Those Who Were There: Voices from the Holocaust

by Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies
92

Survivors and witnesses of the Holocaust are the subjects of “Those Who Were There,” a new podcast from Yale University’s Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies. The podcast is narrated by Eleanor Reissa, actress and Yiddish theater director, and historical oversight by Professor Samuel Kassow.

“Those Who Were There” podcast features audio from videotaped interviews conducted between 1979 up to the present. "Back in 1979, video was regarded as a remarkable, groundbreaking technology for documenting the experiences of survivors. The testimonies that resulted were and remain very powerful,” said Stephen Naron, director of the Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies. “Today, by adapting our holdings to the podcast format, we have an opportunity to bring these intimate personal accounts of Holocaust survivors and witnesses to a world-wide listenership. After all, only a fraction of our more than 4,400 testimonies have ever been viewed. Every voice, every story is important, and the podcast is a chance to provide a public space for each survivor, one episode at a time.”
The podcast’s first season will feature 10 episodes, including accounts from Jewish survivors, non-Jewish witnesses and liberators. The memories shared express a wide range of experiences before, during and after the Second World War by those who experienced it. Still, it is only a small glimpse into the thousands of stories held in this diverse archive.

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Recent Episodes
  • In Memoriam: Renee Hartman (1933-2025)
    Jan 12, 2025 – 00:23:09
  • Chapter 10: Aftermath
    Nov 23, 2023 – 00:33:51
  • Chapter 9: Judgment and Revenge
    Nov 15, 2023 – 00:31:24
  • Preview: Into the Stacks at the YIVO
    Sep 21, 2022 – 00:22:35
  • Chapter 8: Nazi Defeat
    Nov 9, 2023 – 00:38:59
  • Chapter 7: Liquidation
    Nov 2, 2023 – 00:40:12
  • Chapter 6: The Underground
    Oct 26, 2023 – 00:28:35
  • Chapter 5: Ghetto Life
    Oct 19, 2023 – 00:30:20
  • Chapter 4: The Ghetto
    Oct 10, 2023 – 00:33:40
  • Chapter 3: Nazi Invasion
    Oct 5, 2023 – 00:25:45
  • Chapter 2: In the Shadow of War
    Sep 28, 2023 – 00:29:20
  • Chapter 1: Childhood Memories
    Sep 20, 2023 – 00:27:11
  • Introduction: Remembering Vilna
    Sep 20, 2023 – 00:10:42
  • Episode 10 — Judith Perlaki
    Apr 1, 2021 – 00:26:57
  • Episode 9 — Elias Recanati
    Mar 11, 2021 – 00:25:15
  • Episode 8 — Malka Baran
    Feb 18, 2021 – 00:28:45
  • Episode 7 - Leon Pommers
    Jan 28, 2021 – 00:29:09
  • Episode 6 - Esther Schwartzman
    Jan 7, 2021 – 00:27:00
  • Episode 5 - Abram Merczynski
    Dec 3, 2020 – 00:24:10
  • Episode 4 - Helena Jonas
    Nov 12, 2020 – 00:29:15
  • Episode 2 -- Isaac Zieman
    Oct 1, 2020 – 00:32:35
  • Episode 1 -- Sally Frishberg
    Sep 9, 2020 – 00:30:37
  • Episode 3 - Annelies Herz
    Oct 22, 2020 – 00:30:08
  • Season Two Introduction
    Sep 9, 2020 – 00:06:21
  • Episode 10 — Sam Kassow
    Jan 16, 2020 – 00:25:23
  • Episode 9 — Celia Kassow — Part 2
    Jan 2, 2020 – 00:21:28
  • Episode 8 — Celia Kassow — Part 1
    Dec 19, 2019 – 00:20:04
  • Episode 6 — Renee Hartman
    Nov 21, 2019 – 00:22:57
  • Episode 7 — Leonard Linton
    Dec 5, 2019 – 00:24:01
  • Episode 5 — Arne Brun Lie
    Nov 7, 2019 – 00:27:08
  • Episode 4 — Sally Finkelstein Horwitz
    Oct 24, 2019 – 00:16:47
  • Episode 3 — Heda Kovaly
    Oct 10, 2019 – 00:21:10
  • Episode 2 — Leon Bass
    Sep 26, 2019 – 00:26:03
  • Episode 1—Martin Schiller
    Sep 12, 2019 – 00:22:10
  • Series Introduction
    Sep 12, 2019 – 00:07:27
Recent Reviews
  • Nyny/nyzoly
    I understand
    I understand how sad this is and I hate racism thank you for explaining this to us and I hate how it is happening again to Ukraine and Germany
  • CalvinCampbell
    The Human Spirit
    A glorious testament to the unrelenting force of the human spirit.
  • 🇳🇪ghh
    I hate hitler
    I’m glad that this does not happen anymore and I like how it has multiple speakers talk. I love
  • coolhand luke 21
    Wow
    Just…wow
  • lkak
    My most important podcast
    Humbled and grateful.
  • Bengal Kat the Cat
    So good but so sad
    I love this podcast. It’s sad but it’s so important not to forget. Everyone should listen to this.
  • LEM7538!
    Unimaginable firsthand accounts
    The stories these survivors tell although unimaginable, are invaluable for every human being to be knowledgeable of. How such cruelty could exist for so many innocent and harmless people is still so hard for many to comprehend. The stories told here are insightful, touching, and above all promising and at it’s root - how strong these survivors were. May we all learn from this podcast.
  • Guarddreamer
    Hard, but NECESSARY.
    With all of the hatred, racism, and prejudice occurring across the world, it is important to hear, first hand, the horrific reality of such segregation. Please listen to this oral history with reverence and a desire to change.
  • National Park lover
    Mind Expanding and Inspiring
    To hear the testimonies of those who lived through and survived the Holocaust gives me reason to appreciate freedom and motivates me to be compassionate toward others in todays world ✝️🙏🏻👤🌵🐕🏌️🌅🇺🇸
  • Ladykayaker
    Heartbreaking and interesting
    The voices of these people tell a traumatic story that I just can’t believe they were able to live through. They are all so strong and tell their story that just amazes me. How they survived the conditions and abuse is astonishing. How they found family afterwards is such a miracle. We must never forget. I am constantly learning.
  • Charlie3gc
    Life affirming interviews
    Moving heart breaking descriptions of the horrors of the Holocaust are not expected to be life affirming. But that is the feeling I get after listening. Strength, perseverance, faith and hope are the traits each of the people interviewed convey.
  • ChefGoyo
    Moving and relevant today!
    It is so hard to imagine, listening to these story’s, what absolute inhumanity these survivors lived through. Thank you for this documentary series. Also... If you care, please educate yourself and speak out against the Uighur genocide!
  • lazycops
    So well done.
    Please post more! We need to hear every one’s experience.
  • KGouhld
    Thank you
    This podcast is so moving. Listening to their stories transports you back in time and you can do nothing but listen solemnly and intently to the horrific things these poor people were subjected to and how they bravely persevered.
  • RavenBishop
    More Important Than Ever
    The world has been especially turned upside down the past few years in ways that are hard to comprehend. An important tool for living through such times hope, which is simply the willingness to maintain a vision of a better future. The very act of making plans for the future is an exercise in hope. We cannot predict the future, but we can study the past. This series is an incredibly valuable resource, made all the more important as we try and survive the fallout of an international political, economic, and environmental policy structure that has placed profits over people for the better part of a century. The lessons of the Holocaust extend far beyond one country, one point in time. Hitler admired the American system of racial segregation. While the Trump Administration is no Third Reich, the use of racial divisions and othering is comparable to those of the Nazis.
  • Anita1213
    Moving accounts
    Absolutely moving. In a time when so many ugly political trends are reasserting themselves, it's vitally important to hear these stories, and to hear them told by the people who actually lived them. Accounts told to us by third parties could never come close to communicating the horrors of the Holocaust. The range of perspectives — survivors, liberators, etc. -- also helps to provide a more well rounded understanding of this shocking historical period. Everyone must listen and subscribe!
  • Cyberlearn
    A MOVING AND EXQUISITELY PRODUCED PODCAST
    I will be listening to every one of your podcasts and I hope thousands of others do the same. I will tell my friends via social media. If I may make one additional comment: in the intro podast the narrator says that the Holocaust was the worst genocide of its kind in history. Sadly, this isn't true. Stalin intentionally, deliberately and willully murdered over six million Ukranians, men, women and children, in a 24 month period in '32-33. Some scholars put the number at 12 million. Ukranians call it Holodomor, which means to kill by starvation. Mao did the same also in a 24 month period in the early '50's. The figure six million is used but, again, scholars believe it was a much higher number. None of this is mean to detract in any way for the important and moving podcast series you have started.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork on this page are property of the podcast owner, and not endorsed by UP.audio.