Using Testimony Films in the Classroom - The Story of Ovadia Baruch

Survivor testimony, in presenting the story of the individual, stands at the core of Holocaust education. With the passage of time, the irreplaceable experience of hearing a survivor speak first-hand – the empathy and emotional connection created, the immediacy of the interaction – will no longer be possible. In this video Sheryl Silver-Ochayon presents the film “May Your Memory Be Love”, in which Ovadia Baruch tells his own story on location where the events occurred. The experiences of Baruch, a Greek Jew born in Salonika, allow a glimpse into the oft-overlooked Holocaust of Greek Jewry. The film is part of the “Witnesses and Testimony” series.

Sheryl Silver-Ochayon is a staff member at the International School for Holocaust Studies, Yad Vashem.

• Part 1: Using Testimony Films in the Classroom
• Part 2: Jewish Life in Salonika
• Part 3: Deportation of Greek Jewry to Auschwitz
• Part 4: The Dehumanization Process in Auschwitz
• Part 5: Daily Life in the Camps
• Part 6: Survival and the Return to Life

Pedagogical objectives

• Present the testimonial film “May Your Memory Be Love”, in which survivor Ovadia Baruch recounts his personal story on location.
• Learn the importance of Holocaust testimony in Holocaust education, and the challenges of replicating this experience in a world without survivors.
• Sample some of the intangibles inherent in experiencing first-person witness accounts.

Teaching aids