We are living through a moment in history when the past wrongs of public figures are being thrown wildly into international spotlight, and nations and their leaders are being held to account by their citizens and supporters right alongside their detractors. Now is the ideal time to redouble our efforts not to lose the battle for truth to the passage of the years.
Many people feel satisfied with their knowledge of the horrors of the Holocaust, and the concept of detachment from such a grisly past seems to be embracing a new generation. With your support, our groundbreaking documentary will help shed light on truths that have been suppressed for nearly a century, and give hope to anyone who is still fighting for their voice to be heard or their loved one’s memory recognized.
Baltic Truth is the deeply personal and intensely moving story of one man’s fight to reclaim his birthright, and expose the horrific details of Latvian involvement in the murders of his family and neighbors during the Holocaust. It is a story with deep implications for the present and future, and when society allows the truth of history to be swept aside and responsibility is denied, justice must have a voice. The film will reveal the little known truth about the collaboration with the Nazi regime in the Baltic States; how neighbor turned on neighbor without hesitation, prompting a massacre of unbelievable proportions; how it has all been kept under wraps throughout the last century, with the perpetrators of attempted genocide even being honored and celebrated by their fellow countrymen to this very day.
Today, national memorials to the murderers lie feet away from the graves of their victims. Today, glorification of so called “heroes” with Jewish blood on their hands is in full swing across the Baltic States, where history is being rewritten and distorted.
With filming already begun on location in US and Latvia, interviews with historical experts, authors, professors, and survivors, make up just some of the fascinating subjects participating.
July 18, 1941 – Most of the Jewish population, 175 people, of a small Latvian town Akniste were murdered by the local Latvian nationalists. Akniste was proclaimed a Jew free town by the time German troops arrived days later.
20 year old Mozus Berkovich survived simply by a miracle. Studying in Riga, he visited his family in Akniste almost every week end. On July 14th Mozus telephoned his father, who told him not to come home as something bad was about to happen. This was the last time Mozus would hear his father’s voice.
The only testimony of these horrific events was recorder in Boston by his grandson Eugene Levin 6 month before Mozus passed away in June 2013.
Elly is a survivor of Kaunas ghetto in Lithuania and Dachau concentration camp. He was freed by American troops on April 28, 1945. Unknowingly, the soldiers handed out food to the emaciated people. A few hours later, pestilence began in the liberated concentration camp. When you spend several years on bread and water, any other food becomes poison. Only a small number of the saved prisoners who ate, survived.
You can find names of executioners
who are laid to rest as heroes of Latvia
at state sponsored gravesite memorial in Akniste.
Among them are the remains of Vilis Tunkelis,
Deputy Commander of the township and the leader
of the execution of Akniste Jews.
March 16, 1943 is considered the day of the creation of the Latvian SS units, who fought on the side of Hitler. Following the restoration of Latvia’s independence in 1991, this day is annually celebrated by a mass rally with the participation of members of parliament.
Following the publication of the book "Ours", which describes the participation of Lithuanians in the Holocaust, the writer began to receive threats. She had to leave her homeland. Now Ruta Vanagaite resides in Israel.
More on newyorker.com
Bauska’s defenders were Latvian Nazi collaborators. After the German army was defeated, they had no choice but to fight against the Soviet Union, knowing that they would be executed for their crimes if captured by Red Army. The Jewish community of Latvia was outraged that this monument was erected.
Letter to the president of Latvia by Jewish Community Leaders
Zenonas Ignatavichius was a chaplain of the 12th auxiliary police battalion responsible for the murder of 20 thousand Jews in Belarus. Efraim Zuroff, head of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, states that the chaplain was also an accomplice in crime.
During his long career, Dudu Fisher has recorded over twenty albums. He sang the role of Moses in the Hebrew version of Stephen Spielberg’s “The prince of Egypt.” He has sung with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by maestro Zubin Mehta, recorded an album of show tunes with the London Symphony Orchestra, and has performed as well with the Baltimore and Queens Symphony Orchestras. In addition to Britain’s royal family, he has performed for the Thai royal family and for president and senator Clinton.
He was the first Israeli artist allowed to sing in the Soviet Union in the days before perestroika. His concerts there were attended by thousands of Jews thirsting for Jewish culture. A particularly moving concert took place in his father’s hometown of Dubnow in the Ukraine.
In the theater, Fisher has played leading roles in the productions of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”, “Kol Nidre”, by Lalo Shifrin and Avi Koren, “Over the Rainbow”, and “Stairways To Heaven”.
Fisher’s first one-man show “Never on Friday”, opened at off-broadway’s Jewish Repertory Theater in 1999. Lawrence Van Gelder of the New York Times called the show… “A display of a vocal talent that resists confinement and is an explosion of religious faith that is reflected in the show’s title. Mr Fisher possesses the spectrum of talent to make it work.”
From January to April of 2001, Dudu Fisher was seen on Israeli stages starring in “The Rothschilds”, a musical by Jerry Bock and Sherman Yellen. Shortly after, he was presented the “Liberty award” at the Lower East Side Festival, which celebrates contributions to Jewish culture in America.
In October of 2002, Dudu again thrilled his audiences with a one-man show, “Something old, something new”, which was written by Richard Jay-Alexander, Dudu’s broadway “Les miz” director. He opened to rave reviews. Victor Gluck of back stage wrote of Fisher, “The energy that fisher radiates on stage can light a small city’. Cheryl Kupfer of the Jewish press entitled her review, “Something old, something new-something awesome”. “He might just as well have called it something for everyone”, wrote Lawrence Van Gelder of the New York times.
Adding to Fisher’s accomplishments are his staring role in the film “The road to glory”, acting as host on an Israeli television series and appearing on innumerable radio and television programs throughout the world. It is safe to say that Dudu Fisher has excelled in every aspect of his profession. He is happily married and the proud father of three children.
Born in 1973 in Alma-Ata (Almaty, Kazakhstan) he graduated from the Department of Music Theory at Almaty College of Music. Specializes in writing music for theater and cinema. Mamed created music for many television programs, worked as an arranger for The Voice Kazakhstan project for three years, author of music for more than a dozen documentaries and feature films, 30 performances, 3 ballets, the world premiere of Dancing Zodiac - took place in 2019 in Providence, RI.
Among his works are about a dozen children's musicals, three of which are successfully performed by Arlekin Children's Theater, Boston MA. In addition to writing Incidental Music, he is much involved in academic research and reconstruction of musical works. For example, in 2016, he restored 80 year old manuscript which was considered lost, of the string quartet of Kazakhstan composer Boris Erzakovich.
There is a lot more work, but we can’t accomplish any of this without you.
“Baltic Truth” is at the finish line of production, making an impact on Holocaust education around the world like never before. We couldn’t have achieved what we have done without your generous support.
To continue editing and getting "Baltic Truth" ready in time for the 2022 Film Festivals around the globe and to expand our cinematographic impact to combat the many challenges facing WW2 history and Holocaust education today, “Baltic Truth” needs your continued support.
Please consider supporting this important documentary via 501 c 3
Contact us: ejlevin-at-baltictruth.com
January 7, 2021
Link: https://www.jns.org/spotlight/two-films-that-will-wake-up-a-generation/
November 30, 2020
Link: https://www.jns.org/digging-up-dirt-on-latvian-activities-in-world-war-ii-in-baltic-truth/
October 2, 2019
August 29, 2019