BORGEN
January 20, 202
January 20, 202
SARTELL, Minnesota—Today at the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site, visitors may tour the death camp in which thousands of prisoners died of disease, malnutrition, forced labor, execution and gruesome medical experiments between 1933 to 1945. As visitors reflect on the horrors committed at the site, they may also view a monument of the phrase, “Never Again.” For Holocaust survivors and human rights watchers alike, “Never Again” has been a rallying cry for preventing the atrocities of the Holocaust from recurring. One organization, the Shoah Foundation, is ensuring that “Never Again” will the world see such horrors by documenting the stories of genocide survivors to spread awareness.
Global Knowledgeability about the Holocaust
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) sponsors the Global 100, which is an index of Anti-Semitism. It shows that as of 2014, 46% of the worldwide participants surveyed were unsure of or had not heard of the Holocaust. The 53,100 survey participants represent 102 countries. Though the index results are not a comprehensive measure of global knowledge, the possibility that the world is forgetting the Holocaust is extremely troubling.
Additionally, within the next 15 years, there will be no remaining Holocaust survivors to share their living testimonies to counter disbelief and lack of knowledge. It is paramount that the testimonies of genocide survivors be remembered and believed lest the violence is allowed to recur.
The Shoah Foundation: Documenting Survivor Testimonies
Steven Spielberg founded The Shoah Foundation soon after his co-production of the Holocaust memoir movie, “Schindler’s List”. Spielberg once recounted, “There were many, many stories that needed to be told. That’s how the Shoah Foundation began… my wanting to continue ‘Schindler’s List’.” The word Shoah originates from the Hebrew word for catastrophe.
The Shoah Foundation began by filming and documenting the testimonies of Holocaust survivors. In these audio-visual interviews, Holocaust survivors recounted their experiences including escape, imprisonment, family and hiding. The USC Shoah Foundation Visual History Archive preserves and stores the testimonies, which are useful tools for education and research.
The Shoah Foundation began by filming and documenting the testimonies of Holocaust survivors. In these audio-visual interviews, Holocaust survivors recounted their experiences including escape, imprisonment, family and hiding. The USC Shoah Foundation Visual History Archive preserves and stores the testimonies, which are useful tools for education and research.
Since its founding in 1994, the foundation has collected testimonies from 55,000 genocide survivors in 43 different languages. Each testimony is about two hours long, totaling around 115,000 hours of recorded video testimony. The foundation has also expanded the scope of its interviews to survivors of other conflicts, including refugees from Syria, South Sudan and the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya in Myanmar.
Rohingya Testimonies
For decades, the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar have not been recognized as citizens of the state and thus been subject to oppression, discrimination and violence, which Myanmar law has condoned. In August 2017, the violence culminated when the armed forces of Myanmar pillaged the villages of Rohingya Muslims. The Rohingya were subjected to merciless execution and torture. These forces murdered at least 6,700.
More than 700,000 of the Rohingya fled to neighboring Bangladeshi refugee camps. Though the Myanmar government enacted a repatriation memorandum to allow the Rohingya to return to Myanmar, it does not guarantee the safety of the refugees in their home country. As a result, most remain in refugee camps to this day.
In 2018, the Shoah Foundation went to Bangladesh and held interviews with survivors of the genocidal attack in the refugee camps. In one testimony, a survivor named Shafika described the death of her husband and father-in-law as they were encircled and attacked at the river bed bordering her village. Shafika also shared the circumstances of the murder of her close friends as her village was subject to a coordinated attack. Jamalida, another woman survivor and refugee, recounted being hunted and hiding in a forest for over a week with her two young children after telling U.N. representatives and press about the destruction of her village.
More than 700,000 of the Rohingya fled to neighboring Bangladeshi refugee camps. Though the Myanmar government enacted a repatriation memorandum to allow the Rohingya to return to Myanmar, it does not guarantee the safety of the refugees in their home country. As a result, most remain in refugee camps to this day.
In 2018, the Shoah Foundation went to Bangladesh and held interviews with survivors of the genocidal attack in the refugee camps. In one testimony, a survivor named Shafika described the death of her husband and father-in-law as they were encircled and attacked at the river bed bordering her village. Shafika also shared the circumstances of the murder of her close friends as her village was subject to a coordinated attack. Jamalida, another woman survivor and refugee, recounted being hunted and hiding in a forest for over a week with her two young children after telling U.N. representatives and press about the destruction of her village.
The Impact of Video Testimonies
Justice and reparations for the Rohingya have yet to be made. Yet, in a world inundated by overwhelming numbers and statistics, documented testimony humanizes the survivors and refugees of genocidal violence. By listening and remembering Holocaust survivors’ and Rohingya refugees’ testimonies, it is possible that one day, such acts of violence against humanity will truly “Never Again” happen.
– Tricia Lim Castro
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