International Holocaust Day is observed to inscribe the atrocities of the Holocaust into our hearts and our history. To that end it is important to hear the testimony of the survivors of the Holocaust.
Credit: "Raja Weksler's Story" by Doug Miller
2020 MY HERO Film Festival Relationships First Award Winning Film
Dutch sisters, born on the same day but years apart, are separated by the Holocaust and raised in hiding by two very different families.
Watch and read about this film from the 19th MY HERO Film Festival about Holocaust survivor Eva Brettler
'A Prayer for My Mother: The Eva Brettler Story' by The Righteous Conversations Project
By: Naomi Gledhill
A Prayer for My Mother: The Eva Brettler Story wins the Women Transforming Media Category of the 2023 MY HERO International Film Festival.
A Prayer for My Mother: The Eva Brettler Story
By: Cheri Gaulke and Samara Hutman
An animated film that chronicles the extraordinary saga of Holocaust survivor Eva Brettler – a child facing brutality and profound loss who finds sustenance in faith and her own dreams for the future.
Additional Films
Dieu Merci: The Story of Michele Rodri
Produced by:Righteous Conversations Project
[External Link] This story of Michele Rodri was created with youth and Holocaust Survivors through the Righteous Conversations Project. Learn about this amazing holocaust survivor and her journey.
The Story of Three Rings: The Memoir of Dana Schwartz
Produced by:The Righteous Conversations Project Students
Holocaust Survivor Dana Schwartz recounts her life in the Lvov Ghetto during the Holocaust in 'The Story of Three Rings', created by students in the Righteous Conversations Project Digital Storytelling Workshop, Summer 2015.
Curt Lowens: A Life of changes
Produced by:Justin Binder, August Blum, Robert Carlson, Levi Glaser, George Khab...
The Righteous Conversations Digital Storytelling Workshop brings to the screen Holocaust Survivor Curt Lowens' story of escape and resistance during World War II.
Share Our Stories - Curt
By: Chance Hakimi, Yonah Yasmeh, Tiffany Farshi, Dr. Jim Lichti
Curt's story as a Holocaust survivor encourages the young generation to be strong and have hope.
Share Our Stories - David
By: Maxine Malekmehr, Hannah Berookhim and Niki Nickfardjam
A story about David as Holocaust survivor encourages the young generations to be brave and have hope for a brighter future.
Hold the Sun in Your Hands: The Erika Jacoby Story
Righteous Conversations Project
Created by students from across Los Angeles with Holocaust Survivor Erika Jacoby and Filmmaker Mentor C. Lily Ericsson.
Women Transforming Media -- Eva Haller
Producer: Jeanne Meyers, Xenia Shin
Eva Haller's dedication to philanthropy and activism is a lifelong endeavor.
Tipping Scales: The Story of Lisa Jura
Produced by:The Righteous Conversations Project Students
Tipping Scales' follows the journey of a young woman on the Kindertransport from Vienna to London in 1938. This short film was created by students in the Righteous Conversations Project Digital Storytelling Workshop, Summer 2015.
Zuzana: Music is Life (Trailer)
Produced by:Getzels Gordon Productions
An uplifting and inspiring musical story of love, tyranny and triumph.
Stories
Norbert Troller
By: Robin Venter
Norbert Troller was a Jewish architect sent to the Theresienstadt ghetto-concentration camp. He made secret drawings depicting camp life that he recovered after the war.
Helen Freeman
By: Magda Liszewska
Helen Freeman survived the Holocaust and shares her story. She was a founding Advisory Board Survivor Elder of The Righteous Conversations Project which connects Holocaust survivors and teens.
Survivors of the Holocaust
By: Alyson from Southeast Polk
This story includes the memories of Jeannine Burk, a Jewish child forced into hiding at a young age.
Wladyslaw Szpilman
By: Adrian from Pleasant Hill
Wladyslaw Szpilman was a survivor of the holocaust but went on to perform beautiful music. He wrote a memoir about his survival titled "The Pianist".
Raja Weksler
By: Melissa from Linwood
Raja Weksler helped her daughter survive in a concentration camp. Their story is told in the book "Thanks to my Mother".
Read Ellisha's story about how her grandfather Harry survived and why he is her hero.
My Grandfather Harry
By: Ellisha from Montreal, Quebec in Canada
"My grandfather was a normal child, just like you and me. However, something horrifying occurred that changed his life forever."
"The International Holocaust Memorial Day on January 27th commemorates the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest and one of the most deadly of the Nazi death camps, on that day in 1945. Over one million people, mostly Jews, were killed in Auschwitz. Six million Jews were killed in the Holocaust. Eleven million human beings across political, social, national, and religious lines, were killed as victims of Nazi persecution. Seventy-five years later, we reflect back on humanity’s worst impulses—Yet in choosing to commemorate the liberation of the camp alongside recalling the suffering that took place in it, the historical moment reminds us that we should persist toward hope and justice, and that it is in our power to fight against such evil—and to win."
by Dr. Deb Donig, Assistant Professor of English Literature, Cal Poly
The Righteous Conversations Projects connects Holocaust survivors with teens, who become "vessels of memory," as well as to address injustices in the modern world.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Credit: USHMM
International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance
Credit: International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance
Echoes and Reflections Holocaust Teacher Resources for Middle and High School
Credit: Echoes and Reflections
MY HERO Calendars for use in the Classroom
MY HERO's Teachers Calendar Features Lesson Plans and Multimedia Resources
Teachers Calendar
Credit: MY HERO
Learn about a New Hero Every Day of the Year: Use the MY HERO Calendar in the Classroom
Share Your Hero Essays, Films and Art through our Create Program
Outstanding essays submitted to MY HERO will be considered for a certificate/t-shirt prize or be featured on theStory Homepage.