PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Students in some Philadelphia schools are getting a personal view of the Holocaust in the next couple of weeks — but this year, those true stories will not be told directly by the survivors.
Since 1977, the Jewish Community Relations Council and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia have collaborated to bring Holocaust survivors into schools to tell their stories to students. Then the coronavirus pandemic hit. Schools went virtual. And the virus made in-person visits unsafe for the survivors, whose average age is 85.
“At a time like this, when antisemitism and all forms of bigotry are increasing exponentially, it is more important than ever for us to keep the memory of the Holocaust alive,” JCRC Director Jason Holtzman said.
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So the JCRC found a new way to keep that history alive without posing any health risks to actual survivors — a 60-minute play called “Survivors.”
“It’s actually a play that’s inspired by the words and lives of Holocaust survivors in Rochester, New York,” said Holtzman.
The JCRC is working with the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia and Theatre Ariel, Philadelphia’s only Jewish theater, to stage the production at seven high schools in the Philadelphia region through April 7.
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“Survivors” playwright and producer Wendy Kout collected the stories of 10 Holocaust survivors to give students an understanding of what happened, teach universal lessons of the Holocaust, and show that there was more to it than concentration camps.
“This was an opportunity to tell 10 different stories with a wide range,” Kout said. “One person hid; one person had to pretend to be a Christian; one family had to move to China. Every story is different.”
She says it’s more important than ever that these stories are told.
“I hope they take away the history of the Holocaust and I hope they connect it to the present and understand they have a role to play in present history in terms of being citizens who speak up, who take action, who are not silent, and who are like many of the helpers who helped the survivors.”
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Remaining performances of the play are as follows:
March 29, 2022, 12 p.m.
Kensington High School
2051 E. Cumberland Street
Philadelphia
March 30, 2022, 10 a.m.
Mariana Bracetti Academy Charter School
1840 Torresdale Avenue
Philadelphia
March 31, 2022, 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.
MaST Community Charter School
1 Crown Way
Philadelphia
April 5, 2022, 9:15 a.m.
Performing Arts & Leadership Academy
1332 Enterprise Dr.
West Chester, Pa.
April 6, 2022, 9 a.m.
Esperanza Academy Charter School
301 W. Hunting Park Avenue
Philadelphia
April 7, 2022, 1 p.m.
Northeast High School
1601 Cottman Avenue
Philadelphia