Northern Michigan University will host two screenings of "Letters from Brno," an award-winning documentary film that relays a powerful, heart-wrenching story of parental love and unspeakable sacrifice during the Holocaust. They are scheduled for 5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 7, and Tuesday, Oct. 8, in Mead Auditorium (2701 Science Building). The film's writer and producer, Karen Kruger, will participate in discussions afterward. She will also lead an interactive workshop for current and future educators at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 9, in the Whitman Commons. All events are free and open to the public.
In December 1976, during a college break, Kruger learned that her mother, Erika Stefanie Turkl (Neumann) was Jewish. This discovery marked the beginning of Kruger's 45-year journey to learn more about her family history, including the discovery of her grandparents' letters written during the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia. The film's awards include best documentary at the Prague International Film Festival and best feature documentary at the Brno Film Festival.
In the summer of 2019, Kruger traveled to Brno and Prague, Czechoslovakia, and to Cornwall, England to finally take the necessary time to research her mother's past. She spent three months working in archives, meeting with experts from the Jewish Museum of Prague and traveling to Terezin and Boskovice, Alexovice and other towns. She traced her mother's 1939 journey from her Brno to England via Kinder transports of 669 Czechoslovakian Jewish children arranged by British stockbroker Nicholas Winton.
When Kruger returned in the Fall of 2019, she knew that she needed to work full-time on the project. She decided to retire from her school administrator's position and dedicate her time, effort and finances to researching the family history.
Jeffery Gary, a documentary filmmaker, learned of Kruger's project and offered to interview/film her to record her recent research trip “while it was still fresh in her mind.” During the first two sessions of filming, Jeffery realized that the story of Kruger's mother's family had all the components of a documentary film and he suggested that she consider telling the story on film first instead of writing a book—which she had originally planned to do.
While filming the documentary, Kruger had imagined how this story could be part of curricula regarding the Holocaust. In addition to the screenings and workshop, she will visit individual classrooms while on NMU's campus.