Collection
Survivors and Witnesses: Video Testimony
This collection features powerful accounts of the Holocaust, told by survivors, rescuers, and witnesses, selected from USC Shoah Foundation’s Visual History Archive.
At a Glance
Language
English — USSubject
- History
- Social Studies
Grade
6–12- Genocide
- The Holocaust
Overview
About This Collection
This collection features powerful accounts of the Holocaust, told by survivors, rescuers, and witnesses, selected from USC Shoah Foundation’s Visual History Archive. The videos are divided into three sections: The Nazis in Power: Voices in Europe, The Holocaust, and After the Holocaust.
See our Teaching with Testimony collection for additional context and guidance on bringing video testimony from this collection into your classroom.
Preparing to Teach
A Note to Teachers
The resources in this collection, like any examination of the Holocaust, include historical descriptions and firsthand accounts that some students may find disturbing and need to be taught with intention and care. See the Preparing to Teach section of the Teaching with Testimony collection for guidance on teaching emotionally challenging content and establishing context for these videos.
Inside this Collection
Witnessing Antisemitic Violence
Edith Reiss, from Bolton, England, describes witnessing antisemitic violence on the streets of Göttingen, Germany, when she was a visitor there in 1939.
Changes at School under the Nazis
Kurt Klein, who emigrated from Walldorf, Germany, to the United States in 1937, recalls how Nazi policies and propaganda affected his life at school.
From Democracy to Dictatorship
Alfred Wolf, a Holocaust survivor from Eberbach, Germany, recalls the changes he noticed in Germany after the election of Adolf Hitler.
Preparing for the Kindertransport
Vera Gissing, a Holocaust survivor from Czechoslovakia, recalls how her family prepared her for the Kindertransport, a rescue mission that brought thousands of Jewish refugee children to Great Britain.
Marched to the Ghetto
Holocaust survivor Barbara Fischman Traub describes the reactions of her neighbors as she and her family were marched through their hometown of Sighet, Hungary, to the ghetto during the Holocaust.
Life or Death in the Netherlands
Marion Pritchard, a member of the Dutch resistance who hid a Jewish family during the Nazi occupation of Holland, describes what happened when a Dutch Nazi policeman investigated her house.
Joining the Resistance
Holocaust survivor Vera Laska describes her teenage experience as part of the resistance against the Nazis in Czechoslovakia.
Finding Safety in Italy
Holocaust survivor Esther Bem describes the people in Northern Italy who protected her and her family during World War II.
Resistances in Auschwitz
Holocaust survivor Anna Heilman recalls her part in a revolt at Auschwitz-Birkenau, where she was a prisoner, and describes the aftermath of the revolt.
Turned Away on the M.S. St. Louis
Holocaust survivor Sol Messinger describes his experiences attempting to emigrate from Germany to Cuba in 1939 aboard the ship the M.S. St. Louis.
Warning the World
Jan Karski, a diplomat and member of the Polish resistance during World War II, describes his experience in the Warsaw Ghetto and his meeting with U.S. President Roosevelt.
Witness to a Massacre
Barbara Turkeltaub, a Jewish girl who was hidden by Catholic nuns during the war, describes witnessing a Nazi massacre.
Eyewitness to Buchenwald
Leon Bass, an African-American soldier, describes his experiences entering the Buchenwald concentration camp in April 1945.
Antisemitism after Liberation
Howard Cwick, an American soldier during World War II, recalls a confrontation with a US Army sergeant over antisemitic slurs directed toward a recently liberated concentration camp survivor.
Reconciling Identities after the War
Romana Farrington, whose Jewish parents arranged for her to be raised by a Polish Catholic family during the Holocaust, describes how her wartime experience impacts her identity.
Caring for Survivors
Isaac Levy, a Rabbi who served as a chaplain in the British army during World War II, recalls the challenges he faced trying to assist survivors after the Holocaust.
Caring for Survivors
Isaac Levy, a Rabbi who served as a chaplain in the British army during World War II, recalls the challenges he faced trying to assist survivors after the Holocaust.
How are you planning to use this resource?
Tell Us MoreAdditional Resources
Teaching with Testimony
Engage students in personal accounts from survivors with this collection of video testimony, survivor profiles, and a lesson plan.
Resources from Other Organizations
In partnership with USC Shoah Foundation, we created common core aligned activities to teach this material, which you can access on the iWitness Platform. The USC Shoah Foundation also developed guidelines for effective teaching to supplement viewing the videos.
iWitness Platform
Created by USC Shoah Foundation
Using Visual History Testimony in the Classroom
Created by USC Shoah Foundation
Special Thanks
The video testimony in this collection is from the USC Shoah Foundation—The Institute for Visual History and Education.
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