JHS celebrates the 10th Anniversary of sponsoring the Intergenerational Oral History Program
HIStory, HERstory: Gaining a Deeper Understanding of History Using Personal Accounts, is an intergenerational oral history program sponsored by the Jewish Historical Society of New Jersey. West Orange freshman honor high school students and Daughters of Israel senior residents partner in a two to one ratio to participate in this program throughout the school year. Mali Schwartz, former JHSNJ board member, created a program curriculum and was the initial program liaison, a role that Bob Singer, JHSNJ secretary, has recently assumed.
The 2019/2020 school year is the 10th year that this interaction between these two groups, which has met with great success, has taken place. “I didn’t expect that so many students would want to participate in this program which has become very popular with my students,” according to Douglas Drabik, West Orange High School American History faculty member. “I have enjoyed bringing my students, who travel by bus, to the Daughters of Israel, who have been very accommodating. They have let us use their social hall, their technology, provided staff and supplied lunch for everyone.”
There are four field trips scheduled throughout the school year where the focus is on intergenerational sharing, confronting stereotypes, bring photographs to light and sharing high school memories, and overcoming adversity. Students enjoy getting to know their senior residents and are provided with valuable real-life experiences that foster an appreciation for the subject matter, the community and themselves.
We have received several grants over the years to help underwrite the cost of this program from State Farm Insurance and the Lillian Schenck Foundation.
A culminating program is held during American Jewish History Month in May where students display their visual projects and written reports, and where guests are invited to share in the festivities. The overriding program goals include recognizing the historical significance of the experiences of the elderly population, encouraging teens and seniors to dialogue and share personal stories which are archived at the Jewish Historical Society, helping students to become better neighbors by learning to recognize people’s similarities and appreciate their differences and training students in the art of oral history taking.
We hope that the participants which number over four hundred students and senior residents, have acquiring a new appreciation for personal history and have enjoyed new intergenerational friendships.
The 2019/2020 school year is the 10th year that this interaction between these two groups, which has met with great success, has taken place. “I didn’t expect that so many students would want to participate in this program which has become very popular with my students,” according to Douglas Drabik, West Orange High School American History faculty member. “I have enjoyed bringing my students, who travel by bus, to the Daughters of Israel, who have been very accommodating. They have let us use their social hall, their technology, provided staff and supplied lunch for everyone.”
There are four field trips scheduled throughout the school year where the focus is on intergenerational sharing, confronting stereotypes, bring photographs to light and sharing high school memories, and overcoming adversity. Students enjoy getting to know their senior residents and are provided with valuable real-life experiences that foster an appreciation for the subject matter, the community and themselves.
We have received several grants over the years to help underwrite the cost of this program from State Farm Insurance and the Lillian Schenck Foundation.
A culminating program is held during American Jewish History Month in May where students display their visual projects and written reports, and where guests are invited to share in the festivities. The overriding program goals include recognizing the historical significance of the experiences of the elderly population, encouraging teens and seniors to dialogue and share personal stories which are archived at the Jewish Historical Society, helping students to become better neighbors by learning to recognize people’s similarities and appreciate their differences and training students in the art of oral history taking.
We hope that the participants which number over four hundred students and senior residents, have acquiring a new appreciation for personal history and have enjoyed new intergenerational friendships.