Today CWB screened the movie Sophie Scholl – The Last Days at Rodef Shalom Congregation. Attendants had the opportunity to see the White Rose exhibit on display in the commons area before and after seeing the movie.
Dr. Michael Naragon, history teacher at Winchester Thurston School, gave a brief but enthralling introduction of the White Rose’s history, before the audience set out to an emotional 2hr journey following Sophie Scholl and the White Rose through arrest, trial and execution. Audible gasps in the small crowd accompanied an increasingly gripping story that examined both the White Rose’s operations and Sophie’s staunch moral convictions. A thoughtful silence set over the audience as the credits, and the original White Rose members’ faces, appeared on the screen.
Discussions and contemplative conversations carried on as the attendants wandered through the commons area and the White Rose exhibit. Many moviegoers were not just impressed by Julia Jentsch’s brilliant performance as Sophie Scholl, but also by the nuanced and multifaceted depiction of the Nazi officer interrogating Sophie. His Nazi ideology is challenged in scenes of captivating dialogue with Sophie’s humanistic values, which ultimately allow for humanity to shine through on both sides of the heavy 1940’s interrogation desk.
CWB would like to thank everybody who joined us today and to Anna Baird & Rebecca Ackner from Rodef Shalom for some of her pictures, organizing pre-movie pizza and, of course, for helping us make this possible.
