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Teaching the Holocaust and other Genocides

Film: The Number on Great Grandpa's Arm

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The Number on Great Grandpa’s Arm is a short 18-minute documentary film that features a conversation between ten-year-old Elliot Saiontz and his great-grandfather Jack Feldman, an Auschwitz survivor, prompted by the child’s curiosity about the number tattooed on Jack’s arm. Jack shares happy memories of his childhood in Poland, the loss of his family, surviving Auschwitz and finding a new life in America. Their exchange is woven with historical footage and hand-painted animation to tell a heartbreaking story of Jewish life in Eastern Europe, sharing memories and lessons of the Holocaust with a new generation. The 2018 film enables educators to introduce the topic of the Holocaust to young children in an age-appropriate manner.

View The Number on Great Grandpa's Arm

Discussion Questions

1. Who are the main people in the film, and what is their relationship to each other?

2. Why does Great-Grandpa Jack have a number on his arm, and what does it represent?

3. How does Jack describe his life before the Holocaust? What kind of childhood did he have?

4. What happened to Jack and his family during the Holocaust? How did he survive Auschwitz? What was it like finding a new life in America?

5. How does the film use animation and real footage together? Why do you think the filmmakers made this choice? What do you notice about the colors, tones, and shades of the animations? What do those choices convey about what is happening?

6. Why do you think Jack chose to share his story with his great-grandson Elliott?

7. How does Elliott react to hearing Jack’s story? What does this tell us about the importance of remembering history?

8. What emotions did you feel while watching the film? Which part was most powerful for you, and why?

9. What lessons do you think the film teaches about kindness, courage, and family?

10. Elliott says that we must never forget the Holocaust, and that we must get stories from survivors while we still can. Why is this important? What could be a consequence of forgetting the Holocaust, and why do some people want to deny that it happened?

11. Why is it important for younger generations to hear stories like Jack’s? How can we help keep these memories alive?