A Pocketful of Miracles: A Tale of Two Siblings (2023 106 minutes) will be screened in Manhattan on Feb 17 and Feb 19 at the New Plaza Theater and at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan (L2 Auditorium) on Feb 27 where I will be chairing a talkback panel with Aviva Kempner and 3rd generation of Holocaust survivors, Ciesla granddaughters Delaney Kempner and actress Sara Chase, in person. Click here to purchase tickets for the Feb 27 screening.

A Pocketful of Miracles: A Tale of Two Siblings is an intimate and powerful family memoir directed by Aviva Kempner. Focusing on the World War II stories of director Kempner’s mother, Hanka Ciesla, who passed as a Polish Catholic within Germany, and her uncle, Dudek Ciesla, who survived Auschwitz, this documentary traces their journey from an idyllic Jewish-Polish family life in Soseniewc, Poland, through the harrowing experiences they endured during the war.

The film showcases their remarkable resilience as they navigated the challenges of wartime, ultimately finding each other after liberation in Berlin and forging new lives in America. Through heartfelt interviews, archival footage, and personal accounts, A Pocketful of Miracles offers a poignant and inspiring exploration of their survival and the success stories they achieved in their respective fields. The documentary also includes the story of Aviva Kempner’s father, Harold Kempner, an immigrant who captured post-Holocaust stories in Berlin as a military government journalist.

Having had its European premiere at the Berlin Jewish Film Festival in June 2023, with Aviva Kempner and editor Lucia Fox-Shapiro in attendance, A Pocketful of Miracles holds a special place for Kempner as she returns to her birthplace to share this intimate film about her family. The festival premiere adds to the significance of this deeply personal and captivating documentary, which sheds light on the indomitable spirit of resilience, love, and triumph in the face of unimaginable adversity.