Behind Every Story is a Name
Holocaust survivors were once just children—separated from their families, living in fear, and forced to create new lives for themselves after being released from Nazi labor and death camps in Europe.
Today, these survivors share their experiences and their insight into forgiveness, perseverance, and the strength of the human spirit. Some survivors have harrowing tales of overcoming pain and suffering. Others focus on the kindness of strangers, moments of joy amid the darkness, and the feeling of freedom after enslavement.
While 6 million Jews were killed in the Holocaust, today you will learn the names and stories of some who survived.
Survivor Stories
All
Facing History and Ourselves
View powerful accounts of the Holocaust, told by survivors, rescuers and witnesses, selected from USC Shoah Foundation’s Visual History Archive.
Florida Holocaust Museum
This searchable website includes the museum's survivor testimonies.
Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust
Provided by the University of South Florida, this site includes video testimonies and archival footage.
Telling Their Stories: Oral History Archives Project
This site includes transcripts of student interviews with Holocaust survivors.
Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies
This comprehensive collection includes video testimonies collected by the Yale University Library.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
This site offers personal histories, essays, the "Memory Project," conversations with survivors, diary entries, survivor tributes, oral history resources, and "Life After the Holocaust" documented experiences.
USC Shoah Foundation
Provided by the Institute for Visual History and Education, this site features full-length and edited video clips of survivor testimonies, in addition to student-produced videos about Holocaust survivors.
Yad Vashem
This site includes video survival testimonials organized by topic and location.
Elie Wiesel, Holocaust Survivor
"For the survivor who chooses to testify, it is clear: his duty is to bear witness for the dead and for the living."