Defying the Nazis The Sharps' War
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DEFYING THE NAZIS:  The Sharps' War
​Directed by
Ken Burns  and  Artemis Joukowsky

Now On:

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Defying the Nazis: The Sharps' War is an account of a daring rescue mission that occurred on the precipice of World War II. It tells the story of Waitstill & Martha Sharp, a Unitarian minister and his wife from Wellesley, MA, who left their children behind in the care of their parish and boldly committed to multiple life-threatening missions in Europe. Over two dangerous years they helped to save hundreds of imperiled political dissidents and Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi occupation across Europe.



​Visit the exhibition from the USHMM​
Americans and the Holocaust

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Martha and Waitstill Sharp are featured in the section titled "Americans Who Dared."

“I am most grateful . . . to all refugees who revealed high courage while their world fell apart. I only hope that my efforts were in some measure a return upon their faith and their goodwill.”
-Martha Sharp

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Exhibition Honoring the Sharps at Brown University Library


NYTIMES Learning Network Publishes "Text to Text: Comparing Jewish Refugees of the 1930s With Syrian Refugees Today" by Laura Tavares

The NY Times Learning Network has published a lesson by Laura Tavares, Senior Associate at Facing History and Ourselves, that includes clips from the film! The refugee crisis is  so relevant, and we are hopeful that the blog will alert educators to the film and to resources to be used at the Moral Courage Conference.

The lesson is published here:  https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/04/learning/lesson-plans/text-to-text-comparing-jewish-refugees-of-the-1930s-with-syrian-refugees-today.html

Our film and companion book are now available at your local independent bookstore and these sellers: 

Amazon

Barnes & Noble


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Autobiographies of Martha and Waitstill
Sharp​ 
available at the Kindle store!

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Church Mouse in the White House 
by Martha Sharp
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Edited and introduced by Ghanda DiFiglia

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Liberation of the Human Spirit
by Waitstill Sharp
Edited and introduced by Ghanda DiFiglia
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​Defying the Nazis VR

Step inside a ship carrying child refugees who are fleeing Nazi France in order to find safety and freedom in the United States in 1940.
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​Learn more about the VR Experience presented by Time & Life VR.

#SharpsWarPBS in the ​News 


​They risked their lives to rescue scores of people from the Nazis. Few knew their story until now.
Washington Post

Would You Hide a Jew from the Nazis?
Nicholas Kristof, NYTimes

​Meet the American Couple Who Saved Refugees from Nazis During WWII

Newsweek

Unitarians' Long View on Activism
Boston Globe

Ken Burns Chronicles Heroes in PBS' 'Defying the Nazis'
USA Today


Defying the Nazis: The Sharps' War
PBS - Pressroom

How Ken Burns Polished a 'Diamond in the Rough'
The Wrap

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USHMM Special Preview



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