Sinai-Akiba Students Connect with Café Europa Survivors

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Last week at the Gunther-Hirsh Family Center on Fairfax, something remarkable unfolded across a circle of tables—an exchange not just of stories, but of memory, responsibility, and hope.

Jewish Family Service LA welcomed 25 seventh grade students from Sinai-Akiba Academy into our weekly Café Europa gathering, where Holocaust Survivors meet for community, music, dancing, and mutual support. The visit marked the continuation of the school’s annual Holocaust Survivor Project, a living-history initiative that brings young people face-to-face with those who endured one of humanity’s darkest chapters.

These 7th grade students and Survivors first met in November 2025, when the young participants arrived with thoughtful questions—prepared not simply to learn about history, but to listen. In response, Survivors shared their stories. Names became faces. Dates became lived experiences. History became human.

In a world that feels increasingly uncertain, the program’s significance resonates beyond the classroom. 

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“In a post-October 7th world, the context has shifted from learning history to fortifying the future,” said Yael Mashbaum, Director of Jewish Education at Sinai-Akiba Academy. “By confronting the darkest chapters of our history, we empower our students to be a light in the future, ensuring they have the tools to advocate for themselves and for the Jewish people.”

“When students sit beside survivors, hear their stories firsthand, and return to school to transform those testimonies into poetry and art, they are doing more than learning — they are carrying history forward.” said Shayna Panitz, JFSLA’s Arts, Wellness, and Engagement (AWE) Activities Coordinator, who helped bring the program into Café Europa. “The book they compile becomes a living tribute, crafted with care and presented back to the survivors as a powerful reminder that their stories will never be forgotten, but will continue to inspire future generations.” she said.

For many students, the experience proved transformative.

“Interviewing Barbra Drotow changed how I see the Holocaust by putting a human face to it,” wrote seventh grader Rio Kamran in the 2025–2026 Am Yisrael Chai tribute book. “Hearing the story directly from someone who lived through it helped me understand the fear, loss and strength that millions of people at the time went through. It also made me feel more responsible for remembering the past and standing up against hate.”

Guided by seventh grade English and Theatre teacher Diane Weinberger and Jewish History teacher Taylor Gottbetter, the students spent months reflecting on these deeply personal narratives—through writing, poetry, photography, and artwork. The result is a beautifully printed, 108-page tribute book distributed to each Survivor who participated, offering a creative and heartfelt response to the stories entrusted to them.

“These students have dedicated themselves to carrying the history of their people, and are stepping forward to write the next chapter,” shared Gottbetter.

At Café Europa, memory is not an abstract concept—it is lived, shared, and, in moments like these, passed gently into the hands of the next generation.

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