Ethan Bensinger

In 2007 Ethan Bensinger created for the Selfhelp Home an archive of personal interviews with 30 residents who had been victims of Nazi persecution. Today, this archive can be found at Selfhelp, the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies in Chicago, and online, courtesy of the Leo Baeck Institute in New York. That project inspired Ethan to film a one hour documentary that highlights the diverse experiences of six of those Selfhelp residents and three of the home's founders, before, during, and after WWII. Ethan's parents and grandparents were forced to flee the Nazi regime in the 1930s for a new life in Palestine. Ethan was born after the State of Israel was founded and then moved with his family to America in 1955. His family's experience led Ethan to his chosen profession as an immigration lawyer, and for 25 years, Ethan served as the Managing Director of the Chicago office of a global immigration law firm. Since his retirement from law, Ethan has been involved in volunteer and philanthropic endeavors. He has also taken his interest in history and archaeology to write his blog, Sightseeing In Israel, a virtual tour of some of the most interesting "off the beaten track" sites to explore when traveling to Israel. With his film "Refuge," Ethan has turned his love of gathering historical narratives into a new career in filmmaking.