Today we announced our option is finalized for the award winning book, An Unbroken Chain: My Journey Though the Nazi Holocaust.  You can read more at my special blog, An Unbroken Chain: The Movie where I am blogging along with my friend, 88 year old Holocaust Survivor, and author of the book, Dr. Henry Oertelt.  

(Pictured is Phoenix 100 Rotary’s Carl Balderson and Rotary International president D.K. Kee, with author!)

As some of you may know, I was heavily involved in Phoenix non profits and business groups prior to my sabbatical including sitting on the boards and or being a member of:

Enterprise Network

National Association of Women Business Owners

Arizona Angels

American Marketing Association

Phoenix Advertising Club

Enterprise Women’s Golf Association

You get the picture. So, now that I’m back, I’m looking for ways to contribute. I’ve decided to try to do some more volunteering rather than just joining a club for networking. 

So far, I’ve joined the Independent Film Project in Phoenix and the Phoenix Holocaust Survivors Association. I now have an office that the IFP referred me to, so I’m loving them along with my monthly free movie screenings, workshops and, great networking. (Oh well.)  The PHSA suggested I join, due to my involvement with a Holocaust film, and I am continually doing research, so it made sense.

I still have some time, so I am researching local organizations.  I really like WasteNot but it turns out that my former business partner is on the board.  I will wait for her invitation to become involved, (and, I may be waiting awhile, apparently..)

I accompanied a fellow filmmaker to the Rotary Club in Phoenix, called the Phoenix 100, last week.  I have never been to a meeting and it was basically a meal during a number of announcements and awards, and then a speaker, fairly typical, I guess. It felt a little long to sit that long although I liked hearing the speaker. Luckily for me, it was the president of Rotary International for 2009, Dong Kurn (D.K.) Lee, whose message his Make Dreams Real. I like that!  I think he means others, not my own, but its definitely catchy. (Just kidding.)

After our meal, my friend wanted her photo taken with D.K. After I snapped the shot, and thanked him, he invited me to take a photo with him and noticed I had a guest badge. The next thing you know, he handed me a Rotary pin and a membership application, introduced me to Carl Balderson, of the Phoenix group, and made me feel like the most important person in the room. He absolutely would not take no for an answer and demanded I promise to join the group. I did.  (I didn’t say when.)

My friend, member Barbara A. from New York, is a great representative and promises she only invited me for make up points, and not to sign me up.  (Hmmm.)

So, I’ve taken a glance at the web site, and membership fees (about $1,000.00 for the first year) and I have some feedback for D.K. and the club to attract new young blood to the group.

I absolutely LOVE your four way test. I would like to be a member of a club whose members feel that way:

THE FOUR WAY TEST:

Of the things we Think, Say or Do:

1. Is it the Truth?

2. Is it Fair to all concerned?

3. Will it build Goodwill and Better Friendships?

4. Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

I love the diversity and amount of groups you support. Including the golf tourney! Sign me up!

Of course, in this economy, that seems like a hefty amount for a new professional membership. For a non profit, it is a nice contribution, and I think it is reasonable. I wish I wasn’t starting a new venture, but I am, so it would go in the future pile.  Every dime is being directed at making my first feature film, see An Unbroken Chain: The Movie.

But, if money wasn’t an object, I guess, I would say off the top of my head, besides my guest, the speaker made me feel important. I didn’t get that feeling from others at my table, not that they weren’t nice but they didn’t seem to care whether they saw me again or not. No one offered their card, nor did I offer mine.

Attire. It was Friday, and many were in business suits. I am at a point where I’d rather dress down, even wear jeans on Friday, and I don’t think I’m alone, especially in Arizona.

Location. I like the Heard, and I love Tradicionales. I would definitely love to go there every Friday for lunch!

Frequency.  Weekly? Seriously? That feels like such a huge commitment! The last person who asked me for that kind of commitment was my husband, and I dated him for seven years before accepting his proposal!  Can’t we just be friends and see each other casually? (Maybe  a casual membership for the commitment phobes?)

Web Site. Needs an overhaul, along with a blog, Twitter, Facebook account, maybe a NING group, and the rest of today’s Internet tools to keep the ADD generation interested. Then, link with all the charities you support, have them do the same, and now you’re talking!

OK I used to get paid a lot of money for this advice, DK so I hope you will share it with your board, and whoever else cares, and have them call me, and we can barter my membership this year in return for my efforts to update your web presence and advise you on my generations’ hot buttons.

Please feel free to comment, or contact me directly to discuss! D.K., thank you for the invite and the pin, and I do hope to keep in touch!

Today, in honor of Dr. Henry Oertelt’s 88^th birthday we shared the link to our new movie blog and Facebook page with our family and friends. Dr. Oertelt is the author of An Unbroken Chain: My Journey Through the Nazi Holocaust.  We will be blogging about our new project together over the coming months.  The “official” announcement will be going over the wire on January 26 at the National Association of Television Production Executives.  

Although I hesitate to write this piece, I must. Three times in the past twenty four hours, I have seen or heard about this demonstration. The first time, I was doing research for a Holocaust film project that we are working on, and I came across the headline “Who are the real Nazis?” by blogger Jonah Goldberg. His post started with the following quote.

‘”Go back to the oven! You need a big oven, that’s what you need!”‘


Jonah continued, “This is what one young woman thought passed for acceptable discourse during an anti-Israel rally last week in, of all places, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Other chants were similarly unlovely. You can watch it on YouTube if you like.


But why bother? The Fort Lauderdale outburst is just one window on the upside-down world of Israel hatred. Across the Islamic world, and in too many points West, it is still considered a penetrating and poignant insight to call Zionists the “new Nazis.” For instance, in Sunday’s Gulf News, Mohammad Abdullah al Mutawa, a sociology professor at United Arab Emirates University, penned an essay titled “Zionists are the new Nazis.” He began: “Today, the whole world stands as a witness to the fact that the Nazi Holocaust was a mere lie, which was devised by the Zionists to blackmail humanity.”

At a Saturday protest in New York against Israel’s military assault on Gaza, some carried signs that read: “Israel: The Fourth Reich,” “Holocaust by Holocaust Survivors,” “Stop Israel’s Holocaust,” “Holocaust in Gaza” and “Stop the Zionist Genocide in Gaza.”‘ You can finish the reading the rest of Jonah’s piece here.

A few hours later, my mother called to report that she had seen the same story on Fox News. I reluctantly went to YouTube to search for the proof myself. It was the second video I watched where I saw the young Muslim woman say those words verbatim, on the street in Fort Lauderdale, not far from where I used to work when I lived there. Then, close to 2 am this morning, a fellow film maker emailed me a link to the same video.

Before I went to write this I went to CNN and FOXNews online. I am not seeing this story being covered. Well, I guess that’s why I’m embarking on this film project with a Survivor. We clearly need to continue education efforts to combat the hate and lies that are being shouted on streets here in the U.S., today, in 2009.

If you are interested in supporting our upcoming project, please drop me a line. Thanks for all your support.

Last night we went to the screening of Defiance which is one of the rare stories of Jewish resistence fighters during the Holocaust. Ultimately a family of four brothers helped save 1200 Jews over a period of a few years. It was a true story and a great film. Daniel Craig (James Bond) was a fabulous lead who was easy to watch even when the subject matter was not. Highly recommended.

Signs of progress! We now have light rail running through downtown Phoenix. I hopped on after a 17 minute walk to the stop from my house. It was jam packed that day, see photo. Unfortunately I was headed to the Y downtown, and realized I could have simply turned around and walked home for a good workout. I thought about taking it to the office on 7th Ave., and H laughed at me and said why don’t you just ride your bike? It will take about five minutes!

So I finally attended a Phoenix business event – Invest Southwest – and ran into many old friends and clients: Bill Miller, Vomaris Innovations (formerly CEO of AutoXray, one of our LAUNCH PR stars) who was singled out as a successful alumni of the conference, Dave Bittner of Beanstalk CFO Group, who did an amazing job on the conference (I believe they had more attendees than last year) , my friend and mentor Dee Harris of the Arizona Angels , Aly Saxe of Ubiquity PR , my protégé and a tech PR master now herself, a surprise appearance by Julia Francis, formerly with Mobility Electronics and now residing in the Bay Area, and Kari Vanderslice, my golf buddy who is now running ASU’s angel program. I was also so happy to see Anil Jain of Slipstream Labs who I met at TIE, and Michael Hoole, my former attorney for LAUNCH and the incoming president of TIE. What fun, just like the old days.

So now I’ve updated everyone on my new direction: launch flix and our projects. I really appreciate the outpouring of support and kind wishes. My upcoming period drama on the Holocaust is so important. Recently an artist I know, Robert Sutz, had a beautiful survivors exhibit at the Scottsdale Library that was defaced with stickers reading “Biggest Hoax of the 21st Century.” It’s for this reason that I remain committed to my film and to telling my survivors’ story; to continue to educate our youth as well as the rest of the world.

As for the conference, loved Captive Motion , a new animation software program that will save animators thousands of dollars, loved Eco-Pool Technologies , a solar based green filtration solution for pools, liked iMemories – an online resource for converting and storing home movies, and Grip Innovations , a way for event companies to clean up messy and time consuming electronics and audio set ups.

At lunch I met the guys behind Legal Broadcast Network and pitched my gorgeous new attorney, Jill Ormond as their next entertainment law star, and stayed through lunch to listen to Technology Partners’ Ira Ehrenpreis’ compelling talk on why the theme of the day, green tech, will actually be profitable. See photo. Yay Ira.

Funny story from golf outing the next day. First, it was freezing cold when my partner H and I drove out to Legend Trails at practically dawn for a 7:15am check in. He usually golfs in shorts year round here in Arizona but had grabbed a pair of jeans on the way out the door. Ut oh. Legend Trails is one of the “fancy” places – no dice on denim. We frantically tried to find an open retailer but all the big names (Target, Walmart) were closed til 8am. So we reluctantly paid $102.50 at the pro shop for a sporty pair of Nike slacks. Fast forward to the end of the tourney (no need to dwell on my crappy game, I was dressed as if I was going skiing and could barely swing the club) when I was surprised with the Women’s Long Drive prize – yes, a $100 gift certificate to the pro shop where they kindly swapped the prize money for my Amex refund. Things have a funny way of working out sometimes, don’t they? Incidentally it was a great golf group; but next year I might just skip the conference and play golf like the extremely entertaining VC I was paired with. You know who you are. Oh shoot, I just realized I owe you 20% of that prize money!

We learned that a major motion picture was filming in Phoenix and I dragged my partner H. down to the open casting call for “ethnic looking” actors a few weeks ago. I thought it would be a fascinating way to see the entire process and learn more about “the biz.” The questionnaire for actors included three interesting questions. See my answers below.

1. Would you be comfortable nude?
No, but thanks for asking! I’m flattered.

2. Are you comfortable around nudity?
With a bunch of strangers? Not really.

3. Would you be willing to perform simulated sex?
Not without laughing.

The following week, H. got a callback and I didn’t. He answered yes to everything!
He ended up at a church picnic scene in the blazing sun in Litchfield.

So, last week I finally got a call. Would I be available Monday for a casino scene? Call time: 6:30am. I said yes…

To read the rest of this, see the link on the right side of my blog for Extra Funny: The Whole Story.

This week we went to see The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. It was very well done. It was a Holocaust story told by an eight-year-old child’s point of view. His father was an S.S. soldier and they move to the country, near a concentration camp. The boy eventually makes his way to an electric barbed wire fence and meets up with a Jewish eight-year-old boy. This PG 13 film only hints at violence, instead letting the viewer imagine for themselves what is taking place – which often can be worse than the actual events. I was surprised and moved by the ending. Although I recommend the film, it helped me realize that when we promote our period drama project, it’s important to share our messages of tolerance, and hope. Ours is a positive action adventure with a happy ending: you’ll leave the theater feeling there’s nothing you can’t do if you set your mind to it.

Twilight Side Note
When we arrived for our 7:00pm show, there was already an enormous line of young female fans camped out for the midnight premier screening of Twilight, the first of the cultish vampire series by local Arizona author Stephenie Meyer.

Last week I attended the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust’s
First Annual Dinner at the Beverly Hills Hotel in California. They were commemorating the 70th anniversary of Kristallnacht, “the night of broken glass” in Germany and Austria on November 9 and 10. Since I am about to officially start work on my own Holocaust film project with a survivor, I found inspiration in the survivors’ messages about continuing to educate the world. I also got to see a viewing of a world premiere of a incomplete documentary short called “Kristallnacht Remembered” by Evie Sullivan. This film is based on the book, “Sie Kamen Durch” (they Survived) by Senta Radax-Ziegler. Annie Wagner Lampl, one of the participants in the documentary was in attendance and she spoke a few words afterwards. The Museum’s director, Mark Rothman, wished her “until one hundred and twenty” and she laughed and said that she still had a few years to go.

The museum was founded in 1961 and is the oldest Holocaust Museum in the United States. This museum was also the first to create a teacher training program to train educators on how to teach the Holocaust in the classroom. The Museum created the first Catholic/Jewish dialogue in California, and the first dialogue between families of victims and families of perpetrators. The Museum published the first Holocaust curriculum guide in Spanish for bilingual education, and in 2003 created the first Holocaust exhibit displayed in Cuba.

There is currently a twenty million dollar capital campaign underway to move the museum to a larger location in a Pan Pacific Park, adjacent to the existing Holocaust Monument, where it will remain an important cultural institution. Architect Hagy Belzberg designed a signature museum building which will add green space to the park.

The evening began with a video presentation that showed the passion and energy of the board members, many of them survivors in their eighties and nineties. The mood was festive yet pensive, as survivors sadly remembered, as well as celebrated the progress of the museum’s important legacy.

Randol Schoenberg shared a personal story of how his family escaped the Holocaust with the help of a plumber named Morris Zeisl from the United States who helped arrange to sponsor them. This plumber had the same last name as they did, but he was not a relative. His grandmother found him in the phone book. She wrote letters to all the people who had the last name Zeisl, and “Morris the plumber” was able to raise the funds and make the arrangements, allowing his grandmother to escape to France.

In my experience, it’s these unbelievable anecdotes that really set the Holocaust subject matter apart. It’s often said that screenwriters could not have written this material, because it would simply be too unbelievable. What’s more, every survivor has their own moving, and usually fascinating story.

Jona Goldrich emphasized the importance of the evening, stating that donating to Holocaust education is the “most important investment in the world to make..”

Then, the Hamotzi was led by Felicia Haberfield, a survivor who we later learned was 97 years young.

Internationally renowned actor and singer, Theodore Bikel and classical pianist and conductor, Tamara Brooks performed a few heartfelt songs. Theodore shared his personal experiences during Kristallnacht including his memories from being kicked out of school in Vienna as a young boy. He said that we must remain “obsessed with teaching young people about the Holocaust,” even though the whole world wants us to forget.. because if we do, then “they’ll pick on some other minority.”

The 2008 Student Award was presented to an inspirational young woman, Emma Peretz, a bat mitzvah who is dedicating her religious ceremony to a girl who perished in the Holocaust, and asking for donations to the museum in lieu of gifts.

The 1939 Club and Organization of Holocaust Survivors and Descendants
was the 2008 Education Honoree. It’s one of the largest and most active Holocaust survivors organizations in the world. The club was started in 1952 and has grown to nearly a thousand members.

Mark Rothman eloquently concluded the evening, “Commit yourselves to world where there won’t be a Kristallnacht or a Holocaust.. that we can pick up broken glass and dispel darkness with light.”

It was an honor to attend the event and get to meet the survivors and hear some of their stories. I look forward to supporting their vital cause, and visiting the new museum upon its completion, and invite you to join me.