Names, Not Numbers at NSHA

By Ms. Lisa Guggenheimer

The Names, Not Numbers program is a unique opportunity for students to become an integral part of documenting history.  This is North Shore Hebrew Academy’s second year participating in this extraordinary endeavor.  Academically, the students acquire an understanding of the Holocaust and the horrific events that took place. They are taught interviewing, filming and editing techniques, while conducting historical research.  This provides them with the skills they will need to be effective interviewers.

Emotionally, the students open their hearts and minds to the survivors and all humankind who suffered the consequences of this most devastating genocide.  It is inspiring to witness the bonding that takes place between these young adults and the survivors, as well as the striking metamorphosis they experience while they transition from naïveté to enlightenment.

These intimate documentary films, created by the students, are archived at the Jewish National and University Library of Israel, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Yad Vashem and the Gottesman Library at Yeshiva University.  Names, Not Numbers seeks to preserve the survivor’s story so that these small yet critical, human and uniquely Jewish segments of the Holocaust may be recounted, understood and honored by future generations.  We invite the entire community to join us on June 15, 2017 at North Shore Hebrew Academy Elementary School, when our students will present this year’s creation, and you too will have the opportunity to bear witness to the lives, stories and testimonies of these courageous individuals.