The Voyage of the Pentcho
Talk & film presented by Mark Englander
19:30 Tuesday 29 October
This is a story of the great escape from Nazi-dominated Europe by Jews who gambled their lives for freedom…and won! The year was 1940 when 400 desperate Jews departed Bratislava and set sail down the Danube and out to sea on the Pentcho – an old decrepit paddle steamer, hoping to reach Palestine. The passengers suffered shipwreck, near starvation, and imprisonment in a concentration camp – yet they survived! A number of survivors settled in Netanya where years later a stone sculpture of the ship (and passenger list) was erected in what is now Kikar Pentcho.
Survivors reunited in 1985, 40 years later, for another voyage to recreate and re-tell details of their fantastic story – in a film documentary. Mark Englander will introduce the topic and show a 40-minute film.
Mark Englander was born in Tel Aviv and presently resides in New York. Growing up, his parents rarely spoke of their unlikely escape from Nazi-occupied Europe aboard The Pentcho. Departing from Slovakia, they set sail down the Danube, past German troop carriers, to the open sea headed for Palestine. The voyage should have taken four weeks, but instead took four harrowing years.
With many of the Pentcho passengers no longer with us, Mark felt compelled to preserve their memory by sharing the inspirational story. He has presented the highly-acclaimed “Voyage of the Pentcho” to American audiences, including, most recently, at a Yom Hashoah programme on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.
Tickets available below or at the box office or at the door.
Members pre-paid NIS 30
Members at door NIS 40
Non-members NIS 50
For further information call the box office 09-8330950.
