The 2021-2022 “Names, Not Numbers©” program, now in its eighth year at RPRY, was launched on Friday, October 8. The eighth grade students assembled in the Beit Midrash to hear details about this unique oral history documentary program from creator and educator, Mrs. Tova Fish-Rosenberg. Mrs. Rosenberg linked the idea of “zachor” (remember) from the Torah to the mission of “Names, Not Numbers©,” and spoke to the students about their role as the witnesses’ witnesses.

During the “Names, Not Numbers©” program, small groups of eighth graders will conduct and film in-person oral history interviews of Holocaust survivors. Preparations for the interviews include classroom lessons on the history and events of the Holocaust, reviews of participating survivor biographies, learning how to and crafting the interview questions based on the biographical outlines, practicing asking the questions, and learning to use the professional digital cameras for filming the interviews. After the interviews, students will learn how to edit the films to produce the final documentary.

In addition to the student-created documentary, filmmaker Adam Chinoy, working with the students, will produce a mini-documentary entitled “Names, Not Numbers: A Movie in the Making” that details the entire year-long program.

The 2021-2022 “Names, Not Numbers©” interviews at RPRY, will take place during the week of January 10, 2022.