Israel | Documentary | 2026 | 90 / 4×45 min.
Director(s): Isri Halpern | Producer(s): Isri Halpern, Sasha Klein
Thursday, September 24, 2026 at 7pm
Palm Springs Cultural Center | 2300 E Baristo Rd in Palm Springs
As part of the Palm Springs Cultural Center’s annual Cinema Diverse festival, the Faith in Diversity coalition of faith based communities in Palm Springs will be hosting special screening of the the film that tells the story of 17 year-old Herschel Grynszpan who was at times accused of “starting” World War II.
Following the film, commentary and discussion led by noted Holocaust scholar Scott Miller, former Chief Curator at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM), a position he held for nearly 30 years.
RSVP below
Proud Jewish Boy
Israel | Documentary | 2026 | 90 min. / 2×45 min.
Director: Isri Halpern | Producers: Isri Halpern, Sasha KleinOn November 7, 1938, 17-year-old Herschel Grynszpan shot Nazi diplomat Ernst vom Rath in Paris, providing the pretext for Kristallnacht. Acclaimed director Isri Halpern traces Herschel’s journey from poverty in Germany to his arrest and the Nazi show trial that never was. Combining rare interviews, archival footage, and illustrations by the artists of Waltz with Bashir, the film investigates the rumored homosexual relationship between the assassin and his victim. It challenges historical myths and explores stunning evidence that the boy who “started the war” may have actually survived the Holocaust.
Israel | Documentary | 2026 | 90 min. / 2×45 min.
Director: Isri Halpern | Producers: Isri Halpern, Sasha KleinOn November 7, 1938, 17-year-old Herschel Grynszpan shot Nazi diplomat Ernst vom Rath in Paris, providing the pretext for Kristallnacht. Acclaimed director Isri Halpern traces Herschel’s journey from poverty in Germany to his arrest and the Nazi show trial that never was. Combining rare interviews, archival footage, and illustrations by the artists of Waltz with Bashir, the film investigates the rumored homosexual relationship between the assassin and his victim. It challenges historical myths and explores stunning evidence that the boy who “started the war” may have actually survived the Holocaust.
