The U.S. and the Holocaust: Insight and Understanding

Filmmakers Ken Burns, Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein provide insights into the making of their series examining the U.S. reaction to the Nazi Holocaust.

SUNDAY at 5:30PM & MONDAY at 9:00PM

Premiering on the day before Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah), THE U.S. AND THE HOLOCAUST: INSIGHT AND UNDERSTANDING offers a deeper understanding of The U.S. and the Holocaust, the three-part PBS documentary that explores America’s response to one of the greatest atrocities of the 20th century. Featuring exclusive insights from filmmakers Ken Burns, Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein, the program reveals how the creative team approached such a complicated, difficult topic and what to include to shape this landmark film.

Asking a range of questions that remain relevant to society today, the program explores how The U.S. and the Holocaust can be used as a tool to bring critical conversations about the Holocaust into American homes and classrooms. The program also features select clips from the documentary to illustrate the rise of Hitler and Nazism in Germany in the context of global anti-Semitism and racism while shedding light on what the U.S. government and American people knew and did as the catastrophe unfolded in Europe.

RELATED TO THIS SPECIAL

The Holocaust and Authoritarianism Today

Ken Burns, Lynn Novick, Michael Abramowitz discuss the Holocaust and authoritarianism today. Moderated by Julia Ioffe, Puck News. Presented by PBS and Freedom House.

The Holocaust and Refugees, Lessons for Today

Ken Burns, Lynn Novick and Madlin Sadler discuss the Holocaust and Refugees, Lessons for Today. Moderated by Jake Tapper, CNN anchor and chief washington correspondent. Presented by PBS and the International Rescue Committee.

ADDITIONAL SUNDAY PROGRAMMING

Also on April 16, we present encores of two other powerful testimonies to the Holocaust - a personal account of a Czechoslovakian Holocaust survivor, and David Strathairn portrayal of reluctant World War II hero and Holocaust witness Jan Karski.

A Call to Remember

 

A CALL TO REMEMBER
16 SUNDAY at 3:00PM
David Schaecter's life story, from his childhood in Czechoslovakia to his and his brother's struggle for survival in Auschwitz, to his immigration to the United States where he helps found the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach.

 

 

GREAT PERFORMANCES: Remember ThisGreat Performances: Remember This
16 SUNDAY at 3:30PM
Experience Academy Award nominee David Strathairn as reluctant World War II hero and Holocaust witness, Jan Karski, in this one-man true story of moral courage and individual responsibility.