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The U.S. and the Holocaust | September 2022

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Programming

Schedule Change

WTVP PBS will broadcast the BBC’s live coverage of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II from 3 a.m. to 11 a.m. on September 19, and a special recap from 7 to 8:30 p.m. To accommodate these additions, we have made schedule changes to the air dates of episodes 2 and 3 of The U. S. and the Holocaust. 

The series premiere remains on September 18 at 7 p.m. Episode 1 will then repeat following the evening funeral coverage on September 19. Episode 2 will air on Tuesday, September 20 at 7 p.m., followed by episode 3 on Wednesday, September 21 at 7 p.m. The entire series will be available for streaming on Sunday, September 18.

The U.S. and the Holocaust
Extended Trailer
1:01
Published:
Rating: NR

Exploring America’s response to one of the greatest humanitarian crises in history.

AIRING SEPTEMBER 18, 20 AND 21, 7 PM - Schedule Change
WTVP HD 47.1

KEN BURNS, LYNN NOVICK AND SARAH BOTSTEIN SHED LIGHT ON WHAT THE U.S. GOVERNMENT AND AMERICAN PEOPLE KNEW AND DID AS THE GREATEST HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN HISTORY UNFOLDED IN EUROPE.

 

The U.S. and the Holocaust is a new three-part documentary that explores America’s response to the Holocaust by examining the rise of Hitler and Nazism in Germany in the context of global antisemitism and racism, the eugenics movement in the United States and race laws in the American south.

Combining first-person accounts of Holocaust witnesses and survivors and interviews with leading historians and writers, the film dispels competing myths that Americans were either ignorant of the persecution that Jews and other minorities faced or that they looked on with callous indifference. It tackles a range of questions, including how racism influences policies on immigration and refugees, and how governments and people respond to the rise of authoritarian states.

The U.S. and the Holocaust features a fascinating array of historical figures, including Franklin D. Roosevelt, Charles Lindbergh, Dorothy Thompson, Rabbi Stephen Wise and Henry Ford, as well as Anne Frank and her family, who applied for but failed to obtain visas to the United States before they went into hiding.

WTVP members can view this documentary on their own schedule on PBS Passport beginning on September 18.

"This is a story with enormous relevance today as we are still dealing with questions about immigration, refugees and who should be welcomed into the United States."

 - Lynn Novick

THE U.S. AND THE HOLOCAUST:
THE GOLDEN DOOR (BEGINNINGS - 1938)
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 7 PM
REPEATS AT 9:12 PM
[Schedule Change]

Reversing a history of open borders, a xenophobic backlash prompts Congress to restrict immigration. Hitler and the Nazis persecute German Jews, forcing many to seek refuge. FDR is concerned by the growing crisis but unable to coordinate a response.

  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Sun, 09/18/4022 @ 7:00 PM
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Sun, 09/18/4022 @ 9:14 PM
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Mon, 09/19/4022 @ 12:30 AM
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Mon, 09/19/4022 @ 8:31 PM
  • WTVP-WORLD 47.3 - Sun, 09/25/4022 @ 8:00 PM
  • WTVP-WORLD 47.3 - Mon, 09/26/4022 @ 12:00 AM
  • WTVP-WORLD 47.3 - Mon, 09/26/4022 @ 8:00 AM
The U.S. and the Holocaust
Teaser #1 'American as Apple Pie'
0:30
Published:
Rating: NR

"Exclusion of people and shutting them out has been as American as apple pie."

The U.S. and the Holocaust
Teaser #2 'We are Challenged'
0:30
Published:
Rating: NR

"We're challenged to think of what we would have done..."

THE U.S. AND THE HOLOCAUST:
YEARNING TO BREATHE FREE (1938 - 1942)
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 7 PM
[Schedule Change]

As World War II begins, Americans are divided over whether to intervene against Nazi Germany. Some individuals and organizations work tirelessly to help refugees escape. Germany invades the USSR and secretly begins the mass murder of European Jews.

  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Tue, 09/20/4022 @ 7:00 PM
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Tue, 09/20/4022 @ 9:23 PM
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Wed, 09/21/4022 @ 2:07 AM
  • WTVP-WORLD 47.3 - Sun, 10/02/4022 @ 8:00 PM
  • WTVP-WORLD 47.3 - Mon, 10/03/4022 @ 12:00 AM
  • WTVP-WORLD 47.3 - Mon, 10/03/4022 @ 8:00 AM

THE U.S. AND THE HOLOCAUST:
THE HOMELESS, THE TEMPEST-TOSSED (1942 - )
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 7 PM
[Schedule Change]

A group of dedicated government officials fights red tape to support rescue operations. As the Allies liberate German camps, the public sees for the first time the sheer scale of the Holocaust and begins to reckon with its reverberations.

  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Wed, 09/21/4022 @ 7:00 PM
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Wed, 09/21/4022 @ 9:16 PM
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Thu, 09/22/4022 @ 12:30 AM
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Thu, 09/22/4022 @ 2:45 AM
  • WTVP-WORLD 47.3 - Sun, 10/09/4022 @ 8:00 PM
  • WTVP-WORLD 47.3 - Mon, 10/10/4022 @ 12:00 AM
  • WTVP-WORLD 47.3 - Mon, 10/10/4022 @ 8:00 AM
The U.S. and the Holocaust
Teaser #3 'Our Neighbors'
0:30
Published:
Rating: NR

"It is our neighbors that are throwing the bricks and rocks through the window."

The Holocaust and Refugees, Lessons for Today

The U.S. and the Holocaust
The Holocaust and Refugees, Lessons for Today
56:14
Published:

Filmmakers and special guests explore themes from the U.S. and the Holocaust.

LEARN MORE

Broadcast of The U.S. and the Holocaust will be accompanied by educational materials prepared by PBS Learning Media (pbslearningmedia.org), including film clips and other resources on immigration policy, racism, isolationism, discrimination and more.

Illinois PBS Learning Media