‘The Jewish Nazi?’ Documentary Begins Streaming Sept. 12

A Jewish child survives the Holocaust by posing as “Hitler’s youngest soldier.” After 50 years, his shocking secret is revealed, and he embarks on a quest to find his long-lost Jewish family. Through interviews with relatives, historians, and skeptics, the film explores one man’s search for the truth, and the extraordinary impact of his story on both his adopted and biological families.

Directed by: Dan Goldberg
Starring: Alex Kurzem
Written by: Jaya Balendra, Dan Goldberg
Rating: NR
Running time: 90 minutes
Genre: Documentary
Streaming: September 12
Country: Australia
Studio: Greemwich Entertainment
Website: https://greenwichentertainment.com/film/the-jewish-nazi/

“The Jewish Nazi?” tells the staggering story of Melbourne’s Alex Kurzem, a young boy who escaped the massacre of his family’s shtetl in Belarus in 1941. He survived in the woods during one of the coldest winters on record, only to be captured by a Latvian battalion. Instead of killing him, they took pity on him and gave him a new name, adorned him with a uniform and a gun, and made him their child mascot, “Hitler’s youngest soldier.” Building on the international bestselling book ‘The Mascot’ and an award-winning ABC documentary, the film goes above and beyond, tracing Alex’s journey to Australia with his adopted Latvian family, and his eventual life in the Melbourne suburb of Altona. The BBC have described the story as “one of the most remarkable stories to emerge from the War” while some refused to believe it, accusing him of being a hoax, a liar, a charlatan and a fraudster. Alex kept his secret for almost 50 years, before embarking on a quest to find his real identity. Along his journey, he had four false names and was reunited with the incorrect family, before DNA testing reveals the truth. The documentary touches on the impact for all of Alex’s family members — both adopted family and his long-lost family.