Year Released: 2013
Directed by: Pepe Danquart
Starring: Andrzej Tkacz, Kamil Tkacz, Elisabeth Duda
(Not Rated, 107 min.)
Genre: War Drama

“Never give up. You have to survive.” Srulik’s father to his son

Maybe the most inspiring film ever. It’s a true story of Srulik, an 8-year-old Polish Jew who must survive on his own, outwitting the cold, hunger, and the relentless Nazis. And a few others as well.

He finds kindness and cruelty, never knowing who will help and who will turn against him. Some fellow Poles turn him away from their doors, even as the snow and wind swirl around him outside.

As we might expect, most of the Nazis in German occupied Poland are uniformly evil, with a few exceptions where their zeal to capture and/or kill little Srulik is mitigated by their own laziness or in one case, its use in impressing his mistress.

What does surprise, though, is the casual cruelty inflicted upon Srulik by his fellow Poles. In some cases, a farmer chasing away the orphaned boys who steal his chickens or eggs, we might understand, but a doctor who refuses to operate on Srulik because he is a Jew or another couple who pose as benefactors in order to turn him over, are quite sad and demoralizing.

These details are what make such films based on true events so illuminating. Human beings are not saints, and even those oppressed often turn on their own to relieve their own suffering.

But it is the kindness of strangers that inspires us, as well as the price they pay for aiding him.

One is the lonely woman Magda (Elizabeth Duda) who welcomes Srulik to her small farm – she is alone since her husband and son are part of the resistance; she does not know even they are still alive. Srulik’s life or death is determined by the façade that he is a Christian not a Jew and she helps him become an expert with that necessary deceit.

One of the funniest scenes – some comic relief in a film full of sorrow and woe – are her lessons on how to properly beg at doorsteps. It takes Srulik a while to learn how to properly cross himself and get his opening spiel correct. In one of his early attempts, for instance, Srulik announces himself as Jesus, instead of pretending to be his righteous follower.

Knowing that Srulik will have a better chance of survival as a Catholic boy than as a Jew, she renames him Jurek, teaches him the Hail Mary prayer, gives him a crucifix and, above all, warns him never to take down his pants, or relieve himself, in front of a Pole. –Tom Tugend

Even when some are kinds to him, tragedy intervenes. In his case it is Srulik’s own kindness that brings it on. In trying to let a horse rest he gets too close to the gears of a wheat grinding machine and injures his hand, leading to the ultimate loss of his whole arm.

Ultimately it is nuns who help him heal body and soul after that unnecessary amputation, one of several instances showing true Christians embracing this young Jewish boy.

So Srulik continues to persevere. After a period of rage and anger, he bucks himself up and even uses the deformity to his advantage, creating tales to impress. First he blames a German tank and ultimately brags that Hitler himself cut it off with a sword.

His escapes from death are daring and bold, once trapping a Nazi trying to lure him into a barn by locking the Nazi in that same barn and running for it. Dogs pursue, but he remembers his father’s words about evading them by getting into water. Then there is the time the Nazis burn down a house where they suspect he is hiding.

***

Part of the beauty of the film is how it deals with Srulik’s identity. He has been given a Christian name, Jurek, and it is various Christians who have been good to him. Near the end of the war, he lives with a family who more or less adopt him as their own, and finally their priest helps Jurek celebrate his first communion.

Will he be Srulik or Jurek now that the war has ended? Will he remember his final meeting with his father, when he tells his young son that he must pretend to be a Christian to survive, but Srulik must never forget that he is a Jew?

A must see.

–Kathy Borich
🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁

Trailer

Film-Loving Foodie

Staying alive and getting something to eat are foremost on young Srulik’s mind. He and his group of fellow child outcasts often get by with stealing eggs and chickens and then cooking them in the woods.

But he loses his friends and ends up on his own for a while. About dead, he passes out at the door of a kindly Christian woman who takes him in. Not only does she offer warmth and food, but love as well. And best of all, she teaches him how to pretend to be a Christian so he can live another day. She offers the shy but bright boy several begging lessons that open with him making the sign of the cross – something that takes him a while to get right – and then begging for charity.

Times are hard and it is winter, but potatoes there are. What better way for to start the day and ready himself for practicing this necessary deception that a hot meal of crispy Potato Pancakes. So simple, delicious, and easy to make.

Potato Pancakes

Ingredients

4 cups shredded peeled potatoes (about 4 large potatoes)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon grated onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Oil for frying
Optional: Chopped parsley, applesauce and sour cream

Directions

Rinse shredded potatoes in cold water; drain well, squeezing to remove excess water. Place in a large bowl. Stir in egg, flour, onion, salt and pepper.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1/4 in. oil over medium heat. Working in batches, drop potato mixture by 1/3 cupfuls into oil; press to flatten slightly. Fry both sides until golden brown; drain on paper towels. Serve immediately. If desired, sprinkle with parsley and top with applesauce and sour cream.

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