How Saba Kept Singing

2022· 78 min★ 8.0· Documentary

Ninety-four-year-old David Wisnia never told his wife, children or grandchildren in Levittown, Pennsylvania, the whole truth about how he survived Auschwitz-Birkenau. They knew that David's singing voice had entertained the SS guards, that his musical gift had changed his fate, but no one knew what, or who, gave him the will to live: a love affair with another prisoner. Accompanying David on a trip to Poland commemorating the 70th anniversary of the camp's liberation, grandson Avi learns about Helen "Zippi" Spitzer. A talented artist whose scale model of the camp earned her privileges, Zippi was able to orchestrate their encounters and keep them safe. They promised to find each other if they survived, but the war intervened. Over 70 years later, they reunite, sharing unimaginable memories and even more startling secrets in this moving testament to the life-giving power of music.

Director: Sara Taksler