Films
Programs for Students
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
SPEAKERS BUREAU
SCHOOLS/ORGANIZATIONS THAT HOSTED PROGRAMS
For more information, please contact Deborah Coltin at
978-740-4428 or email dcoltin@
ANTISEMITISM EDUCATION
“The video and discussion resulted not only in better understanding for our students, but reinforced that they must be active in combating antisemitism and making our community kinder and more inclusive.”
Adam Federico, Former Principal, Danvers High School
Antisemitism Defined
Lappin Foundation adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) non-legally binding workingdefinition of antisemitism:
“Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”
Read the full text of IHRA’s definition here.
FILMS
Animated Films Narrated by Holocaust Survivors
Animated Films Narrated by Holocaust Survivors
- The Teddy Bear narrated by Michael Gruenbaum, survivor of Terezin concentration camp, who shares his story about how a teddy bear saved his life
- The Ship narrated by Dr. Hans Fisher, who shares his story about how he escaped Nazi Germany on the ill-fated SS St. Louis and survived
- More films are in production
- A teacher’s guide accompanies each film; teachers can request a facilitator to lead the post screening discussion
The Ship – The True Story of Dr. Hans Fisher, Escapee of the Holocaust and Passenger on the MS St. Louis
The Ship is a Holocaust education film project of Lappin Foundation, whose mission is enhancing Jewish identity across generations. The film is narrated by Dr. Hans Fisher, who escaped Nazi Germany as a child on the ill-fated MS St. Louis, only to return to Europe after being refused entry to Cuba and the United States. The film is appropriate for middle school age children and older. The length is approximately 8 minutes. A teacher’s guide is available here.
The Ship is produced by Deborah L. Coltin and animated by Benjamin Gruenbaum.
The Ship is dedicated to Dr. Hans Fisher. Thank you, Hans, for all you do to educate younger generations about the Holocaust and for reminding us about the need to communicate with people so they understand what it is they are really doing.
For more information about The Ship or for ideas about how to use it to teach about the Holocaust, email dcoltin@lappinfoundation.org.
The Teddy Bear – The True Story of Michael Gruenbaum, Survivor of Terezin Concentration Camp
The Teddy Bear is a Holocaust education film project of Lappin Foundation. The film is narrated by survivor Michael Gruenbaum, who spent two-and-a-half years in Terezin as a child. The film is appropriate for middle school age children and older. The length is approximately 12 minutes. A teacher’s guide is available.
Antisemitism: Educate to Stop the Hate
A one-session program including a snapshot of antisemitism in America and featuring the film screening and discussion of Swastika: Symbol of Hate
- Target audience: high school and middle school students
- Recommended minimum time: 1 hour
- Can be especially helpful when swastika graffiti shows up at a school or proactively before something happens
Antisemitism: Educate to Stop the Hate is made possible with a grant from Cummings Foundation.
Swastika - Symbol of Hate
The swastika has become a major symbol of the Holocaust. Swastika—Symbol of Hate is a short film explaining the origins of the swastika as a symbol of peace and goodwill and about how Hitler hijacked it to use as a symbol of the Nazi party. The film is geared toward students in grades 6 and above. The film can be especially powerful when a swastika shows up in a school or in a community.
Holocaust Survivor Testimonies
Recordings of testimonies and facilitated programs that include survivor testimony are available
- Target audience: high school and middle school students
Magda Bader, Holocaust Survivor
Magda Bader is a survivor of the Holocaust. She grew up in Munkacs, Czechoslovakia, in the 1930s. In the spring of 1944, when Magda was 14 years old, her family was ordered to vacate their home and they were re-located to a ghetto. Soon after, the ghetto was liquidated, and Magda and her family were piled into cramped cattle cars (trains) and sent to the “east”—destination Auschwitz death camp. After disembarking the train, Magda and her two older sisters were separated from their parents, another sister, and their sister’s baby. That’s the last time Magda and her sisters saw them. Magda’s emotional testimonial about her lived experience bears witness to the Holocaust.
Dr. Hans Fisher, Escapee of the Holocaust
Dr. Hans Fisher, an escapee of the Holocaust, was born on March 4, 1928, in Breslau, Germany, which is now Wroclaw, Poland. He left Germany on May 13, 1939, with his mother and sister on the ill-fated ship the St. Louis, headed for Cuba to meet his father. Dr. Fisher’s powerful testimony and vivid recollections of the day after Kristallnacht (the night of broken glass), his voyage on the St. Louis, and his new life in America bear witness to the Holocaust.
PROGRAMS FOR STUDENTS
In addition to the programs listed, Lappin Foundation will customize programs and create new ones to meet students’ needs.
I have learned so much from the Holocaust Symposium and have gained a much better understanding of the events that went on during that time. Thank you so much for educating me about this tragic topic and answering all of the questions I had. I hope to use the knowledge I learned to make my school a better community.” – Danvers High School Student
Antisemitism Explained
What does antisemitism look like and sound like, and how can we respond to it?
- Target audience: high school and middle school students
- Recommended minimum time: 1 hour
- Format: Powerpoint presentation, film screening, and discussion
Holocaust Symposium for High School Students
An introduction to the Holocaust through films, Holocaust survivors’ testimonies, primary sources, book read, and discussion
- Target audience: high school students
- Recommended minimum time: three 90-minutes sessions
- Format: Powerpoint presentations, films, testimonies, and discussions
The Holocaust Symposium for High School Students is made possible with a grant from Cummings Foundation.
International Holocaust Remembrance Day Commemorations
Working with schools to help them design and deliver a meaningful commemoration during the month of January
Jewish American Heritage Month Programs
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Antisemitism Explained for Educators
An introduction to antisemitism and its impact on our schools
- Recommended minimum time: 1 hour
- Format: Powerpoint presentation, film screening, and discussion
- Implementing recommendations of the National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism in K-12 Schools
Introduction to the Holocaust
Film screening and facilitated discussion of The Path to Nazi Genocide
- Target audience: grades 8-12
- Recommended minimum time: 90 minutes
- Format: film screening and discussion
Brief History of Jews in America
For more information, please contact Deborah Coltin at 978-740-4428 or email dcoltin@
SPEAKERS BUREAU
Holocaust survivors, children (2G-second generation) and grandchildren (3G-third generation) of Holocaust survivors share their parents’ and grandparents’ stories
- Target audience: grades 6-12
- Recommended minimum time: 60 minutes
For more information, please contact Deborah Coltin at 978-740-4428 or email dcoltin@
SCHOOLS/ORGANIZATIONS THAT HOSTED PROGRAMS
Acton-Boxborough School District
Beaver Country Day School (Chestnut Hill)
Bigelow Middle School (Newton)
Bishop Fenwick High School
Boxborough Fire Department
Camp Pembroke
Camp Tel Noar
Camp Tevya
Concord Academy
Concord-Carlisle High School
Danvers High School
Danvers Middle School
Dartmouth High School
Dartmouth Middle School
Dexter Southfield School
Doherty Middle School (Andover)
Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School
Hamilton Wenham Regional School District
Higgins Middle School (Peabody)
Justus Richardson Middle School (Dracut)
Lafayette College
Lynnfield Middle School
Maimonides School (Brookline)
Marblehead High School
Marblehead Middle School
Masconomet Middle School
Milton Academy
New England Academy (Beverly)
Newton North High School
Newton South High School
Northfield Mount Hermon
The Park School (Brookline)
Peabody School District
Pollard Middle School (Needham)
The Rivers School (Brookline)
St. John’s Prep (Danvers)
Salem High School
Salem State University
Saugus High School
Saugus Middle School
Scituate High School
Sizer School (Fitchburg)
St. Paul’s School (Concord, NH)
Tewskbury Middle School
Village School (Marblehead)
Wellesley High School
West Middle School (Andover)
Whittier Regional Technical School
Winchester High School
Wood Hills Middle School (Andover)
Worcester Technical High School
YMCA Boston