The Shoah Foundation Story


In 1994 we launched an unprecedented effort to record, preserve, and share the testimonies of Holocaust survivors. Over the past 30 years, we have built a world-class institute anchored in their voices. Learn more about our global impact.

Do you know a Holocaust survivor or witness?


We are currently recording survivors and other witnesses of the Holocaust. If you are a survivor or know someone who is, we would love to hear from you. We are also looking for interviewers.

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Latest News


Schindler’s List Survivor Celina Biniaz Warns Against the Corrosive Power of Hatred


For years, Celina Biniaz, one of the youngest people saved by Oskar Schindler, did not tell anyone – not even her children – that she was a Holocaust survivor. She feared no one could comprehend what she had been through, and she didn’t want to impose the trauma of her childhood upon her son and daughter. Celina’s reluctance to speak ended in 1994. That year, director Steven Spielberg brought Oskar Schindler’s story to the screen with Schindler’s List. He established Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation, which later became the USC Shoah Foundation. Read More

She Smuggled Love, Hope, and Dynamite Over the Ghetto Walls


Not long after Feigele (Vladka) Peltel’s father died of pneumonia in the Warsaw Ghetto in 1940, the 17-year-old found herself at a lecture about Yiddish author I.L. Peretz hosted by her social democratic youth group, Tsukunft (The Future). She doesn’t precisely remember the talk, but she does recall the energy in the room. Read More

USC Shoah Foundation Partners with National Library of Israel


The USC Shoah Foundation has partnered with the National Library of Israel to provide Israelis with the first countrywide access to the Institute's entire Visual History Archive, including testimonies from more than 52,000 Holocaust survivors and hundreds of survivors of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks. Read More

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The USC Shoah Foundation's educational programs bring survivors' voices into classrooms, preserving the memory of the Holocaust and inspiring future generations to strengthen democratic values, confront antisemitism, and work toward building more peaceful, respectful, and inclusive societies.