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A Willingness to Act

Season 1 Episode 1 | 10m 40s

Waitstill and Martha Sharp, along with some of the refugees who they helped rescue, describe their harrowing journey across Nazi-occupied territory on their way to safety in England.

Funding is provided by members of the Better Angels Society including Jan and Rick Cohen and Jonathan and Jeannie Lavine; The Starr Foundation; The Threshold Foundation; The SeaStone Foundation; and donations from individuals.
Extras
Martha Sharp learns clandestine methods to save refugees fleeing the Holocaust.
Peter recalls the fear present in World War II era Europe.
Gerda Mayer of Vienna recalls saying good bye in 1939 to her parents, killed in Auschwitz.
Hear Waitstill Sharp's account, narrated by Tom Hanks, of legal versus moral ethics.
Join an American couple’s courageous mission to help refugees on the brink of WWII.
Hear the incredible story of Waitstill and Martha Sharp from co-director Ken Burns.
Ken Burns talks about Defying the Nazis: The Sharps' War.
Uncover the journey of an American couple who saved lives at the onset of World War II.
Children from Martha Sharp’s emigration project during WWII describe their experiences.
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Join an American couple’s courageous mission to help refugees on the brink of WWII.