Jewish Press of Pinellas County

Daughter of Holocaust survivors uses experiences, activism to inform ‘Never Again is Now’ film crew


(L-R) Evelyn Markus and her partner Rosa Zeegers

(L-R) Evelyn Markus and her partner Rosa Zeegers

Evelyn Markus, daughter of Holocaust survivors, grew up Amsterdam and once considered it “the world’s most liberal city,” but as a cultural and political shift sweep over Europe she witnessed an alarming rise in anti-Semitism.

When a pink Star of David was spray painted on her front door, she became a political activist and eventually things got so bad that she and her partner Rosa Zegers, moved to America.

Now, through the lens of her perspective and experience she has helped direct “Never Again Is Now,” a documentary film that investigates the rise and spread of anti-Semitism in Europe – a scourge that is also on the rise in the United States and other parts of the globe as well. The film will be shown at three locations in the Tampa Bay area next month. The showings are free and include a question and answer session with Markus.

Markus’family had lived for centuries in the Netherlands and her mother, Josephine, was a young, vibrant woman when she got engaged in 1940, then had her happiness shattered when Nazi Germany invaded her country and, in time, rounded up Jews and began sending them to death camps. Josephine and her family were packed into a train bound for one of those camps when Americans liberated the train. Later Josephine was reunited with her finacee and they married.

Elements of her parents’ experience and the rise of anti-Semitism leading to World War II are included in the film, but it’s primary focus is on the re-emergence of the hatred that led to the Holocaust. In an interview with Markus by the Jewish Journal in Los Angeles, she says “My parents assured me that the Holocaust was a unique event in history that could never happen again. But 75 years later, here we are again.”

Markus believes in order to stop a second Holocaust, anti-Semitism needs to be confronted now, before it gains more momentum.

The film was created when producers who wanted to create a documentary about anti-Semitism in Europe reached out to Markus, so they could tell the story through her lens.

“They wanted to have a personal story, not just statistics,” Markus said.

Details of the three showings locally are:

• “Never Again is Now” will be shown on Monday, March 23 at 7 p.m. at USF Hillel, 13101 USF Sycamore Drive, Tampa. Space is limited. RSVP by March 18 to sylvie@usfhillel.org.

• There will also be a screening on Tuesday, March 24 at 6:30 p.m. in the Miller Auditorium at Eckerd College, 4200 54th Ave. S., St. Petersburg. Space is limited. RSVP by March 18 to thefhm.org/event/neveragain or call the Florida Holocaust Museum at (727) 820-0100, ext. 301.

• The third showing will be on Wednesday, March 25 at 7 p.m., at Congregation Rodeph Sholom, 2713 Bayshore Blvd., Tampa, followed by a reception. Space is limited, RSVP by March 18 to info@rsholom.org or call (813) 837-1911.

The screenings are sponsored by a collaboration of the Florida Holocaust Museum, Tampa Bay area synagogues, Hillels of the Florida Suncoast, and the Tampa and Pinellas Jewish federations.

“We see white supremacists picking up their guns,” Markus said. “We’ve heard classic anti-Jewish comments from members of Congress. Anti-Semitism has all too often turned out to be an early sign of despotism. Throughout human history, we have seen its rise in different societies. Even after the Holocaust, we still haven’t found the answer to it.”

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