Over the last two weeks, eighth grade students interviewed and filmed survivors for the annual “Names Not Numbers©” Holocaust documentary program. Morah Shoshana Rapps and filmmaker Drew Aldridge, helped them hone their interviewing, filming, editing and production skills. Students were divided into groups to learn about six Holocaust survivors, study their biographies, and develop questions to prompt them in sharing their stories. They greeted survivors in person and rotated so each student got a chance to interview, video, check for sound and do other jobs. It was a complete experience for each student.

The students, who shared what they had learned with each survivor following their filming session, were inspired and grateful for the opportunity to create this documentary which will be archived in the National Library of Israel in Jerusalem, Yad Vashem and in the Yeshiva University libraries. “‘Names Not Numbers©’gave me the opportunity to learn about the Holocaust in a way that will stay with me for the rest of my life as I had the opportunity to personally interview a Holocaust survivor and bear witness to the atrocities that occurred during WWII” said eighth grader Neta Wiznia.

Thank you to program coordinators Morah Shoshana Rapps, as well as Middle School Principal Rabbi Cohen and Middle School Executive Assistant Beverly Hutchins for organizing this incredibly meaningful program.