Joseph Kempler

[Guest Kurt]

Joseph Kempler, 76, survived six Nazi concentration camps as a Polish Jewish teenager and emerged from the experience with deep emotional scars. His parents and grandparents died in the Holocaust. Though he had been raised in a devout Jewish home, Joseph lost his faith and cursed God for allowing the Holocaust to happen. After Joseph immigrated to the United States, Jehovah’s Witnesses knocked on his door. Through them, Joseph found a renewed faith in God and eventually converted. He is aware that some Jews consider him a traitor, while others are moved by his faith. Joseph still embraces his Jewish heritage, as part of his family remains religiously Jewish while the rest are Jehovah’s Witnesses.

In KNOCKING, he speaks to a group of high-school students, explaining that in one camp he observed Jehovah’s Witness inmates holding to their beliefs despite SS torture.

We caught up with Joseph and his wife Virginia in April 2007 to find out what he has been up to since the film finished shooting.

What have you been doing since filming wrapped up on KNOCKING?

We've enjoyed very much being at some of the screenings of KNOCKING. People really like the film. Everything we hear is positive. We're planning on attending our grandson Andrew's graduation from college in May. We'll be staying with Susie and Jeffrey [Joseph's daughter and her husband]. So we'll all be together on May 22 to watch the PBS broadcast of KNOCKING together. We're looking forward to that. We've also gone to other schools and talked to more students.

Virginia: And this last time at a high school auditorium in Orange County [California], I have to say that Joe was magnificent. I was really proud of him.

What do you think are some of the most common misconceptions regarding Jehovah's Witnesses?

Joseph: People think that Jehovah's Witnesses are sort of one-dimensional, that they focus only on religion.

In what ways do you feel KNOCKING will help clear these misunderstandings?

Joseph: I feel that KNOCKING really showed the human side of Jehovah's Witnesses. They face these universal problems—health issues, conscience issues, prejudice—and they react as humans. But at the same time, they react with courage. I think the film shows that very well.

Virginia: The film shows how the Witnesses tried to act like true Christians, refusing to harm people even though it cost some of them their lives. I think it's important that people see how the Witnesses were different.

What was your favorite part of being in the film?

Joseph: I thought it was very important that I could express what a transformation I experienced during and after the Holocaust. I went from being a God hater to a defender of God's name. This is still amazing to me, that I could make such a change. I'm glad I got to talk about that.

Your least favorite?

Virginia: When we were in Europe, we were wired for sound, even when we were traveling in separate vans. So even when the cameras weren't rolling, we didn't have private moments.

How have your family and friends reacted to the film?

Joseph: Recently excerpts of KNOCKING screened at a program on the Holocaust and Faith in California, where I took part on a panel discussion. There were many Jewish people in the audience, including survivors. Even though my becoming a Christian technically means that I became a traitor to my Jewish upbringing, they seem to react with understanding. We haven't heard negative reactions from anyone.

Is there anything else you'd like to share about your experiences?

 

Joseph: I was a little sorry that in KNOCKING my relationship with Susie came across as if there had been some kind of rift. It's true that after the Holocaust I have trouble getting close to anybody, including my children. But there is no rift. In fact, I think I can communicate with Susie better than anyone else. We understand each other, maybe because of her own upbringing by her stepmother [also a survivor].

Virginia: I love Susie very much, like a daughter. And she loves us. We spend time with Susie, Jeff and the kids. They came out to see us, and we've visited them. Part of the problem is that we live on opposite coasts. But we keep quite close. People sometimes assume that if a Witness family is not close to a non-Witness relatives, it's the Witnesses' choice. But it's often the case that the non-Witnesses choose to be distant and withdraw.

Joseph: Of course, I was hoping that in Europe when visiting the camps, there would be some kind of breakthrough. It remains hard to open up though. I'm One other thing: in KNOCKING during the scene when we're on the plane to Austria, Andrew refuses a meal. That's because it's Yom Kippur. Andrew wishes the film had explained that he was fasting because of observing this Jewish holiday. And of course next to him, his mother had her meal. So I think that makes an interesting point: that even in one family, religious practices differ but people still get along.constantly wrestling with that.

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