EDUCATING ALL GENERATIONS ON THE HOLOCAUST
BY SUSAN BARTELSTONE
“When you listen to a witness, you
become a witness.”
A~ Elie Wiesel nyone born after Generation
Z may never meet a Holocaust
survivor in person or
hear their stories first hand. At a
time of spreading Holocaust denial,
ever-increasing anti-Semitism and
general intolerance, the witnesses
of the Holocaust, the Survivor Generation,
are passing off the stage of
history and their time is growing
short. That’s why UJA-Federation
of NY has stepped up to join the
movement to preserve their stories.
UJA’S WITNESS PROJECT—
SO WE NEVER FORGET!
For more than 100 years, UJA has
functioned as the world’s largest local
philanthropy, partnering with more
than 100 non-profit partners in the
NY area alone to help those, of all
faiths, who are in need (as well as
across the US, Israel and globally).
And, UJA considers it a special,
sacred responsibility to help care
for Holocaust survivors in their final
days.
Partnering with Sid Jacobson JCC
in Roslyn, UJA supports the amazing
Witness Project, which introduces
Holocaust survivors to high school
students to create the next generation
of witnesses.
Meeting twice a week for an academic
year, the students work with
the survivors to bring their stories
to life through art and a theatrical
performance. Students play the role
of a particular survivor or a character
from the survivor’s life and dramatize
their horrors, hardships, triumphs
and resilience. Everyone who’s seen
this performance, regardless of their
faith, always testifies (many tearfully)
to how historically important and
affecting it was.
In 2021, Witness Project’s 4th year,
the dynamics changed because of
COVID. All meetings were held on
Zoom, but the students reached out
to the survivors individually, maintained
regular contact and reported
that incredibly special relationships
had blossomed. And this year a
highly-touted documentary, produced
UJA’S WITNESS PROJECT:
and directed by the award-winning
Israeli documentarian Yeeshai Gross,
was made of the performances (shot
entirely on green screen). A poignant
reminder underscoring of the urgent
need for the Witness Project is the
fact that three of the five survivors
featured in the film have since passed
away! Thankfully, though, their stories
will live on.
THE NORTH SHORE TOWERS
CONNECTION
This year’s film also has a special
relevance for North Shore Towers
because Celia Kener, a resident
here for more than 10 years, is one
of the survivors featured. In 1941,
when Celia was six, she woke up
to find that the Germans had conquered
Poland from the Russians,
including the city of Lvov where
she lived. She’d been so excited
about an upcoming ballet recital,
life had been filled with much
promise; then, in a flash, everything
changed.
Celia’s father was forced into the
Russian army. The rest of her family
was moved into the Lvov ghetto
and her mother was selected for a
labor camp from which survival was
doubtful. She heartbreakingly gave
Celia to a childless Polish Catholic
couple in the hope she might live.
The couple cared for her lovingly,
despite the incredible danger to them
all, but they were eventually forced to
hide her in their barn until liberation
(where she, amazingly, was reunited
with her real mother!). “I owe everything
to a decent, caring, non-Jewish
human being who risked her life to
save mine…and I’m so grateful I’ve
lived long enough to see my seven
grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren,”
Celia said. (Hear Celia’s
whole story at: https://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=aez_BI8zcfA)
Celia became part the Witness
Project “so children of all generations
will become familiar with
the holocaust. It’s important to
share because live witnesses won’t
be around much longer.” And, she
wants her NST neighbors to be sure
to see the documentary and to thank
UJA in whatever way they can. “It is
the worthiest donation anyone can
make,” she said. “We must take care
of our own and I can’t say enough
about the work UJA is doing.”
UJA AND NORTH SHORE TOWERS
STEP UP
During the Pandemic, UJA still
remained a global lifeline for isolated,
vulnerable people of all faiths, races
and ethnicities facing a range of
challenges (pandemic-related or not).
Their partner organizations in the
NYC-LI area provided services like
access to kosher food, food deliveries
for those in lockdown or infirm,
rent assistance and mental health
counseling. They also provided
thousands of masks and PPE equipment
to overwhelmed hospitals and
coordinated eight pop-up vaccination
sites (including one at Commonpoint
Queens-Sam Fields Center). When
things return to normal, non-profit
partners will again be able to offer
educational resources, sports, health
and fun activities for people of all ages
and special needs.
For 42 years now, North Shore
Towers has had a special relationship
with UJA, raising hundreds of
thousands of dollars to support it.
Eneas Arkawy, Chairperson of the
North Shore Towers-UJA Fundraising
Committee, commented, “I’ve seen
‘Witness Project’ twice and was so
proud of those young people who
showed so much love towards people
who’d suffered so much. It brought
tears to everyone’s eyes.”
She continued, “I also saw the
documentary. And, when I found
out that two of the five survivors
featured in the film had passed away
this year, that really brought home to
me the need for this program. UJA’s
purpose has never been clearer and
the need has never been greater. We
must do everything we can to ensure
that UJA’s work continues.”
Photos courtesy
of Sherri Candel
Celia Kener, a young Survivor
Talia and Celia at the Towers, May, 2021
Talia Bidner portrays Celia in
the film
Witness Project 2021
Film Premiere
Wednesday, June 9, 7:00 pm
– 8:00 pm via Zoom
Join UJA for the Witness
Project 2021 Film Premiere
and become a Witness. It’s free;
just register and you’ll be sent
the link. To register online, go
to https://www.ujafedny.org/
event/view/witness and scroll
down to the bottom, or call
Sherri Candel at 516-762-5896.
We must never forget!
Support UJA!
Donations can be made
via the UJA-Federation of
NY website (www.ujafedny.
org), or contact Sherri Candel
(516-762-5896 or at candels@
ujafedny.org). Or, go to
www.ujafedny.org/donate.
Any size donation will be
welcomed.
June 2021 ¢ NORTH SHORE TOWERS COURIER 23
link
/
/www.ujafedny.org
/www.ujafedny.org
link
link
/www.youtube
/donate
/www.youtube
/
/(www.ujafedny
/ujafedny.org
/donate
