Ein Gerechter unter den Völkern

original title:
Ein Gerechter unter den Völkern
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original length:
59 min. , color
premiere:
March 2001
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plot synopsis:
This documentary deals with the life of Hans Calmeyer, who saved Jews from being deported to concentration camps, similar to what Oskar Schindler did during World War II. Since 1940 he examined in the commissionership of the occupied areas of the Netherlands, if Jews had to be registrated in the Jew register or not. In most of the cases he decided in favour of the victims and a lot of Jews could be saved. Soon Jewish people, saved by Calmeyer were called "Calmeyer Jews". After the war in 1963 he admitted that he knew about the concentration camps openly on TV. Afterwards he was criticized a lot. But because of his civil courage during the war the institute Yad Vashem in Jerusalem gave him the title "Gerechter unter den Völkern" and planted a tree for him on the "Allee der Gerechten". This honouring is not very often done for non-jewish people. In 1972 Hans Calmeyer dies, changed because of the accustaions. This film tells the story about a courageous man, who's contributions are unfortunately not as well known as those of Oskar Schindler.
literature:
Peter Niebaum. Ein Gerechter unter den Völkern: Hans Calmeyer in seiner Zeit (1903 - 1972). Osnabrück: Edition Rasch, 2001, 427 S.

Joachim Castan. Hans Calmeyer und die Judenrettung in den Niederlanden. (Schriften des Erich Maria Remarque-Archivs; Band 17). Göttingen: V&R unipress, 2003, 128 S.
remarks:
The title "Righteous Among the Nations" is a mention of the memorial Yad Vashem. It assigns not-jewish persons, who saved jews from the holocaust.
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