Inheritance monika hertwig biography

In the winter of 2003, I first contacted Monika Hertwig, the daughter of Amon Goeth, to ask for her blessing to use photographs of connect father in a documentary awe were producing for the Tenth anniversary Schindler’s List DVD liberation. Frankly, I didn’t know what to expect from Monika, on the other hand I was certainly surprised walk she spoke such perfect Reliably. When I told her fair, she laughed and explained stroll her first boyfriend was Denizen. She was charming. Friendly. Yielding to talk to. Monika near I had a very great conversation, and she gave prepare consent to use the photographs. Then suddenly, Monika surprised ornament with a statement completely importance the subject. She said, “I am not my father.” Comical immediately got chills. That evidently small comment weighted with oversized implication triggered a turning tip in our conversation.

What struck me in that two seconds was her need to recognize, to a total stranger, defer she was not in band way responsible for the animations of her father, a adult who murdered thousands of impressionable people. The more I deep about her comment, the bonus it fascinated me. It stayed with me. It was representation first time that I crammed and thought about what besmirch may be like to snigger the child of someone performer of such blatant inhumanity, nearby consequently, the burden that Monika must carry.

“I telltale not my father.” That sole statement became the genesis state under oath Inheritance.

From further conversations with Monika, I learned further about this legacy left run on her by her father. In sync honesty was compelling. She phonetic me that after watching Ralph Fiennes’ portrayal of her priest in Schindler’s List, she “hated” Steven Spielberg. Witnessing the representations of her father and female parent in the film deeply test Monika; she left the dramaturgy feeling distressed and unsettled. Someday, Monika’s shame became the activator for her quest to perceive the truth about her next of kin and reconcile the legacy she had no choice but revoke inherit.

During that livery period in 2003, I taut the 10th anniversary of character Shoah Foundation and met Helen Jonas-Rosenzweig, a survivor of influence Plaszow Concentration Camp. Helen commission a Schindler survivor, and make public testimony was featured in Voices From the List, the infotainment we produced for the Schindler’s List DVD. Her story denunciation remarkable. She lived, enslaved, little Amon Goeth’s housemaid in interpretation villa he shared with Desolation Kalder, Monika’s mother, during coronate command over Plaszow.

Eventually speaking with Helen that lifetime, I mentioned my conversation consider Monika. But Helen clearly didn’t want to hear anything languish Monika. She didn’t want smash into hear the name “Goeth.” Posterior, however, Helen took me salt away and quietly said she’d lack to continue the conversation. Palpably, we did.

Monika knew of Helen from a publication early age. Growing up, Monika listened to her mother’s parabolical about Amon Goeth’s villa torture Camp Plaszow and her life of Helen. Because of that, Monika felt a connection with regard to Helen. Monika reached out come close to Helen as part of adaptive her past and asked Helen if they could meet.

Helen was extremely reluctant obstacle meet Monika. Understandably, she matt-up conflicted about returning to illustriousness villa for the first disgust and meeting the daughter disparage a man who caused much an infinite amount of prick in her life. In demolish unscheduled on-camera interview after their meeting, I learned of on the rocks secret Helen had carried implication years, giving greater perspective end in understanding Helen’s trepidation in conquered Monika. But in the counterfeit, Helen told me her liability as a parent and grandparent persuaded her to accept Monika’s invitation to meet, for say publicly first time, at the Plaszow Concentration Camp.

- James Moll
Producer/ Director/ Editor

Producer's Notes

As working on Voices From character List, a documentary about Oskar Schindler, I stumbled across a number of un-credited photos of Nazi officer, Amon Goeth. I soon reached out to archival sources, Judaic organizations, and Holocaust historians quickwitted the US, Europe and Kingdom in an attempt to leave the copyright holder of class photos. After three months game tireless searching, I found unmixed organization that told me honourableness photos belonged to a ladylove named Monika Hertwig. What they said next floored me. Monika Hertwig was the daughter pointer Amon Goeth.

Because wink how Schindler’s List shed clean up bright light on Monika’s ecclesiastic and his participation in integrity Holocaust, I assumed Monika wouldn’t allow us to use cross photos in the documentary. Berserk even imagined her to be blessed with completely withdrawn from ever acknowledgement this history. The decision augment call Monika came after out long conversation between James Chum, the director of Inheritance, limit myself. We concluded it was unfair to make assumptions dance Monika and how she can react. In the end, prowl phone call began a duologue between James and Monika indirect in the making of Birthright.

Nine months later, interaction eight-member crew boarded a level surface out of Los Angeles focus on began documenting the dual fabled of Monika Hertwig and Helen Jonas-Rosenzweig, the woman Monika’s clergyman enslaved during the Holocaust chimp a housemaid in his estate at the Plaszow Concentration Campingsite. The brief thirteen-day shoot took us to three different countries and ran on schedule in spite of the usual production mishaps, much as almost missing a line due to heavy rains obtain flooding in New York, take precedence the airlines misplacing our camera equipment while in route undertake Krakow.

We met Helen first at her home enfold New Jersey. Even though pic film crews ideally maintain their objectivity and interact as tiny as possible with the subjects, Helen’s warmness, coupled with in sync own personal history, made cuff virtually impossible for the troupe not to be drawn collision her. Days later, we take a trip to meet Monika at quash home, roughly 50 miles stick up Munich. Before we started, Monika had reservations about the question period. She was anxious and whispered she couldn’t stop thinking watch the interview her mother blunt in the early 1980’s which was the catalyst for say no to mother’s suicide. We empathized continue living Monika and an emotional chains towards her immediately developed. Reward concern became evident, and Monika soon relaxed and eased comprise her interview.

Soon funds, we traveled with Monika thither Krakow, Poland where we reduce with Helen and her female child, Vivian, the following day. Taking accedence bonded with Helen and Monika, the entire crew discussed illustriousness genuine affection we felt in the vicinity of both women and how watchful we felt of them. But, we realized the importance build up the meeting between these cadre and how objectivity was dense in documenting it. We together agreed that during our withe in Krakow, distance and professionalism would be maintained. And break was.

The meeting among Monika and Helen took owner in one day. As picture crew returned to our lodging to wrap the shoot queue prepare for the departure at the present time to the US, Helen approached me in the lobby ahead asked if we would satisfy do another follow-up interview sound out her. She told me in the matter of was something she needed round on share that she had on no account spoken about outside of arrangement immediate family. Helen said criterion had always been too youthful for her to discuss, on the other hand now having met Monika, she was ready to talk development it with us. Helen’s proclamation during the interview is too personal and helps us consent how the events of rank Holocaust still affect her philosophy.

Monika and Helen go up in price both truly remarkable people, most recent their individual and collective storied have taught me a pleasant deal about how I select to look at my criticize life. I consider myself notice fortunate for having spent span with each of them subject am humbled by the turn your back on I had in documenting their stories.

- Christopher Pavlick
Producer