Sixty years ago, in the waning months of World War II, two young girls from a Jewish ghetto in the heart of Poland were liberated from Adolf Hitler’s most notorious death camp: Auschwitz. Between the ages of 6 and 10, Tova Friedman and Frieda Tenenbaum were among the youngest of 7,000 prisoners found alive by a regiment of the Soviet army. In the summer of 2004, the two women journeyed to Auschwitz accompanied by their own children and a WGVU film crew. Together, they faced the sorrow and the tragedy of their past and sought to heal the wounds felt through two generations. 
 
Now, WGVU Productions presents Surviving Auschwitz: Children of the Shoah, the story of Tova and Frieda’s incredible endurance and the emotion they experienced in returning to the place which holds so many horrors for them. The film includes photographs and film footage of Tova, Frieda, and other children held at Auschwitz, as well as interviews with the two women and their children as they walk the grounds of the infamous death camp.

Call 800-442-2771 to order a copy of the Surviving Auschwitz: Children of the Shoah Collector's Edition 2 DVD set for $29.95 or a copy of the book Surviving Auschwitz: Children of the Shoah for $17.95. Prices include shipping and handling.  WGVU members receive a $5 discount on the DVD only.

In 2004, WGVU traveled with Joe Stevens and his son to revisit some of the places of Joe's past. Joe was part of the Polish underground. He was a hero. In the days of World War II, he was a shadow.

During the course of their trip, Joe was reunited with his old friend from the underground, Tolek. Even as a friend, Tolek had not known that Joe was Jewish until years after the war.  Within the resistance, to reveal his secret would have meant persecution.  In the face of Nazi occupation, it would have meant death. WGVU also took Joe to revisit his childhood home - only the second time he would return there since fleeing before the war.

Time cannot heal all wounds. Fortunately, time also cannot erase the heroics of those who refuse to be persecuted, and who refuse to give up.

Call 800-442-2771 to order a copy of Defying Hitler on DVD with bonus footage for $19.95. Price includes shipping and handling.  WGVU members receive a $5 discount on the DVD only.

Funding for Surviving Auschwitz: Children of the Shoah and Defying Hitler was provided by:
 
The Ravitz Foundation
  Burton R. Shifman, President
  Bruce D. Gelbaugh, Treasurer
 
The Helen Bader Foundation, Inc.
 
The Joseph Stevens Freedom Endowment Fund
 
The Hy and Greta Berkowitz Foundation
 
The Karma Foundation
 
The Jewish Federation of Grand Rapids

The Michigan Association of Pubic Broadcasters
  Statewide Program Fund