The Struma

02/08/04

  English, 92 minutes

Showing:  February 15th, 5:30 p.m., Tarbut v'Torah

With his new film The Struma writer/director Simcha Jacobovici tells the story of 779 Jewish refugees who fled Romania in 1941, aboard a dilapidated vessel call the Struma.  Bound for Palestine, the over-crowded ship suffered engine failure and barely made it to Istanbul.  Under pressure from Great Britain, Turkey refused the passengers sanctuary.  For 71 days the Struma's fate was deliberated at the highest levels.  Then, as desperate cries echoed from its hull, the Struma was towed out to sea and left to drift aimlessly.

On February 24, 1942, an explosion rang over the frigid waters of the Black Sea.  Almost 800 men, women and children perished.  Only one survived.

Using groundbreaking research and never before seen footage, The Struma not only unravels the mystery surrounding the tragedy, it serves to honor the dead and inspire the living.  In spine-tingling detail, the one surviving passenger, David Stoliar (see picture below), recounts his memories of the disaster.  In addition, the film chronicles the recent diving expedition in search of the wreck.  The dive was led by Greg Buxton, a man whose grandparents went down with the vessel.

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