Menachem Daum
Encyclopedia
Menachem Daum is an Orthodox Jews and a documentary
film-maker. Born in displaced persons camp in Germany
, to refugees from Poland
who had survied the Holocaust. Being Jewish, many of his relatives perished in Nazi Germany
's genocide
. Professionally a gerontologist, he is based today in Borough Park, Brooklyn, New York.
He has created two documentary films, A Life Apart: Hasidism in America, (1997) on Hasidim
in Brooklyn, and Hiding and Seeking, (2003) a film on Polish gentiles that sheltered Jews during World War II
. Through his efforts, he secured the Yad Vashem
award for the family that sheltered his wife's family. He partnered on the films with Oren Rudavsky
. As of 2008, he was working on a film, Common Ground, which will address the work of non-Jews in working to maintain Jewish cemeteries
in Poland.
His 2004 film, Hiding and Seeking, began as a search to reconnect with the Poles that sheltered his family. The Jewish Week
wrote of Daum's work on this film, "The film speaks more deeply to how religious intolerance is insidious no matter who is practicing it, and upbraids Holocaust survivors who broke all ties with their rescuers, despite wartime promises to stay in touch forever.
"'I believe in the importance of self-criticism for all communities, Jewish, non-Jewish Islamic, Christian,' says Daum. 'We do ourselves a disservice when we can see faults in others but not see our own shortcomings.'"
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
film-maker. Born in displaced persons camp in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, to refugees from Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
who had survied the Holocaust. Being Jewish, many of his relatives perished in Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
's genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
. Professionally a gerontologist, he is based today in Borough Park, Brooklyn, New York.
He has created two documentary films, A Life Apart: Hasidism in America, (1997) on Hasidim
Hasidic Judaism
Hasidic Judaism or Hasidism, from the Hebrew —Ḥasidut in Sephardi, Chasidus in Ashkenazi, meaning "piety" , is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that promotes spirituality and joy through the popularisation and internalisation of Jewish mysticism as the fundamental aspects of the Jewish faith...
in Brooklyn, and Hiding and Seeking, (2003) a film on Polish gentiles that sheltered Jews during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Through his efforts, he secured the Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem is Israel's official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, established in 1953 through the Yad Vashem Law passed by the Knesset, Israel's parliament....
award for the family that sheltered his wife's family. He partnered on the films with Oren Rudavsky
Oren Rudavsky
Oren Rudavsky is an award-winning documentary filmmaker specializing in work on religion outside the mainstream. He graduated from Oberlin College in 1979.- As director :* At the Crossroads: Jewish Life in Eastern Europe Today...
. As of 2008, he was working on a film, Common Ground, which will address the work of non-Jews in working to maintain Jewish cemeteries
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
in Poland.
His 2004 film, Hiding and Seeking, began as a search to reconnect with the Poles that sheltered his family. The Jewish Week
The Jewish Week
The Jewish Week is an independent weekly newspaper serving the Jewish community of the metropolitan New York City area. The Jewish Week covers news relating to the Jewish community in NYC and has world-wide distribution.-Editorial staff:...
wrote of Daum's work on this film, "The film speaks more deeply to how religious intolerance is insidious no matter who is practicing it, and upbraids Holocaust survivors who broke all ties with their rescuers, despite wartime promises to stay in touch forever.
"'I believe in the importance of self-criticism for all communities, Jewish, non-Jewish Islamic, Christian,' says Daum. 'We do ourselves a disservice when we can see faults in others but not see our own shortcomings.'"