On Thursday, October 30, 2025, Johannesburg Holocaust and Genocide Centre hosted a screening of a documentary film entitled Letters from Brno, which tells the story
of a Jewish family’s fate during the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia. Every year,
the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Pretoria provides financial support for one of the events held at this centre, and this year, representatives of the embassy participated
in the program and attended the evening screening.

Before watching the film, visitors were able to tour the exhibition spaces of the educational and memorial centre, which since its founding has been dedicated
to educating the public about human rights and their widespread violation in mass exterminations in various parts of the world. After taking their seats in the hall, participants were welcomed by the centre’s director and founder, Tali Nates. This was followed by a speech by the Czech Deputy Ambassador, who emphasized the importance and irreplaceable purpose of events of this type, which help to preserve historical memory and remind us how important it is to prevent the tragedies
of the past from repeating themselves. Finally, the film's author, Karen Kruger, took the podium, presented the documentary, and introduced the members of her family whose lives the film depicts.

Letters from Brno tells a very emotional personal story about parental love, sacrifice, and the strength of family ties during the Nazi persecution and the Holocaust. While searching for her mother's past, Karen Kruger uncovers the tragic fate of her grandparents, Armin and Herta Turkl, thanks to letters they wrote during the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia, which were found in her great-aunt's home. Despite the passage of time, the preserved letters addressed to their two daughters, Erica and Daisy, testify to the tremendous courage and sacrifice of Armin and Herta, who decided to protect their daughters from Nazi destruction by sending them on one of Nicholas Winton's transports from the then Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia to England. Although viewers had a fairly clear idea of how such a story would end, thanks to the excellent cinematographic work, the atmosphere of Armin and Herta's deep hope that they would be reunited with their daughters and, after several years of separation, live a relatively normal, happy life as a reunited and happy family was still palpable.

After the film ended, a discussion began between its author, director Jeffery L. Gary, and the audience about the creative process behind the production of their work.
The discussion also touched on the question of whether the author intends to store the preserved letters in a museum or archive specializing in the history of the Holocaust, or whether she will keep them in her personal possession, as she uses them for educational purposes when lecturing about the Holocaust in schools, where she also shows Letters from Brno to students, in an abridged version to maintain their attention.

The event was concluded with a group photo of the Deputy Ambassador, the author, the director, and the founder of Johannesburg Holocaust and Genocide Centre. Those present were very moved by the story, which was based on real events.