Documentary Film: Two Who Dared: The Sharps' War will be Shown at Local Unitarian Church
Farmington Hills, MI (PRWEB) October 07, 2013 -- WHAT: Documentary Film, Two Who Dared, Screens at Local Unitarian Church ($5 donation suggested)
WHERE: Universalist Unitarian Church of Farmington, 25301 Halsted Road, Farmington Hills, Michigan 48335
WHEN: Thursday, October 10, 2013, from 7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m (Refreshments at 7pm)
The Universalist Unitarian Church of Farmington will be screening the 2013 award winning movie, Two Who Dared. A $5 donation is suggested. This remarkable story of courage, documenting the lives of Reverend Waitstill Sharp and his wife Martha is told from the point of view of Martha and Waitstill, drawing on their recorded interviews, letters and unpublished memoirs. The film also includes interviews with children rescued and noted scholars.
Special guest, Naomi Twining, will be present. Ms. Twining's extensive research and dedication to the truth set in motion the documentation that resulted in the recognition of Martha and Waitstill Sharp as Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial in Israel. (per Charlie Clements, former President of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee)
In February 1939, Waitstill Sharp, a young Unitarian minister from Boston, and his wife Martha left for Czechoslovakia on a refugee mission. The Unitarian church was already a step in front of the Nazis, having set up a secretive network of volunteers and agencies to secure the safe passage of both Jews and non-Jews out of Prague. The task became even more difficult when on March 15, 1939 the Nazis entered Prague. For the next five months, the Sharps continued their work undaunted by the presence of the Gestapo and the possibility that they would be arrested or killed. In August 1939, the couple left Prague and headed back to the United States, barely escaping arrest. Only 10 months later, the Sharps returned to Europe on their second mission, setting up a refugee office in Lisbon, Portugal. Eventually, they made their way to Nazi-controlled France, to find ways to help refugees escape. In an elaborate plan, the Sharps helped a renowned German-Jewish author, Lion Feuchtwanger, and his wife escape to New York via Spain. Finally, in December 1940, after rescuing a plethora of people from the horrors of Nazi persecution, Waitstill and Martha Sharp returned to the United States. Following the war, Martha Sharp remained very active in efforts to assist the Jews around the world and the establishment of Israel.
For a preview of the movie visit http://www.uuFarmington.org/learn
The UU Farmington Lifelong Learning Forum hosts a variety of adult programs each Thursday, from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m, throughout October and November. Programs are held at the Universalist Unitarian Church of Farmington, 25301 Halsted Road, Farmington Hills, Michigan 48335. Topics include religion, philosophy, art, health, science, social, and political issues. All classes are open to the public. A $5 donation is suggested. Refreshments will be served at our 7 p.m. social gathering. For more information about these programs and other upcoming programs, please visit http://www.uuFarmington.org/learn
Anna Pinchuk, No Limits Media Inc., 508-650-2077, [email protected]
Share this article