Sally Perel was born in Peine, Lower Saxony, Germany in 1925 to a German Jewish family. He escaped persecution by the Nazis by masquerading as an non-Jewish German. His life story is told in the 1990 film Europa Europa, loosely based on his autobiography Ich war Hitlerjunge Salomon (I Was Hitler Youth Salomon). He often tours and gives talks about his experiences throughout Europe, in Israel and now in South Africa.
In October 2019, a school was named after Sally Perel in Meinersen (Germany). The feature film "Europa, Europa" by Agnieszka Holland was awarded the Golden Globe for the best Foreign Language Film in 1990, and was nominated for an Academy Award (Oscar) for best screenplay in 1992.
The Goethe-Institut will screen the film with English subtitles. The screening will be followed by a conversation with Sally Perel, now 94 years old, who will be in South Africa on a lecture tour.
In collaboration with the Johannesburg Holocaust and Genocide Centre and the Sylt Foundation.
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