In a ceremony held today in Rome commemorating the Day of Memory, the Archivio Centrale dello Stato (Central State Archive), together with Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation, announced that the Foundation’s videotaped interviews of more than 400 Holocaust survivors and other witnesses are now available for public viewing and educational use at the Archivio. The testimonies contained in this national collection were either recorded in the Italian language or in Italy.

To commemorate the International Day of Memory that marks the 60 th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the Shoah Foundation will open two national European Visual History Collections of videotaped interviews with Holocaust survivors and other witnesses. The Archivio Centrale dello Stato (Central State Archive) in Rome, and the Centre de documentation juive contemporaine (CDJC) in Paris will house the Italian and French Collections respectively.

Member of Ukrainian Parliament, Viktor Pinchuk, has made a generous contribution to support the production of a new documentary film that will rely upon the testimonies in the Shoah Foundation archive recorded in Ukraine. Mr. Pinchuk, who initiated the project, is the founder of Interpipe Scientific and Industrial Production Group. The 18-month project also includes the creation of a study guide for students and teachers that will be based on the film.