By Stacey Dresner

WOODBRIDGE – The documentary “Threads” will premiere at the Jewish Community Center in Woodbridge, CT, on April 14 at 7 p.m. “Threads” is the story of Sidney Glucksman, a Holocaust survivor, who has worked as a tailor in New Haven for more than 50 years. The film, produced and directed by New Haven social worker James Campbell, tells Glucksman’s story through interviews, historical photographs, and film footage.

Sidney Glucksman was born in Chwonow, Poland in 1927. He was only 12 years old when Germany invaded Poland. One day, he was taken from his school by the Nazis and he never saw his parents or siblings again. He spent the next six years in labor and concentration camps. He was on the forced death march from the Gross-Rosen camp to Dachau.
“I remember seeing dead bodies piled up in front of me,” he told the Ledger in 2002. “We had to step over them.”
Sidney was liberated from Dachau by the U.S. 7th Army.
His wife, Libby Malamedik, was born in 1933 in Maniwiche, Poland. As a young child, she was hidden by Gentiles in her town, until her older brother, Jake, who had been working with the Russian underground, discovered that she was alive and took her to hide in the woods where she worked with the partisans. Following the war she made her way to a displaced persons camp in Germany where she met Sidney.
The couple moved to the U.S. more than 50 years ago, settling in New Haven. Sidney, a fourth-generation tailor, opened Sidney’s Tailoring and Cleaners several decades ago, and Libby has worked by his side ever since.
Glucksman began speaking to students about his experience during the Holocaust several years ago.
“It was very hard for me in the beginning. I almost said no,” Sidney remembered.
But in the end, he decided he had an obligation to tell his story.
“I wanted the children to know about it,” he said. “I don’t want anyone to forget.”
“Threads” documents Glucksman’s life from the time he was 12 years old, through his time in work and concentration camps. The film features a brief historical overview of the atrocities that occurred in the Holocaust as viewed through the eyes of a young boy. The documentary captures Sidney speaking about the Holocaust in local schools, sharing quiet moments in his tailor shop, and spending time with family. The film also features interviews with family and friends and community leaders who know Sidney Glucksman and the impact of his powerful story.
For more information, call (203) 387-2522.

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