Arts Emanu-El to screen 2 films about Scandinavia during WWII

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Arts Emanu-El is streaming eye-opening films about Denmark and Norway during World War II as its May events.

These two countries are a study in contrasts since the Jews of Denmark fared well during the war, and most survived, while in Norway most of the Jews were taken to the Auschwitz concentration camp and perished.

Norway had a small Jewish population before WWII, but the fate of the Norwegian Jews has rarely been depicted on screen.  The film “Betrayed,” based on a true story, fills in some of the blanks about this population.

“Betrayed” follows the life of Charles, a celebrated boxer who defeated the Swedish champion and seems to have a promising future.  It is a story about choices, and about how doing the right thing at the right time can determine whether one will survive.

“What makes the movie ‘Betrayed’ work is the actors’ strong performances, which make vivid the sense of family and how it sustained the characters through the bleakest moments,” Hannah Brown wrote in the Jerusalem Post.

The second film, “The Good Traitor,” is also historical fiction.  The plot centers on Henrik Kauffmann, the Danish ambassador to the United States, who sets up a Danish government-in-exile in the U.S. during WWII.  Kauffmann rejected directives from his country’s collaborationist Foreign Affairs Ministry and set in motion a daring, complicated framework to represent independent, “free Denmark.”

“Betrayed” may be viewed on Eventive from noon on Thursday, May 5, until 11:59 p.m. on Monday, May 9.

“The Good Traitor” is available on Eventive from noon on Thursday, May 19, until 11:59 p.m. on Monday, May 23.

Please contact the Temple Emanu-El office, at 401-331-1616, for ticket prices and the link to purchase tickets.

PAMELA HANZEL is the chair of Arts Emanu-El at Temple Emanu-El, in Providence.

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