Oral testimonies allow survivors of the Holocaust to speak for themselves. These personal narratives are unique in their capacity to display history in a format that actively engages the listener in its emotions and content.

At the Oral History Project, we recognize the importance of each interview, and we approach each with much care and consideration. The process can be emotionally difficult, but it reveals aspects of the Holocaust that cannot be obtained by other means. We recognize that entering the private world of someone’s personal history and emotions is a priviledge. We are aware of the limitations of communication about Holocaust experiences, realizing that no taped interview can record all of what an individual might want to express.  We work to make the process as comfortable as possible, and our interviewees consistently report their satisfaction with the interview. They also say that they found the experience to be very meaningful.

We are committed to giving every survivor, witness, liberator and rescuer of the Holocaust the opportunity to create a permanent record of his or her experiences to leave for future generations. In order to locate those who have stories to tell, we do community outreach, follow-up on referrals, and respond to requests.

We screen and train all volunteer interviewers to be sensitive to the unique qualities of Holocaust testimonies. We conduct interviews in the language requested or with the assistance of an interpreter. A pre-interview converation with the interviewee helps us to prepare him or her for the interview. Background information about the interviewee helps the interviewer to prepare appropriate questions for the interview.

We aim to gather the complete life story of the interviewee, paying special attention to details before, during, and after the Holocaust. The interview protocol allows for questions to vary according to the specific experiences of each individual. We follow up each interview by thanking the interviewee for his/her participation. We also provide each interviewee with a videotaped copy of their interview.

Interviews take place in a community location or in the interviewee´s home. We use a professional quality SVHS video camera in an informal setting. Interviews range from 1.5 to 4 hours. After the interview, we have professionals reproduce a "user copy" of the video before we transfer the "master copy" to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Most of our tapes are available to the public for borrowing.

If you are interested in being interviewed, or know someone we should contact, and would like more information about the process, please visit our "For Potential Interviewees" information page or contact us at ohp@hcnc.org.