The Jewish Nazi? tells the astonishing, truly staggering story of Alex Kurzem, a young Jewish boy who survived the massacre of his Belarusian shtetl during WWII, only to be taken in by the Nazi SS. As a Jewish boy during WWII, he witnessed the massacre of his family and entire shtetl by an execution squad. Escaping into the Belarusian woods, he braved a brutal winter alone until his capture by a Latvian battalion that had been absorbed into the SS. Instead of killing him, the soldiers took pity on him and gave Alex a uniform, rifle, and a new name—transforming him into their child mascot, the so-called "Hitler's youngest soldier."

Based on the international bestseller The Mascot and an award-winning ABC documentary, this haunting documentary unearths Alex Kurzem’s long-kept secret memories and his 50-year silence. Through interviews with relatives, historians, and skeptics, The Jewish Nazi? explores his search for truth, his Jewish identity, and the extraordinary impact of his story on both his adopted and biological families. The BBC has described the story as "one of the most remarkable stories to emerge from the War."

A film nearly 20 years in the making, The Jewish Nazi? is a deeply compelling film that offers an astonishing investigation of survival, identity, and the relentless pursuit of self-discovery in the face of unimaginable trauma.

Accompanying the film premiere is a discussion with director Laurent Nègre. To view the conversation please click here.

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Sponsored by the FIU Holocaust & Genocide Studies Program