“The Good Nazi” Post-Film Discussion with Film Director Yaron Niski, 2G survivor and author Dr. Michael Good, and with survivor and artist Sam Bak

Classrooms Without Borders, in partnership with Rodef Shalom Congregation, is excited to offer the opportunity to watch the film “The Good Nazi” and engage in a post-film discussion with the film’s director, Yaron Niski, Michael Good, Sam Bak and CWB scholar Avi Ben Hur.

The Good Nazi – Trailer from Associated Producers Ltd. on Vimeo.

“The Good Nazi” is one of those rare films that weave science, history and extremely personal human stories. During the Holocaust, a Nazi major named Karl Plagge, arrived in Vilnius, Lithuania as part of the occupation force. When he saw that the SS was hellbent on murdering every Jewish man, woman and child, Plagge decided to save Jews, rather than murder them. So he ran a covert operation. On the surface, he was commandant of a forced labor camp called “HKP”. In reality, he was sheltering hundreds of Jewish families. By the end, many were saved in hiding places dug into the ground and carved into the walls. Many more were executed by the SS and buried in a mass grave. Today, the former “HKP” – unchanged! – is home to impoverished Lithuanians. Because the government is about to tear down the site and put up condos instead, a group of scientists arrives to locate the hiding places of those that were saved and identify the mass grave of those who were murdered. A child survivor of the camp and an American physician, whose mother was saved by Major Plagge, join them. The film tracks their three stories and, ultimately, brings to light the unknown tale of a Schindler-type German who listened to his conscience, instead of his superiors.

Make sure to sign up for the 2nd part of this program: March 10, 2021 At the Intersection of Science and History: The Science behind “The Good Nazi”
Dr. Michael Good

Michael Good a family physician from Connecticut became interested in Holocaust history in 1999 during a family trip to Vilnius, Lithuania. During this journey, his mother told him of the mysterious German army officer, a certain Major Plagge, who commanded her slave labor camp and who she claimed had saved her, her parents and over 250 Jewish workers from the murderous intent of the Nazis. She did not know who he was or what had become of the German officer, but she insisted that “Plagge saved us all”. Following this trip, Good set out to find this enigmatic officer, trying to understand who Major Plagge was and why a German officer would have acted so benevolently at a time when his countrymen were committing atrocities on a previously unthinkable scale. In his book, “The Search for Major Plagge” Dr. Good shares his parents’ stories of survival and describes his search for the man who saved his mother’s life. During this journey of exploration he built a team of camp survivors and researchers from Canada, France, Israel, and Germany to answer the questions that had haunted camp survivors and their descendants for decades. Good gradually reveals the story of a remarkable man of conscience, who transformed from an early supporter of the Nazi party into a covert rescuer of persecuted Jews.

Yaron Niski

Yaron Niski is an award-winning Israeli producer, writer, and director with 20 years of industry experience working on both scripted and unscripted shows. His more recent projects include Atlantis Rising, (National Geographic), with Oscar winning director, James Cameron, and Enslaved, (Epix) a documentary miniseries about the transatlantic slave trade starring, Samuel L. Jackson, for which he is the creator and executive producer.

Sam Bak

We are honored for this opportunity to learn from famous artist and survivor Sam Bak!

Please find a full biography for Sam Bak here: https://www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/exhibitions/bak/biography.asp