‘Children of Terror’ Documentary to Premiere at Rider on Feb. 9

Editor's Note: The following is a news release issued by Rider University.

Two young girls – one, a Polish Catholic, the other a German Jew – who were born in the same year, in two different countries, into two different traditions, and who both survived the Holocaust during World War II, are the subjects of the new documentary film "Children of Terror," which will premiere in the Bart Luedeke Theater on the campus of Rider University on Thursday, Feb. 9, at 6:30 p.m. Rider is located at 2083 Lawrenceville Rd. (Route 206) in Lawrence Township.

The two girls – Bozenna Urbanowicz Gilbride and Inge Auerbacher – survived deportation, labor and concentration camps, starvation, disease, and isolation. Despite their dramatically different traditions and circumstances, they shared a common trauma: the fear experienced by children in wartime.

"Children of Terror" combines the stories of these two Holocaust survivors. Auerbacher, a German Jew, survived Terezin, a Nazi concentration camp located in what is now the Czech Republic, while Gilbride, Catholic Pole, survived Chemnitz, a Nazi work camp in Germany. The film focuses on the interfaith relationship these two women have built in spite of the resistance from some within their own communities to their friendship.

Produced by Dr. Shawn Kildea, assistant professor of communication and journalism at Rider, "Children of Terror" is based on Gilbride’s and Auerbacher’s 2009 book of the same name. The authors will be present for a discussion and book-signing.

Admission is free, and light refreshments will be served. RSVP at 609-896-5209 or kildeam@rider.edu.