“A Wing and a Prayer” Film Screening

The Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles will screen Penn State assistant professor Boaz Dvir’s

critically acclaimed “A Wing and A Prayer” at 4 pm July 22.

The event, which is included with museum admission, is part of the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s

commemoration of Tisha B’Av, a fasting day marking the tragedies that have befallen the

Jewish people. Dvir will Skype in to introduce the film and answer audience questions

immediately following the screening.

“I’m honored to engage with members and visitors of a museum known around the world for

opening our eyes, challenging our thinking and inspiring us to make a difference,” said Dvir,

who teaches writing and production at the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications.

Narrated by actor William Baldwin (“The Purge,” “Squid and the Whale”), “A Wing and a

Prayer” tells the story of World War II aviators who risked their lives and freedom in 1948 to

prevent what they viewed as an immiment second Holocaust.

“[The film] tells the story of how a few idealists effected change despite great obstacles,” wrote

The Miami Herald’s Ana Veciana-Suarez.

Named Best Documentary at the 2016 Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, “A Wing and

a Prayer” has screened in prestigious venues around the world, including the Center for Jewish

History in Manhattan, the Columbia University Global Center in Paris, and the Library Film

Festival in Jaipur, India.

The film, which aired on PBS stations around the country in 2015-17, features firsthand

accounts of daring escapes and heart-pounding action. Dvir secured exclusive interviews with

the operation’s leaders, including mastermind Al Schwimmer, chief pilot Sam Lewis and

Christian crew leader Eddie Styrak. Their tell-all interviews provide rich detail about a group of

Jews and Christians who, driven mostly by plight of Holocaust survivors, helped reshape

history, yet have been largely forgotten by history books.

Schwimmer’s recruits thought they were done fighting after WWII ended in 1945, yet he

convinced them to put their lives and U.S. citizenships on the line to give the Jews in Palestine –

the only community eager to take in Holocaust survivors – a fighting chance.

Vowing to “push the Jews into the sea,” Israel’s neighbors anticipated weak opposition, since

the Jewish state had a sparsely armed military, a wingless air force and no allies.

The morning after Israel declared independence on May 14, 1948, five Western-equipped

armies invaded. The Jews’ return to their ancient land appeared short-lived. But Schwimmer

had a plan: create factitious airlines, buy and fix decommissioned transport planes, and

smuggle in surplus Nazi weapons from behind the Iron Curtain.