The "Misas" Return to Gunskirchen
Post date: May 22, 2015 12:01:14 AM
In honor of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Gunskirchen, Frank "Misa" Grunwald and his childhood friend and fellow survivor, Michael "Misa" Kraus returned to Austria to take part in the commemoration of the anniversary. Their time in Austria was very moving and included presentations on both Michael Kraus' diary, recently published in German, that reflects his wartime experiences and Misa's Fugue. The pair were also honored as part of the commemoration ceremonies and Misa's Fugue was screened in several area schools with in its newly created German version.
instrumental in arranging the screenings for Misa's Fugue. Elisabeth shared some thoughts on the film's
screening in the town of Gunskirchen, which was exceptionaly well-attended. "Some days later a colleague of mine who lives in Gunskirchen told me that several people from Gunskirchen who had
Teacher Elisabeth Weixlbaumer and Mauthausen educational guide, Angelika Schlakl, were
come to see Miša´s Fugue approached her and told her how moved they were by it and how happy they now are that they went to see it (in spite of the lovely and exceptionally warm evening that tempted them to stay in their garden), how impressed they are by Frank´s generosity and magnanimity. Another of my co-workers said she somehow felt it inappropriate to do a Q&A after the film - "What´s left to say after watching the movie?", she said. Others told me they just wouldn't have been able to say anything, the story had literally left them speechless. The biggest compliment maybe comes from a man who used to teach history (now retired) and is very active in antifascism. He said he thinks he has seen every movie there is about the Holocaust, but this one is special. How very true!"
Most specially, the pair of Misas were able to visit with students in Elisabeth's school. You can read about the experience HERE. It is truly heart-warming and the Misa's Fugue team is elated that these students were able to experience this special time with these two amazing men.
