Support the film: Learn from Auschwitz

Help us learn from history – not just about it.

Dear you.

My name is Ingrid Ohlsson and I live in Sweden.

In 2009, my youngest daughter came home from school and was very upset. The teacher had told the class about the Holocaust. I will never forget my feeling: "What can I do so that we will never forget the Holocaust?”.

In 2015, I meet Holocaust survivor Emerich Roth. I have made a film and an exhibition about him – and now I am going to Auschwitz and make a new film and to keep my promise I made to him before he passed away in 2022: "I will tell your life story until the day I die".

The general idea of the film is to help the young generation to learn from history – not just learn about it. We are going to follow a group of young confirmands from Klippan, Sweden during their visit to Auschwitz.

After the trip, we follow up with interviews about lessons learned from the visit to Auschwitz, as well as talking about their personal responsibility in their lives and contributing to the world they want to live in.

The film will also honor the memory of Holocaust survivor Emerich Roth (1924-2022) on what would have been his 100th birthday on August 28th. We all have the responsibility to never forget. The film will contain both facts and stories to learn from, as well as marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz on January 27, 1945.

Who is Emerich Roth?

Emerich was an incredibly genuine person and he can be seen as one of the foremost lecturers among the survivors – at least in Sweden.

During the nearly 30 years that Emerich lectured on his life story, he was seen and heard by approximately 250,000 people around the country. Today, many of us have become grandparents and can pass the story on – which is how a story travels through generations.

As a part of the film project, we will interview 86 year old eyewitness Tove Udsholt who lived during the Second World War and now lives in Gilleleje, Denmark.

Who is Tove Udsholt?

Tove’s family was Jewish. In September 1943, Hitler ordered that all Danish Jews be deported to Auschwitz. Tove's mother fled with Tove from the Danish capital Copenhagen to Gilleleje – and then again across the strait to Höganäs in Sweden. Tove’s mother was not able to take Tove with her and left her in Gilleleje, where she still lives.

Tove is a strong personality and will meet the confirmands in April 2024. It will be a nice memory for everyone.

By travelling to Auschwitz with the most important people in our society – our young people – meeting an eyewitness from the Second World War and making follow-up interviews, we learn from each other and the youngsters will be able to pass an important story on.

It is vital to meet Generation Z. Their lives are characterized by a post-pandemic society, social media and an on-going war. They need stories to help them get a holistic view of our shared history. In this way, we assist future generations to build a better society and create better relationships with their fellow human beings.

If we, the adults, cannot find a way to help our youth – who will?

Read more about Emerich & Ingrid