Americans visit Horodok, Poland and Germany

Identifier
irn1004642
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 2011.414.1
  • RG-60.1368
Level of Description
Item
Languages
  • Silent
Source
EHRI Partner

Creator(s)

Scope and Content

Amateur footage taken by an American Jew, Joseph Shapiro, during a visit to relatives in Horodok, a Polish shtetl ocated between Minsk and Vilna. American travelers dressed in expensive clothes shake hands with villagers. The camera pans the landscape showing horse-drawn wagons, farms, trains resting on tracks, and local businesses (beer house "Piwiarnia"). 14:16:52 Children present flowers to visitors. A large procession of children (some in gymnasium hats) walk in pairs, as teachers organize the group. 14:18:56 The children rush towards a bus labeled "98 Iwieniec..." traveling from a town located in current-day Belarus. The procession tours the farms and a stops at a graveyard amongst the trees. Men share prayer books, as a villager in a dark suit recites a prayer. 14:19:37 The group mourns and prays. Men, women, and children pose in front of businesses, schools, and homes. People smile for the camera. An old couple greets the younger generations. 14:27:49 Young men and women hold hands and circle around the old couple. 14:30:14 Adults distribute bagels and milk to children at an outdoor celebration. Children line up and pose for the camera in front of a large wooden school or synagogue. The camera captures a crowded market, daily work, buildings and signs, and livestock. 14:37:20 An unusual shot shows a soldier in military garb directing the children and walking with his bicycle at his side. The visitors share hugs and kisses with an elderly village woman. The group laughs and jokes, as the elderly woman slaps away their kisses. The camera captures scenes aboard a large ocean cruiser called "Hamburg Amerika Linie." The travelers pose with the crew and play games aboard the ship. The travelers laugh and talk, as they capture scenes of the landscape from a train. The visitors stroll open boulevards in Germany and visit the zoo. The camera cuts to a green landscape with flowers, wooden houses, and farm animals. One visitor poses with a new car parked on the grass.

Note(s)

  • DVD transfer made from two reels of original 16mm film. Moshe Baran, a survivor from Horodok, contacted Photo Archive director Judy Cohen about these films.

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.