Stockton/Leo Ullman, (seated, second from left), with his family, rescuers’ families, Stockton supporters and Holocaust Center staff at the opening of the exhibit at Stockton.
GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP – A film produced by the Sara and Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center at Stockton University has received seven awards from the 41st annual Telly Awards Judging Council.
The film, “There Were Good People…Doing Extraordinary Deeds: Leo Ullman’s Story,” tells the life story of Leo Ullman and his family who were hidden in the Netherlands and saved by “Righteous Gentiles” during World War II.
“Now, more than ever, we need to continue recognizing creators like you and those that bring global stories to our screens,” the council said in its notification letter.
The Telly Awards showcases the best work in television and video. The competition receives 13,000 entries from all 50 states and five continents. Telly Award winners represent work from advertising agencies, television stations, production companies and publishers from around the world.
Toby Rosenthal of Margate
Stockton University Visiting Instructor of Communication Studies Toby Rosenthal of Margate edited, directed and produced the film.
“This film was produced with our students in mind,” Rosenthal said. “We always considered what elements and themes of the story would resonate with our young community. Some of those themes include the comfort of Leo’s dog, the value of having a strong peer network, and the idea of honoring everyday people making extraordinary and heroic choices.”
The Holocaust Resource Center’s staff, including Director Gail Rosenthal, Morgan Everman and Irvin Moreno-Rodriguez, provided research and resource materials for the film. The School of Arts and Humanities and School of General Studies, University Relations and Marketing, and Stockton Video Production also contributed.
“This is a truly excellent documentary and thoroughly deserves this acclaim,”Stockton Dean of General Studies Robert Gregg said. “Gail Rosenthal should be recognized for her crucial role as the moving spirit behind the film.”
The film is part of the larger Holocaust Rescuers Exhibition at the Holocaust Resources Center, located on the second floor of the Bjork Library at Stockton. The exhibit is dedicated to non-Jewish families who risked their lives to protect Jews during the Holocaust in Amsterdam.
Titled, “The Extraordinary Heroism of Ordinary People,” the interactive exhibition tells the history of the Holocaust in the Netherlands through the story of Leo Ullman and his family, who were saved through the heroic acts of non-Jewish families who hid them and provided them with forged documents.
The exhibition was funded by a generous gift from Leo S. and Katherine M. Ullman. Leo was just three years old when his family went into hiding in an attic, turning the noisy, rambunctious youngster over to the Schimmel family, who would raise him as their own child for 796 days.
More information is at stockton.edu/holocaust-resource
