Genocide is a 1981 Oscar-winning documentary that tells the horrific story of Jewish life during the Nazi takeover that began as a planned exile and ended as a mass genocide. This documentary starts out by showing the audience a glimpse of life within the Jewish community prior to World War II. Following the display and description of a rather flourishing and prosperous prewar life, it opens up to the heinous actions that were taken to destroy a culture that has yet to fully recover.
Genocide quickly brings to light the mass propaganda campaign that led an entire country to a point of pure hatred directed towards each and every Jewish citizen. It shows the truth behind the steps taken to rip Jewish families out of their homes and displace them into Jewish ghettos that were decrepit and inhumane. This documentary highlights the path that an average Jewish citizen would take, from living in the ghettos to being placed in a working prison camp and onward to the final stop along the prison camps, one of many that would be equipped with a gas chamber and crematorium.
Beyond the sad and desolate tale of the Jewish journey during World War II, Genocide introduces many survivors of the prison camps who provide a detailed personal remembrance of the life they led, the friends and family members they lost and the courageous journey they took to regain a semblance of life following their liberation. This documentary also introduces several brave citizens who risked their lives as well as the lives of their families to help Jews who had yet to be captured. They aided Jews by hiding them, sneaking them food and supplies, and often by trying to transport them to a safer place.
