Film Lens
Chaja & Mimi is a documentary short film featuring interviews with two Israeli Jews, Chaja Florentin and Mimi Frons, who reflect on their complex feelings towards Berlin, the city of their birth. The film captures their childhood memories in the Scheunenviertel and Berlin-Mitte during the 1920s and recounts their escape from Nazi Germany to Palestine in 1934. Chaja shares her painful experience of returning to postwar Germany, while both women express joy upon seeing historical photographs of their old neighborhood.
The film emphasizes their firm belief that Israel is their true home, despite expressing some dissatisfaction with life there. The interviews were conducted in Café Mersand in Tel Aviv, a significant gathering place for Yekkes. The film has been integrated into educational projects by the Anne Frank Center in Berlin, aiming to teach schoolchildren about the Holocaust through survivor stories.
Why Watch
- •Meet Chaja Florentin and Mimi Frons in Tel Aviv's Café Mersand.
- •See their emotional reactions to childhood photos of Berlin.
- •Find out why they refuse to return to Berlin for good.
Did You Know
•The first version of the film premiered on 6 February 2009.
•Chaja & Mimi was rated 'especially valuable' by the German Film Quality Assessment Board.
•The film received an Award of Merit from the Best Short Awards in May 2014.
•The international version premiered on 22 June 2013 at a film competition in Spain.
Perfect For
Jewish history enthusiastsHolocaust educationBerlin's cultural heritage