On Thursday night, April 4, over 200 people gathered to view SAR Academy’s “Names, Not Numbers”© documentary film. This was the school’s eleventh year participating in this meaningful Holocaust education and commemoration national program.

Fifty SAR eighth graders selected the “Names, Not Numbers”© program as their elective for the first half of the school year. In addition to having a focused education about the Holocaust, participating students learned about the art of documentary filmmaking and the process of interviewing from experts in the field. They dedicated much energy and time beyond the hours allotted for the elective to read the biographical backgrounds of the survivor whom they would be interviewing, construct interview questions, conduct and film interviews of Holocaust survivors, and edit their recorded work. The students spent time learning about the Holocaust from the survivors themselves, but also from a visit to the Museum of Jewish Heritage and from guest speakers, including Rabbi Yitz Greenberg. The students, who were divided into smaller groups for this project, appreciated the incredible opportunity to chronicle the lives of Holocaust survivors and to have an invaluable educational experience that will last a lifetime.

The students’ hard work culminated with the showing of the film, which was preceded by a beautiful dinner for the survivors and their families, participating students and their families, and other guests.

Thank you to the Shoah survivors and students who participated in this meaningful program. In addition, thank you to Elayna Koevary, Amanda Dryer and Debby Ziering for working closely with the eighth grade students and the survivors, and for organizing every aspect of the program.