On Sept. 17, North High School hosted the premiere of a documentary film created by fifteen North High students to tell the experiences of three Holocaust survivors through the Names, Not Numbers® Holocaust Oral History Film Documentary project. The film premiere brought together the student filmmakers, Holocaust survivors, and Names, Not Numbers creator, as well as district administrators, faculty, staff, community members, and elected officials who watched the documentary as it was projected on screen in the North High auditorium.
The premiere of this documentary marked the culmination of the year-long project for students Alex Amir, Zahara Bendelstein, Nathaniel Davidson, Rachel Gabo, Kayla Golshani, Liana Kase, Emma Lavian, Michael Lyakhov, Jade Nabavian, Liad Pilip, Layla Pourmoradi, Gabriella Sadaghati, Benjamin Salamatbad, Ayla Silberstein, and Noah Yousefzadeh.
At the start of the 2023–24 school year, these 15 North High school students made a commitment to participate in the Names, Not Numbers program, under the direction of faculty advisor and GNPS Hebrew teacher Hanna Bokhour.
Through their work with Ms. Bokhour and the Names, Not Numbers organization, North High students conducted research, met with journalism professionals, and learned interview strategies in preparation for their meetings with Holocaust survivors. Students were involved in every aspect of the filmmaking process.
Advisor Ms. Bokhour praised her students for devoting their time to this project and she thanked Holocaust survivors Sonja Geismar, Manfred Korman, and Eric Lipetz for bravely telling their stories: “Your courage in sharing your experiences have provided my students with a profound and lasting connection — a bond that bridges generations and will leave a lasting impression on them.”
Ms. Bokhour also expressed her appreciation to North High School Principal Dr. Dan Holtzman for his collaboration and support of the program, and her heartfelt gratitude to Names, Not Numbers founder Tova Fish-Rosenberg and producer Dov Rosenberg for their unwavering dedication to educating students about empathy, understanding, and standing firmly against discrimination and hatred.
This is the fourth consecutive year that North High has participated in this extraordinary program, which provides an unforgettable learning opportunity for students while simultaneously preserving Holocaust survivors’ stories for generations to come.
Names, Not Numbers® is an interactive multimedia Holocaust Oral History Film Documentary project created by educator Tova Fish-Rosenberg. The program is generously supported by a prominent national foundation. To date, Names, Not Numbers® has produced more than 650 documentary films which are archived in major museums and academic institutions. To learn more about this program, visit www.namesnotnumbers.org.