International Training Consultant Andrea Szönyi gave a presentation in Subotica, Serbia, as part of a conference hosted by the Hungarian Consulate in honor of the anniversary of the deportation of the Jews of Subotica during the Holocaust.

In this lecture, Alan Rosen considers the special manner of witness found in Holocaust-era calendars composed in ghettos, in camps, and in hiding. The marking of fast days and festivals tell a remarkable story; the form, organization, and languages of the calendars convey a related one. And as with testimony in general, what is omitted—a date or a month, a name or a script—speaks volumes. At times, moreover, such calendars served as vehicles for sacred writings, images and symbols as well as for camouflaged defiance. The lecture is based on his recent book The Holocaust’s Jewish Calendars: Keeping Time Sacred, Making Time Holy.

In recognition of their longstanding commitment to humanitarian causes and support of veterans, Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks were presented the Ambassador for Humanity Award by Kate Capshaw and Steven Spielberg, USC trustee and founder of USC Shoah Foundation – The Institute for Visual History and Education.

The Institute mourns the passing of members of our community in 2021, including survivors who have given testimony Julio Botton, Fritzie Fritzshall, Eddie Jaku, Roman Kent, Rabbi Bent Melchior, Ruth Pearl, Suzy Ressler, Irving Roth, and Marcus Segal.

Sedda Antekelian, a member of USC Shoah Foundation’s education team, never knew her own great grandmother had recorded testimony about surviving the Armenian Genocide. Hearing her great grandmother’s voice for the first time has brought Sedda closer to family, filled in gaps about her own history, and opened even more questions.

Sedda Antekelian, a member of USC Shoah Foundation’s education team, never knew her own great grandmother had recorded testimony about surviving the Armenian Genocide. Hearing her great grandmother’s voice for the first time has brought Sedda closer to family, filled in gaps about her own history, and opened even more questions.

Holocaust Remembrance Day, or Yom HaShoah as it’s known in Hebrew, commemorates and honors the victims and survivors of the Holocaust. This year, people around the world will remember the victims of the Holocaust May 4-5, 2016.

In recognition for their longstanding commitment to humanitarian efforts and education, Mellody Hobson and George Lucas were presented December 7 with the Ambassador for Humanity Award by Steven Spielberg, USC trustee and founder of USC Shoah Foundation – The Institute for Visual History and Education.

On July 30, 1937 the head of Soviet secret police Nikolai Ezhov signed the order that started a mass punitive operation against their own citizens.

Paris Papamichos Chronakis, Eric Le Bourhis and Andrew Curtis shared their research on the second day of the Digital Approaches to Genocide Studies conference, hosted by USC Shoah Foundation Center for Advanced Genocide Research.

Inaugural Breslauer, Rutman & Anderson Research Fellow Diane Marie Amann gave a public lecture at the USC Shoah Foundation Center for Advanced Genocide Research about her research on the little-known women involved in the Nuremberg Trials.

Kathryn Brackney, the 2017-2018 Katz Research Fellow in Genocide Studies, gave a public lecture on the research she conducted during her month in residence at the Center.

During a well-known case involving German industrialists who reaped enormous profits providing armaments to the Nazi regime with the help of slave labor at concentration camps, the defendants faced Cecelia Goetz -- the only woman ever to deliver an opening statement at the Nuremberg Trials.

USC Shoah Foundation – The Institute for Visual history and Education embarked on a new chapter on Tuesday when it unveiled its new global headquarters on the USC campus. The event also marked the start of the Institute’s 25th anniversary, a time that will propel its work into new frontiers as it continues its mission of sharing the 55,000 testimonies of survivors of the Holocaust and other genocides to foster empathy and respect.

USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education to host its first International Digital Access, Outreach, and Research Conference.

I expected to feel an intimate and profound connection to Auschwitz after touring the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum for the first time late last month. After three consecutive days visiting and working at the museum, I was indeed moved. But the insight I was hoping for came from beyond the well-worn paths of tourists, from a source that hits close to home here at USC Shoah Foundation.

The President of the Republic went on record to tell the prospective immigrants “nobody invited you here!” Refugees escaping from a murderous regime are regarded as agents of that very regime. Concerned citizens who never saw a refugee discuss them with great fear: refugees will take our jobs, kill our wives, rape our daughters. “We may take a few of those who can prove they are and always were Christians,” some interior ministry clerk declared.

A smartphone app makes it possible to view testimony clips from the Visual History Archive that are linked to the new book Witness: Passing the Torch of Holocaust Memory to New Generations.

Presented by The Documentation Center for North Africa Jewry durign World War II, the Ben Zvi Institute, International Institute for Holocaust Research, Yad Vashem

Hungarian TV station RTL Klub will air the 2015 film Son of Saul for the first time this Saturday, September 24. The IWitness activity Sonderkommandó, Birkenau was designed as a companion activity to the film for Hungarian students.

USC Shoah Foundation is co-sponsoring an advance screening of the new Polish documentary "Bogdan’s Journey" in Los Angeles on Wednesday, March 8.

Betty Grebenschikoff and Ana María Wahrenberg were inseparable best friends before the Holocaust. Separated when their families each fled the Nazis, they each believed the other had perished. They were reunited just a few short months ago thanks to a combination of international partnerships, astute research, and the power of survivor testimony.

Alex Redner was 11 years old when the German army began bombarding his hometown of Lviv (then Lwow) on Sept. 1, 1939. Less than three weeks later, the Red Army occupied the city. Related With Ukraine under attack, we stand by our programmatic partners in Ukraine and Russia working to  build more tolerant communities.

Aspen Film in partnership with USC Shoah Foundation is proud to present a special family event featuring two short films: The Tattooed Torah and Ruth: A Little Girl's Big Journey. Free to the public.

Dr. Anna Hájková, pioneer of queer Holocaust history, will discuss why including queer narratives is crucial to developing a deeper understanding of Nazi persecution and societal resistance.

For the inaugural event in the Stanley D. Ginsburg USC Shoah Foundation Lecture Series, Mélanie Péron will explore the work of Hélène Berr, a volunteer at the Union Générale des Israélites de France (UGIF) who sheltered four Jewish children during the occupation of France.

On March 19, USC Shoah Foundation – The Institute for Visual History and Education gave a presentation about education based on Holocaust survivor testimony to more than 100 students, faculty, and staff of the University of Szeged, one of Central Europe’s foremost institutions of higher learning.

Summary: Free and open to the public, monthly Institute visits give guests a chance to explore the life stories of survivors and witnesses of the Holocaust and other genocides and to discover how their memories are being used to overcome prejudice, intolerance, and bigotry. Description:

Summary: Free and open to the public, monthly Institute visits give guests a chance to explore the life stories of survivors and witnesses of the Holocaust and other genocides and to discover how their memories are being used to overcome prejudice, intolerance, and bigotry. Description:

Welcome to Through Testimony, the official blog of USC Shoah Foundation – The Institute for Visual History and Education.