Series synopsis
The U.S. and the Holocaust is an American documentary television series that premiered on PBS on September 18, 2022. It ended on September 21, 2022. It was created by Ken Burns, Lynn Novick, Sarah Botstein. It stars Peter Coyote, Daniel Mendelsohn, Peter Hayes and Deborah Lipstadt.
Americans consider themselves a 'nation of immigrants', but as the catastrophe of the Holocaust unfolds in Europe, the U.S. prove unwilling to open its doors to more than a fraction of the hundreds of thousands of desperate refuge seekers. Through riveting firsthand testimony of witnesses and survivors who as children endured persecution, violence and flight as their families tried to escape Hitler, this three-part documentary series delves deeply into the tragic human consequences of public ind ...
Premise
Americans consider themselves a 'nation of immigrants', but as the catastrophe of the Holocaust unfolds in Europe, the U.S. prove unwilling to open its doors to more than a fraction of the hundreds of thousands of desperate refuge seekers. Through riveting firsthand testimony of witnesses and survivors who as children endured persecution, violence and flight as their families tried to escape Hitler, this three-part documentary series delves deeply into the tragic human consequences of public indifference, bureaucratic red tape and restrictive quota laws in America. Did the nation fail to live up to its ideals? This is a history to be reckoned with.
Premise: A history to be reckoned with.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Peter Coyote as Self - Narrator (voice)
- Daniel Mendelsohn as Self
- Peter Hayes as Self
- Deborah Lipstadt as Self
- Guy Stern as Self
- Daniel Greene as Self
- Rebecca Erbelding as Self
- Eva Geiringer as Self
Supporting cast
- Sol Messinger as Self
- Nell Irvin Painter as Self
- Timothy Snyder as Self
- Adam Arkin as Self (voice)
- Murphy Guyer as Self (voice)
- Carolyn McCormick as Self (voice)
- Joe Morton as Self (voice)
- Matthew Rhys as Self (voice)
- Adolf Hitler as Self (archive footage)
- Hermann Göring as Self (archive footage)
- Franklin D. Roosevelt as Self (archive footage)
- Eleanor Roosevelt as Self (archive footage)
Guest cast
- Daniel Okrent as Self
- Susan Hilsenrath as Self
- Joseph Hilsenrath as Self
- Paul Corning Jr. as Self (voice)
- Olivia Gilliatt as Self (voice)
- Elliott Gould as Self (voice)
- Paul Giamatti as Madison Grant (voice)
- Bradley Whitford as Thomas Wolfe (voice)
- Thomas Bailey Aldrich as Self (archive footage)
- Alexander Graham Bell as Self (archive footage)
- Herman Bland as Self (archive footage)
- Lotte Bland as Self (archive footage)
Episodes
This series spans 2 seasons with 5 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 0 | 2 | September 8, 2022 | September 15, 2022 |
| Season 1 | 3 | September 18, 2022 | September 21, 2022 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
The Holocaust and Refugees, Lessons for Today Ken Burns, Lynn Novick and Madlin Sadler discuss the Holocaust and Refugees, Lessons for Today. Moderated by Jake Tapper, CNN anchor and chief washington correspondent. |
September 8, 2022 |
| 2 |
The Holocaust and Authoritarianism Today Ken Burns, Lynn Novick, Michael Abramowitz discuss the Holocaust and authoritarianism today. Moderated by Julia Ioffe, Puck News. |
September 15, 2022 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
The Golden Door (Beginnings — 1938) Reversing a history of open borders, a xenophobic backlash prompts Congress to restrict immigration. Hitler and the Nazis persecute German Jews, forcing many to seek refuge. FDR is concerned by the growing crisis but unable to coordinate a response. |
September 18, 2022 |
| 2 |
Yearning to Breathe Free (1938 — 1942) As World War II begins, Americans are divided over whether to intervene against Nazi Germany. Some individuals and organizations work tirelessly to help refugees escape. Germany invades the USSR and secretly begins the mass murder of European Jews. |
September 20, 2022 |
| 3 |
The Homeless, Tempest-Tossed (1942 — ) A group of dedicated government officials fights red tape to support rescue operations. As the Allies liberate German camps, the public sees for the first time the sheer scale of the Holocaust and begins to reckon with its reverberations. |
September 21, 2022 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | PBS |
|---|---|
| First aired | September 18, 2022 |
| Last aired | September 21, 2022 |
| Runtime | 132 minutes |
| Status | ended |
| Schedule | Tuesday, Wednesday, Sunday |