Year-Long Guest Book Gathers Nearly 150 Responses from Around the World

Seventeen countries, 28 states and 122 cities later, the USC Shoah Foundation 20th Anniversary Guest Book is officially closed.

Based on an idea by former USC Shoah Foundation publicist Krystal Szabo, the Institute launched the Guest Book on January 1, 2014, to allow visitors to leave messages of how they had been affected by testimony in honor of the Institute’s 20th anniversary. It remained up until December 31, 2014, and in that time received 145 unique messages and signatures from around the world.

From India to Romania, Greece to New Zealand, people told heartfelt stories of family history discovered and lessons learned. Students said they had watched testimony in class and were motivated to keep the memories of survivors alive. Former Institute staff members said collecting testimonies of Holocaust survivors in the earliest days of the Shoah Foundation was the most meaningful professional experience they’d ever had.

Several people said they love watching their deceased parents’ or grandparents’ testimonies so they can hear their loved ones’ voices and feel their presence again. Several teachers also wrote about how powerful testimony is as an educational tool.

And, even after 20 years, USC Shoah Foundation continues to reach new audiences. Many wrote in the guestbook after watching founder Steven Spielberg talk about the Institute’s 20th anniversary on the Today show and in USA Weekend, and said they were impressed and moved by the work being done.

Though the guest book is no longer available on the USC Shoah Foundation website, you can continue to write messages on USC Shoah Foundation’s Facebook page of how testimony has affected, moved or inspired you.