Inside Hana’s Suitcase

Philadelphia Premiere

Sunday, November 14 at 3:00pm

Main Stage / 2 ½ hours

“We, the Small Wings, would like to tell Hana’s story to everyone in Japan. We, the Small Wings, will never forget what happened to 1,500,000 Jewish children. We will take action for peace so a tragedy like the Holocaust will never be repeated.”

 
A battered suitcase travels from Auschwitz to Tokyo, where a group of Japanese school children, known as The Small Wings, unravel the story behind it.  Its owner was a young girl named Hana, a victim of the Holocaust. With the help of their teacher, Fumiko Ishioka, they find Hana’s brother and learn about the plight of a child during an unspeakable time. Using a blend of documentary and dramatic techniques, the film portrays the tragic circumstances and intertwining lives a Jewish family and an unlikely group of storyteller-detectives. Based on the internationally acclaimed bookHana’s Suitcase by Karen Levine.

Special guest Fumiko Ishioka, director of the Tokyo Holocaust Education Resource Center, will conduct a Q&A after the film.

After finishing an MA in Development Studies at Leeds University in England in 1995, Fumiko Ishioka worked at Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a NGO for international cooperation. Since 1999, she has served as Executive Director of The Tokyo Holocaust Education Resource Center. Her work with the THERC has taught millions of children around the world about tolerance, mutual respect, and compassion. She now travels the world speaking to children and adults alike about the need to learn from our past and present, encouraging children to become active citizens in changing and shaping their future.

Sponsored by Pennsylvania Humanities Council, Temple University and Temple University, Japan Campus.

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