realize that they had briefly met before being transported to a concentration camp. Jack was immediately drawn to Ina and asked to be transferred to her same barrack.
This Sunday, at Hillel’s Bagel Brunch we’ll be honored with special guest Betty Bausch. Ninety-two year old Betty Bausch, real life sister of Jack Polak, will share the story from her perspective. She will also be present at our showings of “Steal a Pencil.”
Since Jack was married, he and Ina had to keep their love a secret and write letters to each other. They were both released from the concentration camp in 1946 and married directly after Jack divorced his first wife. The couple has been inseparable ever since and this film does a great job of depicting how much they mean to each other.
The Holocaust has had a giant impact on how we are as a human race. Many films and books have been created and it is very hard with such subject matter to not be bleak. “Steal a Pencil for Me” tries to take The Holocaust and tell the story of love that was found in a concentration camp.
It does a good job of showing that some good things can happen even in the worst of times. This is one of the better-looking documentaries seen in a long time. This is the newest documentary by Michele Ohayon, who in 2005 won both the Audience and Jury award at South by Southwest for “Cowboy Del Amor.”
“Steal a Pencil for Me” is part of the 2009 Jewish Film Series and supported in part by the Tallahassee Jewish Federation.
1 response so far ↓
1 Jan W Bausch // Oct 31, 2009 at 3:35 am
My mother is “only” 90 instead of 92!
But she is still the same beauty as she was 21, she told us ( my brother and me) that she go’s for 120, well we believe her!
Jan Bausch
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