WINNIPEG INTERNATIONAL JEWISH FILM FEST 2026 –  Proud Jewish Boy – The Herschel Grynszpan Story

 
Resource person: Laura Marjovsky | lmarjovsky@radyjcc.com

Location: Berney Theatre (Program Spaces) | 123 Doncaster Street, Winnipeg, MB, R3N 1X7

Description:

Documentary | Israel | 2025 | Director: Isri Halpern | German, Hebrew, French with English subtitles, and English | 90 minutes | 18A

Acclaimed Israeli filmmaker Isri Halpern brings us the fascinating story of the 17-year-old Jewish teenager who, they say, started it all. On November 7, 1938, Herschel Grynszpan, a Polish-born, German-raised, illegal resident in France, entered the German embassy in Paris and shot diplomat Ernst vom Rath. Less than 48 hours later, Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels called on the German people to take revenge on all Jews. 

In what became known as Kristallnacht, more than a thousand synagogues were burned, hundreds of Jews were murdered or committed suicide, thousands of businesses were looted, and tens of thousands of men were sent to concentration camps.  

The film explores the circumstances that led to the assassination, and the dramatic sequence of events that followed, including why the Germans kept Grynszpan alive. It’s a story that culminates in a battle of wits between Goebbels, the second most powerful man in the Nazi regime, and the “proud Jewish boy.”

The screening will be followed by a pre-recorded Q & A with director Isri Halpern.

Winner:  Best Documentary Feature, Atlanta Jewish Film Festival

Winner: Best Israeli Documentary Award, Haifa International Film Festival

See also: WINNIPEG INTERNATIONAL JEWISH FILM FEST 2026 – Rosenthal: The Great Showman

For the complete Film Festival schedule, please see: https://sogerman.ca/events/winnipeg-international-jewish-film-fest-2026/