Program to allow students to learn firsthand from Holocaust survivors

UCLA students interested in regularly meeting with Holocaust survivors during winter quarter and listening to their experiences can apply over the next two weeks to participate in the Bearing Witness program.

Applications for Bearing Witness are available online through Hillel at UCLA’s website and are due Dec. 8. The program is run through the Center for Jewish Studies, Jewish Family Service, the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and Hillel at UCLA.

The goal of the Bearing Witness program is to provide students with an opportunity to develop a personal relationship with the survivor they are matched with and to learn about how his or her life was affected by the Holocaust, according to the Hillel website.

“I feel like you develop a lot and grow as an individual (by joining),” said Catherine Eshaghzadeh, co-president of Bearing Witness and a second-year psychobiology student. “My perspective after participating in this has totally changed from what it was before I started. You get to learn the story of your survivor and carry it with you.”

“What we’re looking for in applicants are people who are open to learning about the Holocaust, but anyone can do it and there are no real requirements,” said Rebecca Lerman, co-president of Bearing Witness and a fourth-year psychobiology student.

If chosen, students must attend all meetings with the Holocaust survivors, which will take place on Wednesdays from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. at Hillel during winter quarter. The meetings will include an orientation session on Jan. 7, luncheons with the survivors and reflection sessions throughout January and February.

Those involved in the Bearing Witness program can gain one unit of UCLA academic credit by enrolling in Professor Todd Presner’s course, German 19 Fiat Lux: Interviewing Holocaust Survivors.

Compiled by Jillian Frankel, Bruin contributor.