Collecting the testimonies of Holocaust survivors is one of the most important components in the preservation of the memory of the Holocaust and passing it on to future generations. The personal stories have national, research and educational importance. In recent years, the phenomenon of Holocaust denial has spread and as a contrast, filmed testimony of the Holocaust survivors is proof of the very existence of the Holocaust and its events. Filmed testimony is important both for researchers as well as for the future generations of young people from Israel and abroad, for through these testimonies they can familiarize themselves with the collection of individual stories that make up the broader picture.
Testifying is also important for the survivors themselves. It enables them to deal with their past and the traumatic story that they have been bearing for over 70 years. Some of those interviewed have chosen to tell their stories over the years, and there are many for whom this is the first time they are sharing their full personal stories with others. For many of the survivors, this sharing is the opportunity to "close the circle" in their old age, and to hand on the torch of their personal memories to future generations.
Yad Vashem has been interviewing Holocaust survivors since its inception, and its goal is to concentrate the whole body of Holocaust survivors' testimonies in one place, to preserve them and to make them accessible to the public at large. Collecting filmed testimonies from Holocaust survivors is a very complex task requiring a highly skilled team of professionals with extensive knowledge of the period as well as ability and experience in editing interviews with sensitivity and dignity. In recent years we have been going to the homes of survivors and filming their testimony using experienced professional teams of interviewers and cinematographers. These teams can reach the survivors with very little advance notice anywhere in the country in order to record their filmed testimony in their homes at a time that is convenient for them.
At the end of the testimony, the survivor is given a portable disk with a full copy of the testimony. The testimony is preserved at the Yad Vashem Archive, and following cataloguing and digitation, it becomes accessible for viewing at the Yad Vashem Visual Center; in the future, it will be available on the Internet as well.
To coordinate a testimony, contact:
02-6443888
testimonies@yadvashem.org.il
