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Names, Not Numbers® Documentary Premiere at North High
Group photo of 15 high school students, 4 Board trustees, and 3 district administrators standing around 4 seated honorees: the Names, Not umbers creator, two Holocaust survivors, and the faculty advisor.

 

On Nov. 3, 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 premiere brought together the student filmmakers, Holocaust survivors and Names, Not Numbers creator, as well as Board of Education trustees, district administrators, staff, and community members who watched the documentary projected on screen in the school auditorium.

This event marked the culmination of the year-long project for students Ethan Anavim, Liam Hakimi, Rachel Harounian, Zachary Harounian, Yael Lyakhov, Jayden Maloul, Cindy Martinez, Sofia Mourtil, Ravid Nafisi, Chloe Nazar, Ella Parness, Eliav Sehati, Avital Shakiban, Nicole Volman and Blake Zar. This is the fifth consecutive year that North High has participated in this extraordinary program.

Under the direction of GNPS Hebrew teacher/faculty advisor Hanna Bokhour and the Names, Not Numbers organization, students conducted research, met with journalism professionals, and learned interview strategies in preparation for their meetings with Holocaust survivors.

This past spring, students filmed interviews with Holocaust survivors Marion Blumenthal Lazan, Arnold Newfield, and Mireille Taub. Students were involved in every aspect of the filmmaking process, and the resulting films will help preserve these survivors’ stories for generations to come.

In addition to thanking the students who participated in this year-long effort, Ms. Bokhour expressed 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.

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. It receives assistance from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany Supported by the German Federal Ministry of Finance and the Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future. To date, the program has produced more than 850 documentary films which are archived in major museums and academic institutions. To learn more, visit www.namesnotnumbers.org.