Long Island students bring Holocaust survivors’ stories to life through Witness Project
Gilda Zirinsky said she was just 4 years old when her family escaped during the Holocaust, recalling the sound of enemy planes overhead as her family searched for safety.
A Holocaust survivor who fled her home as a young child is sharing her story with a new generation on Long Island and students are making sure it is never forgotten.
Gilda Zirinsky said she was just 4 years old when her family escaped during the Holocaust, recalling the sound of enemy planes overhead as her family searched for safety. She later settled in Great Neck and now dedicates her time to educating others about her experience.
“Every survivor has a different story,” Zirinsky said. “And it’s important to listen to every history.”
Her story is now part of the Witness Project, a program that pairs high school students with Holocaust survivors. About 50 students from across Long Island spent months working one-on-one with survivors, learning their histories and transforming them into performances and artwork.
Students brought those stories to the stage through music and acting, portraying moments of loss, survival and resilience. Others created paintings depicting key moments from survivors’ journeys escaping the Holocaust.
“Being in this program really shows how bad the Holocaust was firsthand,” said student Blake Cagner.
Program founder Rita Levy said the effort is especially urgent as the number of living survivors declines.
“There have been hundreds of students who have heard the stories, and we’ve created thousands of witnesses,” Levy said. “We hope that this continues for as long as survivors are around.”
Organizers say the goal is to ensure these firsthand accounts are preserved and passed down, even after survivors are no longer able to share them themselves.
