Giganterna i Auschwitz
Judisk kultur i Sverige in cooperation with the Swedish Holocaust Museum.
GIGANTERNA I AUSCWITZ tells a unique story about the fate of seven siblings. The book is based on research and interviews with Perla Ovitz, the last survivor of the Ovitz siblings, and other Auschwitz survivors.
Authors Yehuda Koren and Eilat Negev, deftly weave the tale of this beloved and successful family of singers and actors, called the Lilliput Troupe. Their dazzling Vaudeville program, the only all-dwarf show at the time, made them famous entertainers in Central Europe in the 1930s and the 1940s until the Nazis deported them to Auschwitz. When Dr. Josef Mengele was notified of their arrival, he assigned them to sequestered quarters. His horrific "research” on twins and other genetically unique individuals already under way, Mengele had special plans for the Ovitzes.
The authors chronicle Mengele's loathsome experiments upon the family members, the disturbing fondness he developed for the siblings and their interminable will to survive. They were brought to the death camp because they were Jews, but by a twist of fate, their disability saved their lives. In an ideology that praised the survival of the fittest, they proved just the opposite. Not only did the entire extended Ovitz family survive Auschwitz, they even managed to save a few of their friends and relatives.
One of the writers of the book Eilat Negev are joining us digitaly to talk about the book and the family Ovitz. We will also show a short clip from the film Perla – the last of the seven dwarfs, directed by Debbie Brukman, USA. 2002, throughout the evening.
Moderator: Ricki Neuman, journalist and culture writer.
About the Booktalk
Booktalk i English
Price? 75 SEK. Registration is required through Ticksterlink
When? April 10, 2024 at 18:00–19:00
Where? Swedish Holocaust Museum, Torsgatan 19, Stockholm. Floor 5.
The program will be photographed and videotaped and may be used on the Swedish Holocaust Museum and Judisk kultur i Sveriges website and social media.
Practical information before your visit
- Cloakroom: Coats and bags may not be taken into the museum. You need to hang up your jacket on the coat racks in the entrance. Bags larger than A4 size may not be taken into the museum. There are small lockers at the entrance to the museum where you can leave your outer clothing. The cabinets are 37.5 centimeters long, 27 centimeters wide and 40.5 centimeters deep. Note! We cannot be responsible for bags that do not fit in the lockers, but refer to larger lockers that are available at, for example, Stockholm's central station. Bags may not be left unattended in the museum.
- Packed lunches: Food and drink may not be taken into the museum. You can find restaurants and cafés in the area. As well as restaurants in Torsgatan, there is also a good selection in Rörstrandsgatan and S:t Eriksgatan.
- Push chairs and buggies: There are two parking places for push chairs and buggies at the entrance. If there is no space left, you can take a push chair or buggy into the exhibition area, but speak to the staff on the information desk first.
- Accessibility: You can find information about accessibility in the museum here.