Students in Witness Theater will
- Create long-lasting relationships with Holocaust survivors.
- Meet new peers.
- Portray the life experiences of Holocaust survivors in a theatrical performance.
- Learn about drama therapy.
- Students with no theater experience are encouraged to apply.
When
- Every Tuesday from 5:00-7:30 pm from September 22nd till May.
- Sunday rehearsals at 10 am -2 pm from January- May.
Where
- 520 8th Ave, 5th floor, Manhattan, NY, 10018
What Students Say about Participating in Witness Theater 2026
Since the year of its inception in 2012, Witness Theater has connected 213 Holocaust survivors, who shared their experiences with 413 high school students across New York. Through 88 free public performances, Witness Theater highlighted 213 unique life stories of loss, trauma, and survival with a total attendance of close to 65,000 people.
WITNESS THEATER IN NEWS
Wave Hill, For the Win, Cats: The Jellicle Ball, and more! | Arts in the City
Check out a drama program that pairs Holocaust survivors with High School students at Witness Theater!
As Survivor Voices Diminish, We Must Rethink How We Teach the Holocaust
New York is home to one of the largest populations of Holocaust survivors in the world. For decades, this city has been a place where survivors rebuilt their lives: raising families, building communities, and contributing to the fabric of a place that offered refuge and possibility after unimaginable loss, but we are now at a turning point.
By Hanan Simhon
How Drama Therapy Transforms Holocaust Education across Generations
Every Tuesday night in Manhattan, a circle of chairs was arranged to hold a universe of intersecting worlds. Around the table sat a remarkably diverse group: four older adults born into the thick of the Second World War, and ten New York City high school students hailing from a kaleidoscope of backgrounds; Black, BIPOC, Latino, German, Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, and non-Jewish.
By Hamutal Posklinsky-Shehory
Students, Holocaust survivors collaborate in drama therapy-based program
A Kiddush cup that belonged to Holocaust survivor Fred Schoenfeld inspired a theatrical production called “To Life.”
Schoenfeld’s father buried the family’s silver Judaica in their backyard in Czechoslovakia before escaping the Nazis. He returned for it after the war, even though the house no longer belonged to them.
Witness Theater was conceived by Irit and Ezra Dagan and developed by JDC-Eshel in Israel. It was brought to New York in 2012 by Selfhelp Community Services, Inc. This year’s Witness Theater Program is a collaboration of Selfhelp, UJA-Federation of New York, and Yeshivah of Flatbush Joel Braverman High School. The program also receives generous support from Carol and Carl Hess, the Miriam and Arthur Diamond Charitable Trust, and The Kupferberg Foundation.
With Assistance from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany. Supported by the German Federal Ministry of Finance.
Special thanks to our 2026 Witness Theater hosts, the Museum of Jewish Heritage – a Living Memorial to the Holocaust and The Sheen Center for Thought & Culture.
WITNESS THEATER: THE FILM
Witness Theater: The Film and Study Guide are powerful tools aimed at teaching the lessons of intolerance and bigotry to middle and high school students.
Take a look behind the scenes into Witness Theater’s year-long therapeutic journey. You will see stories of loss, struggle and lives rebuilt and the healing power of inter-generational relationships. This moving documentary, currently shown at film festivals across the country, is about the power of connection, friendship, and love between generations. It is also about healing, to the extent possible, in the context of the most brutal genocide in human history. Learn more about Witness Theater: The Film at www.witnesstheaterthefilm.com.
Witness Theater: The Film is based upon Selfhelp’s Witness Theater program. Filmmaker Oren Rudavsky, distributor Menemsha Films, and a number of individual and organizational supporters including UJA-Federation of NY, have joined in this feature length documentary that serves as a behind the scenes look at a nearly yearlong relationship between students and survivors.
Witness Theater: The Film is distributed by Menemsha Films.
Email Menemsha Films to schedule a screening of the documentary for your community.
HELP EDUCATE FUTURE GENERATIONS
Selfhelp is dedicated to remembering the Holocaust and raising awareness of the survivor population still in need today. Through creative educational initiatives, we’re ensuring that the memory of the Holocaust will not be forgotten by generations to come. Help us educate future generations about the Holocaust.
