Inheritance
A Legacy of Hatred and the
Journey to Change It
By James Moll, Director
This 2006 documentary tells the story of two women with very
different “inheritances” from Amon Goeth, the Nazi commandant of the Plaszow
Concentration Camp in Poland. Goeth was known for his brutal murders of thousands
of Jews.
Monika Hertwig is the daughter of Amon Goeth and Ruth Kalder.
She gradually learned bits and pieces about her father’s horrific treatment of
the Jews. It would be a mistake to overlook the role of her mother who had an
affair with Goeth and a troubled relationship with Monika. The Spielberg film, Schindler’s List (1993), appears at a
pivotal moment in Monika’s efforts to come to grips with her family history and
her own identity.
Monika learns of a Jew, Helen Jonas-Rosenweig, who was a
kitchen slave in her father’s manor house. Helen survived the holocaust with
assistance from Oskar Schindler, whom she describes as a different kind of
Nazi. Helen is in the United States and responds to Monika’s request to meet. A
powerful emotional meeting makes the documentary a memorable experience unlike
other holocaust stories.
The focus of the film is on Monika. However, we also learn the
now familiar story of so many lost lives during the holocaust. In addition to
the death of family members, Goeth shot Helen’s boyfriend. She eventually
married a survivor but tragically lost him to suicide.
I recommend this film for its portrayal of real people trying
to live in the present and achieve some sort of reconciliation with their past.
The impact of one man’s evil on just these two people after some 60 years is incredible
without considering the thousands of other lives he destroyed.
I watched the film streamed from Amazon prime.
The film is 75 minutes and was released on DVD 6 January
2009
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