In 1940, the ship Pentcho, an old steamship over 80 years old, sailed from Bratislava carrying more than 500 Jewish refugees trying to reach Palestine, escaping Nazi Europe.
After weeks of wandering in the Black Sea and the Aegean, the ship arrived in Rhodes, where it later foundered near the islet of Chamilonisi. The refugees were rescued and hosted on the island for about a year and a half, before being transferred to Italy.
In Rhodes, the survivors lived in makeshift camps – initially in the football field and later in the San Giovanni camp, where the Venetian Lyceum is now located – in difficult conditions, with shortages of food and medical care. However, the local Jewish community helped substantially in their care.
Into these circumstances Zew was born, the son of two Polish Jewish refugees. After the liberation, the family emigrated to Argentina, where Zew grew up and became a psychoanalyst. His daughter, Irene Kuten, documented his journey in the film ZEW.
Worlds that Meet, a documentary about memory, immigration and the search for identity.
The screening of the documentary took place in Rhodes on 7.11.2025, at an event of the island's Jewish Community, in the presence of the creator.
The film was introduced by the director of the Community, Carmen Cohen, while historian Dimitris Varvaritis briefly presented the history of Pentcho.
Irene Kuten spoke about the power of storytelling and the importance of passing on memory. “For as long as I can remember, my father has been telling us the story,” she said, explaining how the documentary emerged from this intergenerational need to preserve memory.
Referring to Rhodes, she spoke with emotion about a place that in the darkness of war became a temporary refuge: "My grandparents remembered the kindness of the people of the island. My grandmother was taken to the Rhodes hospital to give birth. These memories were not tragic, but full of gratitude."
ZEW avoids sentimentality, opting for a calm, reflective tone. “I didn’t want to dwell on the pain, but on the power of memory,” the director said. “Stories need to be told so that the same mistakes aren’t repeated.”
In closing, Kuten referred to the timelessness of the issue: "I hope that at some point we won't have to make so much effort to accept the other, the refugee, the different. My wish is that war will cease to be relevant."
The ZEW documentary is more than a family story: it is an act of memory that connects Rhodes, Ferramonti and Buenos Aires, showing how human history survives through its transmission to subsequent generations.