Never Forget

TV Movie
1991
Unrated
1h 34m

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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.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

321

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 2 nominations

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
After 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!

Connections
Referenced in The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: Leonard Nimoy/Bill Maher/B.J. Sniff (1991)

User reviews11

Review

Featured review

5/10

Real Life Drama

This film was created after a $17 million lawsuit alleging "injurious denial of established fact." The IHR settled out of court, and signed an apology. The apology was to Mermelstein, for extending the IHR gas chamber reward offer to him in full knowledge that Mermelstein was traumatized by the Concentration Camp.

The IHR gas chamber reward (which requires hard evidence) was never pursued by Mermelstein. The IHR gas chamber reward is no longer offered, since it proved to be more of a lawsuit magnet than PR tool.

The judge ruled: 'Under Evidence Code Section 452(h), this Court does take judicial notice of the fact that Jews were gassed to death at the Auschwitz Concentration Camp in Poland during the summer of 1944,' and 'It just simply is a fact that falls within the definition of Evidence Code Section 452(h). It is not reasonably subject to dispute. And it is capable of immediate and accurate determination by resort to sources of reasonably indisputable accuracy. It is simply a fact.'

In 1988 Mermelstein brought another suit against IHR, which he lost.