The initiative will use the Institute’s state-of-the-art infrastructure to digitize, index and integrate videotaped Holocaust testimony taken by other organizations around the world into the Visual History Archive.

By Cat VazquezWhen asked about what she does for a living, Judy Janec starts off with an explanation rather than a title. An average day at the office for her can take place anywhere, and at any time, but the assignment is the same: to index video testimonies from Holocaust survivors and witnesses. Often working from her laptop at a café or library, she closely watches the interviews, and using judgment and discretion, assigns key terms to each section of the testimony.

Mihaly Templer describes observing Jewish High Holy days as a form of resistance within Auschwitz. This is the 33rd testimony clip in the series 70 Days of Testimony: Leading up to the 70th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz. 

Frieda Aaron describes the trauma of being sick with Typhus in the camp and shares details of her experience in the camp hospital. This is the 34th testimony clip in the series 70 Days of Testimony: Leading up to the 70th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz. 

Lola Berliner remembers when she and her fellow female inmates fell extremely ill to typhus and how her cousin hid Lola during work hours, evading selection to the gas chambers. This act from her cousin saved Lola’s life. This is the 35th testimony clip in the series 70 Days of Testimony: Leading up to the 70th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz.