The Number on Great Grandpa’s Arm
- Balance Learning Resources
- Jan 1
- 1 min read
Updated: Sep 2
Grade Level: 3-8
Duration of video: 19 minutes
Themes: Empathy, Family Connection, Loss, Resilience
Lesson Overview:
This short family film, presented with the Museum of Jewish Heritage, introduces Holocaust history to a new generation. When 10-year-old Elliott asks his 90-year-old great-grandfather, Jack, about the number tattooed on his arm, he sparks an intimate conversation about Jack’s life that spans happy memories of childhood in Poland, the loss of his family, surviving Auschwitz, and finding a new life in America. Their tender exchange is woven with historical footage and hand-painted animation to tell a heartbreaking story of Jewish life in Eastern Europe before and during the Holocaust.
Students will learn some basic elements about life during the Holocaust.
