The Khezrie Auditorium at the Yeshivah of Flatbush Joel Braverman High School was filled to capacity on the eve of Yom HaShoah, as the community joined together for Witness Theater, (a production in which students told the stories of Holocaust survivors in a very special way).
At the beginning of the school year, YOF seniors were paired with Holocaust survivors, to learn their stories and prepare to portray them on stage. Students met with the survivors weekly, diligently taking notes, listening to and recording their harrowing stories of survival. Through the use of drama therapy, guided by Creative Arts Therapist and Director Sally Grazi-Shatzkes, students and survivors developed dramatic representations of the survivors’ experiences during the war.
“Drama therapy is the perfect vehicle through which to facilitate this kind of deeply emotional group process, because it allows us to tell, hear, and respond to very difficult material without words. Through these creative therapeutic techniques the students and survivors could support each other with movement, human sculpture and story enactments,” explained Grazi- Shatzkes.
As the auditorium lights dimmed, the audience was reminded that while most of the survivors and students had never been on stage before, they were motivated by their dedication to making sure that their stories were never forgotten. JBHS Head of School Rabbi Raymond Harari opened the evening with a recitation of the apt passage from Sefer Yechezkel, 37: Prophecy of the Valley of Dry Bones. The survivors ascended the stage, guided with care by the Witness Theater students, while the JBHS choir, directed by Musical Director Brian Gelfand, sang a beautiful rendition of the song, Katonti. Then began the production.
As each survivor narrated, the students reenacted the survivor’s story. The completely darkened auditorium, aside from stage lights, created an atmosphere that allowed the audience to forget all else, save for the drama on stage. The audience was drawn into the world the students and survivors created, experiencing the performers’ painful, sad and strong moments, and effectively becoming witnesses themselves to the stories being brought to life by the survivors and students.
Hearing tales of the survivors’ most sorrowful memories, stories of the families they lost, and the difficult conditions they endured, was hard. But in Witness Theater, after each story was told, the student and survivor discussed the survivor’s life after the war.
“It shouldn’t have happened, but it did. It’s a fact of life. Hitler wanted me dead and here I am, with grandkids and great-grandkids,” said Hy Abrams, who survived harsh conditions in many concentration camps.
Despite the difficult times the survivors lived through, they rebuilt lives for themselves. Survivor Editha Avishai was born in the ghetto in Hungary, where she lived with her mother and five siblings. After the war, she spent her childhood separated from her mother in an orphanage in Israel, feeling unwanted and unloved. “It wasn’t easy after all those years of suffering; it was very hard for me to love,” she said during the performance. However, Mrs. Avishai did marry and raise children and grandchildren.
It was clear, through the powerful and moving performances, that the survivors and students had developed strong bonds, as each story was reenacted with care and sensitivity. Grazi-Shatzkes said of the Witness Theater journey, “Each Wednesday night, the students and survivors deepened their relationships. As the survivors told and recreated their childhood memories and their losses during the Holocaust, the two generations acted as pillars of support for each other. The students and adults cried together and shared many moments of sadness and grief, but at the same time they looked to each other for laughter, love, hope, and faith. They became witnesses to each others’ personal growth. Not only were the stories told and enacted and shared, but now there are these beautiful, unique friendships full of deep respect and understanding that will last forever.” The students plan to stay in touch with the survivors after the program, and often reinforce their relationship by calling before Shabbat. One student is hosting a survivor for Shabbat dinner.
Every student was affected by the Witness Theater project. Participant Edan Malca was so moved by her experience that she was inspired to write a song, “Present and Past,” that she performed in tribute to the survivors along with the student choir. Mr. Gelfand set the lyrics to an original score. The participating survivors were Hy Abrams, Edith Avishai, Sol Goldberg, Sabina Green, Toby Levy, Rena Nudel, Edith Kozma and Trudy Tajerstein. The students included Eden Malca, Joy Feinberg, Michele Schewe, Lital Nainshtein, Lauren Levi, Celia Tawil, Nina Esses, Jacqueline Baum, Aliza Kantarowitz, Raizy Cohen, Chana Sitt, Sarah Cohen, Linda Gindi, Victor Dweck, Daniel Hoffstein and Ezra Idy.
Witness Theater is a joint venture between the Yeshivah of Flatbush and Selfhelp Community Services. This program was coordinated by Sally Grazi-Shatzkes, Project Assistant Joey Mandil, Selfhelp Administrative Director Adeena Horowitz and Selfhelp Social Worker Fran Tarshish.
