Voices of the Shoah

by David Notowitz, Elliott Gould (Narrator)

This first-ever audio documentary of the Holocaust, is told by survivors and witnesses now living in North America and England. Drawn from more then 180 interviews recorded between 1988 and 1998, these powerful true stories testify to the immeasurable strength of the human spirit in the face of disaster.

Genres: Holocaust

100 pages, Book and 4 CD's

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Should be required listening for everyone on the planet over the age of 12.

[Edwina Book Anaconda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be required reading in every school, everywhere.
Not only that, but the students should be tested, again and again, if necessary, until they get every question 100% correct. Maybe then, the future generations can and will keep the promise made so long ago of "Never Again."

[Pug · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful "audio-documentary," complete with a book including the entire transcript and devastating black & white pictures. So many fascinating speakers, so honest and personal, and some absolutely horrifying accounts of Holocaust atrocities. It's disgusting how reluctant the world was to step in and intervene; especially here in the U.S. Anti-semitism is evil.

[Joseph Wiederhold · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful work. I don't know how unique this collection is, but it is the only one I have come across in which the recordings are all from the actual Holocaust survivors, yet it is cut together like a documentary film. Their voices are thick with emotion, they often pause to cry or recompose themselves, yet with the same breathe express love for their families and sing songs that brought them hope. It is like sitting on the porch on a sunday afternoon, listening to Grandmother's stories from the great depression as the afternoon washes over you. There is something comforting and beautiful in the intimacy of the moment and yet some of the accounts are so sad and shocking that it is hard to believe people ever had to pass through such trials. Makes you want to love deeper, and live better. I've seen "Schindler's List" and "Life is Beautiful", and read the "Diary of Anne Frank", and plenty of other Holocaust accounts, but there is something profoundly different about an audible firsthand account. I also really appreciated the pacing that the documentary style gave to the accounts, the coverage of life AFTER the camps, and the connections to current relevant social issues.

The work is a set of recordings presented in documentary style, with sound effects and music (making it feel like an old radio show of sorts) paired with a supplementary book. Would be great for a classroom setting.

[Kristine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent but very sad (understandably) audio set! I heard first hand accounts of Jewish atrocities during World War 2 from Holocaust survivors and American Soldiers who rescued them from Concentration Camps. I learned that difference between Concentration & Death Camps and that they were mainly built outside of Germany. There was one as far south as Northern Africa. I learned that the U.S. had strict immigration laws following The Great Depression which made bringing more than the allotted number of Jews into the country nearly impossible. I learned that Britain took in many Jewish children via train which was called Kindertransport. I learned so much more and finished the 4 CD Set with lots of questions. Did the U.S. do all they could do to help? Did the average German person know what was going on? What are we doing to make sure this kind of thing doesn't happen again? Could it happen in the U.S.? I would highly recommend listening to this set for anyone interested in The Holocaust.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

One cannot listen to these voices of holocaust survivors and be unmoved. They are the primary source of the history of the Shoah, the attempted annihilation of the Jewish people in Europe. Life is a gift.

[Dave Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic piece of work!!

[Emanuel Landeholm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sadness. :(