A GUIDE TO ORGANIZING AN EVENT WITH A SURVIVOR Due to COVID-19, we do not recommend inviting survivors to speak in person because travelling to venues and speaking to groups may not be safe for them. Some survivors are willing and able to share their testimony virtually and these guidelines can help you organize virtual and/or in-person gatherings with survivors. Listening to Holocaust survivors share their testimonies is a profound and powerful experience that can affect us emotionally and deepen our investment in learning about and from the Holocaust. Testimonies should also help us recognize that it is not possible for us to fully understand the experiences of those who survived, lived, and died during the Holocaust. With many commemoration activities in our communities and considering the age of survivors, we are aware that it’s becoming harder and harder to invite survivors to share their experiences in person. To include survivor experiences in your commemoration programs, you could consider reading testimonies and/or showing a film of a survivor speaking. Guidelines are adapted from the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, the UK, and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. We hope that our guidelines will help your organization consider the survivors’ comfort and well-being as you plan for your program. Remember that the survivor is sharing private and often traumatic memories in a public setting and that speaking about painful experiences is difficult for most survivors. Therefore, always be respectful, supportive, and sensitive.
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