Watch Lena: My 100 Children

Lena: My 100 Children is a 1987 television movie that tells the remarkable true story of Lena Kuchler-Silberman, a Polish Jewish heroine who saved the lives of 100 Jewish children during the Holocaust by organizing and leading a secret orphanage in the ghetto of Warsaw. The film is directed by Edwin Sherin and stars Emmy Award-winning actress Linda Lavin in the lead role of Lena. Torquil Campbell and Lenore Harris also play important roles in the movie.

The story is set in the late 1930s and early 1940s when Nazi Germany occupied Poland and began its brutal campaign of exterminating Jews. Lena is a young and passionate social worker who has dedicated her life to helping the poor and marginalized in her community. When the Nazis start to round up Jewish families and ship them to concentration camps, Lena realizes that the children are the most vulnerable and at risk of being killed.

Determined to save as many children as possible, Lena starts to organize a network of secret hiding places for Jewish kids in the Warsaw Ghetto. She and a team of volunteers move from house to house, seeking out children who have been orphaned or whose parents have been taken away. Lena enlists the help of sympathetic Polish families, who agree to shelter the children in their homes.

As the number of children in Lena's care grows day by day, she must find ways to keep them fed, clothed, and safe, while also keeping their spirits up in the face of constant danger and uncertainty. Lena becomes a surrogate mother to the children, providing them with love, care, and discipline. She teaches them songs, dances, and games, and gives them a sense of hope and possibility for the future.

The movie portrays Lena's struggles and sacrifices as she runs the secret orphanage, dealing with difficult moral dilemmas and putting her own life at risk to protect the children. She faces many challenges, including running out of food, medicine, and clothing, dealing with informants and collaborators, and avoiding detection by the Nazi authorities.

Along the way, Lena forms a close bond with a young Jewish boy named Aaron, who becomes her right-hand man in the orphanage. Torquil Campbell plays Aaron as a grown-up, who narrates the story and reflects on the impact that Lena had on his life and the lives of the other children. Lenore Harris plays Lena's mother, who supports her daughter's risky mission but also worries about her safety and well-being.

Despite the hardships and setbacks, Lena manages to save all of the children in her care. After the war, she immigrates to Israel and dedicates her life to working with children and advocating for Jewish causes. The movie ends with Lena visiting Warsaw many years later and reflecting on the legacy of her heroic actions.

Lena: My 100 Children is a poignant and powerful drama that celebrates the courage and resilience of ordinary people in the face of extraordinary adversity. It is a tribute to Lena Kuchler-Silberman, who risked everything to protect innocent children from the horrors of war and genocide. The movie is a reminder that in the darkest moments of history, acts of compassion and kindness can make all the difference.

Lena: My 100 Children is a 1987 history movie with a runtime of 1 hour and 35 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.8.