History that Moves Beyond the Classroom

Last week at the Gunther-Hirsh Family Center on Fairfax, JFSLA hosted an extraordinary inter-generational program connecting 25 seventh grade students from Sinai-Akiba Academy to Holocaust Survivors participating in JFSLA’s Café Europa program.  

The annual “Holocaust Survivor’s Project” provides middle school students with a “living history” experience, allowing them to learn firsthand about the profound experiences endured by Holocaust Survivors during WWII. The two groups first met in November 2024 for lunch, where students came prepared with thoughtful questions, encouraging the men and women in their 80’s and 90’s to share their stories of loss and survival.

Sinai Akiba Academy has partnered with JFSLA’s Café Europa to connect their students to Survivors before, butthis year was unique, thanks to Shayna Panitz, JFSLA’s Arts, Wellness, and Engagement (AWE) Activities Coordinator, who decided to bring the Sinai-Akiba students to Cafe Europa where Survivors meet weekly. “Bringing the students to our Fairfax Community Center allowed them to meet the survivors where they are at, giving greater insight to their lives and our unique community,” said Shayna.

Diane Weinberger, a 7th Grade English and Theatre teacher at Sinai-Akiba Academy, guides her students to process these powerful personal narratives and then offer their own reflections. This year, the students responded with a beautifully printed 87-page book entitled “To Life” filled with their thoughtful poems and colorful collages that illustrate the depth of feeling from each Survivor’s story. “Their words reflect courage, compassion, and a profound connection to our history that moves beyond the classroom,”wrote Weinberger in the book’s forward.

“The program was extremely powerful and meaningful for both the students and the Survivors, creating a living bridge across generations, sharing and passing down personal and communal history,” shared Eli Veitzer, JFSLA President & CEO.

With the heartfelt support of our generous community, these multi-generational programs will continue to inspire new generations to foster a compassionate community where our history is valued and not forgotten.

Sinai-Akiba student Levi Cohen reflected, “I have learned a lot about the Holocaust, but I never had the chance to talk to a Survivor before. This meeting made my sense of responsibility to fight antisemitism and hatred even stronger than before. There aren’t many survivors left. If we don’t remember their experiences, we can’t prevent it from happening again.”

As Levi wrote in his poem:

“Evil rises again

Like a tidal wave ready to crush

All who stand beneath it

She feels it rumbling now

But she has seen this beast before

Now she is an armed knight

Carrying the sword they longed to draw

And the light they longed to keep.”