22nd Annual Fred & Audrey Friedman Marcus Holocaust Lecture

Special Screening of the documentary film The Return From The Other Planet and discussion with director Assaf Lapid

The Return From The Other Planet traces the life of Holocaust survivor and author Yehiel De-Nur, who concealed his identity behind the pseudonym “Ka-Tzetnik 135633.” Writing at night while wearing his striped camp uniform, De-Nur mined his memory of the two years he spent in Auschwitz. The resulting novels were widely read in the 1950s and 1960s and informed the way readers worldwide imagined the Holocaust. 

In 1961, De-Nur testified at the Eichmann trial, publicly revealing his identity as the author Ka-Tzetnik for the first time. In one of the most dramatic moments of the trial, he collapsed on the stand while recounting the terrors of Auschwitz, which he described as “The Other Planet”—a place beyond the realm of human understanding. 

Increasingly haunted by the trauma of his Auschwitz experiences, De-Nur turned to experimental psychiatric treatments using LSD. For over a year, he underwent psychedelic treatment in the Netherlands. His search for peace and clarity led him to new perceptions of humanity and war, and ultimately to reject the notion of “The Other Planet.”

This remarkable film explores De-Nur’s struggle to return from “The Other Planet” and 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 healing from trauma and the use of psychedelics in the treatment of victims of mass atrocity.

The Marcus Lecture is presented annually by the Holocaust Awareness Institute at the University of Denver’s Center for Judaic Studies, this year in partnership with the Denver Jewish Film Festival and the Mizel Arts and Culture Center. This year’s Marcus Lecture is held on January 27 in commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz in 1945.

Now in its 22nd year, the lecture series began in 2003 on the initiative of Audrey Friedman Marcus and her family in memory of her late husband, Jewish educator Fred Marcus. Since 2022, the Marcus Lecture additionally honors co-founder Audrey Friedman Marcus. Donations to support this centerpiece of Denver’s Holocaust commemoration and education initiatives can be made at bit.ly/support-marcus. Sponsors at a level of $180 or more receive complimentary tickets to the Lecture.

Tickets can be purchased at tickets.jccdenver.org/marcus. Holocaust survivors, educators, and students attend free and may contact hai@du.edu or 303-871-3020 to request tickets.