Kristallnacht Interfaith Commemoration
Premiere One-Time Screening of
Valiant Hearts |Free and open to the public]
Wednesday November 15, 2023, 7:00 PM
Page Hall, University at Albany downtown campus
135 Western Avenue, Albany, New York
Eighty-four years ago, November 9-10, 1938, the Nazis staged vicious attacks or pogroms against Jews in Germany and Austria in riots that came to be known as Kristallnacht or “Night of Broken Glass.” Known as the “Night the Holocaust Began,” the date is a turning point in history and a warning for today. Hundreds of synagogues and businesses were destroyed, and 30,000 Jewish men and boys were arrested and sent to concentration camps.
This is the 31th anniversary of the Kristallnacht Interfaith Confronting Bigotry Commemoration of the Capital Region, sponsored to unite the community against prejudice.
Bristling with suspense and moving in equal measures,
Valiant Hearts
tells the true story of exceptional bravery and survival against all odds. Starring acclaimed French actress Camille Cottin (House of Gucci, Stillwater), the story recounts the odyssey of six Jewish children in August 1942 who are forced to take refuge where no one will ever think to look for them: amidst the Louvre Museum artworks hidden in the Château de Chambord. Between fear, outbursts of laughter, and unexpected encounters, the children learn about independence and discover solidarity and friendship in the midst of tumultuous circumstances.
The character played by Camille Cottin was inspired by Rose Valand, a conservator at Paris’s Jeu de Paume Museum and a member of the resistance who, for the full duration of the war, spied and documented artwork thefts carried out by Nazi officers. Astounding in its adventure and sharing an incredible story of friendship, bravery, and doing what’s right, Valiant Hearts is a compelling film the whole family can enjoy as it brings history alive for the next generation.
The program is sponsored by Holocaust Survivors & Friends Education Center, Community Relations Council of Jewish Federation of Northeastern New York, and the Judaic Studies program of the University at Albany.