Rediscovering My Childhood

Memories of a Child Survivor

Director: Ron Israel
Producer: Max Amichai Heppner

Max Amichai Heppner, the child survivor in the video, revisits locales and people involved in his rescue from the Holocaust. The process helps uncover the reasons behind the events that Max remembered but were unclear because he lacked adult perspective. The video sets a natural tone, letting witnesses talk without scripting. It then uses crisp editing to bring out the essence of their stories.

Many aspects of Max's survival parallel the experiences of Anne Frank, who for many years lived near Max. Like the film based on her diary, this documentary contrasts the everyday life of Jewish people in hiding with the potential devastation facing all Jews during the Nazi persecution.