In early November, Fasman Yeshiva High School began filming for this year's student produced Holocaust project, Names, Not Numbers©: A Movie in the Making. FYHS seniors had a one-of-a-kind, life changing opportunity to begin their interviews with Holocaust survivor, Mr. Leo Melamed, Chairman Emeritus of the CME Group.
Mr. Melamed shared his story of survival about how he made it out of Bialystok, Poland on the last train out to Vilnius, Lithuania. He recounted how in 1940 his family received two of the last life-saving transit visas issued illegally by Japanese Imperial Consul, Mr. Chiune Sugihara. Mr. Melamed shared how Mr. Sugihara, one man with conviction to do what was right, saved over 6000 Jews from the horrors of the Holocaust, including the famous Mirrer Yeshiva, which is the largest Yeshiva in the world.
After settling in Chicago, Mr. Melamed married his wife Betty and practiced law for a short time, eventually going on to work as a trader for the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Within a few years, he became Chairman and later created the International Monetary Market (IMM), the world’s first financial futures exchange and Globex, the world's first electronic trading system. Mr. Melamed founded Melamed & Associates where he serves as the Chairman and CEO of the global consulting group, and he is an author of several books and the recipient of countless awards for his achievements world-wide.
FYHS thanks Mr. Melamed for giving our students this unique opportunity and we look forward to sharing this special interview at our premiere screening of Names, Not Numbers© later this year.
About Names, Not Numbers©
Names, Not Numbers ©, an interactive, multi-media Holocaust oral history film documentary project created by educator Tova Rosenberg, transforms traditional history lessons into an inter-generational interactive program that preserves Holocaust survivors’ stories through the production of a student produced documentary film. Our Yeshiva is grateful to be counted among schools nationwide to participate in this unique film project. Please join us as we come together to honor these survivors and preserve the legacy of our Jewish people.