Dear Fredy
A film by Rubi Gat
Fredy Hirsch was born in Germany, a proud Jew and openly gay man he was 19 years old when the Nuremberg Laws were published, he fled from Germany to the Czech Republic which was conquered by the Nazis. He began activities in the Czech Republic as a sports teacher in Jewish youth club, and soon became his students’ object of admiration. With the deportation of the Jews to Ghetto Terezin, Fredy was appointed head of the youth department and dealt with over than 4,000 youth. When he arrived in Auschwitz, Fredy did not succumb to despair. He persuaded Mengele to set up a daycare center for children and youth and granted some 600 children their final moments of happiness. It might be that in Auschwitz, for the first time in his life, Fredy Hirsch didn't experience Homophobia. He had a lover, he was out and people loved him for all the good he did. Together with members of the underground in Auschwitz, he planned a revolt that never came to pass, following his death, which remains a mystery, and which this film attempts to reveal. The story of Fredy Hirsch is another link in the history of the gay community. The film combines Interviews, archival materials and animation.
One of the interviewees told me, 'This man had to be located somewhere near Janusz Korczak. He did similar things, but everyone knows Korczak and nobody heard about Fredy Hirsch'
Fredy was completely open about his sexuality. Everyone knew he was gay, everyone knew he had lover. When I started working on the film, I thought that maybe he was not properly commemorated because of homophobia, but during my work I discovered that people accepted his sexuality. People talked about him in a warm and humane way. They felt that there was a kind of missed opportunity here, and perhaps this is the last chance to tell Fredy Hirsch's story. -- Rubi Gat the director of the film
Reviews:
There is little academic and non-academic work and other resources on Jewish masculinities during the interwar period and the Holocaust, thus making this documentary an important and unique resource for scholars, instructors, and students in the fields of men’s studies, gender and sexualities, and history. -- Robert Csreni film review, in 'Men & Masculinities' an academic Journal published by Stony Brook University
Dear Fredy featured in the Youngstown Area Jewish Film Festival in fall 2019. The audience, composed of students from Youngstown State University and members of the public, thoroughly enjoyed the thought-provoking film. It’s poignant and painful depth, along with its inviting format reflected in the quality of discussion that followed the film. As a historian of the Jewish experience in the Czech lands, I appreciated not only the film’s merits but its additional accomplishment of preserving the memory of Fredy Hirsh. I highly recommend Dear Fredy for the classroom and for community events. -- Jacob Ari Labendz, Director of the Center for Judaic and Holocaust Studies, Youngstown State University
Awards:
Houston Film Critics Society Award Grand Jury Prize
Houston International LGBTQ Film Festival
Festivals and Screenings:
Warsaw Poland LGBT Film Festival
Sousa Mendes Institute
Holocaust Education of Florida sent DVDs to 110 High Schools in Florida
Leo Beack institute New york
Concordia University Toronto
Cheres-Cheries LGBT Film Festival Paris France
Austin Gay Lesbian International Film Festival
Fairy Tales LGBT Film Festival Calgary Canada
Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust
Leeds Queer Film Festival Leeds UK
HERC Holocaust Education Research Center, Florida State University
Sarasota Jewish Federation
National Holocaust Museum UK
Desert Film Society Palm Springs CA
Illinois Holocaust Museum Chicago IL
Suffern Holocaust Museum NY
Modesto Congregation CA
Esslingen LGBT FF Germany
Pink Apple LGBT FF Zurich Switzerland
Grenoble LGBT FF France
Miami Jewish Film Festival - January 2019
Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival - January 2019
U.N. office Vienna - Special screening for International Holocaust Remembrance Day - January 2019
Cincinnati Jewish & Israeli Film Festival - February 2019
Denver Jewish Film Festival - February 2019
Santa Barbara Jewish Film Festival - March 2019
Pittsburgh Jewish Film Festival - March 2019
BFI Flare-London LGBT Film Festival - March 2018
Lovers Film Festival-Turin LGBTQI Visions - April 2018
Houston International LGBTQ Film Festival - August 2018
Taiwan International Queer Film Festival - August 2018
Dayton LGBT Film Festival - October 2018
Florence Queer Festival - October 2018
Jewish International Film Festival in Australia - October 2018
Israeli Film Festival-Bratislava - October 2018
Perlen- Queer Film Festival Hannover- October 2018
UK Jewish Film Festival - November 2018
Queer Film Festival Oldenburg - November 2018
Queersicht Film Festival-Bern - November 2018
Cinema Museum in Lodz - Documentary Film Festival - November 2018
New-York Jewish Film Festival - January 2019
University/College Libraries:
University of Chicago
Boston Community College
Delaware University
Youngstown University
Hobart & Williams
Sydney University Australia
Minnesota University @ Duluth
Articles:
“We Jews don’t have saints, but we do have tzaddikim, righteous people, people of tzedek, of justice. Perhaps the word could also be translated as ‘decency.’” - Zuzana Rosinkova (who had been in the children’s block under Fredy Hirsch).
The little-known gay hearo who tried to save the children in Auschwitz-by Michal Aharony, April 6, 2018 - The Forward
“DEAR FREDDY” — A Heroic Gay Jewish Sportsman Who Ended Up in Auschwitz-by Amos Lassen, February 24, 2018 - Revies by Amos Lassen
About the Film
74 minutes
Hebrew, English, Czech | English subtitles
Director: Rubi Gat
Producers: Rubi Gat, Sahar ben Hur
Editor: Erez Laufer
Original Music: Ido Goldberg
Sound Design: Ronen Nagel
Art Director: Yael Ozsinay
Animation design: Mind The Gap Animation
The film was produced for the Channel 1 Documentary Department and was supported by AVI CHAI Foundation, Gesher Foundation, the Jerusalem Film Project and the Claims Conference.
Streaming
This title is available for streaming for educational use at FilmPlatform.net.
Screenings
To arrange for a public screening, contact Nahum Laufer below.
Contact
For more information please contact Nahum Laufer.
Email: laufern@netvision.net.il
Fax: 972-3-5291726
Mail: Shlomo Hamelech 93 #5, Tel-Aviv 6451228
