SYNOPSIS
On a peaceful morning in 1942, the Jews of Bardejov were awoken by the sound of thunderous drumming. It was the Young Hlinka Guards––Slovakian Nazi collaborators––who plastered the town with posters announcing a Nazi work order: Every Jew must report to work. No exceptions. Lowy meets with the Bardejov Jewish Council to discuss their next course of action.
Shortly thereafter, more posters are put up with new orders: All Jewish girls will be deported for work in a shoe factory in the East. No exceptions. Lowy gathers the Council to devise a way to keep their girls home, or keep them safe while working in the shoe factory. But, as they soon learn, there is no shoe factory. The girls were going to be deported to Auschwitz. With time running out, and mounting suspicion from the Hlinka, Lowy and his community devise a plan to save their girls: to smuggle a vial of Typhus into Bardejov and infect the girls, with hopes of forcing a quarantine before imminent deportation.
GALLERY
A FILM ABOUT SURVIVAL, PRODUCED BY A SURVIVOR
For Emil Fish, “Never Again” is not only a slogan. It’s a reality.
Born in 1935 to a prominent Chassidic family, Emil’s peaceful childhood in the picturesque town of Bardejov, Slovakia was interrupted by the Nazi invasion of Europe. Emil and his family managed to hide from the Gestapo until 1944, when, at the age of 9, Emil was deported to Bergen Belsen with his mother and sister, while his father was deported to Buchenwald. They all survived, and emigrated to Canada before settling in Los Angeles.
Estimates suggest that at its peak in the early 20th century, nearly 40% of individuals who lived in Bardejov were Jewish. Today, after nearly three centuries of continuous Jewish presence in Bardejov, there are no Jews living in the town. Bardejov’s beautiful synagogues and historically rich Jewish institutions either fell into complete disrepair or were repurposed by the non-Jewish residents.
So, in 2006, Mr. Fish founded the Bardejov Jewish Preservation Committee. Its mission is to preserve and document the Jewish heritage in Bardejov and to memorialize and honor its Holocaust victims. In 2009, Mr. Fish was appointed to the United States Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad, on which he still serves. In 2019, Yeshiva University’s Emil A. and Jenny Fish Center for Holocaust & Genocide Studies was established.
And in 2023, Emil produced Bardejov, a thrilling film that pays homage to a little known Bardejovian Holocaust hero, who, through faith, ingenuity and selfless dedication to his community, saved lives. The film is a testament to the power of faith and the strength of a community to resist even the most powerful forces.
REVIEWS
“Bardejov offers a moving exploration of humanity’s capacity for resilience and compassion.”
— IndieWrap
“A story of unyielding courage and community resilience.”
— Eyes On Hollywood
“The story is told with dignity and spotlights a moment of history that demands to be remembered.”
— Film Threat
“Cinema can entertain, or at its best, enlighten and educate. When you can touch the heart, it is what one hopes for, to take a journey that leads to an experience, that teaches us about the human condition and how we as humans react and respond under extraordinary circumstances.”
— Robert Davi, Star of “Bardejov”
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Credits
Director:
Danny A. Abeckaser
Writer:
Shmuel Lynn
Screenwriter:
Kosta Kondilopoulos
Cast:
Robert Davi – as Rafuel Lowy
Danny A. Abeckaser – as Dr. Mikulas Atlas
Emma Renana Bardea – as Helena Schondorf
Julian Brass – as Miroslav
Emil A. Fish – Self
Omer Hazan – as Hershel Fish
Dean Miroshnikov – as Stefan Reisteiter
Jonathan Mizrachi – as Jewish Peddler
Udi Razzin – as Avraham Grussgott
Maya Rubin – as Roza
Yigael Sachs – as Rabbi Halberstam
Kyle Stefanski – as Pieter
Adi Tamir – as Ester Fish
Herzl Tobey – as Dr. Milos Bartais
Darren Weiss – as Fredrik
Alex Silberg – as Giselle Pfeferberg
Carmel Zorea – as Magda Newman
Shir Zuares – as Golda
Sergey Bukhman – as Slav
Eduard Shprochman – as Adam Bomba
Ami Weinberg – as Mayer Schondorf
Pini Tavger – as Erwin Newman
Naama Ginat – as Mrs. Schondorf
Joshua Beller – as Lowy’s Driver
Nevo Elmaliach – as Thomas
Vered Kinan – as Jenny
Henry David – as General Kovac
Liat Gallia – as Mia
Rani Grienberg – as Pharmacist
Yair Mazor – as Yankel Schondorf
Samuel Kuznyanyy – as Slovakian Boy
Michael Lahav – as Anatoly
Benny Isreal – as Max
Producers:
Emil A. Fish – Producer
Yoav Gross – Executive Producer
Music:
Lionel Cohen
Cinematography:
Barry Markowitz
Editor:
Eric Chase
Second Assistant Director:
Carmel Avraham
Sound:
Jivan Bhange – Sound Designer
Eric Chase – Re-recording Mixer
Camera and Electrical:
Samuel ‘Sam’ Santcroos – Lighting Technician
Editorial Department:
Alon Barrak – Colorist
Additional Crew:
Aaron Needham – Poster Designer
Distribution & Production:
Gravitas Ventures
World Sales:
Ruth Films
Copyright © 2024 Bardejov Film LLC. All rights reserved.