ABSTRACT
Oral history may be defined as solicited spoken and recorded stories about past experiences, events, or ways of life. This chapter focuses on the history, process, and future of oral histories, utilizing work with Holocaust survivors in the Chicago, Illinois metropolitan area as a case study. It explores primary-source personal information and insights based on narrators' memories about their Holocaust experiences. In the interviews, these survivors might be asked about: motives for coming to the United States; the journey to America and first impressions of the new country; obstacles to learning English; and experiences with anti-Semitism in America. The oral history interview becomes part of family history, thereby increasing a sense of family roots, preserving significant family memories and hopefully imparting moral and ethical messages to family member. Family viewing of oral history interviews can promote cross-generational knowledge and empathy.
