Holocaust Testimonies

In Christopher Browning’s ’Remembering Survival,’ he offers vision into the importance of survivor video testimonies and how they can be utilised and used in the writing of history. Browning discusses how a variety of primary sources are useful for drawing conclusions from the different testimonies and how valuable this evidence is. By having a large pool of testimonies it allows us to see the different perspectives on the Holocaust and life in Warsaw and how different aspects can be used to build strong, well rounded evidence.

Due to the lack of documentation about the Holocaust, Browning states that post-war testimonies are heavily relied upon. These can be found on the USH Shoah Foundation which was established to gather video testimonies from Holocaust survivors. Browning concludes that eyewitness testimonies are invaluable as they are one of the most accurate forms of evidence and provide first range encounters and a broad range of experiences. In the Walther Becker trial, eyewitness testimonies were dismissed due to the ruling by the Judge that Jewish witnesses did not view the events in a ‘disinterested and distant way’1, nor were they considered to be an ‘indifferent, attentive and intelligent observer.’ 2Due to the primary evidence being dismissed in the case, Becker was able to walk away a free man and this was considered a ‘miscarriage of Justice.’3 Browning shows us how the testimonies evolved and whether there were any manipulative factors that impinged on the witness and influenced their testimony. Free form testimonies gave an understanding as to how survivors and witnesses constructed their memories and on occasion interventionist interviewers were a positive factor. They prompted the survivor to discuss a topic they might not have originally discussed due to disturbing events or repressed memory. By having a wide range of testimonies, it allows the adequate study of the victims and avoid inconsistencies.

When discussing German judicial interviews, Browning states how testimonies were not recorded if they were not relevant to the prosecution of individuals for Nazi crimes. They had a different ambiance than other testimony interviews as the investigators were looking for

1 Remembering Survival, Christopher Browning, (W.W. Norton and Company, New York and London) pg 2

2 Remembering Survival, Christopher Browning, (W.W. Norton and Company, New York and London) pg 2 Please use proper chicago manual of style footnotes

3 Remembering Survival, Christopher Browning, (W.W. Norton and Company, New York and London) pg 2



specific information and were said to provide ‘an indispensable dimension and focus missing from the other survivor accounts.’4 The aim was so try and get an insight into the lives of the perpetrators and find out their state of mind to determine the role they had in these crimes and whether they were born into the darkness of whether they were able to be bribed to look after the needs of the Jews.

The Warsaw history in the ‘Holocaust Encyclopedia’ offers insight into the establishment of the Ghetto and the treatment of the Jewish people. While the Aryans had all the privileges offered to them before the Nazi’s came to leadership, Jews were fenced off from the rest of Warsaw like animals and barricaded into an area 1.3 square miles with 10 feet high walls covered in barbed wire. Benjamin Meed states that changes in the Warsaw ghetto were so gradual due to the fact that people couldn’t believe the events that were taking place and they wanted to ‘continue a life that did not exist.’5 Meeds