I have certainly done my share of live performances. I minored in theater in college, back in the day. I even flirted with the idea of going into acting. Nothing could have prepared me for what it was like to present a Holocaust story in person for the first time.
I first learned how to tell Holocaust stories in 2020, just weeks before the pandemic hit. Our final presentations were in front of just the teachers and a handful of classmates, which is quite different from having a true audience. With everything moving to Zoom during Covid, I became used to presenting my stories online and continued to do so even after meeting in person became possible again. I did not have my first official in-person presentation until earlier this year, over five years after my introduction to Holocaust storytelling.
The presentation was at my synagogue. I was surrounded by friends and acquaintances, but was still incredibly nervous. There were several storytellers taking part, and we were told we could invite anyone we wished. We invited our family and friends, and the audience was highly diverse. There were only fifty or so audience members, but the energy in the room made me feel as if I were performing at Carnegie Hall!
Of course, we were not really doing this for entertainment. The storytellers were a part of a program aimed at educating the community about the Shoah, in general, and more specifically about the work done by Teach the Shoah. When it was my turn to speak, I walked up to the bimah knowing I was part of something much bigger than a mere performance.
I was nervous, but also excited, as my story and I were introduced. This was vastly different from acting. Telling a story from someone else’s memory and testimony about a time that is typically considered among the most horrific in human history is not easy. It is emotional and often heartbreaking. It is also empowering: incredible stories of hope and strength to which the audience cannot help but respond. Afterwards, I felt drained but also hopeful and proud of my part in preserving an important piece of history.
Honoring the memories of those who lived that history and protecting a legacy of refusing to be quiet in the face of bigotry is what Holocaust storytelling is all about. At least, that was how I felt when I sat down after telling my story.
❤️ Giving history ongoing relevance. The stories + new tellers and their own experiences of the stories as part of the dialogue between memory and evidence.