The Return From The Other Planet
Documentary film and discussion with director Assaf Lapid
Holocaust survivor and author Yehiel De-Nur lived a life shrouded in secrecy, concealing his identity behind the pseudonym “Ka-Tzetnik 135633.” His novels about the two years he spent in Auschwitz were widely read in the 1950s and 1960s and informed the way readers worldwide imagined the Holocaust. He came to refer to Auschwitz as “The Other Planet”—a place beyond the realm of human comprehension.
Increasingly haunted by the trauma of the Holocaust, De-Nur’s search for clarity and peace eventually led him to the Netherlands, where he underwent experimental psychedelic therapy with LSD. His treatment led him to new perceptions of humanity and ultimately to reject of the notion of “The Other Planet.” Lapid’s important documentary examines how individuals and societies reconcile a traumatic past with a return to life.
Following the film, director Assaf Lapid will be joined on stage by Denver psychologist A J Grovert to discuss the use of psychedelics in the treatment of trauma patients.
The annual Fred & Audrey Friedman Marcus Holocaust Lecture is presented by the Holocaust Awareness Institute at the University of Denver's Center for Judaic Studies.
Holocaust survivors, educators and students attend the Marcus Lecture for free. Please contact hai@du.edu or 303-871-3020 to request tickets.
