- Coming up next on IGI: We're honored to feature the family members of one of the last remaining Holocaust survivors in Kansas City in a conversation about inspiration, impact and remembrance.
And ensuring history does not repeat itself.
Stay with us.
- [Female Announcer] KNEA.
Empowering educators, so that educators can empower Kansas students.
- [Male Announcer] This program is brought to you with support from the Lewis H. Humphreys Charitable Trust and from the friends of KTWU.
(uplifting music plays) - Hello and welcome to IGI.
I'm your host, Val VanDerSluis.
Imagine spending your teenage years in concentration camps, constantly living in fear.
Watching your mother disappear behind gas chamber doors.
Most of us have not had to endure such pain and many of us take for granted the freedoms we have.
But, Sonia Warshawsky will never take her freedom for granted.
She spends her life telling the stories of her time in the Holocaust and educating all of us and the youth of our communities about the importance of never forgetting history.
Here to talk about Sonia and to ensure her story is never forgotten are her daughters: Regina Kort and Debbie Warshawsky And also joining us today are filmmakers of Big Sonia, a film documenting Sonia Warshawsky's life, Leah Warshawsky, who happens to not only be the producer and director, but also Sonia's granddaughter.
And we also have film director and editor Todd Soliday.
Thank you all so much for joining me today on IGI.
- Thank you.
Thanks for having us.
- Thank you.
It's so great to have you all here.
I was able to watch this documentary again today, and immediately you are introduced to Sonia and her character and she is just such a spitfire.
I just love her so much.
Don't even know her, but I felt like I knew her by the end of this film.
I thought I'd go ahead and start out with, you know, at the beginning of the film, we get a feel for her character.
She enters the car and she is already complaining about the lack of a coat and sweater on her granddaughter, Leah, and she's bringing the snacks into the car.
Regina, if you wouldn't mind, can you share with us a little bit about Sonia's character and her impact on people?
- My mother, like most people, she's a complicated person.
But, her history and the fact that she has committed to educating people about what happened to her.
It makes her an exceptionally fascinating, unusual person.
She is adored by everybody who meets her.
She has a fan club that just continues to grow.
I mean, she already had a fan club before the movie.
Now, since the movie, it's just increased exponentially.
She's strong emotionally, and she's very strong physically as well.
She's 95 now.
- [Val] Wow.
- And she's still driving.
She still goes into her tailor shop.
She does go later than she used to.
(Todd giggles) And she does have a couple of women who run the store for her.
But, she will not let a day go by without her going into the store, unless she's got too many other things going on or she's having a bad day.
But, she's exceptional.
And, I hope I inherited her genes.
- That is wonderful.
And just looking at the film, I think both of you have inherited her genes.
I mean, she is just a phenomenal woman and, you know, I loved how you talk about John's tailoring shop, her late husband and how she had such a passion to keep that going.
Can you talk about, Debbie, a little bit about John's tailoring and the significance that this had on Sonia's life and her passion to keep that going?
- My father ran that shop from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM, six days a week.
And when he became ill with Parkinson's, it got to the point where he could not work at the shop anymore, so my mother took over.
And while she kept dad cared for at home, and it turned out that she relished the idea of having something to do.
She had a place to go six days a week.
She's anything but reserved.
So she was easily, it was easy for her to connect with all of the customers who had already connected with dad.
And in many respects, I think it has kept her going cause she has been able to use her brain and be outgoing and has fun schmoozing with people.
And she has employees who do a lot of the hard work.
So, we feel lucky that she has it and that she still goes there.
- Probably during your childhood, things weren't so easy at times, just knowing the experiences that she went through.
In particular, in the film we see some of the hardships that was kind of brought on to your brother, Morrie.
You know, he was such a wonderful son and the way he portrayed his experiences in this film.
Regina.
Can you talk a little bit about what it was like to grow up with a mother who had such a horrific childhood or teenage years and the things that she witnessed and had to go through?
What was that impact on your childhood?
- Well, I think the impact was double impact because my father was a survivor as well.
And I knew from a very young age that they had experienced something absolutely horrific.
And the reason I knew that was, when we socialized with their friends and their friends were all survivors.
You couldn't be with them for more than five minutes when they would start talking about what happened to them in the camps or what happened to them during World War II.
Being the child of survivors, that's complicated as well.
You know, it affects all of us in different ways.
For me, I felt that I didn't want to do anything that would hurt them because they had experienced so much pain and their youth was taken away from them.
So, I always felt this huge responsibility that I had to always do the right thing.
I never wanted to do anything to upset them.
So, I mean, there's just so many things I could talk about being the child of a survivor.
But overall, I always felt like I had to give them a pass.
If they did something that I thought was odd or they treated me in a certain way.
In my mind, it was always: Well, look what they went through.
You know?
How can I be upset with them?
So Debbie might want to add to that.
( Debbie laughs) - Regina has better character than I do.
( All laugh) They knew me as the little devil.
I'd put up a fuss at times and then afterwards would think: Oh my God.
How could I do that to my mother and father who went through what they did.
And I will take that a little further about how different Regina and I talked about this.
We always felt different.
We felt different from the other kids at school.
We felt different everywhere we went.
And when I was small.
In fact, my teenage years too.
I really barely ever had a friend come over to the house because my parents were just so different.
My mother had a tattoo, of course, on her forearm.
And in those days you just didn't have a tattoo.
I only told some very, very close friends about what their background had been.
And I would say most of my life, unlike my sisters' much better off than I am.
I actually tried to avoid the subject as much as I could.
And, I may have heard about it or knew too much too young.
We seem to have been left with a glass half empty attitude because we know that the worst that could happen can happen.
And I think that when we watch TV and see what's going on with all the hate that strikes us, it may strike us more deeply because we do know what could happen.
And it's a shame that we're all very lucky.
Our parents were very strong.
- Absolutely.
Very strong parents.
And you talk about never forgetting.
We don't want to ever forget that story and ever forget history and making sure that history does not repeat itself.
And I'll go ahead and move on here to Leah and Todd, because I know you both have been a main driver in telling Sonia's story.
And, Leah, let's start with you.
What inspired you to create this film?
- Well, I mean, we always knew growing up in the family, there were always so many great stories and legends and jokes around Sonia and the shop and her experience.
And, you know, we'd all get together and we'd talk about, you know, the fish, like a filter fish.
And, you know, all the funny things that happened at the shop and always had that sense that she would make a good character.
You know, she's a great character for a movie.
- Yes.
- I thought it was going to be a short film and you know how that turned out, so.
- 90 minutes later - 90 minutes later.
It was really actually Todd who kind of solidified it for me because in your own family everyone has stories and we all think they're hilarious and great.
But it's not, you need an outside opinion.
So, the first time I brought Todd to the shop, we talked about making a film.
And really after he was there and gave an outside opinion, you know, not growing up in our family, it was real clear that yes, we can do this.
We need to do this.
And that her life and her story is unique in a way that warrants making a film, you know?
That warrants a short and then a feature.
And now we're still going.
- Well, I'll add to that.
- What's unique about Sonia and what struck me right away.
The first time I walked into that shop was obviously.
I'd heard all the stories about her past and, you know, this deep history and this deep story that needed to be told.
But, Sonia is so charismatic, and so just loud and out there.
She's (indistinct) leopard print every day and bright colors red.
You can't resist being engaged by her.
And so, as a filmmaker, you have this deep story that needs to be told and not forgotten.
And then you've got a dynamic character like Sonia.
It's a home run.
It's easy.
You turn on the camera, and she just lights up and you're done.
Just don't stop rolling.
( Leah giggles) - Yes, yes.
And Todd, I know it was mentioned that you didn't grow up in the family to hear a lot of those stories from a young age.
And, I know that as filmmakers, a lot of us become quite emotionally involved in our documentary productions.
And knowing that, I'm sure there were probably some moments that hit you particularly hard during the filming of this production.
Do you care to share any of the emotions or - Yeah.
- Moments that you had?
- Absolutely.
You know, I grew up in a very idyllic household and didn't experience anything that any of these three women experienced growing up.
But I think what I didn't realize is that every family has their traumas, however big or small they are.
And that there were traumas in my family that were very deeper and not as deep and dark as being whisked away on a death train when you're a teenager.
But, I thought that by using Sonia and her family's story as an entryway for anybody in any family that has any kind of trauma that the impact would be beyond Holocaust families.
And that proved to be true everywhere we screened it.
You know?
I mean, I said in our first Q&A, I think when we premiered that, you know, my hope for the film is that no matter what your background or your past or your trauma however big or small that you, you know, you've finished watching the film and all you wanna do is call your mom and just reconnect.
Whatever.
And not dig up big dark stories or whatever.
But just, you know, reach out and have some empathy for your own family.
- Absolutely.
There are so many families going through situations like this.
You know, in particular, even veterans who ultimately many of them end up passing before they can tell their stories and share the impact that it had on them and their lives and why certain things may have happened within the family based upon their experiences.
And so, it's so very important to be able to tell these stories.
- So rewarding for us too.
We have many veterans come up to us after screenings and lose their emotions in front of us.
And then tell us that this is the first time I'm talking about this on (indistinct) - Wow.
- [Woman] Wow.
Yeah, yeah.
- There's a lot of emotional elements that people relate to in the film, and we crafted it that way.
I mean, we spent a long time.
We've debated.
Every second of the movie is intentional.
You know?
Every second is there for a reason.
It's been debated by our team, you know, in post-production.
And we had a lot that we left out, but what's in is targeted and intentional.
And it's there because we know it's going to hit a chord with people in different ways.
All ages, gender, ethnicities, cultures.
That was our goal.
You know, we didn't wanna make just a film that was going to be seen by the family.
We wanted to make a film that every single person who sees it can relate to in one way or another, and some of those things were surprising for us.
But, it is universal and it is relatable.
And for better or for worse, the film just keeps getting more relevant - Yeah.
- As time goes on.
And it's even more relevant today than it was when we released it.
- Very true.
- Yeah.
Just never known what it was going to turn into.
- Yeah, definitely.
So, when you talked about the impact that it had on multigenerational audiences and including the youth.
Regina, I know that Sonia has done a lot in schools and has made a special passion for her to be able to get out and continue to educate the youth of our communities on what she has been through, telling them her story.
Tell us a little bit about her passion to educate the younger generations and the impact she is having on them.
- Well, she feels like that's where she's going to make the biggest difference, with the young people.
And it's so interesting.
My mother and I have been speaking together for almost 15 years now.
And, I sort of set her up and quickly go through chronologically what happened to her.
And I have photos.
And then she comes up to the stage and she always gets a huge applause.
But what's so, I think unusual about my mother is the way she tells her story.
She tells it with such passion and she is a naturally dramatic person.
So, you're captivated by her.
The story alone is amazing.
But, when you've got somebody who's that dynamic on the stage, it makes the story, you know, even more fascinating.
And so, what's always kind of fun is that afterwards, the kids automatically line up.
They want to say hello to her.
They want to give her a hug.
They want to shake her hand.
They want selfies with her.
Nobody wants a selfie with me.
(All laugh) (indistinct) They want a selfie with my mother.
- We want a selfie with Regina.
- So, her impact is amazing.
I mean, the letters.
Thousands.
Literally thousands of letters she's gotten over the years.
- That is tremendous.
I loved the part in the film.
You featured Caroline.
I believe she was an eighth grader that was deeply impacted by Sonia's story and did such a good job of articulating who she is as a younger person and the fast paced life that they go through.
And how it all kind of came to a screeching halt when they heard Sonia's story and made her realize and value the relationship that she has with her family because of that.
Can you tell us about how Sonia's experiences and your experiences growing up with her have shaped who you are today?
- Well, you know, I think there again, it's kind of a mixed bag.
Like Debbie said, my cup is half empty in that I know horrible things can happen to me and my family because they happened to my mother and her family.
My father.
It's made me very cautious, but it's also made me very thankful for all the wonderful things in my life.
I think that she sets an example of being a strong person and being committed to carry the story on.
She's just totally committed to telling her story and she's gotten more committed as she's gotten older.
So I'll turn that one over to Debbie now.
(Debbie laughs) - You've pretty much said it all.
Her impact, what we've learned from it.
I think strength, perseverance.
If our parents and our aunts and uncles who survived could survive that, then anything I have to face ain't nothing.
And sometimes I catch myself trivializing things or making a big deal out of nothing.
And the background that we've all experienced with our parents gives you a different point of view about it.
Some things really just don't matter.
And the things that we can't control are sometimes the things that scare me most.
I mean, I think I mentioned this already.
Very, very conscious of hate.
And I know that my mother shares that.
- Let's go on to also Leah and Todd.
I thought I'd ask you all about your goals for the film as we move forward here into the future.
- Well, I mean, like I said, I think the film is just becoming more and more relevant.
There are fewer and fewer Holocaust survivors as the years go on, and there's always going to be a need for Holocaust education.
So, now that the film is done and we released it in 2016 in the US, we are focused on international broadcast partners at the moment and we're literally going country by country until they say no.
And we're having some good success with that.
So we hope in the next couple of years, we'll have more global partners.
We're selling educational packages to every school and organization that we can and we'll continue doing that as long as we have energy to do that.
And then we're raising money right now for an interactive legacy interview with Sonia that we're going to do at the end of this month actually.
At least, we're gonna start the process at the end of this month.
- Still going.
- Still going.
We have a lot on our plate.
And, you know, Sonia's 95 and she's still going.
And as long as she's still going, we can, you know, we just try and keep up with her.
But there's so many themes in this movie that are evergreen.
They're themes that are not going to go away.
You know, resilience, hope, education.
Intergenerational trauma.
The stuff that happens in families, you know, good and bad.
So we're in it for the long haul.
You know?
Say, we're playing the long game.
It's been 10 years since we started this project.
Maybe more.
- [Val] Wow.
It does.
I get it.
I know how long it takes to get those passion projects going and they just keep on going too.
- Fortunately yet, I married an editor, which I think was pretty smart for me.
- Absolutely.
- We got married during the middle of making the movie.
- Oh my goodness.
- Congratulations ( Val and Leah giggle) And Todd, you don't have anything to add to any of that?
- I'm just really proud that, you know, when we started making the film, it was a moment in time.
It was a slice of what was going on in Sonia's life and the drama surrounding them all and her resilience beyond that.
And I thought its impact would be limited to that window, but, I mean, we get emails every day.
We get people calling us asking for the film, reacting to the film.
And they say that, you know, Sonia is still going.
And so, you know, we're continuing to engage in this legacy project.
It's an immersive capture of her story in a way that's gonna be future-proof.
And, I mean, we can't stop as long as she is going.
- Yeah.
See, it's a gift.
I mean, she's given us all a lot of gifts and the fact that she, you know, is willing to share her story and that she can be very dramatic about it and that she has this quirky, crazy, hilarious life.
I mean, we could've not cast a better character.
You know, told a better story.
It's all just.
It's there.
And I think, you know, I think it's become a purpose for us.
It's definitely.
I do believe we were put here to do this and that's become very clear in the last couple of years.
- Was it calling?
Like it or not?
(Todd and Leah giggle) - Right, Regina?
Right, Debbie?
- Yeah.
- My family wanted to be in the movie by the way.
- Yeah, and that's the other thing to add.
Being outside of the family, I just applied the courage of these two women and this woman here and Morrie also for coming forward and telling their story.
It wasn't, you know.
There's resistance to be in the film for good reason.
It's really emotional.
It's really difficult to talk about.
And without your sharing of the story, it just would not have had the impact.
I mean, Sonia is one thing and she's an incredible character, but she needed to be grounded in the reality of what your whole family has endured because of what she endured.
And that's what makes the film relatable.
- Absolutely.
- And pushes it forward into the next generation of viewers.
So, thank you again.
- Yes.
Yeah.
- Like we had a choice.
- That's true.
- That is true.
That's the point.
Yeah.
- Well, I want to thank all of you.
I know we're out of time and I know we could go for another hour talking about this topic.
But, Leah and Todd.
Fabulous job on getting the documentary completed and good luck in your future endeavors and getting it delivered to other countries.
And Regina and Debbie, thank you so much.
And also thank you to Morrie for taking part in the film as well.
All of you are tremendous, and we appreciate you being here on the show today.
And that's all the time we have for this episode of IGI.
If you have any comments or suggestions for future topics, send us an email at issues@ktwu.org And if you'd like to view this program again, or any previous episodes of IGI, just visit us online at watch.ktwu.org For IGI, I'm Val VanDerSluis.
And thank you so much for watching (uplifting music plays) - [Female Announcer] KNEA.
Empowering educators, so that educators can empower Kansas students.
- [Male Announcer] This program is brought to you with support from the Lewis H. Humphreys Charitable Trust and from the friends of KTWU.
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