Meg Lipstone and her son, Jack, 13, are eager to start spreading the word about IWitness as part of USC Shoah Foundation’s new IWitness Advocacy program.

Meg’s mother, Rachela Margulies, gave testimony to the Visual History Archive about her experiences as a Holocaust survivor, so the family has always been aware of the Visual History Archive and the activities of USC Shoah Foundation. But Meg first heard about IWitness from a friend who worked for one of the Institute’s donors, and was immediately interested in helping increase its outreach and adoption. After reaching out to staff at the Institute, she was asked to be part of the new IWitness Advocacy program.

IWitness Advocacy will train volunteers to pitch IWitness – USC Shoah Foundation’s multimedia educational website – to schools, educators and potential donors across the country in order to increase adoption and awareness.

Meg experienced the power of testimony firsthand when her mother gave testimony in 1997. For the first time, she heard her mother speak in detail about what happened to her during the Holocaust.

“From the testimony I had a better understanding of who she was, why she reacted the way she did, her state of mind,” Meg said. “Something that had been unspoken for so long became much clearer.”

Jack hasn’t yet watched his grandmother’s testimony, but he knows how valuable it is to have her story preserved in the Visual History Archive.

“It’s important to me to be able to relate to her and find out more about what happened to her,” he said.

Jack said testimony clips about childhood anti-Semitism he watched on IWitness were particularly eye-opening.

“I want to help get IWitness into other classes and get more people to know about it. It’s learning history in a more fun and informational way,” he said.

He also donated a portion of his bar mitzvah money to USC Shoah Foundation, and is interested in getting IWitness into the after-school Jewish youth programs that he and his sister attend.

Learning about the Holocaust can be overwhelming for students, but IWitness provides a way in that helps teachers introduce the subject in an age-appropriate way, Meg said. It’s also important for students to see Holocaust survivors who can speak eloquently about their experiences.

“It makes it more real and not as terrifying,” Meg said. “They see people who have come out of it and have experiences to tell, who are more empowered and they’re able to speak to anyone who will listen.

“I’m very excited and honored to be part of IWitness – to spread the word, get funding, and be a spokesperson however I can,” she added.