Mati and Maya Kochavi decided to utilise Instagram stories generating Holocaust awareness across the country. Showing the devastating effects of the Holocaust to new generations. They portrayed a visual diary of the short life of Eva Heyman who Auschwitz in 1944 at the age of 13. This managed to attract 300 million video views.
Educating the new generation
As a descended of survivors from the Holocaust of World War II tech entrepreneur Mati Kochavi and his daughter Maya wanted to help educate. Concerned by the number of people unaware of the horrors that were perpetrated by the Nazis in World War II Mati and Maya set out to reach a new generation. Using popularly social media platform Instagram to portray the real story of a Jewish girl experiencing the Holocaust first hand.
“In films created for Instagram Stories, the protagonist is the one “holding” the phone and directing it to what they think is important to tell. This creates an intimate experience for the viewer, who can feel they are witnessing a direct account without the involvement of anyone else.”
Generating Holocaust awareness
The creators started by simply posting a question “What if a Girl in the Holocaust had Instagram?”. From this, they began to tell the story of Eva Heyman, based on the real diary she kept at the time. The stories continued into a 50- a minute film which rolled out as 220 Instagram Stories.
The beginning told the story of Eva and her family in happier times, sharing her ambitions and daily life. it then progressed onto Nazi invasion, the ghetto and Eva’s deportation directly through her eyes. The story completely captivated the audience.
The powerful, controversial campaign was then trailed on billboards and online to introduce Israelis to the concept. The Instagram Stories were then shared over 48 hours around Holocaust Memorial Day, with Eva’s story developing in parallel with memorial events across the country.
Educating the nation
There was a compelling reaction to this careful storytelling, and the campaign received worldwide news coverage, on television and in print. Eva’s Instagram account became Israel’s third most-followed local account (after Gal Gadot and Bar Refaeli), and achieved:
- 300 million video views in 48 hours
- 200 million Google searches for Eva Stories
- More than 50 major global news outlets reported on Eva Stories