(Updated May 13, 2023)
We are grateful to all who have watched our documentary Rebuilt from Broken Glass and appreciate all the heartfelt comments on how much the story of Fred Behrend has meant to them in teaching about the Holocaust. We have decided this film needs to be shared with the world and be available with a simple click. We hope you enjoy it, find it meaningful, and carry it with you always. Please share the link to our website — widely — and tell others to watch as well.
Our most powerful event was held on January 26, 2023 when Rebuilt from Broken Glass was shown on January 26, 2023 at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney gave opening remarks. 6ABC and PHL 17 provided news coverage.
Rebuilt from Broken Glass Teaser
Now on TV!
Rebuilt from Broken Glass has signed a three-year deal with Jewish Life TV. Watch JLTV on Channel 288 (Comcast) in the Philadelphia/NJ/Del region. It is also available on Roku, DIRECTV (Channel 325-1) and from other providers. Visit JLTV for where to find the channel in your area.
Screenings
Rebuilt from Broken Glass has held screenings at Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia, the New Jersey Film Festival at Rutgers University, and synagogues and organizations across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. Contact us at brokenglass1938@gmail.com to inquire about scheduling a screening in your area.
OUR MEDIA COVERAGE
- PHL 17 (11/26/22): Rebuilt From Broken Glass: Holocaust Remembrance Day Film Screening at the Weitzman Museum Today
- FOX 29 (5/17/22): Documentary focuses on Holocaust survivors reuniting after 80 years
- COURIER POST (5/13/22): Short film documents dramatic reunion between Holocaust survivors separated as boys
- VOORHEES SUN (5/13/22): A life ‘Rebuilt from Broken Glass’
- NEW JERSEY MONTHLY (3/31/22): New Jersey Holocaust Survivors Share Their Stories, Inspiring Hope in New Generations
- JERUSALEM POST (11/8/19): Holocaust Survivor Celebrates Bar Mitzvah on Kristallnacht Anniversary
- KYW NEWSRADIO (11/8/19): Holocaust survivor has ‘2nd bar mitzvah’ 80 years later — and on anniversary of Kristallnacht
- CBS3 PHILLY (11/6/19): 93-Year-Old Holocaust Survivor Celebrating Special Bar Mitzvah Ceremony In Voorhees On 81st Anniversary of Kristallnacht
- CHERRY HILL SUN (10/25/19): Cherry Hill resident continues journey with Kristallnacht witness
- SJ MAGAZINE (7/1/19): ‘Hitler did not win’
- FOX 29 (11/29/18): Two Holocaust survivors to reunite after 80 years
- COURIER POST (11/27/18): How a speech at local school reunited Holocaust survivors
- PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER (8/8/17): A witness to history writes a memoir for the ages
ABOUT THE FILM
Rebuilt from Broken Glass is a documentary film that follows the life of Fred Behrend, whose life was ripped apart by the horrors of Kristallnacht (the Night of Broken Glass). He saw synagogues on fire. He saw Jewish stores destroyed, the glass from their storefronts littering the streets. His father was taken to a concentration camp. Fred’s tale of escaping the Germans, only to turn the tables on them during his life, was extraordinary all on its own. As a U.S. Army soldier, he taught the ways of liberty and democracy to hardened Nazi POWs. Little did Fred know that on the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht, he would suddenly be reunited with a long-lost friend with whom he experienced that fateful day. We will watch as the revelation of each other’s tales enlightens the two men – and all of us – on what it takes to endure tragedy and Holocaust survivors’ ultimate triumph: living to pass down their story to new generations. As the two men say: Hitler did not win.
A STATEMENT FROM DIRECTOR/EXECUTIVE PRODUCER LARRY HANOVER
I first met Fred Behrend in 2010 when he spoke at my son’s religious school. I was enthralled not just by his tales of Kristallnacht, escaping to Cuba, and his tales of teaching democracy to German POWs, but his optimistic outlook and unrivaled storytelling ability. The excitement of publishing his memoir had just about worn off when the miraculous reunion by cellphone occurred at a Jewish day school in 2018—exactly 80 years after Kristallnacht. When it turned out the two men for decades had been wintering just 15 miles apart in Florida, it seemed like an unseen force was willing this documentary to happen.
Events like the Colleyville synagogue hostage crisis, the Tree of Life shooting in Pittsburgh, and Charlottesville remind us that anti-Semitism is alive today and an increasing threat. Holocaust education is more important than ever. Nothing is more compelling than the firsthand tales of the Holocaust from survivors, yet it won’t be long before their generation dies out. That’s why it was important to share Fred’s tale while we had the chance. But in sharing this historic tragedy, he also conveys the joy of life, and in so doing, proves it’s hard to hate up close.
Larry Hanover
Larry Hanover, Director & Executive Producer
Larry Hanover co-authored Rebuilt from Broken Glass: A German Jewish Life Remade in America (Purdue University Press, 2017). Larry has assisted on the memoirs of another Holocaust survivor and is working on various other book projects. Larry served as manager of public relations for a New Jersey state authority from 2006 to 2010. He was an award-winning reporter for The Times of Trenton from 1988 to 2006 and also worked for the Cherry Hill Courier-Post.
Jamie Clemens, Director of Photography
Jamie Clemens, owner of Loud Life Productions, a film production company specializing in commercial film production. He has held a variety of positions from Creative Director to Creative Producer in different companies. Currently, while running Loud Life, Jamie teaches at All Saints Academy in Winter Haven, Fl. He teaches grades 7-12 in graphic design, photography, videography and yearbook.
Joseph P. Harris, Archival Producer
Joseph P. Harris began his career working for the U.S. National Archives in the mid-1990s where he maintained the audiovisual collections and provided research assistance to the public. Since entering the private sector in 1999, Joe has specialized in archival research at both the U.S. National Archives and Library of Congress, helping thousands of creative teams worldwide find the public domain content they need. Past projects include the Oscar-nominated films Hidden Figures (2016) and A Night at the Garden (2017), and Colette (2020), an Academy Award winner for best documentary short.
CREDITS
Featuring: Fred Behrend, Henry Baum
Director and Executive Producer: Larry Hanover
Co-Executive Producers: Jay and Teresa Sternberg, Evelyn Behrend
Associate Producers: Betsy and Peter Fischer
Director of Photography: Jamie Clemens
Archival Producer: Joseph P. Harris
Music composed by: Gerald Cohen
Contact Us
Contact Larry Hanover at brokenglass1938@gmail.com if you have questions. Together we make an impact. To make “Never Again” a reality.
