JIFF: The Jewish Nazi?

The Story

“It could be a fairytale from the Brothers Grimm, but ‘The Mascot’ is a true story. Part mystery, part memory puzzle, it is a spellbinding thriller. This is a book to keep you up at night.” — The New York Times, review of the bestselling 2007 book ‘The Mascot’

The Jewish Nazi? tells the staggering story of Melbourne's Alex Kurzem, a young boy who escaped the massacre of his family's shtetl in Belarus in 1941. He survived in the woods during one of the coldest winters on record, only to be captured by a Latvian battalion. Instead of killing him, they took pity on him and gave him a new name, adorned him with a uniform and a gun, and made him their child mascot, “Hitler's youngest soldier.” Building on the international bestselling book ‘The Mascot’ and an award-winning ABC documentary, the film goes above and beyond, tracing Alex’s journey to Australia with his adopted Latvian family, and his eventual life in the Melbourne suburb of Altona. The BBC have described the story as "one of the most remarkable stories to emerge from the War" while some refused to believe it, accusing him of being a hoax, a liar, a charlatan and a fraudster. 

Alex kept his secret for almost 50 years, before embarking on a quest to find his real identity. Along his journey, he had four false names and was reunited with the incorrect family, before DNA testing reveals the truth. The documentary touches on the impact for all of Alex’s family members — both adopted family and his long-lost family.

Rating

Unclass15

Duration

85 min

Director

Dan Goldberg