North Shore Hebrew Academy students premiere movie documenting Holocaust survivors' stories
The project, titled “Names, Not Numbers," was put together in large part by eighth graders at the school.
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North Shore Hebrew Academy students premiered a Holocaust memorial film project Wednesday night.
The project, titled “Names, Not Numbers," was put together in large part by eighth graders at the school.
“You write the questions, and then you interview them, and then you make the video and edit the video,” said Lea Feldschreiber, of Great Neck.
The movie program is in its 10th year at the school.
Program Director Lisa Guggenheimer says it provides students a unique learning experience through storytelling.
“Having them tell you their story and relive it right in front of you is a connection you can’t get with a book,” she said.
Lia Etessami, of Great Neck, says she learned a lot from interviewing survivors.
“It gave me hope that all these people, they went through so much worse than what’s happening now, but they still made it out alive and they’re still, like, telling their stories,” she said.
Gilda Zirinsky and her family evaded the Nazis by traveling from Belgium to France and then to Morocco before getting to the United States.
She says she wanted the students to take away an important lesson from her story.
“They have to carry on,” said Zirinsky. “Never to forget what happened, and to spread the word.”
Eva Kessner and her family narrowly escaped the Nazis while on a train to Switzerland. She says students need to learn now more than ever why sharing these stories matters.
“After Oct. 7, I feel it’s very important for them to understand the connection between what happened and what could happen,” she said.
The movie will be archived in many places, including at the National Library of Israel in Jerusalem.
