In partnership with UJA Federation NY
An Exclusive Premiere Screening of a Student Produced Holocaust Documentary
Sunday, April 19, 2026 | 4:00 pm
Stage 74 Theater at the SYJCC
74 Hauppauge Rd.
Commack, NY
Join us for a documentary film screening on Sunday, April 19, 2026 at 4:00 pm. This original film chronicles our Links 2 Legacy program, where teens learn about the Holocaust and meet with Holocaust survivors to document their stories so they are never forgotten. Please join us to learn more about Ada Gracin, Walter Kleinmann, and Zelda Polofsky.
Light dessert gathering will follow after the screening.
WAYS TO GIVE
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
The Links 2 Legacy program is a new SYJCC initiative that brings teens together to learn about the Holocaust through a powerful, hands-on experience. Instead of a traditional classroom setting, students meet in person with Holocaust survivors and create a lasting film that documents their life stories.
This year, 23 students from diverse backgrounds began meeting at SYJCC in October. Through guided sessions, they explored the history and timeline of the Holocaust, as well as the roles of conspirators, bystanders, and upstanders. Students worked closely with education staff and a professional video director, and learned interviewing skills from a local journalist, including how to craft thoughtful questions. In small groups, students were paired with Holocaust survivors and learned about their lives before, during, and after the war. The work continues, and the impact on students has been profound.
PROGRAM LEADERSHIP AND STUDENT PARTICIPANTS
Program Co Chairs: Caryn Beyer and Ronnit Kessler
Program Director: Jane Fossner Pashman
Program Managers: Lisa Pollack and Sandi Stanger
Film Director: Gary Licker
Sabrina Atlas
Emersyn Badami
Emma Brooks
Joshua Fein
Molly Goldblatt
Jonah Gorman
Talia Hayden
Cara King
Noah Kittenplan
Jordan Krilov
Natalie Lacher
Logan Levine
Isabella Meyer
Ethan McKeown
Tali Orenstein
Becky Pashman
Benjamin Pasquale
Samara Raanan
Eva Richter
Robert Scarola
Samuel Stein
Leo Sternschein
Ella Sussman
TICKETS
SPONSORSHIPS
Please consider sponsoring this important event, which will enable us to continue to support Holocaust education and programs to combat antisemitism in our community.
Sponsorship Levels:
$360 – Supporter – Includes 4 Tickets with Reserved Seating
$720 – Bronze – Includes 6 Tickets with Reserved Seating
$1000 – Silver – Includes 8 Tickets with Reserved Seating
$1800 – Gold – Includes 10 Tickets with Reserved Seating
$3600 – Platinum – Includes 12 Tickets with Reserved Seating – Name Mentioned from the Stage
$5400 – Diamond – Includes 15 Tickets with Reserved Seating – Name Mentioned from the Stage – Inclusion in Social Media Marketing
All sponsorship levels will be listed in the Film Premiere Program and on signage at the event.
For more information contact Michele Posner, Chief Development Officer at [email protected] or 516-822-3535, x319
*Please note if you become a sponsor after April 14, 2026- we will not be able to secure VIP seating or inclusion in the playbill. The sponsor will be listed in the all-inclusive signage in the lobby and theater.
To Become a Sponsor, please
SURVIVORS
ADA GRACIN
Ada Gracin (nee Rosenberg) was born in Poland in 1936. As an only child, Ada Gracin had a happy childhood in Lodz until war broke out and her parents then fled to Lviv, Poland, and further eastward to Soviet Georgia where her younger brother Abraham was born. Facing hardships in a new region, Ada and her family managed to survive the war in a city called Kutaisi. On their return to Poland, Ada’s family learned of the tragedies and immeasurable loss of life. They went to live in the Feldafing displaced persons camp in Germany, where they remained from 1945-1948. The family immigrated to the United States in March 1949 on board the U.S.S. General W. M. Black and settled in New York. Ada remained very close with her brother, Abraham, who sadly passed away in the fall of 2025. Ada currently lives in Melville, NY.
WALTER KLEINMANN
Walter Kleinmann was born on March 15, 1941 in Potenza, Italy. Walter’s father was a medical school student in Germany before the war, but fled to Italy in 1933 due to growing antisemitism. Walter’s mother was later able to leave Germany also, but in 1940, Walter’s parents were arrested by the Italian fascist government and placed in an internment camp in Potenza where they lived under “free confinement.” for Jews in Italy were much better than in Germany. On March 15, 1941, Walter was born in the internment camp, and two Catholic women helped to feed Walter with their breast milk to keep him alive and healthy.
After the war, Walter’s father headed the Joint Distribution Committee in Genoa and Milan. In 1948, the family was able to move to the US, where they settled on the Lower East Side.
Walter’s professional career spanned 60 years in the field of modern languages and education. Walter currently lives with his wife in Huntington, NY.
ZELDA POLOFSKY
Zelda Polofsky was born on December 15, 1932 in the small town of Drujsk (now Belarus). Her family first lost all possessions under Soviet rule in 1939, and then faced the German invasion in 1941, when her family was forced into a ghetto. When that ghetto was liquidated, the family fled to the barn of a non-Jewish farmer who sheltered them each winter, while they spent the warmer seasons hiding in the woods. Zelda’s mother died in that barn, most likely from pneumonia. In 1944, when Zelda was 12, her family was liberated by Russia and found themselves on the wrong side of a divided Berlin. They were briefly jailed after being caught trying to reach the American side, but succeeded in crossing on their second attempt, and then spent over three years in a Displaced Persons camp.
Zelda was 16 years old when her family moved to St. Paul, Minnesota, where she learned English, completed high school, and earned her university degree. Zelda later settled on Long Island after marrying, and raised three children, and taught Hebrew for over 40 years. Zelda now lives in Plainview, Long Island.
