Film screening, 1 hour and 14 minutes; English, German and Hebrew with English subtitles; Discussion to Follow Led by Michael Asimow

They met in secret to negotiate the unthinkable — compensation for the survivors of the largest genocide in history. Survivors were in urgent need of help, but how could reparations be determined for the unprecedented destruction and suffering of a people? Reckonings explores this untold true story set in the aftermath of the Holocaust.

Award–winning director/writer/producer Roberta Grossman notes the Luxembourg Agreement, signed in 1952 by three entities that did not even exist prior to the war (Israel, West Germany and the Claims Conference), set in motion the very first reparations ever paid by a state to individuals they harmed. Reckonings explores the impact of compensation on the survivors, Israel and on Germany itself. As one interviewee states: “In the last seventy years, we have discovered that reparations not only help the victims, but the perpetrators as well. An honest confrontation with your past is the best way to build a better future.” 

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The Shabbat Jewish Film Series is made possible by the Aptekar Family Endowment Fund for Film.