"It's Grandpa": Marcy Rosen's Extraordinary Discovery

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
114,536
0
Published 2012-12-13
Marcy Rosen had never seen a photograph of her grandfather, Morry Chandler, as a young man. He is a Holocaust survivor, and all pictures from his childhood were lost or destroyed.

But then Marcy found a pre-World War II film from his hometown in Poland on the Museum's website. And she spotted his fourteen-year-old face among a group of children and teens smiling at the camera. She immediately contacted the Museum to learn more about the film and the person who donated it. What happened next was a dream come true.

Support the US Holocaust Memorial Museum to keep this history alive: act.ushmm.org/give

The film from which the historic footage in this video is taken can be viewed on our web site: www.ushmm.org/online/film/display/detail.php?file_…

Maurice Chandler's oral testimony is available online: holocaust.umd.umich.edu/chandler/
All Comments (21)
  • @malkamoskovitz9415
    My grandfather, Joseph Borenstein, always told us of the story of Moshe Tuchendler, and how he was the only Jew that survived in his hometown and how my grandfather contacted him after the war and brought him to America.  I tell this story to my children and to my friends.  Imagine how amazed I was to see this video clip!!!  The tears are literally streaming down my face.  It's amazing to see Morry.
  • @timdetmers3240
    I knew March's mother, Evie Chandler, in suburban Detroit. We were both counsellors at Camp Ponchatrain, a Jewish day camp for children. Marcy told me about her father. Fast forward 50 years. I'm so glad that Evie had a beautiful family. She was a wonderful, kind, thoughtful young woman. I'm sure her children and grand children are too!
  • @lzrd8460
    Thank God for the USHMM. Since last month on HRDay I have been watching many stories of survivors as I do every year. We must never, ever forget that the Holocaust happened, no matter how many people refuse to believe it. Thank you for this heart warming look into a village in 1938.
  • @MarleneP
    Thank you Glenn Kurtz for sharing this beautiful gift with the world.
  • @desmond-hawkins
    Amazing find. I came to this video from a New York Times article about it, where they explained that the footage had been used to create a 70-minute documentary called "Three Minutes: A Lengthening". I have not seen the documentary yet, but after watching this I'll definitely be looking it up. I hope others who found this interesting will be interested in the documentary too.
  • @gparser
    A perfect ‘home movie’ story, and incredible that the connection could be made.
  • @tinachandler3091
    Welcome to the Chandler family! My mother's family, the Mohlers came here to escape the progroms, but many didn't make it. They kept their name of Mohler but many of them didn't, they changed their names and even their religions to escape persecution. It wasn't until 10 years ago when my uncle gave us the news. Our family was Jewish and a medical diagnosis from me made it official. (I carry the Tay-Sachs trait) We went to a local synagogue with some friends with this news and they made us feel so much like we were among 'the lost' that had returned.
  • @archygirl1750
    Thank you for sharing your story! I am so glad the film survived, the Mr. Kurtz saved the film and wrote his book, and that you have this treasured memory of your family. The book was profoundly moving and my book club will be discussing it in June 2016. I hope they recognize how important this story, the book, and the film are. This video is an important part of the whole story, and shows how important an old home movie, a sweet memory, or a book can be.
  • @710MaryJane
    What a wonderful experience, to see ones loved one. Mazel Tov to Mr. Chandler and his family!
  • @BornInTzyon
    3:52 "a place of life..."This focus and celebration of life is surely sweet
  • @operator1997
    Very moving video. It is amazing how no matter what happens, events can be connected and bring a bigger picture to humanity, regardless of time and distance.
  • @gerryjarcia
    I think the music that accompanies the video is perfect. How many grandkids does Morry have? It was a place of life like so many others, but the Nazis turned them into places of death. Remember almost nobody in the film survived. But hey Nazis we're still here. Things are different of course, but the Jews will always survive.
  • @covvie
    Very touching story! My dad's grandparents left what's now the Ukraine in 1891, so my own grandparents, their siblings, and descendants were spared this. We lost some relations in the Shoah, nonetheless. Tina Chandler, below, speaks of changing names and religions. I know about that. I'm a Levi, but my name was anglicised by my grandfather to enable promotion in the Army, and my dad converted to Christianity officially a year before my birth, so I was born into a Christian home, and now I'm a minister. The genetic markers are there, so it's not just a story.
  • @j-note3285
    One of the most bittersweet stories I have ever seen.
  • @flexflyer12
    David Kurtz's home movie and Morry Chandler's remarkable story are explored in depth in "Three Minutes in Poland," published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. For more information, visit: http://glennkurtz.com/cgi-bin/iowa/three-minutes-in-poland/index.html