'Power of Story’ shapes HAFTR eighth-graders

Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway Middle School students took on a school year-long project that was aimed to help them become better people.

The “Power of Story” Capstone Project was called life-changing by the students. Guided by Principal Joshua Gold, project director and coordinator Dr. Yali Werzberger, and faculty advisers Rebecca Zweibon and Rinat Balsam, students interviewed family members, visited websites, museums and communities to learn more about the historical background that shaped their ancestor’s lives, which then impacted their lives and story.

Many educators stress the importance of learning about other cultures to build respect for other people. HAFTR teachers pointed to recent studies showing that knowing family history gives people a sense of identity, makes them more resilient, helps people connect with others, makes people better and also helps people make better life choices. The idea for the program came from research conducted at Emory University, identifying a correlation between knowing one’s family story and grit and resilience. The school’s project has shaped students into better people at a young age, HAFTR officials said.

Despite the obstacles of the coronavirus pandemic, Werzberger was moved by the way students overcame the circumstances. “The way in which our students have responded has been inspiring, and the resilience they have shown, continuing in their family tradition, has been nothing short of remarkable,” she said.

Along with the in-depth research, the students were exposed to public speaking skills by radio personalities Nachum Segal and Miriam Wallach of the Nachum Segal Network, who entertained the students with humorous and engaging stories

Werzberger said teamwork, working with others and sacrificing for another were prevalent themes that appeared in the students’ stories. “Our students spoke with pride about how their ancestors did not respond to these circumstances with resignation and despair,” she said. “Instead, they persevered, and with grit and resilience, built a new life and a new story.”

Student stories revolved around family members who never compromised on celebrating Shabbat, escaped from countries because of persecution and built successful businesses from scratch. The videos also highlighted values such as integrity, compassion and vision attributes that offer students a road map into the future.

Family members appeared touched by video clips from each speech and the project impacted the students. Kayla Fleschner said that learning about the courage and compassion that her great-grandmother, Ida Spirer, empowered her to continue to behave similarly in high school and in life. Fellow eighth-grader Tani Poznanski said the value of a growth mindset is one that he learned both at the school and his great grandfather.

Gold closed the evening event noting that the students gained skills in writing, leadership and public speaking. The school made the speeches available to be viewed.   

The eighth-graders are: Lilly Azizo, Joey Cohen, Betzalel Englard, Noah Freundlich, Esther Gaon, Joshua Halpert, Abbi Kammerman, Maria Khaimov, Milo Lemberger, Stephanie Marcus, Michal Mari, Kaitlin Pollack, Tani Poznanski, Jacob Wallach, Sophia Witkes and Jacob Zwiebel.