Eyewitness accounts of Holocaust horrors.

Two recent documentaries are helping students understand the history of the Holocaust and what it means today through the eyes of those who were there.

Testimony of the Human Spirit, a film and teacher's guide produced by the Westchester Holocaust Education Center, is designed for students in grades 8 and up. Told through the eyes of six men and women who were children in Europe during the Third Reich and later created meaningful, productive lives in America, the film aims to provide a historically accurate overview of the Holocaust in a format that meets teachers' needs and while holding students' attention. "As the generation of survivors begins to disappear, it's important that we give future students an opportunity to experience some of what the students today get when a survivor comes to their classroom," says Andy Cahn, co-director of education at the center.

Since MTV already has young people's attention, its May airing of the film I'm Still Here likely reached a lot of students via school and home. The documentary features the voices of stars like Kate Hudson, Elijah Wood and Brittany Murphy, who read excerpts from the diaries of young Holocaust witnesses.

Since genocide did not end with World War II, Cahn points out that educators must teach students to "apply the universal lessons learned from the [Holocaust] to prevent it from happening again."

www.holocausteducationctr.org