On Thursday, October 19 at St. Charles Center for Healthand Learning, Two Twisted Sisters Productionsand Temple Beth Tikvahwill present author, Daniel M. Cohen — filmmaker, authorand film critic for over thirty years — as he discusses his book Single Handedand the extraordinary life of its hero, Tibor “Teddy” Rubin — the only Holocaust survivor ever to receive a Congressional Medal of Honor.
In 1944, 13-year-old Hungarian Tibor Rubin was captured by the Nazisand sent to the notorious Mauthausen concentration camp, whose horrors he endured for more than a year. After surviving the Holocaust, he arrived penniless in America, barely speaking English.
In 1950, Tibor volunteered for service in the Korean War. After acts of heroism that included single-handedly defending a hill against an onslaught of enemy soldiers, braving sniper fire to rescue a wounded comrade,and commandeering a machine gun after its crew was killed, he was captured. As a POW, Tibor called on his Mauthausen experience to help his fellow GIs survive for twoand half years in captivity.
Tibor returned from Korea in 1953, but it wasn’t until 2005, at age 76, that he was invited to the White Houseand given the Medal of Honor by President George W. Bush. It took over half a century for Tibor’s adopted homeland to recognize this Jewish immigrant for acts of valor that went “beyond the call of duty.”
Drawing on eyewitness accountsand extensive interviews, Cohen presents this inspiring storyand gives us a stirring portrait of a true hero. The Forward newspaper in its review proclaims, “Cohen tells Rubin’s story with unadorned prose that perfectly matches his subject’s straightforward (and drily humorous) outlook on life….. but where Cohen really shines is in his telling of the third part of the story, which actually makes Rubin’s battles with (and eventual victory over) U.S. militaryand government bureaucracy almost as enthrallingand inspiring as his earlier trials.”
Cohen has writtenand directed two award-winning independent featuresand continues to write essays on film for RealReporting.org, a website of newsand opinion. He currently resides in Bend. He is eager to speak about the storyand to share a wealth of anecdotes about Tibor, some of which do not appear in the book. With a Q&A to follow the presentation, attendees are sure to be part of a fascinating community discussion that connects a minority’s trials in the past to our current social climate.
Tickets are available onlineand at the door.
Proceeds from the event will benefit the Jewish communities of Central Oregon