Yes, the Speaker needs to be an adult child or grandchild of the survivor. Our experience shows that students connect most closely with a family member, and appreciate the family member’s perspective on how the Holocaust affected both the Survivor and his/her family. Of course, teaching and sharing personal testimony does not have to be done by someone directly affected, but the power of this particular format is the direct connection.
While video testimony is powerful and survives the test of time, this interactive presentation is more suited to a classroom environment. It allows students to investigate the material from various voices and artifacts. It keeps them engaged. It keeps this history relevant and current.
The presentation should be adaptable. While this presentation was planned for a 45 minute classroom program, it could be expanded or reduced to meet any time frame. Simply add or elimante from the powerpoint.
The interview can be completed in one day. The remainder of time is dependant on the editor of the scripts, and your time to produce the PowerPoint.
If we do not take on the responsibility of teaching the Holocaust to future generations, who will? There are fewer and fewer Holocaust survivors who can tell their histories. We must capture them now.