Innovia Foundation hosts 'Carla the Rescuer' screening
Bonners Ferry Herald | UPDATED 2 months, 3 weeks AGO
On Sunday, Sept. 21, The Kroc Center in Coeur d'Alene is hosting a community screening of the documentary "Carla the Rescuer". The film portrays Peperzak's early life during the holocaust. Carla Peperzak, the namesake of Peperzak Middle School in Spokane, will attend the event in-person to engage in a live question-and-answer session with the audience after the film.
Courtesy photo
As a teenager in Amsterdam, Carla Peperzak risked everything to aid fellow Jews, forging identification cards and providing shelter from the brutal Nazi regime and their collaborators. Today, the 101-year-old Holocaust survivor continues to share her heartbreaking experiences to speak out against injustice and deliver a message of hope.
On Sunday, Sept. 21, The Kroc Center in Coeur d'Alene is hosting a community screening of the documentary "Carla the Rescuer." The film portrays Peperzak's early life during the holocaust. Carla Peperzak, the namesake of Peperzak Middle School in Spokane, will attend the event in-person to engage in a live question-and-answer session with the audience after the film.
This screening is made possible with a grant from the Brad & Janice Baldwin Fund at Innovia Foundation.
“Carla’s story of resilience amid tragedy will leave a lasting impact on community members and students in attendance,” says Shelly O’Quinn, CEO of Innovia Foundation. “Innovia is honored to support local events that foster educational enrichment and community connection.”
The cost of tickets for the community screening is $20. Ticket purchases help underwrite transportation and ticket costs for students from surrounding schools to attend a special screening Monday, Sept. 22. To reserve your tickets, visit showpass.com/carla-the-rescuer.
According to the Holocaust Center for Humanity, Peperzak was born in Amsterdam in 1923 to a Jewish family. Her mother was adopted by a Jewish family, and as a teen and adult, embraced the faith. A typical youth of the time, Peperzak played field hockey, skated on Amsterdam’s canals, and went to parties. She also attended synagogue and Hebrew school where one of her fellow students was Margot Frank, the older sister of Anne Frank.
In 1940, the year she graduated from high school, Germany invaded the Netherlands. By 1941, the Nazis forced Dutch Jews to register with the state and their identification papers were marked with a “J,” according to information on the center's website. However, thanks to a sympathetic SS member, and perhaps due to her mother's background, her arranged to have her papers changed to remove the J.
She joined the Dutch resistance and during the war, she helped hide relatives in the countryside, rescued a cousin from a train bound for Westerbork transit camp, published an underground newspaper and forged identification papers and ration cards.
While Peperzak and her immediate family survived the war, 18 members of her extended family were killed in the Holocaust.
She remained silent about her wartime experiences for more than 50 years. However, with the help of Washington State University history professor Raymond Sun, Peperzak began telling her story.
Information: Innovia Foundation, Innovia.org; and Holocaust Center for Humanity, holocaustcenterseattle.org/carla-peperzak