LOS ANGELES, Aug. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- The "1939 Club," one of the largest Holocaust Survivor Organizations in the world, today said that if Mel Gibson would like to learn about the Holocaust, its members would be pleased to meet with and educate him about what it is like to be a Jew both in an anti-Semitic and free society.
William Elperin, president of the "1939 Club" said, "Mr. Gibson said he 'is asking the Jewish community, whom I have personally offended, to help me on my journey through recovery.' Our members are offering that help, by assisting Mr. Gibson in understanding the extremes of anti-Semitism and what they and their families -- many of whom were slaughtered by the Nazis -- endured."
Mr. Elperin said that if Mr. Gibson is interested, his representatives can contact him to arrange the meeting.
The "1939 Club," which takes its name from the year Hitler invaded Poland and changed the lives of its members forever, was started in 1952 with 14 members and since grown to nearly a thousand members strong. It recently undertook a successful drive to recruit second generation members, the children of "1939 Club" members, so that its legacy will continue.
A non-profit organization, the "1939 Club" is based in Southern California. The Club established the first chair on Holocaust studies at a United States university (The "1939 Club" Chair on Holocaust Studies at UCLA). One of its past presidents was instrumental in getting Thomas Kineally to write "Schindler's List" and Steven Spielberg to make the movie. The Club has ongoing programs and lecture series at UCLA, Chapman University and California State University Northridge. Along with its partner, Chapman University, it sponsors the largest annual Holocaust Art and Writing Contest in the country. This year, over 4,000 middle and high school students participated.
The Club honors Righteous Persons who saved Jews during the Holocaust while others stood by and did nothing, or even worse, collaborated with the Nazis. In this regard it has honored among others: Chiune Sugihara, the Japanese diplomat in Lithuania, who, against his government's orders issued visas for Jews to escape to Japan; Carl Lutz, a Swiss diplomat to Hungary who saved upwards of 50,000 Jews; and the entire nation of Denmark which saved virtually its entire population by hiding them in their homes, churches and hospitals while arranging boats to take them to Sweden.
The Club's website, www.1939club.com, is the only place on the Internet where anyone can visit and view a full length (one to three hour) Survivor interview. Over 100 interviews of Club members are posted with more to come.
