The Unimaginable Journey of Peter Ertel

About this course:

Amid great evil, it is the courageous man or woman who refuses to succumb, and Peter Ertel was one such man. Forced to serve in the German army despite his open contempt for the Nazis and his refusal to kill the enemy, Ertel would not only miraculously survive World War II but would also be regarded as family by his Jewish employers. The Unimaginable Journey of Peter Ertel is a riveting, award-winning account of the life of a man who defied insurmountable odds in an unforgiving environment and who later found peace in America. This film combines archive footage—much of which has never been shown—with Ertel’s own telling of his extraordinary odyssey. Winner of the David Ponce Best of the Fest Award at the 2017 Chagrin Documentary Film Festival, the Founders' Choice Award at the 2016 G.I. Film Festival and the Local Heroes Competition at the 2017 Cleveland International Film Festival. In this course, a link to the film will be given to enrolled students on Monday, January 8. Members then join a remote meeting with the film’s director, Joseph Cahn, for Q&A. The Q&A on January 12 will be recorded. Students will have access to the video for 30 days.