In partnership with UJA Federation NY

A Holocaust Memorial Documentary Film Screening
Created by SYJCC Teens

Sunday, April 30, 2023 | 4:00 pm

Stage 74 Theater at the SYJCC
74 Hauppauge Rd.
Commack, NY

Join us for a “Names, Not Numbers” documentary film screening on Sunday, April 30, 2023 at 4:00 pm. This original documentary chronicles the life of three local Holocaust survivors: Pearl Friend, Irene Halegua and Meir Usherovitz. It was created by SYJCC teens in “Names, Not Numbers,” a unique program where students learn to combine research, journalism, and video production to capture and share the stories of Holocaust survivors so that they are never forgotten.

Light dessert refreshment reception will follow after the screening.

Check Out the Trailer

The Names, Not Numbers© program brings teens together to learn about the Holocaust through a unique, engaging, and memorable experience that combines research, interviews, video production, documentary film tools, and film editing. Rather than learning in a traditional classroom setting, students meet in person with Holocaust survivors and create an unforgettable film documenting the survivors’ lives.

This year, a group of 15 students from diverse backgrounds met regularly at SYJCC, facilitated by program coordinator, Jane Fossner Pashman. During meetings, they participated in sessions to learn more about the history of the Holocaust, its timeline, and the roles of conspirators, bystanders, and upstanders.  They then met with a local journalist to learn interviewing techniques, which included how to craft appropriate questions that can categorize a survivor’s experience before the war, during the war, and after the war.  In small groups, students were matched with a Holocaust survivor, and they spent weeks researching their particular story. To prepare for the interview, students gained professional video techniques and skills from a videographer, and the necessary elements to edit and produce a documentary.

The final Names, Not Numbers documentary is presented to the community at a premiere screening event on April 30, 2023. The film will also be archived at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem (the world’s preeminent Holocaust museum and resource center).

Names, Not Numbers© is an interactive, multimedia Holocaust project created by Tova Fish-Rosenberg. The Names, Not Numbers© program is generously supported by a prominent national foundation and by UJA Federation of Long Island. 

2023 Students:

Eli Asaro
Eren Bileydi
Aidan Caplan
Joanna Chertoff
Jacob Fingerman
Rachel Galinkin
Benjamin Goodman
Emily Hoberman
Grace London
Chloe Kornreich
Josh Krief
Alexa Nissenbaum
Nicole Selzer
Jeremy Shatzer
Melissa Wynne

Advanced ticket sales are currently sold out. Limited tickets will be available at the door but not guaranteed.
At the Door $36
Students Under 18 FREE 

All funds raised will help to support Holocaust educational programming at the SYJCC

$180 – Friend – Listing in Event Program – Listing in signage – Includes 2 Tickets.
$360 – Supporter – Listing in Event Program – Listing in signage – Includes 4 Tickets.
$720 – Bronze – Listing in Event Program – Listing in signage – Includes 8 Tickets.
$1000 – Silver – Listing in Event Program – Listing in signage – Includes 10 Tickets.
$1800 – Gold – Listing in Event Program – Listing in signage – Mention from Stage – Includes 15 Tickets.
$3600 – Platinum – Listing in Event Program – Listing in signage – Mention from Stage – Admission for Unlimited Guests.
$5400 – Diamond – Listing in Event Program – Listing in signage – Mention from Stage – Name on Certificates Given to Participants – Admission for Unlimited Guests.

*Tickets will be available for pick-up at will call

All funds raised will help to support Holocaust educational programming at the SYJCC

Pearl was born on May 30, 1928 in Hrubieszov, Poland. Pearl lived with her parents and younger brother, Chiel. Life as she knew it came to an abrupt end when the German army entered her town in September 1939.  Pearl’s father was sent on a forced death march, from which he escaped into Russia. Her brother Chiel was taken from her mother’s arms by the Nazis, never to be heard from again. Pearl and her mother Anna miraculously survived Auschwitz and 6 other concentration camps. They returned home to Hrubieszov in 1945, where Pearl met her future husband Philip and was reunited with her father. After being married in 1947 in a Displaced Persons camp in Germany, Pearl and Philip emigrated to the United States in 1949, and were married for 70 years. They were blessed with a beautiful family, 2 children, 5 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren. Pearl’s beloved husband Philip passed away in February 2019. Pearl currently lives in Woodbury, New York.

Irene was born on December 20, 1931 in Brussels, Belgium. Irene lived with her parents and younger brother and sister, but in 1939 her father and brother left for the US and prepared for the rest of the family to soon join them. The papers finally came through but on the day that Irene, her mother, and younger sister, Mali, were to leave for the US (May 10, 1940), Belgium was invaded by the Nazis. Irene’s mother tried to flee to Vichy France with her daughters, but they were caught and arrested and sent to Gurs concentration camp. Irene and Mali were soon rescued by the French resistance and hidden with other Jewish children in the orphanage, Chateau de Chabanne. The orphanage was later closed (after it was discovered) and the sisters hid in an attic on a nearby farm until the war ended. Irene and Mali were reunited with their mother, and then left for the US in 1947. Irene met her husband in NY, and she has 4 children, 5 grandchildren, and 7 great-grandchildren. Irene currently lives in Commack.

Meir Usherovitz was born on September 15, 1926 in Pabiance, Poland. Just before his Bar Mitzvah in 1939, the Germans invaded his hometown. Two years later, a ghetto was established within Pabiance and soon his family was forced to the Łódź ghetto in 1943. After one year there, the Łódź ghetto was liquidated and Meir was sent to Auschwitz. He never saw his family again. He miraculously survived 3 concentration camps: Auschwitz, Mauthausen, and Ebensee, and was liberated in 1945. Left alone with no family, Meir was brought to a DP camp in Italy to recover, and soon left for Palestine. Meir fought in Israel’s War of Independence in 1948 and was captured in Gush Etzion and placed in a POW camp in Jordan. After the war, he was released through a prisoner exchange swap and helped to reestablish Kibbutz Revadim, where he met his wife, Doris. Doris and Meir moved to the US in 1957 and have been married for 71 years. They have 2 children, 4 grandchildren, and 1 great-grandchild. Meir and Doris currently live in St. James.

Names, Not Numbers INC© is an interactive, multi-media Holocaust project created by educator, Tova Fish-Rosenberg

All funds raised will help to support Holocaust educational programming at the SYJCC