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Bernard Offen shares his survivor's tale in "Hawaii and the Holocaust," airing Sunday and Monday.
Positive view of reality
Hawaii television viewers will be offered a brief reprieve from the summer TV doldrums with two locally produced shows that aim to be educational and inspiring.
The shows will air back-to-back on K5 from 10 to 11 p.m. Sunday and again from 9 to 10 p.m. on Monday.
The first is a pilot called "The Aloha Project," showcasing local people who have done extraordinary things, either by overcoming odds or giving back to the community. The big twist comes midway through the show, when the person profiled is unexpectedly showered with gifts and surprises.
"Unlike reality shows, there are no casting calls, mean-spirited judges or demeaning contests," said Seth Feldman, a former KHNL news director who created and produced the program. "The people in our show are being rewarded just for being themselves."
In the pilot, 30-year-old Jane Tampon tells how her parents deserted her when she was still a child, forcing to raise her younger brother on her own. Tampon soon found herself pregnant and caught between rival gangs, but she was able to turn her life around. Today, she works for Adult Friends for Youth, where she helps keep Hawaii's keiki in the classroom and out of trouble.
"The Aloha Project" is hosted by Jayson Kalani, who appeared in ABC's "Byrds of Paradise."
Feldman's second show is a documentary entitled "Hawaii and the Holocaust." It features the story of a local Holocaust survivor who escaped death at five Nazi concentration camps.
The program evolved from a meeting Feldman had with Holocaust survivor Bernard Offen at Honolulu's Temple Emanu-El.
"He approached me after services one morning and asked if I would help his tell his story," Feldman said. "Bernard told me how his mother, father and sister were gassed to death by the Nazis.
"After hearing that, I knew I had an obligation both as a Jew and a journalist to document all the horrors Bernard experienced during the Holocaust."
The documentary also features members of Hawaii's 442nd regiment; Seymour Kazimirski, who has becomes Hawaii's voice of the Holocaust as a first-generation survivor; and Seymour's mom, Ann, whovisited Honolulu to mark her granddaughter's Bat-Mitzvah.
"Hawaii and the Holocaust" will most likely run commercial-free. Because of the nature of the documentary, viewer discretion is advised.
Hosting the program is Hank Stackpole, retired three-star Marine Lieutenant General.
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