Milton J. Nieuwsma
Encyclopedia
Milton John Nieuwsma (born September 5 1941) is an American writer, journalist and filmmaker noted for his work on the Holocaust. His 1998 book Kinderlager, about three young concentration camp survivors, was the basis for the 2005 Emmy Award
-winning documentary, "Surviving Auschwitz: Children of the Shoah," which he wrote and co-produced. Nieuwsma won a second Emmy in 2006 for the film "Defying Hitler."
, the son of John Nieuwsma, a Dutch Reformed minister, and Jean (née) Potter, a teacher. In 1945, after World War II, his family moved to Bellflower, California
. At the age of 5, he met Corrie ten Boom
, a Dutch-born concentration camp survivor and author of The Hiding Place, whose family had hidden Jews in their Netherlands home during the war. Ten Boom was a guest at the Nieuwsma parsonage in Bellflower. In a 2001 interview, Nieuwsma recalled "sitting on (ten Boom's) lap...listening to her talk and wondering to myself, 'Who is this woman?' She reminded me of my grandmother." Ten Boom inspired him to learn more about the Holocaust.
in 1963, he worked as a public information officer at Wayne State University
in Detroit and hosted a weekly radio program, "The Fifth Freedom," on WQRS-FM, a Detroit fine arts station. In the late 1970s Nieuwsma began writing historical features and travel articles for the Chicago Tribune
. In 1978 he received a master's degree from the University of Illinois-Springfield.
In 1994, while teaching journalism at Rutgers University
in New Jersey, Nieuwsma met Tova Friedman, believed to be the youngest Auschwitz survivor, which inspired him to write Kinderlager. Friedman is one of three children featured in the book. In 2001 Kinderlager was selected by the Hogere Europese Beroepen Opleiding (Institute for Higher European Studies) in The Hague
as one of the top 10 books written on the Holocaust.
In 2005 the book was reissued under the title Surviving Auschwitz: Children of the Shoah as a companion to the PBS
documentary which Nieuwsma wrote and co-produced. Released in 2005, the film received an Emmy Award from the Michigan chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for best historical documentary. The film also won a First Place Gold Camera Award at the International Film and Video Festival in Los Angeles. Today, "Surviving Auschwitz" is featured in many school-based Holocaust studies programs in the United States.
Nieuwsma won a second Emmy in 2006 for writing and co-producing "Defying Hitler," a documentary about a Jewish fighter in the Polish Resistance.
, where he continues to write. He and his wife, the former Marilee Gordon (m. February 1 1964), have three children, Jonathan, Greg and Elizabeth, and seven grandchildren.
"Surviving Auschwitz: Children of the Shoah" (film):
"Defying Hitler" (film):
Other:
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
-winning documentary, "Surviving Auschwitz: Children of the Shoah," which he wrote and co-produced. Nieuwsma won a second Emmy in 2006 for the film "Defying Hitler."
Early life
Nieuwsma was born in Sioux Falls, South DakotaSioux Falls, South Dakota
Sioux Falls is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Dakota. Sioux Falls is the county seat of Minnehaha County, and also extends into Lincoln County to the south...
, the son of John Nieuwsma, a Dutch Reformed minister, and Jean (née) Potter, a teacher. In 1945, after World War II, his family moved to Bellflower, California
Bellflower, California
Bellflower is a city in Los Angeles County, California, and is a suburb of Los Angeles. It was incorporated on September 3, 1957. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 76,616, up from 72,878 at the 2000 census....
. At the age of 5, he met Corrie ten Boom
Corrie ten Boom
Cornelia "Corrie" ten Boom was a Dutch Christian, who with her father and other family members helped many Jews escape the Nazi Holocaust during World War II. Her family was arrested due to an informant in 1944, and her father died 10 days later at Scheveningen prison where they were first held...
, a Dutch-born concentration camp survivor and author of The Hiding Place, whose family had hidden Jews in their Netherlands home during the war. Ten Boom was a guest at the Nieuwsma parsonage in Bellflower. In a 2001 interview, Nieuwsma recalled "sitting on (ten Boom's) lap...listening to her talk and wondering to myself, 'Who is this woman?' She reminded me of my grandmother." Ten Boom inspired him to learn more about the Holocaust.
Writing career
Nieuwsma started his writing career as a reporter for the Holland (Michigan) Evening Sentinel while in high school. After graduating with an English degree from Hope CollegeHope College
Hope College is a medium-sized , private, residential liberal arts college located in downtown Holland, Michigan, a few miles from Lake Michigan. It was opened in 1851 as the Pioneer School by Dutch immigrants four years after the community was first settled...
in 1963, he worked as a public information officer at Wayne State University
Wayne State University
Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...
in Detroit and hosted a weekly radio program, "The Fifth Freedom," on WQRS-FM, a Detroit fine arts station. In the late 1970s Nieuwsma began writing historical features and travel articles for the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
. In 1978 he received a master's degree from the University of Illinois-Springfield.
In 1994, while teaching journalism at Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
in New Jersey, Nieuwsma met Tova Friedman, believed to be the youngest Auschwitz survivor, which inspired him to write Kinderlager. Friedman is one of three children featured in the book. In 2001 Kinderlager was selected by the Hogere Europese Beroepen Opleiding (Institute for Higher European Studies) in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
as one of the top 10 books written on the Holocaust.
In 2005 the book was reissued under the title Surviving Auschwitz: Children of the Shoah as a companion to the PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
documentary which Nieuwsma wrote and co-produced. Released in 2005, the film received an Emmy Award from the Michigan chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for best historical documentary. The film also won a First Place Gold Camera Award at the International Film and Video Festival in Los Angeles. Today, "Surviving Auschwitz" is featured in many school-based Holocaust studies programs in the United States.
Nieuwsma won a second Emmy in 2006 for writing and co-producing "Defying Hitler," a documentary about a Jewish fighter in the Polish Resistance.
Personal life
Since 1997 Nieuwsma has lived in Holland, MichiganHolland, Michigan
Holland is a city in the western region of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated near the eastern shore of Lake Michigan on Lake Macatawa, which is fed by the Macatawa River ....
, where he continues to write. He and his wife, the former Marilee Gordon (m. February 1 1964), have three children, Jonathan, Greg and Elizabeth, and seven grandchildren.
Honors and awards
Kinderlager (book):- 1999 - "Best Book for Teens" - New York Public Library
- 1999 - "Nonfiction Honor List" selection - Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) Magazine, American Library Association
- 2000 - "Must Read" selection - Scholastic Teenage Books (TAB), Scholastic, Inc.
- 2001 - "Top 10 Holocaust Books" selection - Hogere Europese Beroepen Opleiding (Institute for Higher European Studies), The Hague, Netherlands
"Surviving Auschwitz: Children of the Shoah" (film):
- 2005 - Davey Award - Silver
- 2005 - Crystal Award of Excellence - Communicator Awards
- 2005 - Millennium Award - Gold
- 2005 - Emmy Award - Michigan - Best Historical Documentary
- 2005 - Telly Award - Silver
- 2006 - Associated Press Award - Best News Documentary
- 2006 - International Film and Video Festival - First Place Gold Camera Award
- 2006 - Best of Show - The Accolades Competition
- 2006 - National Archives Selection
- 2009 - Classic Telly Award
"Defying Hitler" (film):
- 2005 - Crystal Award of Excellence - Communicator Awards
- 2005 - Millennium Award - Gold
- 2006 - Telly Award - Bronze
- 2006 - Emmy Award - Michigan - Best Historical Program
- 2006 - Cine Golden Eagle Award
- 2009 - Classic Telly Award
Other:
- 2009 - Distinguished Alumni Award - Hope College
External links
- Lesson Plans for "Surviving Auschwitz" (grades 6-8)http://www.learningtogive.org/lessons/unit396/lesson1.html
- Lesson Plans for "Surviving Auschwitz" (grades 9-12)http://www.learningtogive.org/lessons/unit397/lesson1.html
- Society of Midland Authors biography (2006) http://www.midlandauthors.com/nieuwsma.html
- Accolade TV Awards 2006 Best of Show, WGVU "Surviving Auschwitz" (trailer)http://www.accoladecompetition.org/TV/Best.aspx
- Tova Friedman interview on "Today Show" NBC (Jan. 27, 2005) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6867448
- Milton Nieuwsma interview (transcript only) on WZZM Channel 13 (Jan. 26, 2005)http://www.wzzm13.com/printfullstory.aspx?storyid=35809
- "Outliving Auschwitz," Chicago Tribune (Jan. 30, 2005)http://www.ushmm.org/newsfeed/Auschwitz/viewstory.php?storyid=2333
- Milton Nieuwsma interview on "The Hour of Power" (Nov. 15, 1998)http://www.thegospel.com/crystal/nov98.html
Sources
- Who's Who in America (63rd ed., 2009)
- Who's Who in the World (26th ed., 2009)
- Contemporary Authors (vol. 213, 2004)
- Chicago Tribune (Jan. 30, 2005)
- Grand Rapids Press (Apr. 25, 2006)
- Holland Sentinel (Nov. 4, 2001)
- Note: For critical reviews of Nieuwsma's work, see Contemporary Authors (vol. 213, 2004, pp. 306-307); Something About the Author (vol. 142, 2004, pp. 140-141).