ABSTRACT
Itiscommonlyassumedthateyewitnessaccountsarecreatedbythe interactionbetweentheinterviewerandtheintervieweeandthat,given theproblematiccharacterofinterviewsasahistoricalsource,the resultinghistoricalinformationneedstobeexaminedthoroughly.Yet insomecasestheyaretheonlysource(althoughaveryproblematic one)availabletothehistorian.Theyalsoprovideusattimeswithanew kindofinformationabout,forinstance,theexperienceofacertain epoch.SuchisthecasefortheresearcherintotheJewishpastwho triestounearthahistorythathasbeendistortedbymourningand veiledbythelongingoftheinterviewedforbygonedaysinwhichthe greatevilhadnotyetarrived. 1
Inthiscaseoneveryoftenhastomakeuseofthetalesofseverely traumatizedpeople,intheknowledgethattheirstorieshavebeen formedbythewaystoriesofsurvivorshavebeenusedinthepast.The storiesrelateagainandagaintoothereyewitnessaccountsandtothe massiveinterestgeneratedbyaspecificandsometimesstereotypical narrativeoftheHolocaust.Oneexampleofthisistherecentattention giventoKlausBarbie,who,hadhenotbeentriedwithsuch tremendouspublicity,mighthaveremainedoneofthenameless torturers,onlyalittleworsethanotherbrutes.2Anotherproblemisthe factthatwearedealingwithalayerofmemoryconstructedfiftyyears agoandsometimesunderextremeconditions.Severalauthorshave
146SelmaLeydesdorff stressedthemythiccharacterofthetalesoftheeventsinthecamps themselves,andtooneacquaintedwiththeatmospheresurrounding therecentlegalproceedingsagainstwarcrimesitisclearhowstrong thismyth-makingimpulseis.Inhisbookaboutthemisunderstandings betweentheinsiders(campinmates)andtheoutsiders(thosewho listenedtothemincourt),theBelgianhistorianvandenBerghehas illustratedtheinmates'needtocreatecertainstories.Theysometimes didsoinordertosurvive.Heillustratesthiswiththevariousnarratives surroundingthedeathofMalaZimetbaum,whotriedtoescapewith herloverEdwardGalinski.VandenBergheresearchedthemany eyewitnessaccountsofthewaysinwhichtheywerekilledandsays:
Itisnotacceptabletoexpressanydoubtsabouttheveracityofthese stories,sincetheyareamessagetotheworldfromthosewhohave gonethroughexperienceswhichnormallanguagecannotdescribe.4 Onlyintheformoftestimonies,likethoseofPrimoLevi5orVictor Frankl,6orinthepoetryofPaulCelan,7orperhapsinafilm,suchas ClaudeLanzmann'sShoah,canaspectsofthisworldbetransmitted.
