'Her Light Is Blinding': Documentary Spotlights LI Holocaust Survivor

EAST HAMPTON, NY — As the world watches in horror at the atrocities unfolding in the Israel-Hamas war, and acts of hatred and anti-Semitism are reported across Long Island and the nation, hearts are chilled with the knowledge that beyond all comprehension — and despite decades of the cry, "Never again" — an evil not witnessed since the Holocaust is gaining new intensity.

And for those who survived the Holocaust, the memories of all that was lost are still just a heartbeat away.

Judith Sleed, 91, of East Hampton, was the only member of her family left alive, at 12, after the Holocaust. She carried all the grief and memories hidden deep in her heart for decades.

And now, she has shared her extraordinary story of courage and indomitable strength with Christiane Arbesu, who created a moving documentary, "I Am Judit," about one woman's strength in the face of unspeakable horror.

Presented by LTV Studios and Terrebone Productions, a free screening of "I Am Judit" will take place Saturday at 6 p.m. at LTV Studios, located at 75 Industrial Road in Amagansett.

Arbesu wrote, produced, and directed the documentary, which features cameraman Piboon Thongyanyong and editor Scott Roberts; Terrebonne Productions is her company.

Speaking with Patch, Arbesu said she saw a compelling need to tell Sleed's story. "I was inspired to create this documentary because 2022 saw the highest incidence of hate crimes against Jews since WWII," she said. "It was all over the news, and I believe it was a call to tell this important story."

The documentary has received national and international recognition, winning "Best Feature Film" at the Toronto Documentary Feature & Short Film Festival 2023, and "Best Documentary Feature" at the Chicago Indie Film Awards.

When asked what about Sleed's story resonated, Arbesu said: "Everything. I wanted to show how a normal 12-year-old girl is living her life with her family in Hungary, until she suddenly isn't. Her entire life changed within minutes."

Both Arbesu and Sleed felt the story of her survival needed to be shared. "It's important for people to know the Holocaust existed," Arbesu said. "High school students and even adults under 40 don't know what the Holocaust is. This needs to change. We must remember the atrocities committed against the Jews so that it may never be repeated again. Unfortunately, that is not the case. "

Arbesu said she sees frightening similarities today to the Holocaust. "I see a lot of hatred against the Jews and I don't understand how it is possible," she said. "We are all the same. We all have the same blood running through our veins. I cannot fathom the cruelty committed against humanity."

Speaking with Patch earlier this year, Sleed, who was, at the time, facing eviction — sparking an outpouring of concern from the community — reflected on her life.

"I was 12 years old when I lost everything and everyone," she said. The pain was so deeply etched that for years, she never spoke of the Holocaust, or of the family members that she had lost, with her own children.

Born in Budapest, Hungary, on April 30, 1932, Sleed said over a three-day period in October, 1944, her mother, father and brother Tomi — he was only 15-and-a-half, technically not old enough to go — were told they had to report to the station and board a train.

"My mother was very optimistic," Sleed remembers. "She had no clue what was happening."

Her mother was just 49 years old.

She never saw her family again.

The only way she knew that they had died, Sleed said, was that she received a postcard from them, which she still has, that she was later told those in death camps wrote to their families. "They required all the people they killed in the gas chambers to mail those postcards back home, to say they were okay," she said. Her voice quiet, she added: "Nobody came back."

Sleed was left behind on a street called Delibab, where a Zionist organization sheltered children, with the purpose of moving them to Israel; her cousin Ava organized her stay there. She was reunited years later with one of the girls she met there, Miriam — the two are still in touch.

Her cousin Ava purchased false papers for her, Sleed said. "I always say she saved my life," she said.

Eventually, Sleed was placed in a Red Cross building with a Swiss flag flying outside, "telling Nazis not to bomb that building. Somehow, the bombs didn't find that building," she said. "The last few months, we spent in the basement. That's where I was when we were liberated."

At 15, Sleed decided to go to the United States, where she had family. Her father's sister was in New York. She waited in Rome in a displaced persons' camp until her visa was in order and then, she boarded a ship. "It took seven days to cross the Atlantic," she said.

When she got to the dock, her cousin Claire was waiting with her Uncle Julius. "She told me she was so scared — she spoke broken Hungarian — because she kept calling for me, but I wouldn't get off the boat. I couldn't find my luggage. She said, 'Don't worry, we'll buy everything for you. Leave it,'" Sleed said. "I wouldn't leave it — all I had left was my letters and photographs."

Later, Sleed married and had three children, Jodie, Jill and Jeff. Sadly, Jill died of cancer six years ago, and she lost her beloved son Jeff just last month.

Despite all the anguish her heart has been forced to endure, Sleed has faced the future with strength.

"She's a firecracker," Arbesu said. "A survivor. "

Telling Sleed's story changed Arbesu's own life, she said. "Judy is the strongest person I have ever interviewed — and I have interviewed hundreds of people," she said. "Her light is blinding. She is an inspiration, a source of good, of love, of resilience and most importantly, truth."

Asked to share something that touched her, while filming a documentary that is forever etched into her mind and heart, Arbesu said, "Judy's ability to laugh, despite the hell she went through."

And, she said, her own favorite scene in the film is when Sleed is reading to her two children from the play she wrote, and was describing the last time she saw her own mother.

"'My mother held me in her arms and said, 'Other people will love you and hold you like this,'" Arbesu said, reading from Sleed's work. "I was 12 years old when she said her good-byes to me. She bent her head to kiss mine and I felt a warm dampness on my hair. Her words choked in her throat as she said, 'You're a good girl, people will take care of you.'"

Arbesu added, "That brought me to tears."

Sleed not only survived, she thrived. She is an accomplished children's book author who also hosted a series of interviews with East End notables and others; those interviews can be found on YouTube. She also wrote a book, "Delibab-Utca," about her experiences as an orphan in post-war Budapest as well as all that came after. Currently, she hosts a talk show on LTV.

The documentary captures that strengh and Sleed's innate inner fortitude, Arbesu said. She urged all to come to Saturday's screening. "They need to witness firsthand the power of love. They need to learn about Judy and see how she has lived, despite all of her losses. Judy has tremendous compassion and strength. She's a firecracker."

Sleed's message, Arbesu said, is profound in its simple truth: "Forgive. Love. And never forget."

To watch the "I Am Judit" trailer, click here.