Film Screening followed by Q&A
Judith Golden owned and ran a small hotel and her husband, Leo Fleischmann had a successful textile business in Memel, Lithuania. Being Jewish was not a liability in this port city on the Baltic Sea, yet Adolf Hitler had ambitions beyond what anyone could know when he ascended to power in 1933. “Leaving Memel – Refugees from the Reich” tells the story of Judith Golden’s family and what they experienced when times changed and Hitler began demonizing Jews, homosexuals and Romani in Europe. It’s a small, personal memoir tucked inside a much larger, darker tale and has strong resonance today as issues around immigration still occupy our thoughts. It’s also a story of survival, great timing and strong family bonds that make the difference between life and death.