Whether it is the mind-boggling cruelty of ISIS or the clinical brutality of Planned Parenthood officials contemplating the trafficking of fetal organs, we are reminded of the thin line that separates civilization from barbarism. The heart of man is desperately wicked and deceitful who could comprehend its depravity but for God alone.
Coincidental with these recent events, the AHC cable channel is now showing a new series, "Auschwitz: The Final Solution." If it is not the best historical documentary series produced about the Nazi extermination machine and its most notorious factory of death, then it is absolutely in the top tier of such programs. It is scheduled for Mondays at 10, but there only a couple episodes remaining at most. My best advice is to set your recorder to pick up and new and repeat episodes. Sooner or later AHC will show it again. I thought that I had a good knowledge of this history, but the series proved otherwise decisively. If you have any interest in the history of the Second World War or the Holocaust you will want to watch it.
If you get Netflix, you can stream "My Italian Secret: The Forgotten Heroes," a fine 2014 documentary that provides an overview of the manner in which many Italians, including seemingly innumerable Catholic nuns and priests, formed a human chain of cooperation across the nation to hide, move, and save thousands of Jews from the Nazis. This took place after the Germans took over the country in September 1943. Of course, a good many Italians cooperated and betrayed Jews, but the documentary shows a world less hopeless than the one encountered in Eastern Europe. Each of these Italians risked their lives, and the documentary restores some faith in human decency. Especially uplifting is the story of Tour de France-winning cyclist Gino Bartali whose activities are described along with those of other heroes.
