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Being a participant in the Names, Not NumbersŠ program and getting a chance to interview Holocaust survivor Mrs. Ruth Zimbler, has been a very meaningful experience. As she described her experiences during this terrible time period in Europe, I was able to visualize how terrifying it must have been to be a Jew during those years, and how frightening it must have been to be taken away from all you had ever known. Meeting someone who lived through it all and survived has been very inspirational, because it showed me that we cannot allow anything like the Holocaust to ever happen again. Shirley Jajati
On November 4, 2019, NNN students visited the Museum of Jewish Heritage, where they were taken on a guided tour of the Auschwitz Exhibit, after which they participated in an interactive lecture about artifacts and their importance, given by the Director of Education, Dr. Paul Radensky.
I was so inspired by Max Lerner. While he told me his story and described all of the things he’d done, I was moved by his courage and perseverance. This program is so important because every survivor's story must be heard and preserved. I feel privileged that I had the opportunity to be a part of this program and I will remember it forever. Rae Levy
Rabbi Yahel Tsaidi, Head of Elementary School, describes the critically important task the students have before them: they are the last generation that will have the privilege of meeting and interviewing Holocaust survivors.
I joined Names, Not Numbers© to learn about the Holocaust and to hear about this tragic period in our history firsthand from people who actually witnessed it. When the day finally came to interview Holocaust survivor, Max Lerner, I was a little nervous and anxious. I didn’t know what to expect, but then when I began to interview him, my nervousness disappeared and became joy. He had so much that he wanted to share with me and my group. It is so important that our generation learns of this terrible event, so we can make sure that it won’t happen again. Sam Sutton
Students learn filmmaking from a professional cinematographer, preparing to interview the survivors on video and audio. By recording and preserving the legacy of these brave survivors, students themselves will become a part of history.
From coming up with interview questions, to learning background information at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, to editing the clips of the survivor’s interview, this entire experience has given me a deeper understanding of what it might have been like to live through such a horrifying experience. The most impactful part of this program, of course, was meeting the survivor, Max Lerner. This was the culmination of all my thoughts and questions about his life in the Holocaust. Meeting him and interviewing him allowed me, in a way, to see through his eyes and understand more deeply what it might have been like to live during the Holocaust. Joe Tawil
Survivor: Erwin Forley
Interviewed by: Marilyn Salem Grace Madeb Elinor Shapir Leah Lati Eli Hasbani
My first thought about Holocaust survivor Max Lerner is that he is very brave. He escaped the war in Europe and managed to come to the United States, but he went back as an American soldier to fight for the other Jews who could not escape. Mr. Lerner’s story impacted me and taught me valuable lessons for life. He taught me to fight and not to give up. Maya Yehoshua
Survivor: Max Lerner
Interviewed by: Joseph Tawil Rae Levy Maya Yehoshua Natalie Sasson Sam Sutton
I have learned many valuable lessons from Names Not NumbersŠ. Not only did I get the once-in-a-lifetime chance to meet a Holocaust survivor, but I also got the chance to sit down and learn about how difficult life was during the Holocaust. I learned how Mrs. Zimbler managed to escape her hometown of Vienna via the Kindertransport. The thing that impacted me the most was the fact that she kept up her spirit and incredibly managed to take care of her toddler brother all by herself on this whole voyage. This program is so important because soon we will not have survivors left to share their stories. Andrew Shafar
Survivor: Ruth Zimbler
Interviewed by: Joseph Fouerti Andrew Shafar Shirley Jajati Rachel Saadia Sophia Madeb
“I feel a sense of pride, because in the future I can say that I interviewed a Holocaust survivor and I will be able to show generations to come the movie that we created. There are still people who deny that the Holocaust ever happened, and the movie that we created will be a way to prove them wrong.� Leah Lati
Survivor: Paulette Barrett Singer
Interviewed by: Lauren Leybovich Rosie Farhi Ruthy Israel Mark Allaham
Reading a book about the Holocaust is impactful, but hearing and speaking to someone who lived through that terrible time is really powerful. In this program, I had the amazing privilege of speaking firsthand with a Holocaust survivor, Mrs. Paulette Singer Barrett. When you read or learn about the Holocaust, you hear facts and you get a general feeling about events; however, hearing a survivor speak to you about their feelings and thoughts about life in the Holocaust is so much more personal. This program had allowed me to learn about the Holocaust from a perspective that I never had before. Rosie Farhi
Names, Not NumbersŠ means so much to me. I feel a personal connection because all of my greatgrandparents were in the Holocaust. I am so glad that I got a chance to be a part of this program. It really means so much to me that I get to help these amazing, strong people continue to tell others their story. Lauren Leybovich
Having the opportunity to participate in the Names, Not NumbersŠ program was an experience that will remain with me forever. While interviewing Holocaust survivor Paulette Barrett Singer, many questions kept racing through my mind. As she was telling us her story, I could not imagine living a life like hers. We need to know the brave and moving stories about the horrors these survivors faced during the Holocaust so that we can pass them on to future generations. We must never forget and always stay united as Jews. This program helps us do just that! Ruthy Israel
Survivor: Dr. Rene Alkalay
Interviewed by: Grace Bawabeh Shelley Safdie Nitza Hanan Jacob Zeitoune Victor Braca
When I was first interviewing my survivor, Dr. Rene Alkalay, I was very nervous, but he managed to put us all at ease. This program means a lot to me because not only did we learn about the stories of these six Holocaust survivors, but we also created a personal bond with them. In the future, I will be able to tell my children about this experience of how I had the unique opportunity to hear about this tragic period in history firsthand from a survivor. Nitza Hanan
I will forever remember my experience in Names, Not NumbersŠ. When I was interviewing my survivor, Dr. Rene David Alkalay, I was very touched. I was touched because when he was telling us stories about his life, he told them with emotion. I was also impacted greatly by our visit to the Museum of Jewish Heritage. We had often heard stories about the Holocaust in class, but seeing real artifacts from the Holocaust was an extremely powerful way to put things in context. We are lucky we were able to hear the stories from the people who lived through the Holocaust. It is now our generation’s job to pass these stories on. Shelley Safdie
Throughout this entire program, the aspect that impacted me the most was realizing that we are the last generation that will have the opportunity to actually meet a Holocaust survivor. My children will not be able to have this type of experience. Being able to participate in this program, knowing that it adds this layer of significance, makes it even more impactful. Victor Braca
Interviewed by: Jojo Mizrahi Emma Dayan Renee Franco Danielle Ashear Barbara Stein
Professor Smadar Eliach Rosensweig describes the difficult times her mother, Yaffa Eliach A�H, endured during the Holocaust.
As I listened to Professor Smadar Rosensweig describe the difficult times her mother, Yaffa Eliach A�H, endured during the Holocaust, I was moved by her tragic story. Mrs. Rosensweig delivered her mother’s story with so much passion. My classmates and I are the last generation to hear about these terrifying times from the survivors themselves. It is important that we continue to pass on these stories so they are never forgotten. Mrs. Rosensweig was doing just that with her mother’s story. Renee Franco
Dr. Rosensweig retold the horrific experiences her mother experienced during the Holocaust. Hearing her stories made my heart hurt, as I thought about how difficult it was to live through times like those. Over the past two months, I have had a lot of time to reflect on what I learned from this experience and from the stories of other survivors. Although times have been tough for us because of the Coronavirus and all of the difficult challenges it has created, I have learned to appreciate the time I spend with my family and all the small things that Professor Yaffa Eliach, A�H, and the rest of the Jews in the Holocaust did not have. This program is definitely something I will never forget. Barbara Stein
This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet Holocaust survivors, talk to them, and most importantly, document their stories. The horrors faced by Yaffa Eliach A�H as a young girl were unimaginable, and it would have been so much easier to put it aside. Instead, she relieved the pain time and time again, doing everything in her power to make sure that we never forget, that the world never forgets. Yaffa Eliach, A�H, embraced the horror of her past and used it to make herself stronger; she did everything in her power to make the world a better place. This inspired me most of all. No matter what happens, it is important to remain strong and to never give into despair. Emma Dayan
The Names, Not Numbers© program gave us the unique opportunity to actually meet and learn about six Holocaust survivors. During the interviews, we heard the tragic stories that we had only ever read about in books. This is probably the aspect of the program that has impacted me the most. While I didn’t interview a Holocaust survivor, Professor Yaffa Eliach, A”H, who described how she dealt with the many challenges she endured. She helped us understand our collective history and the heroism of the individuals who fought to stay alive. In the future, all of us will look back at this program and realize how important and special it was. Jojo Mizrahi
NAMES NOT NUMBERS CLASS OF 2020