From Swastika to Jim Crow

From Swastika to Jim Crow
Directed by	Lori Cheatle and Martin D. Toub
Written by	Gabrielle Simon Edgcomb (book)
Produced by	Steven Fischler and Joel Sucher
Narrated by	Luc Sante
Release date	2000 (2000)
Running time	60 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

From Swastika to Jim Crow is a 2000

colleagues and students.

Summary

The horrors of

depict emaciated corpses piled on top of each other.

Showing the similarities between German

southern society. Their common understanding bonded them together to create a safe haven of interracial, intellectual dialogue and friendship.

When Germany forced its Jewish intellectuals to flee, America embraced high-profile thinkers like

.

These Jewish professors brought their proper German teaching style with them to America. They approached the classroom with strict formality, wearing full suits and insisting that students rise when answering questions. Although their students were not accustomed to being treated with such formality in the classroom, with time they grew fond of their professors' quirks.

In addition to developing relationships with African Americans, the Jewish professors often served as a bridge between the African-American and European-American communities. In one instance, a professor organized a dinner with both African-American and European-American families. He asked the African-American guests, who arrived first, to sit in every other chair, so that when the European American guests arrived they would be forced to interact with one another. The professor knew he could not force people to give up their prejudice, but he was committed to doing whatever he could to encourage tolerance.

Through these simple acts, the Jewish intellectuals planted seeds that developed into the

. By treating their African-American students with the respect and dignity they deserved, Jewish professors acted as catalysts for forward thinking that recognizes all citizens as equals.

About the filmmakers

• Producers Steven Fischler and Joel Sucher have produced a number of award-winning documentary films based on historical, cultural and political topics. They have received the
  Emmy Awards, Cine Golden Eagles, and the John Grierson
  Award for Social Documentaries.
• Director Lori Cheatle's films have been produced by
  Lifetime Television, and Paramount Pictures
  . She has worked on a number of films, her most recent being, Dashiell Hammett: Detective Writer.
• Martin D. Toub has directed, photographed and edited for Pacific Street productions since 1986. Among other films, he worked on Martin Scorsese Directs (PBS 1991) and Oliver Stone: Inside/Out (BBC, 1993).

Production

From Swastika to Jim Crow was inspired by a

See also

• List of American films of 2000
• History of Jews in the United States
• History of antisemitism

Other films about Jews in America

• My Yiddishe Momme McCoy
• Awake Zion
• Professional Revolutionary
• Song of a Jewish Cowboy
• A Home on the Range

Notes

1. ^ Cheatle, Lori; Fischler, Steven; Sucher, Joel; Toub, Martin D. "From Swastika to Jim Crow". ITVS. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved January 20, 2019.

References

• "From Swastika to Jim Crow". PBS.org. Retrieved August 8, 2007.
• "'From Swastika to Jim Crow' Improving Black-Jewish Relations". Anti-Defamation League. 2002. Archived from the original on October 10, 2006. Retrieved August 8, 2007.

• "From Swastika to Jim Crow". ITVS. October 17, 2000. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved August 8, 2007.

External links

• From Swastika to Jim Crow at
  IMDb
• Anti-Semitism and Racism