• I'm sorry, we could not find the page you were looking for. Please feel free to contact us if you think you've reached this message in error.
  • oops... this legacy event no longer exists.
  • oops... this legacy event no longer exists.
  • oops... this legacy event no longer exists.
  • oops... this legacy event no longer exists.
  • oops... this legacy event no longer exists.
  • oops... this legacy event no longer exists.
  • oops... this legacy event no longer exists.
  • I'm sorry, we could not find the page you were looking for. Please feel free to contact us if you think you've reached this message in error.
  • oops... this legacy event no longer exists.
  • oops... this legacy event no longer exists.
  • oops... this legacy event no longer exists.
  • oops... this legacy event no longer exists.
  • oops... this legacy event no longer exists.
  • oops... this legacy event no longer exists.
Subscribe to Mitra's Community Announcements Blog$6 Million for 6 Million: Fundraising Effort to Make 88 year old Survivor's Story into a Film
Mitra Khamedoost's picture

Phoenix, Arizona, August 14, 2009 – Launch flix, a production company, today unveiled a new “micro fundraising” campaign called “Six Million for Six Million.” The group is making a feature film with a $6 million total budget based on the life story of eighty-eight year old Holocaust survivor and author Dr. Henry A. Oertelt. Dr. Oertelt’s award-winning book is called An Unbroken Chain, My Journey through the Nazi Holocaust. Born in Berlin Germany, of Jewish faith, Dr. Oertelt was twelve years old when Hitler came to power in 1933.

“When addressing students over the past forty years, I have always said, if you absolutely have to hate, hate HATE,” stated Oertelt. “I am very pleased to reach even more people with this message.”’

Launch flix is partnering with Congregation Eitz Chaim of Phoenix, Arizona. Congregation Eitz Chaim has started a 501(c)(3) education fund for the film project that will provide tax deductions to donors.

"No-one is born hating others, it has to be taught. We realized that if you can teach hatred, then you can also teach understanding. With this campaign, we want to demonstrate the enormity of the number of Jewish victims in the Holocaust,” said Rabbi Victor Beck, of Congregation Eitz Chaim, “and ultimately use this film to educate the next generation about what hate can lead to.”

“We mapped out the budget for the project and when it all added up to $6 million, it seemed like an astronomical amount of money – an impossible number. We were struck when we realized it was the same as the number of Jews that perished in the Nazi Holocaust,” Stephanie Houser, CEO of launch flix, explained.

This project is about educating future generations about these historical events. Like the popular documentary Paper Clips, the group hopes to make people think about the total number of victims – six million fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, grandparents. The campaign Web site, www.6mfor6m.org will ideally list each donor.

“Even if we get a dollar a person, we will have been successful in raising awareness of the issue.” said Houser. “With the support of our donors the film will bring Henry’s story to a wider audience than ever before. She added, “The fundraising effort is already being met with great enthusiasm. It raises awareness for Holocaust education and we are looking forward to reaching the goal and starting production by this winter.”

In An Unbroken Chain: My Journey though, the Nazi Holocaust, young Henry examines eighteen separate but equally crucial “links” in the chain of events that kept him alive and ultimately led to his freedom. From the Nazi foreman who helped him escape the Gestapo to the SS General who gave him the medical treatment he needed, Henry faces the encounters and situations that changed his destiny from ages twelve to 24. Although often sad and shocking, the remarkable events of Henry’s life, as well as his amazing strength and hope, will touch the lives and hearts of movie goers everywhere.