Voices on Antisemitism: Errol Morris (Filmmaker)
From: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Series: Voices on Antisemitism
Length: 10:31
Errol Morris makes documentaries that investigate the past, focusing on small details and questioning why people do what they do. In his film Mr. Death, Morris looks closely at Fred Leuchter, an engineer who became an expert witness to Holocaust deniers: "I found it interesting to try to ask the question: okay he's an antisemite, but what do we mean by that? What is, what does it mean? What does it mean when we talk about the Germans as being antisemitic? Were they all the same? What were the differences?" [...] "is it worth trying to understand them? Is our job just simply to reject them, to moralize
about them, or is our job to try to understand what's going on here? "
Also in the Voices on Antisemitism series
Voices on Antisemitism: Tracy Strong, Jr. (Former employee, European Student Relief Fund)
(05:14)
From: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
In 1940, Tracy Strong left the relative safety of America to help students displaced by the war in Europe to continue their studies. While uncomfortable with the title ...
Voices on Antisemitism: Rebecca Dupas (English teacher, Friendly High School, Fort Washington, Ma...
(05:58)
From: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
As a senior in high school, Rebecca Dupas took part in a program sponsored by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, called Bringing the Lessons Home. The program teaches young ...
Voices on Antisemitism: Scott Simon (Journalist)
(03:56)
From: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum mourns the tragic death of Officer Stephen Tyrone Johns, who died heroically in the line of duty on June 10, 2009, protecting our ...
Voices on Antisemitism: Sadia Shepard (Author)
(06:43)
From: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Sadia Shepard's book The Girl from Foreign documents her travels to India to connect with the tiny Jewish community there and to unlock her family's history. The trip and the ...
Voices on Antisemitism: Gregory S. Gordon (Director, Center for Human Rights & Genocide Studies a...
(05:41)
From: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Gregory Gordon helped to prosecute the landmark "media" cases in Rwanda–where hate speech, broadcast over the radio, was directly linked to the genocide of the Tutsi people.
Voices on Antisemitism: Samia Essabaa (English teacher, Noisy-le-Sec, France)
(06:04)
From: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Samia Essabaa was born in France to Moroccan and Tunisian parents. A Muslim, shaped by both Arabic and French culture, Essabaa often feels she can relate to her students, ...
Voices on Antisemitism: David Pilgrim (Chief Diversity Officer and Professor of Sociology, Ferris...
(07:25)
From: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
In 1996, David Pilgrim established the Jim Crow Museum at Ferris State University in Michigan. As the university's Chief Diversity Officer and a professor of sociology, one ...
Voices on Antisemitism: Sayana Ser (Team Leader, Student Outreach and Cham Oral History Project, ...
(04:56)
From: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Sayana Ser was born in Cambodia in 1981, two years after the fall of dictator Pol Pot. Today, Ser works to help her country heal from that genocide. As part of that effort, ...
Voices on Antisemitism: Christopher Leighton (Executive Director, Institute for Christian and Jew...
(05:24)
From: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Since 1987, Christopher Leighton has served as the Executive Director of the Institute for Christian and Jewish Studies in Baltimore. A Presbyterian minister, Leighton is ...
Voices on Antisemitism: Daniel Craig (Actor)
(04:17)
From: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Actor Daniel Craig is perhaps most famous for his portrayal of Agent 007 in the James Bond movies. But his latest film, Defiance, is based on the true story of the Bielski ...
Related Pieces
Piece Description
Errol Morris makes documentaries that investigate the past, focusing on small details and questioning why people do what they do. In his film Mr. Death, Morris looks closely at Fred Leuchter, an engineer who became an expert witness to Holocaust deniers: "I found it interesting to try to ask the question: okay he's an antisemite, but what do we mean by that? What is, what does it mean? What does it mean when we talk about the Germans as being antisemitic? Were they all the same? What were the differences?" [...] "is it worth trying to understand them? Is our job just simply to reject them, to moralize about them, or is our job to try to understand what's going on here? "
Broadcast History
Broadcast on the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Website.
Transcript
ERROL MORRIS:
I felt confronted by a mystery. I mean there is a mystery at the heart of the Holocaust. We have come up with so many diverse answers but if we're honest with ourselves that mystery still remains - transporting innocent women, children, elderly people across the face of Europe to kill them. The enormity of it, the weirdness of it remains. Perhaps it's due to the fact that we all live in this fantasy world about who we are and the nature of our species. We like to think of our species as not being inherently depraved, murderous and alas that might just simply be self-deception on our
parts.
DANIEL GREENE:
Errol Morris makes documentary films that investigate and deconstruct the past. Morris pursues truth in these films, focusing on small details and questioning why people do the things that they do. In his 1999 film, Mr. Death, Morris looks closely at Fred Leuchter, an...
Read the full transcript
Musical Works
| Title | Artist | Album | Label | Year | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sevani Tsorgnorsn | 35th Parallel | Crossing P. | 2006 | 00:00 |
Additional Files
- morris (morris.jpg)
Related Website
