In honor of Yom HaShoa, Holocaust Remembrance Day, an ingenious Israeli tech executive has unveiled a bold new project, created around one central question:
“What if a girl in the Holocaust had Instagram?”
Eva Stories, a new account on Instagram, launches today (May 1) at 4pm Israel time, 9 am Eastern time. As of this writing, the account has more than 343,000 followers.
“Hi, my name’s Eva,” the trailer begins, narrated by a young girl. “Welcome to my page. Follow me. This is my page for random thoughts, crushes, my hashtag #bffs. One day, I’ll be a famous reporter, but for now, I live with my grandparents.”
But then, the scenes turn darker and scarier. Eva “posts” acts of Antisemitism, her fears of the situation that is unfolding around her, her family’s need to hide, and more. “From today, I must document everything that happens to us,” she concludes.
The New York Times reports that the account is the creation of Mati Kochavi, an Israeli tech executive, and his daughter Maya. Through a series of 70 short videos, the two sought to relate the horrors of the Holocaust to a 21st century audience – though some in Israel have accused them of trivializing the experience.
We say, “Kol HaKavod”. The world has vowed to “never forget”, but our younger generation is starting to do just that. This Instagram account is an innovative, out-of-the-box, brilliant strategy to bring Holocaust education to a wider audience. Can’t wait to see how this unfolds.