Sir Ben Kingsley: My grandma’s racism spurred me on
Oscar-winning actor recalls how, aged nine, his grandmother told him: 'Hitler was right; he should have killed all the Jews'
Alex Galbinski is a Jewish News journalist
Oscar-winning actor Sir Ben Kingsley, who has portrayed important figures from the Holocaust, including Otto Frank and Simon Wiesenthal, has spoken about how an anti-Semitic comment made by his grandmother when he was just nine-years-old spurred him on to prove she was wrong.
Sir Ben, who joined Professors Robert Eaglestone and Barry Langford from Royal Holloway’s Holocaust Research Institute in Egham, discussed the Holocaust on film in a deeply personal and heartfelt question and answer session last month.
Sir Ben spoke of his memories of seeing documentary footage of Holocaust survivors at Bergen-Belsen on television, aged nine; a formative moment of shock and grief that has since led him to help tell vital stories of the Holocaust through film.
“I remember my heart stopped beating and I was alone in the house. I was shattered by what I’d seen,” recalled the actor, who attended Manchester Grammar School, where, he said, “most of my friends were Jewish”.
A few days later, his maternal grandmother said: “Hitler was right; he should have killed all the Jews.” Sir Ben told the audience:
“I was given a very sharp close-up of European anti-Semitism. Something in me said: ‘I’ll have an answer for you one day.’ I was able to have some sense in my own family of what Simon Wiesenthal had to confront.”
Over the years, the actor has portrayed Wiesenthal, the survivor who searched for Nazi war criminals in Murderers Among Us (1989); Itzhak Stern, the Jewish accountant who helps his employer save Jewish lives in Stephen Speilberg’s Schindler’s List (1993); and Otto Frank in the 2001 film Anne Frank: The Whole Story.
He also won an Oscar for playing the Indian leader in Ghandi in 1983.
Sir Ben described the sense of responsibility and privilege he feels in sharing tales of the Shoah.
“When we attempt to describe the Holocaust, the language fails,” he explained. But, he emphasised the importance of remembering the Holocaust, saying: “We must tell tales.”
He spoke of his admiration for Wiesenthal, whose office was in Vienna after the war.
“I got to know and love him truly. He told me of the liberation of Mauthausen concentration camp – he was there. It seems incredible that I was with one of the witnesses of the Holocaust. He had extraordinary strength and moral clarity.”
He spoke about Liam Neeson, who played businessman Oskar Schindler in Schindler’s List.
“I loved my fellow actors. Liam was a beautiful man, a mensch to work with. The director [Spielberg], of course, was a genius,” he enthused.
Portraying Stern, Sir Ben felt a deep sense of responsibility. “[During filming] I had in my pocket a photo of Anne Frank and I used to take it out of my pocket and I’d say: ‘I’m doing it for you.’”
He was also impressed by Holocaust survivor and Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel. Sir Ben recalled: “I first had the great opportunity of standing next to him in the wings of a theatre in, of all places, Berlin. He was to deliver a speech and he was asked to speak to the audience and Elie Wiesel walked on stage and I think they stopped breathing and they froze.
“His opening remarks were: ‘My dear young Germans: ‘I know it’s very difficult being you.’ It was extraordinary and said with poise, dignity, infinite wisdom.
“The Holocaust is an indigestible lump of history that may never be forgotten, that will never be forgiven and will never be understood.
“To have Elie acknowledge that lump that has yet to be absorbed because it can’t but we must try, I admired him for those words.”
Robert Eaglestone, professor of English in the Holocaust Research Institute, said: “Sir Ben captivated the audience with his candid, sincere insights.
“Spanning discussion of Holocaust film, his superb craft as an actor and his meetings with survivors, all heard his message of the importance of storytelling in ensuring that through film we continue to remember the Holocaust”.
Langford, the institute’s professor of film, said: “Sir Ben’s portrayals in seminal works such as Schindler’s List are not just lessons in first-class acting, but are a manifestation of his desire to use his craft to ensure such horrors do not happen again.
“His insight into the creation of these characters, from his personal meetings with those he has bought to the screen to working with directors such as Spielberg, truly brought to life the passion with which he approaches this most troubling yet compelling and vital of subjects.”
The event was introduced by Sir Andrew Burns KCMG, former UK Special Envoy for post-Holocaust issues 2010-2015.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
