Yael Reuveny, an Israeli Jew, who now lives in Berlin, Germany, has fashioned a documentary out of her family's fascinating history. 'Farewell, Herr Schwarz,' is the story of her grandmother, Michla, and her brother, Feiv'ke, who grew up in Vilnius, Poland. Both managed to survive the Holocaust, despite ending up in concentration camps. Michla was told during the war that her brother had perished but right after the war ended, she learned that he indeed had survived. They arranged to meet through an intermediary at a train station in the city of Lodz, in Poland. On the appointed day, Feiv'ke did not show up, and Michla soon emigrated to Israel. Years later, the family learned that Feiv'ke changed his name to Peter Schwarz and married a non-Jewish German woman and lived in a small town in East Germany until his death in 1987.
Reuveny interviews relatives from the first, second and third generation and divides the film into those categories. The first generation consists of elderly friends and relatives of the grandmother who shed light on her decision not to contact her brother. In the second generation, we also hear from Reuveny's mother, Etty, who explains that Michla could never forgive the Germans for what happened during the Holocaust. Her brother's decision to remain in Germany and turn his back on his Jewish heritage was tantamount to a betrayal that she could not countenance.
Yael Reuveny then turns to those who knew Peter Schwarz in East Germany. Yael interviewed Peter's sister-in-law, whose husband was a Wehrmacht soldier, whom Peter got along with very well. Peter had no qualms about living in an area where he was interned in a labor camp during the war. It soon becomes obvious that Yael's great-uncle had completely given up on his Jewish past and forgiven the Germans for what happened during the Holocaust.
A good part of the film involves Reuveny's interview of Uwe, Peter's only son, who entertains the idea of moving his father's remains to a Jewish cemetery. In the most telling scene, Yael and Uwe discuss whether there is truly a bond between their two families. Uwe unequivocally says yes, but Yael finds it difficult to answer affirmatively. Despite having moved to Germany, Yael's memories of her grandmother and the trauma she experienced in the Holocaust, still resonate with her. Hence, she appears rather glum throughout most of the documentary, in contrast to her world-wise mother. Indeed, it's Yael's mother who is willing to compromise when she puts stones Uwe has sent the family, at the bottom of Michla's headstone, despite knowing her mother would have disapproved. And later Yael's mother even makes the big step of visiting her daughter in Germany, despite the legacy of the grandmother's rejection of all things German.
Yael seems to warm up a bit more to Peter's grandson (the third generation) who works at a Jewish museum and seeks to re-discover his Jewish roots. The grandson even makes a pilgrimage to Israel where he participates in a Reuveny family get-together.
'Farewell, Herr Schwarz,' is a fascinating family history which could have been pared down a bit for maximum effect. Ms. Reuveny has populated her film with fascinating characters, and we must thank her for telling this story. Nonetheless, one cannot feel to a certain extent that the Holocaust has cast a pall over the filmmaker herself. One hopes that Ms. Reuveny doesn't allow the painful family legacy to continue to affect her demeanor as she moves forward through life in the future.
Reuveny interviews relatives from the first, second and third generation and divides the film into those categories. The first generation consists of elderly friends and relatives of the grandmother who shed light on her decision not to contact her brother. In the second generation, we also hear from Reuveny's mother, Etty, who explains that Michla could never forgive the Germans for what happened during the Holocaust. Her brother's decision to remain in Germany and turn his back on his Jewish heritage was tantamount to a betrayal that she could not countenance.
Yael Reuveny then turns to those who knew Peter Schwarz in East Germany. Yael interviewed Peter's sister-in-law, whose husband was a Wehrmacht soldier, whom Peter got along with very well. Peter had no qualms about living in an area where he was interned in a labor camp during the war. It soon becomes obvious that Yael's great-uncle had completely given up on his Jewish past and forgiven the Germans for what happened during the Holocaust.
A good part of the film involves Reuveny's interview of Uwe, Peter's only son, who entertains the idea of moving his father's remains to a Jewish cemetery. In the most telling scene, Yael and Uwe discuss whether there is truly a bond between their two families. Uwe unequivocally says yes, but Yael finds it difficult to answer affirmatively. Despite having moved to Germany, Yael's memories of her grandmother and the trauma she experienced in the Holocaust, still resonate with her. Hence, she appears rather glum throughout most of the documentary, in contrast to her world-wise mother. Indeed, it's Yael's mother who is willing to compromise when she puts stones Uwe has sent the family, at the bottom of Michla's headstone, despite knowing her mother would have disapproved. And later Yael's mother even makes the big step of visiting her daughter in Germany, despite the legacy of the grandmother's rejection of all things German.
Yael seems to warm up a bit more to Peter's grandson (the third generation) who works at a Jewish museum and seeks to re-discover his Jewish roots. The grandson even makes a pilgrimage to Israel where he participates in a Reuveny family get-together.
'Farewell, Herr Schwarz,' is a fascinating family history which could have been pared down a bit for maximum effect. Ms. Reuveny has populated her film with fascinating characters, and we must thank her for telling this story. Nonetheless, one cannot feel to a certain extent that the Holocaust has cast a pall over the filmmaker herself. One hopes that Ms. Reuveny doesn't allow the painful family legacy to continue to affect her demeanor as she moves forward through life in the future.
