The story of Mel Mermelstein, an American holocaust survivor who confronted a Holocaust denial organization's lies in court.The story of Mel Mermelstein, an American holocaust survivor who confronted a Holocaust denial organization's lies in court.The story of Mel Mermelstein, an American holocaust survivor who confronted a Holocaust denial organization's lies in court.
- Awards
- 2 nominations
Photos
- Edie Mermelstein
- (as Juliet Sorcey)
- Kenny Mermelstein
- (as Ben Gregory)
- Elsie Smolena
- (as Hanna Hertelendy)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAfter Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984), this was the second time that Carl Steven played a younger version of a character played by Leonard Nimoy.
- Quotes
Ms. Teitler: I'm afraid there's no help we can give you.
Anti-Defamation League man #2: There is no way for you to get satisfaction, Mr. Mermelstein.
Mel Mermelstein: Satisfaction? What I want is justice.
Anti-Defamation League man #2: Any legal satisfaction. This letter is not actionable, which means there are no means to take them into court. Of course, ah, I mean a real court, a United States court, not their kangaroo court.
Ms. Teitler: Let me tell you something you probably already know: Now, the Institute for Historical Review is part of an ongoing germ; it's a network of professional liars and haters who get pleasure out of telling their horrible lies.
Anti-Defamation League man #2: Um hum.
Ms. Teitler: That there was no Holocaust. Now, to some people, people who need to hear this kind of smut, it unfortunately has some kind of appeal. We know them. We know what they are doing. Now let me tell you something you probably don't want to hear: You would be folish to pay any attention to this letter, Mr. Mermelstein, you would be playing right into their hands.
[she continues]
Mel Mermelstein: How do you mean?
Anti-Defamation League man #1: The whole challenge is phony; they don't want the truth. They'll stack the deck against you.
Mel Mermelstein: But I could tell what I saw with my own eyes in the camps. I could bring witnesses.
Anti-Defamation League man #1: They'll ridicule you and your witnesses.
Ms. Teitler: All you would accomplish by responding is to give them exactly what they want. They want the publicity.
Anti-Defamation League man #2: Yeah, if you give them the recognition they are looking for, they win; ignore them, you win.
Mel Mermelstein: Now just a minute. You can't see threw my jacket but when you say 'Ignore them', I get goose bumps, I get a shiver, 'cause that's exactly the same words that the wise men in my town in Munkacs, Hungary said when the Nazi's started to spread their lies.
Ms. Teitler: Mr. Mermelstein -
[interrupted]
Mel Mermelstein: Please! Please! Please! Don't give me this 'Ignore them' business because I know where that ends!
Mermelstein first caught the eye of the IHR by going around telling school children as well as their parents of the horrors that he suffered at the hands of the Nazis in WWII losing his entire family in what was called the Nazi "Final Solution to the Jewish Question" in Nazi occupied Europe. Trying to shut him up the IHR planned to call his bluff in making his plight or accusations public thinking that he's really full of it and unable to prove what he's saying only to have him win in court a libel action against It. And also by it having to pay out almost 100 grand to him, not to mention the court costs, he brought the holocaust revisionist and in many cases denial organization to the point of bankruptcy! It also had its wear-house in California fire bombed three times by outraged citizens that destroyed most of its anti-Holocaust as well as anti-Semitic material that it was, in many cases free of charge , handing out to the public.
As big as a victory it was for Mel Mermelstein at the time it may well have turned out to be a "Pyrrhic Victory" for him in the long run. That by giving the IHR free and undeserved publicity that has now, some 30 years later, spawned scores of like wise holocaust revisionist sites on the internet that are still around-Like IHR-with us now and unfortunately still growing all over the net or cyberspace. This makes me feel that if Mermelstein listened to both the ADL & Simon Wiesenthal Center to just ignore the slings and arrows being thrown at him by the IHR it as well as it fellow websites would have died an lonely and ignominious death or never would have come into existence in the first place!
- kapelusznik18
- Sep 9, 2016
- Permalink
Details
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- Also known as
- Den slutliga domen
- Filming locations
- Southern California, California, USA(Location)
- Production companies
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