26 | JULY 1 • 2021

P

roduction on Keith
Famie’s Shoah
Ambassadors Holocaust
documentary film continued
on June 23, as high school
students, guests and the two
young Shoah Ambassadors
themselves took part in a virtu-
al Yad Vashem experience.
At the Emagine Theatre
in Novi, ambassadors Hailey
Callahan, 23, and Curtis Bates,
20, sat in the theater with a
camera crew filming their
experience while designated
hosts at Yad Vashem, the World
Holocaust Rememberance
Center in Jerusalem, virtual-
ly walked them through the
museum and the events of
the Holocaust. A portion of

the event will be featured in
Famie’s film.
Along with the ambassadors
viewing the presentation, 32
students from two nearby high
schools, Novi High and Walled
Lake Northern, were able to sit
in the theater and experience
the tour as well. The documen-
tary film is focused on educat-
ing the youth on the horrors
and atrocities of the Holocaust.
The students were able to
interact with Yad Vashem and
ask the tour guides questions
during the presentation. When
the tour was over, the students
took part in a Q&A with
Callahan and Bates to learn
more about their experience
with the film.

Also at the end, Ruth
Daniels, managing partner of
the Maple Theater, spoke to the
students about her father who
was a Holocaust survivor, and
was able to stand as a personal
testimony for the students to
ask questions about his expe-
rience.
Film director Famie believes
that while COVID created
havoc in everyone’s lives, there
are silver linings to the pan-
demic.
“It taught us about Zoom
and how to use it,” he said.
“Utilizing Zoom to create
this dialogue and narrative,
and at the same time having
high-quality production cam-
eras on both sides, we were

able to introduce Yad Vashem
in the film and, of course, hav-
ing Hailey and Curtis there as
ambassadors and the students
as well was icing on the cake.”

STUDENTS’ REACTIONS
The students were listening to
the subject matter closely and
asking insightful questions.
There seemed to be a consen-
sus at the event that the film’s
approach, telling the story of
the Holocaust through youth
and the ambassadors’ artistic
talents, is one that may indeed

Teaching the Shoah

High schoolers take virtual tour of Yad Vashem.

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

Ruth Daniels, the daughter of a
Holocaust survivor, addresses
the students along with Shoah
Ambassadors Hailey Callahan, 23,
and Curtis Bates, 20.

At the theater were 32
students and film director
Keith Famie (last on right).

PHOTOS COURTESY KEITH FAMIE

PHOTOS COURTESY KEITH FAMIE

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