A Promise to My Father

A Promise to My Father (documentary film under 60 miinutes) follows Holocaust survivor Israel “Izzy” Arbeiter on an emotional and courageous return to the places where his life was forever changed. Decades after World War II, Izzy travels back to Poland and Germany to honor a vow he made to his father during the Holocaust: to survive, remember, share their story, and maintain their traditions. As part of this pilgrimage, he attempts to recover personal artifacts his family buried beneath their home in Plock, Poland, in 1939, just before the German invasion. More than a historical recounting, A Promise to My Father is a testament to resilience, the power of recollection, and the enduring importance of standing up against hatred and intolerance.

This is a powerful Holocaust Education film that is also useful for teaching Anti-Bias Education, Genocide Education, History, Social Studies, World History and World War II History.

A Promise to My Father is part of our growing collection of documentary films from the World War II Foundation. To find out when we add more films to this collection, sign up for our newsletter.

Content Advisory

The film is officially rated for ages 13+ but we recommend it for ages 15+ because of the Holocaust-related content. Educators should watch the film to assess its suitability for their learners.