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Joseph Bellinger comments on Stephen Spielberg's current project
I had to dig into my personal archives for this material, but I
think this provides a more comprehensive analysis of Spielberg's
current 'project.'
On Friday, 1 June, 2001, I was invited to attend a symposium at
ultra-liberal Loyola Marymount University Law School Campus in
downtown Los Angeles. Arriving early with two companions gave us
a welcome opportunity to explore the campus. To my surprise,
there was neither a crucifix nor any other religious symbol on
the exterior of the building which would suggest that the
structure was a chapel. We attended mass in the company of a
congregation composed of corporate chairmen, highly placed
judges from both Federal and State Courts as well as attorneys
from esteemed law firms representing the elite among the
Catholic community in downtown Los Angeles, although a few
prominent Protestants were identified as well.. There were also
members from several religious orders in attendance. A large
bound copy of the “Koran” was on prominent display in the
chapel. In accordance with the ‘conciliar’ spirit encouraged by
Vatican II, all alike –Catholics and Protestants, were invited
to partake of the Holy Eucharist, and all accepted with the sole
exception being the Jewess who was scheduled to speak.
When mass had concluded, we all proceeded to the lecture hall,
where a continental breakfast was awaiting us. My associates and
I took seats in the very first row. Presently, Father Donald
Merrifield, the moderator, introduced to us Mrs. Daisy Miller,
who was described as the Associate Director for Annual
Development of the Shoah Visual History Foundation. No sleazy
snake oil huckster, here. Confident, attractive and well-dressed
in a conservative navy blue skirt, matching jacket and white
silk blouse, she appeared dignified and sophisticated. Mrs.
Miller introduced herself to us as a ‘holocaust survivor’, and
her personal tale of woe was related as follows:
Prior to the outbreak of war in 1939, her family resided in
Croatia, but at some point during the course of hostilities,
were able to flee from that nation into Fascist Italy, an ally
of the German Third Reich. There her parents were able to
convince a peasant family to hide them in their home for the
duration of the war. Mrs. Miller declared that for close to two
years they were not allowed to venture outdoors for fear of
being apprehended by the German army, which was continually
scouring the countryside for laborers. To escape this dreaded
fate, her father would at times hide by day in a ditch on the
farm, covered by dirt and grass, returning back to the cottage
at night, where he would regale his daughter with fairy tales in
serialized form. “It was terrible,” she repeated over and over
again. “I could tell you horrific stories of our suffering,” she
repeated on at least 3 occasions, but somehow never got around
to describing them, a fact for which I didn’t know whether to
feel disappointed or relieved. As it turns out, the woman’s
family was never taken into custody by the Germans, nor did she
or anyone else in her family ever spend one day in German
custody, much less any time in an infamous concentration camp.
Her experiences were a prerequisite for her later appointment
with the Shoah Foundation, which was founded by film director
Steven Spielberg.
It all began when Spielberg was shooting “Schindler’s List” on
location in Poland. At the time, Spielberg had been repeatedly
approached by self-described survivors and told in effect of
their ordeals as holocaust victims: “Boy-chic, do I have a story
to tell you!” And Spielberg listened. Upon returning to the
States, the visual history project was soon underway and
financially supported, aside from Spielberg’s millions, by such
international financiers as the Jewish billionaire, Edgar
Bronfman, among others. Mrs. Miller explained the process in the
following terms:
“Mr. Spielberg was interested in leaving behind a legacy of
survivor testimony for future generations, in order to break
down the “barriers of hate” and we assembled a team to implement
that vision Thousands of interviewers were suitably trained and
dispatched all over the world to record the statements of
survivors in the language most comfortable to them. In the
course of 6 years we were able to obtain and visually record
over 50,000 testimonies, which included statements by Sinta/Roma
(Gypsies) and homosexuals.” These interviews, if watched
continuously, would take a total of 13 years to view in full.”
Concluding with her comments, the audience was next shown a ten
minute video which briefly described the Shoah Visual History
project, which, according to Mrs. Miller, is aimed exclusively
at students, educators and historians. Having concluded with the
video presentation, Mrs. Miller allowed a question and answer
session.
When asked by a doctor if the archives in Germany were
consulted, Ms. Miller replied, “No, that was not our purpose.
Our task was merely to collect oral testimonies, to record and
preserve them. None of the statements were verified. That task
will be left to researchers and historians.”
When asked by a Federal Judge how many statements were taken
from Catholic survivors, Ms. Miller replied, “None, to my
knowledge. Mr. Spielberg was quite specific about this. We were
instructed only to obtain statements from Jewish survivors.”
Another questioner asked her opinion of Mel Brook’s revamped
play entitled, “The Producers” remarking that it was in poor
taste, and Mrs. Miller personally agreed: “The holocaust is not
a subject for levity.”
Asked whether the material would be available on the internet,
Mrs. Miller replied, “No. It will only be available through
‘intra-net.’ That is, only accessible to educational resources
via closed circuit networking. “We would never dream of making
this material available to the general public on the internet,”
stated Mrs. Miller. “Our material shall only be available to
approved scholars, students, educators and researchers.”
As the question and answer period concluded, Ms. Miller
announced, “I hate to be crass, but now is the time to bring up
the subject of donations to keep our momentous work afloat.
After all, we have a strict budget set at 13 million per year.”
The audience audibly gasped, and a man two seats down from me
opined, “Even Spielberg doesn’t have that much money!”
That was all I could stand, and I blurted out, “Oh, yes, he
does! And then some! He could afford to donate 3 million to
Deborah Lipstadt alone. He and Edgar Bronfman can more than
cover the costs.”
Mrs. Miller, however, disagreed with those comments, remarking,
“We have to reach the public and invite them to actively
participate in our ‘tolerance’ project.”
Concluding with her presentation, Ms. Miller proffered: “Permit
me to give each of you my card and please feel free to come and
visit us and observe our work, which we are carrying on in
trailers.”
I arose from my seat and left with a distinct feeling that the
double entendre “trailer trash” was certainly the appropriate
description for this “momentous” project.
©-free 2005 Adelaide Institute
