Filmmakers Ken Burns, Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein tell the story behind the US and it's involvement with the Holocaust in their most important film to date. A tragedy for the world - a reckoning for our nation. The U.S. and the Holocaust examines the rise of Hitler and Nazism in Germany in the context of global antisemitism and racism, immigration and eugenics in the United States, and race laws in the American south.

The series is presented in 3 episodes:

The U.S. and the Holocaust Episode 1: “The Golden Door” (Beginnings-1938)

After decades of maintaining open borders, a xenophobic backlash prompts Congress to pass its first laws restricting immigration. Meanwhile, in Germany, Hitler and the Nazis begin their persecution of Jewish people, causing many to try to flee to neighboring countries or America. Franklin Roosevelt and other world leaders are concerned by the growing refugee crisis but fail to coordinate a response.

The U.S. and the Holocaust Episode 2: “Yearning to Breathe Free” (1938-1942)

As World War II begins, Americans are united in their disapproval of Nazi brutality but divided on whether to act. Some individuals and organizations work tirelessly to help refugees escape. Meanwhile, Charles Lindbergh and isolationists battle with Roosevelt to try to keep America out of the war. Germany invades the Soviet Union and secretly begins the mass murder of European Jews.

The U.S. and the Holocaust Episode 3: “The Homeless, Tempest-Tossed” (1942 - )

A group of dedicated government officials fights red tape to finance and support rescue operations. As the Allied soldiers advance, uncovering mass graves and liberating German concentration camps, the public sees for the first time the sheer scale of the Holocaust and begins to reckon with its reverberations.

Watch the Documentary Episodes and Join Us for a Discussion

All three episodes of The U.S. and the Holocaust documentary can be watched on the link below. We are recommending that you watch the documentary and join us for a discussion of all three episodes on Zoom on Sunday, February 25 at 6:30pm. To complete the package join us for our tour of the Holocaust Museum this spring.