intergenerational programs

Generations Communicate: The Culture of the World That Was Destroyed April, May 2004

The tragic losses of the Holocaust are largely documented. A less talked about loss resulting from the Holocaust is the destruction of Jewish religious and secular life in Eastern Europe before World War II, and with it, the natural continuity of this distinct and culturally rich world.
Jewish life in Eastern Europe before World War II represented the greatest differentiation of Jewish religious and secular culture in history. After the war, opportunities for direct transmission of this culture from one generation to the next within a community almost ceased to exist. The living adults who knew the world of Eastern Europe first-hand, the generation of Holocaust survivors, will no longer be present in a few years. Although eliciting testimony from survivors about their Holocaust experiences has proceeded consistently from the war through the current day, very little has been done to mine their recollections of their rich life before the war. With this in mind, the Judaic Studies Program of Drexel University created a unique intergenerational program to help transmit this cultural memory and the living lessons about pre-war life that Philadelphia-based Holocaust survivors can provide for the succeeding generations.	Holocaust survivor Stephen Guzik speaks after class with Drexel students Alexandra Piltch, Audrey Whitman, and Rachael Butkovitz.
In April and May of 2004, Generations Communicate: The Culture of the World That Was Destroyed brought together Drexel University students, middle and high school students from Akiba Hebrew Academy, and members of Philadelphia’s community of Holocaust survivors, to recollect the past, share knowledge and to learn about each other. The educational series began with preparatory lessons for the Akiba students by Dr. Rakhmiel Peltz, Director of Judaic Studies, Dr. Adina Cimet of Yivo in New York City, and Akiba Hebrew Academy teachers, Ivy Kaplan, Allen Gottlieb, and Gail Simon, with guidance from Sharon Levin, Head of the Humanities Department at Akiba. Next, community members who are Holocaust survivors were invited into four classrooms, including seventh graders studying traditional customs and folkways, and ninth grade classes learning about the Holocaust. After introductions and greetings all around, each visitor described, with the help of Dr. Peltz’s questions, her daily life as a child in Eastern Europe before the war. The students had prepared thoughtful questions in advance. Many guests found their playful and humorous sides coming out. The students were, of course, also attracted to find out how these survivors stayed alive as young people caught in a terrifying war. Each classroom meeting was observed by multi-generational Drexel University students in Dr. Peltz’s course, "Yiddish Literature and Culture." Their term project was to closely observe the interactions in several sessions, looking at the issue of the formative nature of the culture of the household and how it serves as a mainstay for future life. The class produced fascinating ethnographic reports.

In a final song of the evening, left to right front row, Richard Lenatsky, Toviah and Dina Botwinik, Cantor Naomi Hirsh, Fran Kleiner, second row, members of the Shira Hadasha Choir of Congregation Beth Am Israel.	Finally, the educational series was brought to a close with a celebratory concert open to the public. Lomir Ale Zingen: A Festival of Yiddish Song in Eastern Europe was held on the Drexel University campus on Sunday, May 23. The first Yiddish song festival held in Philadelphia in over a quarter of a century, the event featured performances by Philadelphia artists Fran Kleiner, Sherm Labovitz, Richard Lenatsky, Cantor Naomi Hirsch, the children Toviah and Dina Botwinik, and Congregation Beth Am Israel’s Shira Hadasha Choir. The concert was directed by Alexander Botwinik. Marvin Weinberger accompanied on violin, as did Andrew Heller on piano. The tenor Richard Lenatsky, a protégé of Jan Pierce, is one of the finest Yiddish male voices in the world. The Shira Hadasha Choir of Congregation Beth Am Israel in Penn Valley performed from its intricate repertoire of Yiddish music, under the direction of Yiddish music authority Alexander Botwinik.
The concert, attended by 300 people, was marked by stunning performances and the deep appreciation of the listeners.

The Judaic Studies Program of Drexel University
331 Hagerty Library • Drexel University • 33rd and Market Streets • Philadelphia, PA 19104
TEL 215.895.6388 • FAX 215.895.0229
judaicstudies@drexel.edu •  www.drexel.edu/judaicstudies