Holocaust Narratives

The Holocaust was a seminal event in history that never should be forgotten. With the passing of over 75 years and Holocaust survivors leaving our midst, it is more important than ever to remember the history and tell their stories. Most people have some knowledge of the Holocaust, but reading survivor narratives can provide an emotional connection to the event and a stark reminder of what can happen when hatred, demonization, dehumanization, and division go unchecked. In the case of the Holocaust, these elements were weaponized by a charismatic leader who, with the help of a propaganda machine that ingrained untruths into society, led a significant portion of the populace to commit unspeakable atrocities or stand by in silence. Reading Holocaust literature is one step that we can take to ensure that nothing akin to the Holocaust ever happens again -- to the Jewish people or to any other group. Holocaust narratives are also stories of strength and resilience that can provide perspective and inspiration for our lives today. Although not a Holocaust survivor, my grandmother survived the Ukraine pogroms of 1918-1919, often thought of as a prelude to the Holocaust. Her stories, which I have documented, have always shaped how I see the world.

I created a Library Guide on the Holocaust. To access it, click on the Library Guides icon under Quick Links on the Library's homepage. Then select Holocaust under Special Topics.  The guide features a number of different types of resources, including websites, print books, eBooks, articles, videos, podcasts, open educational materials, and useful articles.

Under the Websites tab, find links to educational materials as well as to organizations such as the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the USC Shoah Foundation, and Yad Vashem: The World Holocaust Remembrance Center.  These sites all contain survivor testimonies. A relatively new site, #ItStartedWithWords, is a Holocaust education campaign in which Holocaust survivors from around the world reflect on the moments leading up to the Holocaust, demonstrating how hateful language can evolve into actions. Under the Videos tab, find informative documentaries from our Kanopy database, some TED Talks, as well as discussions and documentaries from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

The eBooks tab features a selection of works from our EBSCO eBooks Academic Collection and from Internet Archive Open Library. Under the Books tab, find selected items from Trout Library's sizable Holocaust collection. If you have never read it before, I would recommend that you read the classic Night by Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel, a work that details his time in the Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps. The book is available in our collection as well as in Internet Archive Open Library.

Night by Elie Wiesel

ISBN: 9780374500016

Publication Date: 2006

I recently read two Holocaust narratives that I would like to recommend. The first is My Silent Pledge: A Journey of Struggle, Survival and Remembrance, by Sidney J. Zoltak. Zoltak was born in Siemaitcyze, Poland in 1931 and went through the Holocaust as a child. His narrative covers his life before World War II, the Soviet occupation of his town followed by the German occupation, being driven from his home and forced into a ghetto, the liquidation of the ghetto and his escape, the long time that he spent hiding with his family on a farm, liberation by the Soviet army, life as a displaced person in Italy after finding that his homeland was still unsafe for Jews, and his life as a Holocaust survivor in Canada after emigrating.

My Silent Pledge: A Journey of Struggle, Survival and Remembrance by Sidney J. Zoltak

ISBN: 9781550718072

Publication Date: 2013

The other book that I would like to recommend is A Holocaust Memoir of Love & Resilience: Mama's Survival from Lithuania to America, by Ettie Zilber. In the first section of the book, Zilber presents a lightly edited transcript of a recorded conversation with her mother, a Holocaust survivor from Lithuania who spent time in the Stutthof concentration camp and subsequently underwent a death march. Following the account, the author describes a trip that she took in which she attempted to retrace her mother's footsteps in Lithuania and Poland. In the book's final part, Zilber reflects on what it was like to grow up as a child of Holocaust survivors and how it shaped her. She encourages all people, regardless of background or ethnicity, to explore their family history to get a full sense of their own identity.

A Holocaust Memoir of Love & Resilience: Mama's Survival from Lithuania to America by Ettie Zilber

ISBN: 9789493056022

Publication Date: 2019

If you have questions about these resources or any others, please feel free to contact me using the information below.