Alex Geldzahler, Contributing Photographer

The “Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies” opened at Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library in July. For the general visitor, this exhibit is a visual documentation of the Holocaust. But for families of the featured survivors, the collection of testimonies captures a more poignant, personal history. 

The exhibit is a carefully crafted selection of interviews conducted after the Holocaust with survivors in the New Haven area and other archival material from Yale’s collection. The News spoke to the family members of Holocaust survivors Leon Wells and Krystyna Gil.  

“It brought my father to life. As I entered, seeing him on the screen from across the room as I remember him was very emotional. It was poignant seeing and hearing all the survivors,” said Beth Wells, the daughter of Leon Wells, a Holocaust survivor and author from Poland. 

The exhibit, which wraps around the upper level of Beinecke, features excerpts of survivors’ testimonies next to encased written material that attests to various aspects of 20th-century Jewish history and the formation of the archives. 

Through the efforts of a New Haven grassroots movement, the archives have now become a large repository of Holocaust testimonies from survivors in the New Haven area and around the world. The archives were created in 1979. 

“[The exhibit] emphasizes a tradition of documentation, with the focus on eye-witness accounts, that represents a remarkable expression of determination by the Jewish people to record and seek historical redress for injustice,” said Stephen Naron, director of the Fortunoff Video Archive. 

The archives contain roughly 12,000 hours of recorded material.

Of the more than 4,400 testimonies, 19 are currently on display in the library. Visitors can wear  headphones and listen to select excerpts from these testimonies, which chronicle anti-semitism and the rising tide of Nazism in 20th century Europe. 

The archives are unique in their quantity of material and the incredible resources they offer to anyone interested in the history of the Holocaust. 

According to Naron, it is likely the most comprehensive exhibit at Yale and even the Ivy League to contain so much Yiddish language material. It is also a testament to the Holocaust’s efforts to eliminate the Jewish culture in Europe during World War II. 

“The whole goal of the exhibit is to encourage the thousands of visitors to watch and listen and learn from survivors,” Naron continued. 

The News had the opportunity to speak more with Naron, who was instrumental in the construction and implementation of the exhibit. 

The exhibit, as he explains, is multifaceted and attempts to include multiple perspectives and voices, making a case for historical education through individual experiences.

“There is a tendency to think of survivors as monolithic figures, but this archive, if anything, is proof of the true polyphony of voices and ideas held within it.” 

According to Naron, teachings of the Holocaust tend to exclude certain narratives. Learning history from testimonies, however, allows historians to construct a more comprehensive model of complicated and often difficult moments in our history.

The exhibit is uniquely nuanced in its inclusion of Roma and Sinti victims within the larger narrative of the genocide.

“Moreover, the genocide of the Sinti and Roma is still an underexamined, understudied, lesser-known tragedy within the great catastrophe of the Holocaust, especially in the United States, so for us, this was an opportunity to lift this important story to a broader public,” Naron said. 

One of the testimonies put on display is that of Krystyna Gil, a Roma survivor from Southern Poland. 

Despite her passing in 2021, her story remains in the Yale archives as a valuable resource for generations of future historians. 

“I am extremely grateful to Fortunoff Archive for the invitation,” wrote Daniel Zarzycki, the great-grandson of Gil, in an email to the News. “I am glad that the story of my great-grandmother will not be forgotten. Thank you on behalf of myself and my grandmother, Bożena Wójciak.” 

Zarzycki, like many other survivors’ family members, was invited to the exhibit opening in July 2024. 

They were given the chance to see how the stories shared by their relatives played an active role in education and the preservation of Holocaust history.

“It is one thing to hear about the Holocaust when it is told, for example, by me, born in 2000 … it is quite another to listen and look into the eyes of a person who lived through the hell of those times,” said Zarzycki. “They give us a sense that these people are just like you or me … because history is not about memorizing dates but about feeling those events and drawing lessons from them for the future.”

Both Zarzycki and Wells emphasized the importance of testimony-based education in the study of history, especially of the Holocaust. 

Further, as they watched video testimonies, families of survivors were able to connect with their loved ones –– those who endured so much but were still willing to share their experiences. 

The Fortunoff Archives, which reside in Sterling Library, represent a vital historical resource. 

According to Naron, he hopes that the archives can remain “outward facing,” in addition to being used as an academic and historical resource. 

 “I have confidence that my father’s testimony will survive at an academic institution like Yale,” said Wells, regarding her father’s testimony. 

Looking ahead, there will be more programming, including a concert coinciding with the end of the exhibit on Jan. 23. 

Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library is located at 121 Wall St.