NEW JERSEY – What was the experience of Roman Jews living in Nazi-occupied Rome? The public is invited to a free Yom Ha Shoah* program and screening of the award-winning documentary film “Oro Macht Frei” (“Gold Will Set You Free”), presented by Second Generation, Wednesday, April 11, 2018, at 7:00 p.m. at the Marlboro Jewish Center, Congregation Ohev Shalom, 103 School Road West, Marlboro, N.J.
“Oro Macht Frei,” awarded the Best International Documentary at the 2015 Garden State Film Festival, tells the story of the Roman Jewish experience during the Nazi occupation of Rome (September 1943 – June 1944). Weaving testimony from Roman Jews who lived there together with historical research by renowned scholars, “Oro Macht Frei” seeks to bring the viewer into a personal and relatable reflection of the Holocaust in Italy through the eyes of this unique and historic community.
Joel Markel, founder and president of Preferred Home Health Care & Nursing Services, Eatontown, and host of Preferred Company’s live radio show on WOBM–AM, Monday through Friday, 8:00 to 10:00 a.m., is the executive producer of “Oro Macht Frei” and founder of Ottimo Films.
Markel said, “I created this 70-minute documentary not only to tell of the Holocaust in Italy but as a way of eradicating hatred and bigotry throughout the world.”
Joel Markel, the son of a Hungarian Auschwitz survivor, wanted to honor the experience of his mother and the millions of victims of the Jewish genocide by contributing to the field of Holocaust memory. In 2004, during a tour of the Roman Ghetto, Markel first heard the story of Kappler’s Gold, an extortion plot perpetrated by Herbert Kappler, the head of the SS, who demanded 50 kilos of gold within 36 hours or 200 Jewish family heads would be deported. Markel immediately felt connected to this story because for generations his family had worked as jewelers.
The organization Second Generation at Congregation Ohev Shalom strives to make sure the Holocaust is never forgotten and will never happen again. For more information about the Yom HaShoah program or Second Generation, call Marvin Glickstein, president of Second Generation, at 732-972-0259 or the synagogue office at 732-536-2300.
For information about Joel Markel or “Oro Macht Frei,” contact Lisa Gallicchio, director of community relations at Preferred Home Health Care & Nursing Services, at 732-547-9886 or lisa@preferredcares.com.
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