After the conclusion of World War II, over 140,000 Holocaust survivors came to settle in the United States. Over 1,000 of them ended up in Wisconsin, and their stories survive online courtesy of the work of archivists at the Wisconsin Historical Society. Between 1974 and 1981, these archivists interviewed 22 survivors and two American witnesses. They collected 156 hours of audio and 3,400 transcribed pages, and this website offers all of these materials, in their entirety, for the first time. The subjects covered within these interviews are extensive, and they include conversations about the conditions in the concentration camps, the fates of their families, emigrating to the United States, and Wisconsin's Jewish communities in the mid- and late-20th century. Visitors can choose from any of the 24 testimonies, listen to brief excerpts, and also check out the lesson plans and activities here.
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