Izbica - The Turnstile of Death

The Polish town of Izbica near Lublin was made into a "transit ghetto" by the SS in 1941. From there, tens of thousands of Jews were transported to the Majdanek and Sobibor death camps. Thousands of others were murdered right there in town by the Gestapo. Today, a terrible reminder of the war still stands in Izbica - the former Gestapo prison built during the German occupation with grave stones from the Jewish cemetery. The documentary The Gravestones of Izbica followed the planned return of the stones to Izbica's Jewish cemetery. The stones, which were once desecrated by the Nazis, now form the foundation of a new memorial wall that encloses the former Jewish cemetery. This significant event has been organized by Poland's Jewish community, the Foundation for the Preservation of the Jewish Heritage and the Polish government.

Directors: Wolfgang Schoen, Frank Gutermuth
Broadcaster: Südwestrundfunk
Date of broadcast: 14.8.2007, 10.45 p.m., Channel 1 (ARD)