David Glick's trip to Europe 1936/37

Identifier
irn1003785
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 2004.320.2
  • RG-60.4311
Dates
1 Jan 1936 - 31 Dec 1937
Level of Description
Item
Languages
  • Silent
Source
EHRI Partner

Creator(s)

Biographical History

In 1936, at the behest of Paul Baerwald and Felix Warburg and the Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), David Glick, a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania attorney, traveled to Germany to act as an independent liaison between Nazi officials and Jewish organizations. His primary objective in this capacity was to assist German Jews in leaving the country, through whatever legal means possible. He met with Heinrich Himmler (Head of the Secret State Police), Reinhard Heydrich (head of Security Services), Dr. Karl Haselbacher (Deputy in Charge of the 'Jewish Problem'), and Dr. Werner Best (Deputy Leader of the Secret State Police). From 1936-38, David Glick, as the unofficial representative of the JDC in Germany, criss-crossed the country meeting with leaders of major Jewish organizations and members of various congregations. Much of his work was conducted at great risk to his own personal safety. He worked with the Reichsvertretung der Juden in Deutschland (The Council for the Representation of Jews in the Third Reich), and the U.S. and British governments to assist thousands of German Jews in emigrating to Palestine and South America. In 1937 he successfully negotiated the release and emigration of 120 of the 300 Jews who were then prisoners in the Dachau concentration camp. In 1939, David Glick visited every country in South America on behalf of the JDC to survey the needs of the German and Austrian refugees who had settled there. He brought with him a 16mm camera, and he filmed his experiences with the new refugees in many of these countries. The films in this collection are the only photographic documentation known to exist of David Glick's journeys. They are a testament to the work that a private American citizen was carrying out on behalf of the Jews of Germany when the official U.S. government policy had yet to acknowledge the extent of Adolf Hitler's plans to eradicate European Jewry.

Scope and Content

Reims, France. CU of a man with a long beard, and loose fitting clothing, holding a pigeon in his hand and feeding it, another pigeon rests on his other arm. MLS of a street in the city, a street lamp hangs from the corner of a building, and a sign above a doorway reads: "Champignons". VS, of the neighborhood, a cat running along a ledge of a building, rows of houses, three women dressed in traditional costumes with white pointed hats, a street corner with a restaurant called "Restaurant Jeanne-D'Arc," men sitting in a bar raising a glass to the camera, the owners of the bar smile and wave to the camera from behind the bar, (most of this INT footage is very poorly lit, often figures looks like shadows). EXT, sign on awning on building reads "Roger Dallain" and features gilded statuary of horses' heads. LS, narrow alley-like street. Men using public urinals, men posing with long baguettes of bread, women filling their buckets at the water fountain along the street. VS, of the Reims Cathedral (Notre Dame de Reims), seen in CU and LS, CUs of the architectural details. 01:03:26:00: MLS of David Glick exiting the Cathedral, looking up towards the sky, his hat in his hand. He puts his hat back on and walks toward the camera. CU of an archway with engraving about Jeanne d'Arc. 01:03:57:00: LS of David Glick sitting down on a street corner, talking to the person operating the camera, he gets up and walks toward the camera. VS, outdoor food market. 01:04:20:29: Black and white footage ends. 01:04:21:00: Color footage begins: LA, MS, two women (one is David Glick's wife) stand on a balcony looking at geranium plants and down to the camera person below. Camera pans the large rustic style hotel, the snow capped mountains in the BG and the surrounding buildings. The sign above the hotel's main entrance, reads: "Hotel Riesse..." (The entire sign is not visible, it may be Riessen). David Glick's wife touring the village, drinking from a public water fountain, talking to locals in Bavarian dress on the dock of a lake, in front of a house, in front of a local shop, etc. VS, the locals going about their daily activities, plowing the fields, etc. Panoramic shots of the mountains and the river. Mrs. Glick having a meal on the hotel balcony. 01:06:30:15: Color footage ends. 01:06:30:16: Black and white footage begins. Location: France. In one shot Mrs. Glick is talking with a young man as they stand in front of a public fountain. In the next shot David Glick is posing with this same man. INT: and elderly woman sits in a chair near a window, and talks to the camera (very poorly lit). EXT. The elderly woman is helped down a set of stairs by two younger women. The camera follows them as they begin to walk down the street, toward the camera, the old woman smiles. EXT. HA shot looking down on Mr. and Mrs. Glick as they wave at the camera as their ferry boat pulls away from the dock. Camera pulls back to reveal the name of the ferry, the "French Line." VS, rooftop views of Paris. The Eiffel Tower is seen in LS. Street scenes in Paris, more shots of public urinals, black and white footage ends at 01:08:44:29.Color footage begins at 01:08:45:00. This was shot in Pittsburgh, PA. LS of a cathedral. Mrs. Glick exits the church, waving at the camera. VS of the cathedral. LS, David Glick on the lawn near a large building with ionic columns, he walks toward the camera. MCU of David Glick as he talks to the camera operator. Mrs. Glick sits on a park bench reading and smiling for the camera. VS of David and Mrs. Glick, as well as a younger boy at their home. They play and joke for the camera, dressed in their souvenir Bavarian costumes.

Note(s)

  • Mixed on reel: 16mm, Kodachrome camera reversal original, film date coded 1937; black and white camera reversal original, film dated coded 1936; black and white print stock dated 1936.

  • A report titled "Rescue and Resettlement" that was prepared by the donor, Mr. Allen Hepner contains copies of JDC letters, David Glick's letters while in Germany, and David Glick's country reports back to the JDC while traveling across South America. Please contact Film and Video Archive to access these materials.

Subjects

Places

Genre

This description is derived directly from structured data provided to EHRI by a partner institution. This collection holding institution considers this description as an accurate reflection of the archival holdings to which it refers at the moment of data transfer.