ADOPT-A-SURVIVOR of METROWEST
 

When you meet a witness, you become a witness.
- Elie Wiesel


I've learned…that the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.
- Andy Rooney


  

ADOPT-A-SURVIVOR is a program "to preserve and perpetuate the N'shamah - the soul and spirit of Shoah Survivors." It was conceived in 1998 by Irving Roth, a Survivor from Long Island, who now directs the Holocaust Resource Center of Manhasset. The program, brought to MetroWest in 2001, pairs a Survivor with one or more students. The student(s) become familiar with the Survivor's life before, during and after the Holocaust in order to tell that Survivor's story in a public venue in the year 2045, a hundred years after the liberation of Auschwitz.


Guidelines for MetroWest's Adopt-A-Survivor Program

Students must agree to meet a Survivor a minimum of six times. Meetings can take place within the school, in a neutral setting such as the MetroWest campus, and/or in the Survivor's home. A minimum of two meetings should take place in the Survivor's home (and/or place of business).

At least one of these meetings should be videotaped. Three copies of the tape will be made. The copies will be distributed to the student, the Survivor and to the Holocaust Council of MetroWest.

Students must agree to keep journals of their meetings. While some of these notes may be personal reflections, the teacher and MetroWest will receive copies of the portions of interview notes the student wishes to share. These portions should include the factual materials of the interviews that become future references for the student

MetroWest will archive copies of the interview notes as well as the videos and will have them available as back-up materials for the 2045 talk.

Teachers will identify student candidates. In cases where candidates volunteer to adopt a Survivor, the teacher must assess the viability of the candidate (adopter).
Minimal considerations should include:

  • Is the student knowledgeable about the Holocaust?
  • Is the student stable and mature?
  • Does the student have a respectable GPA?
  • Will the student have parental support for this project?

We recommend that Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom (Doubleday, 1997) be read prior to engaging in the program. In addition, a book about the Holocaust would be most useful. We recommend The Holocaust by Seymour Rossel (Behrman House).

Student must sign a contract. A sample contract is attached (Attachment 1).

Students must have signed parental consent. A sample consent form copy is also attached (Attachment 2). In cases where parents are expected to drive their child to the survivor's home or business for the interview, the parents must be made aware that this is their commitment as well as their child's.

It may be necessary for the teacher to get permission in writing from your principal or supervisor or to have her/him sign off on the contracts and consent forms.

You may adjust the contract and consent forms to fit the particular needs of your student.

Teachers may offer credit or extra credit to students who engage in this project. (Nassau Community College, offers 2 credits to students enrolled in this program.)

As an aide in commencing the interview, we recommend that the student approach each of the interviews with a set of guideline questions that explore different aspects of the Survivor's life. Students should realize that six hours is hardly enough time to learn someone's history. The guidelines will ensure that the most important aspect of the Survivor's story will be addressed. Should the parties decide that they want to spend more time together, the Survivor will be able to elaborate on the individual aspects. Otherwise, the students should present the Survivor with a list of questions for each particular interview so that the Survivor can gauge how much ground he/she will have to cover in the given time.

Minimally, the students should ask:

  • How would the survivor like to be addressed? Mr./Mrs.? First Name?

  • Place and date of birth (This should be followed up by consulting an atlas and an encyclopedia or use internet resources for a historic and geographical perspective of the survivor's country.)

  • Lifestyle of the Jews in general and the Survivor's family, in particular

  • Details concerning siblings, parents and grandparents, with specific anecdotes where applicable

  • Religious, social, educational and economic life of the Jewish and non-Jewish community

  • Details of the Survivor's life from earliest recollection to point of transition (1930's)

  • Transition to 1945 (oppression, ghetto, hiding, concentration camp, partisan, emigration to sanctuary)

  • Liberation, return to home, D.P. camp, waiting to emigrate to America or Palestine

  • Life in a new land (see sample questions, Attachment 3)

We recommend that the student bring a camera to each interview to make her/his own photographic record.

We suggest the student ask to see photographs of the Survivor's pre-war and post-war life.

Some Survivors have heavy accents. The students should not hesitate to ask the Survivor to clarify any remarks that he or she does not understand.

If, for whatever reason, the student finds him/herself uncomfortable with the Survivor or any of the interviews he/she should report it immediately to the teacher who will then contact the Holocaust Council of MetroWest.