Mr. Aitay, received his first violin from his father at age 5. He was a Concert Violinist in his native Budapest, Hungary, and later became the Concertmaster for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He plays Bach's Adagio First Sonata on his Guadagnini violin.

A gifted cellist from an early age, Mrs. Benjamin-Belkin became the main Cellist for the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra in Canada. She plays Bach's Prelude in G Major on her cello. Gender: FemaleDOB: November 6, 1929City of birth: MezőtúrCountry of birth: HungaryGhettos: Szeged ghettoCamps: Bergen-BelsenWent into hiding: NoOther experiences: Displaced Persons Camps  

Cantor Goldberger sings a Chapter of the Psalms-a prayer of thanksgiving- often recited by his father, the Chief Cantor at the main synagogue in Copenhagen. Gender: MaleDOB: May 6, 1938City of birth: CopenhagenCountry of birth: DenmarkCamps: NoGhettos: NoWent into hiding: YesOther experiences: Fled from Nazi-controlled territory (Denmark to Sweden) in 1943  

Mrs. Apfel, a pianist, plays Chopin's Valse de l'Adieu, (Farewell Waltz), which she played for her friends in 1942, at age 13, when saying goodbye to them. They were all running away to save their lives. Gender: FemaleDOB: March 3, 1929City of birth: BedzinCountry of birth: PolandGhettos: NoWent into hiding: YesOther experiences: Hid in: Angoulême (France), Le Puy (France)  

After being honored as one of this year’s “Best Websites for Teaching and Learning” by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), the Institute’s IWitness website continues to receive major education endorsements.

USC Shoah Foundation – The Institute for Visual History and Education and the Anti-Defamation League held a workshop in November where nearly 50 Southern California teachers learned to use Echoes and Reflections, a multimedia curriculum on the Holocaust.

Holocaust survivor testimony has made possible a Czech-language resource for education that illuminates the wartime history of the Czech government-in-exile.

USC Shoah Foundation – The Institute for Visual History and Education received the Arpa Foundation Award of the 2012 Arpa International Film Festival. The Institute was recognized for "its outstanding achievement in Holocaust education and preservation of testimonies of survivors." Executive Director Stephen D. Smith accepted the award on behalf of the Institute at the December 2 gala awards banquet in Los Angeles.