Echoes of Memory provides survivors who volunteer at the Museum with a powerful outlet to share their experiences and memories—through their own writing. In these videos, survivors who participated in the workshop read a selection of their essays.
This program is one way the Museum enables eyewitnesses to the Holocaust to help new generations gain insight and understanding of Holocaust history from a deeply personal perspective.
When I saw this title of the upcoming exhibit at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, I felt that couldn’t have thought of a more meaningful one, so true was it in our case. This is how we lived during World War II in occupied France. While most were indifferent or just struggling, trying to survive in difficult circumstances, some were fighting in the resistance, some were helping, and some were in the militia, doing the dirty jobs for the occupying forces.
In his book, Fariborz Mokhtari brings to light the story of Abdol Hossein Sardari, sometimes called "the Iranian Schindler" for his efforts to save Jews during World War II. Mokhtari hopes to encourage new conversations about the Holocaust and about Iran.
Estelle Laughlin discusses the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, when German forces, intending to liquidate the ghetto on April 19, 1943, were stunned by an armed uprising from Jewish fighters. Estelle and her family hid in an underground bunker during the uprising but were eventually captured and deported.
In 1940, Tracy Strong left the relative safety of America to help students displaced by the war in Europe to continue their studies. While uncomfortable with the title "hero," Strong's efforts to sustain an educational safe haven ultimately proved life saving for many young Jews.
Actor Daniel Craig is perhaps most famous for his portrayal of Agent 007 in the James Bond movies. But his latest film, Defiance, is based on the true story of the Bielski brothers, who led a resistance against the Nazis during the Second World War.
Antony Polonsky has learned that there are no simple answers to the large questions of history, no single view of the past. Any view of history must incorporate many truths, including some that may be difficult to accept.
Johanna Neumann speaks with gratitude and affection of the family who rescued her during the Holocaust. Yet her fondness for them exists alongside some profound contradictions.
Fritz Gluckstein discusses multiple close calls with the Nazis in Berlin, his detainment at a Gestapo holding site at Rosenstrasse 2-4, and the subsequent public demonstration that brought about his release.
Khaled Abdul-Wahab, a Tunisian who rescued two dozen Jews during the Holocaust, is the first Arab person to be nominated for the designation of Righteous Among the Nations. Faiza Abdul-Wahab reflects here on her father's life and legacy.
Gerda Klein survived the Holocaust and was liberated by an American soldier who she eventually married. Here, Klein discusses her understanding of hatred and antisemitism today.
Listen to or read Holocaust survivors’ experiences, told in their own words through oral histories, written testimony, and public programs.
