Cherubs gathered for a Friday night feature of Prisoner of Her Past alongside its producer and 1971 cherub alum, Howard Reich.
The hour-long documentary covers Reich’s experience of learning more about his mother’s PTSD, which was induced by her experience as a Holocaust survivor.
Savannah Bond of Newton, Massachusetts, a history buff, said she found Reich’s documentary engrossing.
“This was something that was really interesting, because it was sort of history, but it was also right now,” Bond said. “It was how this woman is living her life right now as a result of these events that happened so long ago.”
Allie Deutsch of McLean, Virginia, said she was also moved by Reich’s story.
“I thought that the video he produced was really powerful,” she said. “I was really blown away by how he went all the way to Europe, how he interviewed all those people, all to uncover the secrets of his mother’s own past.”
Deutsch said she found that Reich’s presentation demonstrated the opportunities that can arise from journalism.
“When he talked afterwards about how his work has been adapted into an opera, how he helped find an heir to a fortune stolen by the Nazis, I was like, ‘Wow, this is what journalism can do.’ It’s really, really fascinating,” Deutsch said.
After the documentary finished, Reich participated in a Q&A session with the cherubs.
“It was really cool that he was there to talk to us about it,” Bond said. “It wasn’t just me watching the movie, we got to talk to the guy who actually made it and learn about his process and get more information.”
After the Q&A ended, Reich stayed to answer any additional questions. Nearly a dozen cherubs lined up to ask personal questions and have heart-to-heart conversations with him.
Before the documentary, several cherubs had attended a Shabbat service. Coincidentally, the last five cherubs in line had all attended that service, and they showed Reich a photo of their event.
One of those cherubs, Justin Tang of Los Angeles, said he recalled how Reich was moved by the image.
“He knew we were being sincere [when asking questions] and asked to take a photograph with us,” Tang said.
Tang said meeting Reich was an opportunity he won’t forget.
“He’s a really interesting person,” Tang said. “Just getting to speak with him was a really cool experience.”
