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The Undying Flame: Ballads and Songs of the Holocaust
| Program Information |
Program Summary: |
This program consisted of 3 performances of Jerry Silverman's acclaimed "Undying Flame: Ballads and Songs of the Holocaust", a presentation of the story of the Holocaust through the music of the people who experiened it.
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Program Description:
Jerry Silverman is a musicologist, Holocaust Scholar, and author of over 200 books. His program consists of selections from his book "The Undying Flame: Ballads and Songs of the Holocaust" which contains over 100 songs in 16 different languages, which tell the story of the Holocaust through the music of the people who experienced. The songs are augmented with narrative stories and descriptions of the people who wrote them, how they came to be, and the Holocaust-specific events which surrounded these songs. Mr. Silverman presented this program 3 times; once at Valley College, once at Pierce College, and once at our weekly Cafe Hillel Social Event. The entire cost of the program, including Mr. Silverman's travel from the east coast, performance fee, and expenses, was funded by a grant from the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles - Valley Alliance through an Incentive Regional Allocation grant. The third performance of the program included a Yom Hashoah memorial ceremony involving readings, prayer, and song im
plemented by students.
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Program Date:
| April 2003 |
Program Goals:
With the premise that there will be a time, far too soon, that no Holocaust Survivors will be left alive to share their first-hand accounts of their experiences, our goal was to create a program that would tell the story of the Holocaust in a meaningful and timeless way. Jerry Silverman is not a Holocaust Survivor, but his presentation very personally connects the events of the Holocaust to students through the cross-cultural, cross-generational medium of music. This program stands as an example of the kind of meaningful Holocaust educational and memorial programs that can be duplicated for generations to come.
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| Target Population: | Arts and Culture students, Everyone
"Other": History and Political Science Students
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If this program was for a Jewish Holiday, for which one was it?
| Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Memorial Day)
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| Program Type: | Arts/Culture/Music, Educational, Multiculturalism, Other
"Other":
Memorial Program
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Issues Addressed:
| The Holocaust, Human rights
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| Frequency of Program: | This program was done once
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Grants Received:
From Hillel's International Center: <No grants received from Hillel's International Center>
Other Grants:
This program was entirely funded by an Incentive Regional Allocation (IRA) grant from the Jewish Federation Valley Alliance of Los Angeles.
Awards Won:
From Hillel's International Center: <No award received from Hillel's International Center>
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| Program Planning |
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People or organizations instrumental in planning the program:
| Students, Program director, Steinhardt Jewish Campus Service Corps Fellow (JCSC), Faculty and staff
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Any campus organizations or local businesses involved in the planning or co-sponsorship:
This program was organized with the help of Pierce/Valley Hillel, the Associated Student Union at Los Angeles Valley College, the History Department at Valley College, and the Political Science Department at Los Angeles Pierce College.
Any partner agencies involved in the planning or co-sponsorship:
The Jewish Federation of Los Angeles Valley Alliance sponsored the program.
Jewish Content Presentation:
The Jewish content was presented through the songs of the people who experienced the Holocaust as well as anecdotally inbetween the songs. The memorial ceremony which accompanied the third presentation of the program was presented with readings, poems, Jewish Prayer and song.
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Number of students expected to participate in the program:
| 101-200 |
Number of students who actually participated in the program:
| 101-200
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Planning Process:
We were contacted by Jerry Silverman early in the 2002-2003 academic year with a description of his program. After consulting with staff and determining that we wanted to do this program, we wrote a grant to the local Jewish Federation to cover the costs of the program including expenses related to Mr. Silverman travelling to the West coast. We were awarded the full amount we requested in the grant and then began contacting our two schools to determine feasible dates. We then created letters and flyers which we distributed to hundreds of teachers on both campuses inviting them to participate and bring their classes to the program. Dates were confirmed with Jerry Silverman who made his own travel and accomadation arrangements. (Which we reimbursed him for.) Staff and students worked together to create appropriate introductions at our on-campus programs. Staff and students also worked together to create the memorial program which followed the performance at our weekly Cafe Hillel social event at our Hil
lel Facility.
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Budget |
The amounts here are in: US Dollars
Income |
| Source | Amount |
| Local Hillel/Hillel Student Organization/Jewish Students Association |
0 |
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Campus Clubs or Organizations
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0 |
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Community Organizations
Incentive Regional Allocation Grant From Los Angeles Jewish Federation Valley Alliance |
$7125.00 |
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| Participant Fees |
0 |
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| Other sources of income: | |
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0 |
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0 |
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0 |
Expenses |
| Item | Amount |
| Performance Fee for 3 performances |
$5000 |
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| Telephone |
$25 |
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| Travel/Lodging/Car Rental for performer. |
$900 |
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| Consumable Supplies - refreshments at Cafe Hillel etc. |
$100 |
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| Printing Duplication - flyers etc. |
$100 |
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| Publicity - ads in campus papers and local Jewish Journal |
$1000 |
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| Program Implementation |
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| Publicity or Advertisement Used: | We promoted the program through extensive flyering directly to teachers on campus encouraging them to bring their classes to our on-campus programs. We also promoted it through our website, weekly e-mail, and print newsletter. We also got listings in the faculty bulletins on both campuses. We also made extensive follow-up calls to invited teachers. |
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| Program Location: | University building or other on campus location, Hillel building |
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| Program Follow-up |
Did you meet your goals?
We were successful in creating a program which presented the story of the Holocaust in a meaningful way through the medium of music which is uniquely suited to deliver messages and information to students. We feel that this program serves as an example of the kinds of Holocaust programming which can be done for many generations to come, especially when we reach a time that Holocaust Survivors won't be around any longer to share their first hand experiences. |
Suggestions for someone who plans a similar program in the future:
This program was definitely a success. We reached around 200 students of all relgious backgrounds with an educational program that raised awareness of the Holocaust. The key, for us, to a successful on campus program of this nature is commitment from teachers in bringing their classes. We identified early on classes with coursework related to the Holocaust which we felt would benefit from participation in such a program.
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Program Impact and Jewish enrichment:
From this program, students learned many details about the events of the Holocaust through songs and the stories of the songs authors as well as the events surrounding the creation of these songs. For example, many songs were created in concentration camps as part of Jewish "cabarets" which the Nazi's created to "Show off" their Jews. Participants also learned stories of resistance as well as the wide range of communities affected by the Holocaust through the examples of songs sung in over 16 languages from countries all over Europe and Russia.
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| Name: | Rick Lupert |
| Director/Assistant Director
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| E-Mail: | Rick@Poetrysuperhighway.com |
School or multi-campus center:
| Los Angeles Pierce College - Woodland Hills |
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