“This is a very unique story”, warns in his conclusions, on June 25, 2015, Pierre-Alain Weill, general rapporteur of the Commission for the compensation of victims of spoliation (CIVS). The saga of a Jewish family whose hero, Léon Siritzky – real name Israel Siroshkine –, originally from Russia and born in 1887 in Mykolaiv, a port in southern Ukraine, three times had to flee a country to start again from the beggining. And three times he succeeded in resounding success in establishing himself in the cinema.
One of the grandsons of this businessman, Serge Siritzky, aged 79, published, Friday May 3, Cinema was their country (Verona éditions, 242 pages, 19 euros), which traces the exceptional story of this family, as well as the world history of cinema written between Constantinople, Paris and New York. A flamboyant journey, punctuated by very enviable fortunes and descents into hell.
What had remained ignored concerns a staggering maneuver by the French state brought to light thanks to the CIVS, the commission established in 1999 as an extension of the Mattéoli mission, itself responsible for studying the dispossession of the Jews of France between 1940 and 1944.
Léon Siritzky had already experienced several eventful lives before controlling, in 1938, the third circuit in France, after Gaumont and Pathé. According to the weekly French Cinematography, in Paris alone, it has six of the twenty-six exclusive cinemas – the most important at the time, since the films were presented there before the others and the price of tickets was the highest. The group controls a total of around twenty cinemas of this type in the country, not counting second-exclusive cinemas. Already The Great Illusion (1938), by Jean Renoir, sold out in Paris and the circuit also released, among the great hits of the time, And bal license (1937), by Jean Duvivier, or The Quay of Mists (1938), by Marcel Carné.
Read the review | “The Continental: the Greven mystery”: the double agent of Nazi cinema
But the resurgence of anti-Semitism and the occupation of France by the Nazis will once again force the family to go into exile. Especially since Léon Sirtizky was the only operator, in 1939, to have programmed I am a German spy, by American director Anatole Litvak, about the FBI’s hunt for Nazi spies. A programming choice to say the least daring. In September 1940, an order from the Propagandastaffel, the service charged by the Germans with propaganda and control of the French press and publishing during the Occupation, decided to close cinemas owned by Jews. A month later, a decree-law prohibited them from exercising certain professions, including all those in cinema.
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The little-known saga of the Siritzky family, cinema operators robbed under Vichy
SLAM WORLD CUP
| Here, Santatra Andriamanantsoa, known as Santa, during his meeting with the press at IFM Analakely. |
Preparing from his victory at the national championship last October, Santa is now ready for the Slam World Cup in Paris, which will take place from May 6 to 11.
Madagascar is participating for the 13th time in the Slam World Cup, and this year promises to be exceptional with the presence of Santatra Andriamanantsoa, better known as Santa. This talented slammer is preparing to ignite the Parisian stages of the vibrant Belleville district on May 7. After his brilliant victory at the national championship in October 2023, Santa will present six poems in Malagasy, accompanied by translations in French and English, thus offering the whole world a journey into his unique artistic universe.
“I have carefully crafted six poems in Malagasy which explore the realities of life in Madagascar: our daily lives, our poetry, our poverty. My goal is to present them in a way that is both poetic and striking. It’s an exciting challenge but also a huge honor for me to represent my country,” confided Santa during a press conference at IFM Analakely yesterday.
Madagascar finds itself in the pool with Congo, Mali, France and Gabon. In this tough competition where the French language predominates, with three French-speaking countries in the pool, Santa sees this as an additional challenge.
“Of course, it’s an additional challenge, but it’s also an opportunity to prove our talent and creativity,” he adds with determination. Alongside System D, a former national Slam-poetry champion and prominent member of the Slam-National organizing committee, Santa says he is fully ready for this competition.
European tour
The adventure does not stop there. Once the tournament is over, Santa and Système D will tour across Europe, with Germany as their first stop. “Our mission is to share our art, strengthen ties with slammer associations and local producers in Germany, and promote slam poetry across the continent,” explains Système D.
“All our actions are supported by the IFM and the CGM. We are planning a poetic trip to four European countries. From May 13 to 17, we will visit Germany with local collaborators for workshops and meetings, then we will travel to Belgium and Norway,” he explains.
Upon their return to the country, workshops and experience-sharing sessions will be set up for Slam-poetry enthusiasts. This initiative promises to perpetuate this art and inspire future generations. This participation marks the thirteenth time that Madagascar has taken part in the Slam World Cup, thanks to the collaboration with Pilot le Hot, who organized the first slam workshop at IFM Analakely in 2005, thus laying the foundations for a tradition that continues today.
Nicole Rafalimananjara
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“Eco” about profits at state expense – how companies made profits with Corona short-time work
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On May 2nd at 10:30 p.m. on ORF 2
Vienna (OTS) – Dieter Bornemann will present the ORF business magazine “Eco” on Thursday, May 2, 2024, at 10:30 p.m. on ORF 2 with the following contributions:
Profits at state expense: How companies made profits with Corona short-time work
The Covid pandemic cost Austria almost 48 billion euros. The motto of the government at the time: “Whatever the cost!” And it cost. Some companies even received more money than they needed. This is now shown by data from the labor market service on short-time work, which is available exclusively to ORF. Short-time work was developed by the social partners, approved by the government and paid out to companies in “economic difficulties” in order to secure jobs. But were everyone who received short-time work support really in economic difficulties? From today’s perspective, definitely not – that’s what current “Eco” research shows.
Some companies could have repaid the entire three years of funding with the profits from the first year of the crisis. But that didn’t happen, because the short-time working model did not provide for funding to be repaid even in the event of a win. The question remains: Was that really necessary? Why were billions of dollars in tax money distributed to companies without questioning whether they really needed it? And what do we learn from this for the next crisis? Report: Lisa Lind, Emanuel Liedl
Electricity from the fields: Photovoltaics in open spaces cause conflicts
Austria only has six years until 100 percent of its electricity comes from renewable sources. There should be four times more photovoltaic areas than today by 2030. However, roofs will not be enough for this – half will have to be built on open spaces. And there is often resistance to this: it’s not just about the landscape, the fact that valuable fields are no longer usable also causes resentment. There are now attempts to combine electricity generation and agriculture on agricultural land. So vertical PV systems next to pumpkin or grain cultivation. But is such dual use worthwhile and will acceptance increase? Report: Bettina Fink
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