Over a week ago the seventieth anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz by Soviet troops was marked. Auschwitz is an emblem, a name that’s burned in humanity’s collective soul and one that behooves us to pay attention, to understand, and to never forget. In another seventy years, there won’t be any survivors left but this anniversary will be observed again, presumably, and every seventy years after this. As participants in this great experience that is being human, we have the responsibility to do so.

On the unveiling of this short documentary recounting the lives lost Spielberg visited Auschwitz earlier this week and said that “Jews are again facing the “perennial demons of intolerance” from anti-Semites who are provoking hate crimes and trying to strip survivors of their identity.” And he is right, of course.

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