Strength of Courage Global Holocaust Film Series Hannah Arendt: Facing Tyranny
Documentary, dir. by Chana Gazit and Jeff Bieber
U.S., 2025, 102 min
Hannah Arendt: Facing Tyranny takes a closer look at one of the most fearless political writers of modern times. Arendt came of age in Germany as Hitler rose to power, before escaping to the United States as a Jewish refugee. Through her unflinching capacity to demand attention to facts and reality, Arendt’s time as a political prisoner, refugee and survivor in Europe informed her groundbreaking insights into the human condition, the refugee crisis and totalitarianism.
Her major works, The Origins of Totalitarianism (1951), The Human Condition (1958), Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil (1963), On Revolution (1963) and Crises of the Republic (1972) remain among the most important and most-read treatises on the development and impact of totalitarianism and the fault lines in American democracy. Arendt’s reports on the trial of Adolph Eichmann also caused a firestorm of controversy, and its impact is still felt today.
The afternoon will include a reception and screening, followed by a panel discussion with co-director Jeff Bieber, scholar Roger Berkowitz, and historian Ruth Weinberger, moderated by Chuck Todd, with a special introduction by Holocaust survivor Asher Matathias. Gideon Taylor, President of the Claims Conference, will give opening remarks.
Bottom row: moderator Chuck Todd, Holocaust survivor Asher Matathias, Gideon Taylor.
This event is part of “Strength of Courage,” a global Holocaust film series, presented by the Claims Conference and the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. Events will happen across the five boroughs of New York City, as well as in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Berlin and Frankfurt. The series will take place from April 13 through April 20, 2026. The screenings will be followed by panel discussions featuring the directors of the films and other relevant experts.
