Holocaust Family Testimony Conversation Guide

Before asking

1. Ask whether the person wants to record anything at all. Silence is an acceptable choice.
2. Agree on topics they welcome and topics they do not want to discuss.
3. Agree who may access the recording and whether any part must stay private.
4. Choose a comfortable place, a short first session, and an easy way to stop.
5. Ask whether an existing testimony should be preserved instead of recording another.
6. Read the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's oral-history guidance before preparing a longer interview.

Invitations, never demands

1. What would you like younger relatives to know about life before the war?
2. Is there a person, place or object you would like us to remember?
3. Would you like to talk about rebuilding life afterward?
4. Is there anything you would prefer we not ask?
5. Would you like to pause, end, or change the subject?
6. May we review the recording together and record your access preferences?

Preserve responsibly

1. Keep the original recording unchanged; save transcripts as separate files.
2. Record the interview date, language, interviewer, permission and any restrictions.
3. Distinguish a person's recollection from later annotations or outside research.
4. Do not pressure someone for graphic details or treat an interview as therapy.

Further guidance

USHMM Oral History Interview Guidelines

Give the answers a lasting home.

Connect your worksheet to the people, photographs and sources it describes in a private family archive.