9-12 Resources
"The Children of Willesden Lane was the most heart-wrenching story I have ever read in my entire life!"
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"The Children of Willesden Lane was the most heart-wrenching story I have ever read in my entire life!" •
– Zarisha, High School Student
Activities & Resources
Explore a selection of activities, lesson plans, and teacher resources developed by our team and our trusted educational partners to enhance learning in and out of the classroom.
HOTYM | Teacher Pathway:
Willesden Lane Theatre Project (9-12)
A Theatre-Based Educational Initiative
The Willesden Lane Theatre Project is created by Hold On To Your Music Foundation and inspired by the true story of Holocaust survivor Lisa Jura, as told in The Children of Willesden Lane. Written by playwright Emil Sher, this original stage adaptation invites high school students to explore testimony, identity, memory, and moral courage through performance and reflection.
Developed by HOTYM in collaboration with educators, artists, and students, the Theatre Project integrates story, music, and multimedia into a dynamic school experience. It includes select testimony and archival materials from The Willesden Project, USC Shoah Foundation, and Echoes & Reflections, with deep appreciation for the expertise of these partners in Holocaust education and testimony-based learning.
Script, Teacher Guide, and Student Toolkit
This downloadable resource includes the Willesden Lane Theatre Project Script by Emil Sher, alongside a comprehensive Teacher Guide and Student Performance Toolkit developed by Hold On To Your Music Foundation. Designed for high school theatre, English, and humanities classrooms, these materials offer standards-aligned lesson plans, rehearsal protocols, ethical storytelling scaffolds, and student-facing reflection activities.
Select testimony and archival materials from The Willesden Project, USC Shoah Foundation, and Echoes & Reflections are thoughtfully integrated throughout the resource, with deep gratitude for their leadership in Holocaust education and testimony-based learning.
To access the script, email playwright Emil Sher directly at emil@emilsher.com. Both U.S. and Canadian educators will find that the guides are aligned to their respective national and provincial curriculum standards.
Community Resources for a Willesden READ
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HOTYM | Facilitator Guide to Community Conversations after viewing The Children of Willesden Lane
A HOTYM resource to support conversations and building bridges between school and home and between communities using CASEL framework for Civil Discourse
• Conversation #1: Listening, Bearing Witness, and Storytelling
• Conversation #2: Understanding Opportunity, Resilience, and Overcoming Barriers
• Conversation #3: Challenging Barriers and Building Resilient Communities
A Teacher’s Resource to The Children of Willesden Lane - with Facing History & Ourselves
The Teacher’s Resource provides a meaningful but flexible structure for examining the story Mona Golabek tells and relating it to historical and current events. It is designed for use with middle and high school students in English, social studies, music, and/or interdisciplinary studies.
Lisa Jura Family Collection - Online Exhibit with HMLA
Through the generous support of internationally renowned concert pianist and Hold On To Your Music Foundation founder, Mona Golabek, Holocaust Museum LA is proud to present the Lisa Jura Collection. This special digital exhibit honors the life and legacy of Lisa Jura through rare primary sources, artifacts, and a powerful short film, Tipping Scales: The Story of Lisa Jura.
Designed for both teachers and students, the exhibit includes a downloadable Teacher’s Guide that supports deeper exploration of Lisa’s journey and its enduring lessons of resilience, identity, and hope.
