On Wednesday evening, June 2, a yearlong interdisciplinary learning project of the TABC 12th grade Holocaust Studies class, taught by Cary Reichardt and Rebecca Lopkin, culminated in the premier screening of Bare Witness 2021. Undeterred by the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, the class pivoted and transformed the script into a screenplay. Doing so allowed them to film outdoors according to CDC guidelines. The Bare Witness project is unique as it bridges the gap between a typical history class and a dramatic production. In addition to learning about the history of the Holocaust, racism, genocide and World War II, students meet with Holocaust survivors, listen to their experiences and have the opportunity to ask their own questions of the survivor as well. For the students, interacting with survivors has a tremendous impact. Students “own” their learning, it’s personal and it becomes a part of who they are.
Acting and playwriting workshops were given alongside the history lessons. As students processed their feelings, they shared their thoughts and insights while working collaboratively, and created original scripted scenes which incorporated the survivors’ stories in order to bring their experiences to life. After the script was completed, the roles were cast and rehearsals commenced. Three weeks of filming took place after Pesach. The entire film was shot on and around the TABC campus, where brick walls stood in for ghettos, the train tracks stood in for arrival at Auschwitz, and a park stood in for prisoners’ work detail.
Noah Jawetz, one of the students who participated in this project, remarked, “This class was different it wasn’t just a Holocaust story. I got to learn about, act, and represent actual survivors’ stories and I felt that I got to connect with them…this was one of those once in a lifetime experiences.”
Uri Ostrin, another student in the course, commented, “It has become unequivocally clear that humanity’s greatest tool is the power of our voices. Hearing these stories from the survivors, it has become clear that I must pass on their stories. I am so grateful that I have the opportunity to do so.”
One parent shared these impressions: “Tonight, I watched the Bare Witness production. It was extremely moving and emotional for us. My father’s entire family perished during the Holocaust. My husband’s grandparents and many aunts and uncles were also exterminated by the Nazis. Telling the Holocaust stories is important but acting in some of those stories is so much more powerful. This was an experience that will last a lifetime and they will be able to share these stories with their children and grandchildren. Thank you for giving them this great opportunity.”
This program is essential at this time as our students are the final generation to have the opportunity to meet and interact with the Holocaust generation. Hence, the title—we are at a “bare” point where we don’t have many eye-witnesses left to share their experiences with another generation. Reichardt and Lopkin are confident that their students have become the newest “witnesses” in ensuring that the world won’t ever forget.
