Introduction

Explores America’s response to the Holocaust, and how it challenged the ideals of democracy.

The US and the Holocaust is a 2022 three-part documentary miniseries about the United States’ response to the Holocaust. The series was directed by Ken Burns, Lynn Novick, and Sarah Botstein, and was written by frequent Burns collaborator Geoffrey C. Ward.

Outline

Through interviews with Holocaust survivors, historians and witnesses, as well as through historical footage, the series examines the US response to the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Holocaust.

The miniseries begins in 1933, covering the national culture of the US before World War II and the Holocaust, including topics such as antisemitism, racism, the eugenics movement and how Nazi Germany used Jim Crow laws in the American South as models for its own racial policy, including the Nuremberg Laws and other pieces of antisemitic legislation.

As isolationism kept the US out of the war for years, many Jews who sought to escape from Europe were excluded because of immigration quotas enshrined by the infamous Johnson-Reed Act of 1924, enforced by officials such as Breckenridge Long, and supported by public figures such as Father Charles Coughlin, Henry Ford and Charles Lindbergh.

The documentary dispels the myth that many Americans didn’t know the extent of Hitler’s murderous vision. A radio dispatch by Edward R. Murrow, from December 1942, describes it in plain language: “Millions of human beings, most of them Jews, are being gathered up with ruthless efficiency and murdered.”

The miniseries ends with footage of recent events in the US, including the 2015 Charleston church shooting, the 2017 Unite the Right rally, the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting and the 06 January 2021 United States Capitol attack.

In an Op-Ed published shortly before the premiere of the documentary, the filmmakers underlined the parallels between the rise of Nazism and the situation in the United States in late 2022. “We are witnessing the rising appeal of authoritarianism abroad and at home, we are bombarded by social media outlets that spread divisive falsehoods and hatred, and, a mere two months before midterm elections, we find our democracy itself under attack.” In conclusion, they urged viewers to think about the implications of history. “Do Americans today have the courage to look at the mistakes of our past for the sake of our improvement? Courage, in this case, includes our willingness to teach our entire history, to confront the difficult along with celebrating the positive.”

Production

The miniseries was partially inspired by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s “Americans and the Holocaust” exhibition and Burns’ production of it coincided with the ongoing exhibit. Work on the miniseries began in 2015, after Burns and Novick received questions about the American response to the Holocaust following the release of Burns’ documentaries The War and The Roosevelts: An Intimate History.

Voice actors and narrators for the miniseries include Liam Neeson, Matthew Rhys, Paul Giamatti, Meryl Streep, Werner Herzog, Joe Morton and Hope Davis.

Release

The US and the Holocaust was shown at the 2022 Telluride Film Festival, which Burns has frequently attended. To promote the film’s release, PBS held in-person and virtual roundtable discussions with film director Steven Spielberg, author Michael Abramowitz, CNN anchor Jake Tapper, the International Rescue Committee and Freedom House.

In the UK, The US and the Holocaust was released on BBC Four weekly from 09 January 2023, with all episodes dropping on the BBC’s iPlayer streaming service.

Reception

The US and the Holocaust was received overwhelmingly positively by critics.

The US and Holocaust Series

• Episode 01: The Golden Door (Beginnings-1938).
• Episode 02: Yearning to Breathe Free (1938-1942).
• Episode 03: The Homeless, The Tempest-Tossed (1942-).

The original airing of Episodes 2 and 3 was postponed for one day in honour of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on 19 September.

Production & Filming Details

• Narrator(s):
  • Peter Coyote
• Director(s):
  • Sarah Botstein … (3 episodes, 2022)
  • Ken Burns … (3 episodes, 2022)
  • Lynn Novick … (3 episodes, 2022)
• Producer(s):
  • Sarah Botstein … producer (3 episodes, 2022)
  • Ken Burns … producer (3 episodes, 2022)
  • Lucas Frank … co-producer (3 episodes, 2022)
  • Vanessa Gonzalez-Block … associate producer (3 episodes, 2022)
  • Lynn Novick … producer (3 episodes, 2022)
  • Stephen Sowers … consulting archival producer (3 episodes, 2022)
  • Mike Welt … producer (3 episodes, 2022)
• Writer(s):
  • Geoffrey C. Ward … (3 episodes, 2022)
• Music:
• Cinematography:
  • Buddy Squires … (unknown episodes)
  • Wojciech Staron … (unknown episodes)
• Editor(s):
  • Chase Horton … (unknown episodes)
  • Tricia Reidy … (unknown episodes)
• Production:
  • Florentine Films
• Distributor(s):
  • PBS
  • BBC
• Release Date: 18, 20, and 21 September 2022.
• Running time: 128-137 minutes (per episode).
• Rating: Unknown.
• Country: UK.
• Language: English.

Video Link(s)