NM0017 – Kristallnacht

Rosa Linda

– Hello Friends and Happy Valentine’s week!

As promised, this is part three of a four part series on Holocaust survivor Gabrielle Falk and her family. Specifically, this episode focuses on Gabrielle and her parents during the war. The title comes from a night of violence inflicted on Germany’s Jewish community Novemer 9 – 10, 1938, known as Kristallnacht.

I will be honest in telling you this was the toughest episode I’ve done yet. Not only is the subject matter disturbing (maybe it’s appropriate that I’m posting it on Friday the 13th!), but it was also a challenge to find visual elements to compliment the stories Gabrielle shares (in addition to the awesome Falk/Freund family photos provided by her son, Stephen Falk, of course!). Being part of the “New Media” means I have to be very careful about what I use in my stories (Hey, I never said there weren’t some great benefits to working for a big news station… namely, a hefty legal department that handled these issues for me! LOL!).

Which is why two websites are now my new best friends. They are both depositories of images which can be used in projects like mine (and blogs, etc.).

The first one is MorgueFile . Their tagline is: “Where photo reference lives.” It is a treasure trove of artistic photographs that can be used to illustrate just about any point you’re trying to make. And I’m talking GORGEOUS shots! (A special thanks to the “Digital Marketer” for pointing me to this website!)

The second is WikiMedia Commons that seems to be more of a database of archival photos for historic reference (although I imagine there are plenty of artistic ones there too, I just didn’t have time to look). I found this particularly relevant to this story because of an interesting development on their site having to do with the German Federal archives. Here’s what it says on WikiMedia Commons:

In other words, they are uploading 100,000 German archival photos to WikiMedia. With that many images, they need help sorting it all. So, if you are interested in ensuring history accurately reflects the events surrounding the Holocaust, and if you have the time, they are asking for your help to categorize the images.

That’s it for now. Part four will wrap this all up in two weeks! See you then!

Lots of love,
Rosa Linda

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6 Comments

  1. Rosa Linda:

    Wow. I just started doing Facebook and somehow I searched your name and the rest is history.

    How are you? I’m up here at ABC in SF. I miss the Monterey area, but we are moving sson to Rohnert Park in Sonoma county, which isn’t a bad locale either.

    I tried to look you up after someone who also was a reporter in Phoenix wrote to me on FB!

    Drop me a line.

    -Mike

  2. Wow, I think I’m going to need to go back through your entries and watch more. Plus, of course, come back when you’ve posted another, I need to know the end of the story.
    Rebecca

  3. @Barb – I know it is so sad. Has been hard not to focus on the enormity of the atrocities. Trying to stay with the family story. And I think part four will help us all end with a smile. After all, Gabrielle has a warm, pleasant spirit that will come out even more in the finale.

    @Mike Wesley – THE Mike Wesley!? So cool to hear from you. You’re one of the big factors that helped me follow this dream. For those that don’t know… Mike was the news director that convinced me to move from reporter in Phoenix to main anchor in Monterey! Without you I may still be working the “if it bleeds, it leads beat!” You’re the best!

    @Rebecca – Thanks for watching and commenting, and I hope you do go back and watch the other episodes. This series is a bit atypical of New Mexicast but, I think, some of the most important work I’ve been fortunate enough to be involved in. Part 4 will be posted on Friday, 2/27. Stay tuned!

    Lots of love to you all,
    Rosa Linda

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