The Number on Great-Grandpa's Arm

(2018)

Available Now

Synopsis

The Number on Great-Grandpa’s Arm features a conversation between a boy and his beloved great-grandfather, an Auschwitz survivor, sharing lessons from the Holocaust with a new generation. In this short documentary, we follow 10-year-old Elliot as he visits his great-grandfather, Jack, and asks him about his experiences. Jack shares poignant memories of his childhood and the cruelty he experienced when the Nazis came to power, guided by his greatgrandson’s questions and commentary. The son of a well-to-do hat maker in Sosnowiec, Jack was separated from his parents during the Nazi occupation and sent to labor and concentration camps, where money sewn into a hat his father had sent him allowed him to pay a camp commander to get more food. Eventually Jack ended up in Auschwitz, where he was branded with the number A17606. Jack survived a six-month death march before being liberated by Russian and then American troops. He never saw his parents again. With no family left in his hometown, Jack was able to make his way to a relocation camp in post-war Germany and, finally, secure passage to the U.S. to start a new chapter in his life – one that has found him writing a happy ending with a very proud great-grandson.

Cast

Jack Feldman