A TREASURE IN AUSCHWITZ
A young student, Yariv Nornberg, hears from an elderly vendor in a rundown shop a fantastic story about a Jewish treasure buried in Polish soil. His curiosity is aroused when he learns of the location of the hiding place - next to the infamous Auschwitz extermination camp. During the next 5 years, Yariv pursues these lost religious artifacts, hidden in the grounds of the Great Synagogue in the city of Oswiecim (Auschwitz) in 1939. For him, these artifacts embody his own perished family and guide his attempt for a closure and acceptance of the Polish people, usually regarded by Jews as collaborators and anti-Semites.
Yariv manages to organize a unique archaeological excavation to unearth the treasure. But as the digging progresses, it becomes apparent that the synagogue's soil conceals a 60-year-old sinister secret and Yariv and his crew begin to lose hope.
Until one morning a shovel hits a metallic object in one of the ditches.
The search and excavation for the treasure translates within the film to a succession of poignant metaphors - to the Jewish existence in Poland and its annihilation, to the possibility of a dialog between the younger generations, to the capacity of Nazi evilness embodied in the presence of the nearby death camp and above all - to the growing sentiment that only 60 years have gone by and already WW2 and it's greatest nightmare - the Holocaust - is tragically transforming into an archaeological exhibit.
Westchester Jewish Film Series 2006
“An unexpected gem...”
Toronto Jewish Film Festival 2006
"Mystery and intrigue are offered in abundance in this thoroughly fascinating documentary."
Stina Chyn, FILM THREAT
“…Although you are miles and months away from the filmed events, suspense builds with each day that the archaeologists do and do not find something promising. The anticipation and anxiousness that you feel is maintained with Yariv’s providing an organizational and personal touch to Gat’s documentary, lending a travel-diary type of tone.
….
A Treasure in Auschwitz” is more than a story about people and situations the viewer probably never knew existed. It emphasizes the importance of knowing and remembering the past.”
George Robinson, THE JEWISH WEEK
“…an intriguing portrait of a once-thriving Jewish community that has completely vanished and a group of deeply philo-Semitic Polish archeologists committed to preserving its memory.”
Festivals:
Jerusalem International Film Festival - July 2005
NY Jewish Film Festival - January 2006
Westchester Celebrates Jewish Film - March 2006
Toronto Jewish Film Festival - May 2006
Desert Jewish Film Festival (California) - November 2006
Holy Land in the Heartland Film Festival (Marietta, GA) - November 2006
University of Miami Film Festival, November 2006
UIA Federations Canada Film Festival, April 2007
Awards:
Best Documentary nominee, Israeli Documentary Awards 2006