The recently released and critically acclaimed Hungarian film, “1945,” postponed on account of inclement weather, will now be screened at Ramapo College of New Jersey on Thursday, May 3  at 7 p.m. in the Trustees Pavilion (PAV1-2) under the auspices of the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies. The program is being held in memory of our recently deceased Advisory Board member, John Gunzler. The event is free and open to the public.  Refreshments will be served

Born in 1935, John Gunzler survived the Holocaust in hiding with his family in his native Budapest. He came to the United States in 1951, after first living and attending school in Italy.  He joined the Seminole Manufacturing Company a few years later and eventually became a member of the company’s Board of Directors.

A man of many passions, Gunzler enjoyed opera, art, music, hiking, skiing, tennis, sailing, fine dining and The New York Times. It was while leading a hike that he met the love of his life, Marianne, a fellow survivor from Germany, with whom he raised two daughters, Melissa and Nicole. Eventually, he became a member of the boards of the Center and the New York/New Jersey Trail Conference. He is missed by all.

Directed by Ferenc Török and based on the acclaimed short story Homecoming by Gábor T. Szántó, the film “1945” tells the story of the return of an observant Jew and his son to their native village in Hungary just as the inhabitants are preparing for the wedding of the town clerk’s son. The townspeople – suspicious, remorseful, fearful and cunning – expect the worst and behave accordingly. Shot in high-contrast black-and-white, “1945” is a commentary on treachery and guilt during and after the Holocaust.