Orange County Holocaust Oral History Project interviews, 1992-1995

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Summary

Creators:

Orange County Holocaust Oral History Project

Abstract:

This collection consists of 154 interviews conducted from 1992 to 1995 with residents of Orange County, California, who experienced the Holocaust. The interviews are the result of a project coordinated by Jack Pariser under the sponsorship of the Orange County Chapter of the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith. Most interviewees are Jewish survivors of the Holocaust. Their experiences during the World War II era include forced and voluntary emigration, death camps, forced labor, and hiding. Almost all of the Jewish participants are Ashkenazi Jews; that is, of Yiddish-speaking, Eastern European origins. The other participants include five members of the U.S. Army who saw the camps at the end of the war and three "rescuers" (individuals who aided Jews in their efforts to escape the Nazis).

Extent:

27.2 Linear Feet (33 boxes) and 0.5 unprocessed linear feer

Language:

English .

Preferred citation:

Researchers must agree to cite interviews in the collection as follows: "Videotape interview of [first name and last initial of interviewee] by Holocaust Oral History Project of the Anti Defamation League. Copyright 202_, Anti-Defamation League." [Insert copyright date of the particular interview being cited.]

For the benefit of current and future researchers, please cite any additional information about sources consulted in this collection, including permanent URLs, item or folder descriptions, and box/folder locations.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection consists of 154 oral history interviews conducted from 1992-1995 with residents of Orange County, California, who experienced the Holocaust. The interviews are the result of a project coordinated by Jack Pariser under the sponsorship of the Orange County Chapter of the Anti- Defamation League of B'nai B'rith.

UC Irvine recieved the interivews in two batches. The Supplemental Information guide contains summary information describing the first batch of the 72 interviews collectively, followed by an individual abstract of each of the 72 interviews. The summary information explains the data elements used to provide demographic information about the interviewees. Historical themes documented in the interviews are then broken down into categories with an explanation and a list of relevant interviews relating to each theme. Each abstract is comprised of the data elements and a descriptive summary of the interview. A glossary defines the terminology used in the interviews and in the guide.

Biographical / historical:

In the early 1990s, Jack Pariser, a Polish survivor of the Holocaust who resides in Orange County, California, initiated a project to conduct oral history interviews with residents of Orange County who experienced the Holocaust. He received the organizational support of the Orange County chapter of the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai Brith (ADL) for the project. The ADL identified participants from the community, obtained and trained interviewers, conducted preliminary interviews with participants by phone, and solicited donations to help support the project. The ADL also supervised the videotaped interviews, which took place between April 1992 and April 1995, using recording services provided by Chapman University. The ADL wanted the tapes to be housed in an Orange County research facility and subsequently donated them to the UCI Libraries at the University of California, Irvine.

Interview participants in the Orange Country Holocaust Oral History Project were located through publicity in the local media and by word of mouth in local Jewish communities. The interviewers were all volunteers from the community, many of whom heard of the project in its formative stages. They received training in conducting oral history interviews from a consultant of the U.S. Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C.; the Museum also was the source of the questions posed to interviewees. In addition to depositing tapes at UCI, the Orange County Holocaust Oral History Project is sending a duplicate set to the U.S. Holocaust Museum.

Acquisition information:

Gift of the Orange County chapter of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), April 1994 and 2003.

Rules or conventions:

Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Indexed terms

Subjects:: Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Personal narratives.
World War, 1939-1945--Concentration camps--Personal narratives.
World War, 1939-1945--Jews--Personal narratives.
World War, 1939-1945--Jews--Rescue--Personal narratives.
World War, 1939-1945--Jewish resistance--Personal narratives.

Access and use

Restrictions:: The collection has not been processed. It may contain restricted materials. Please contact the Department of Special Collections and Archives in advance to request access.
Terms of access:: Property rights reside with the University of California, while the ADL retains all copyright to materials in the collection. All researchers must, prior to using the collection, sign a statement that they understand this and promise not to reproduce, translate, abbreviate, or abridge any of the videotaped material without prior written consent from the ADL. Written quotation of excerpts from the interviews in a class paper or unpublished thesis does not require permission. For permissions to reproduce tapes or publish any portion of an interview, contact both the Head of Special Collections and University Archives and the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith (823 United Nations Plaza, New York, New York 10017).