Product Details

• Actors: Steven Spielberg, Hellmuth Szprycer, Henry Rosmarin
• Directors: Allan Holzman
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Turner Home Ent
• VHS Release Date: April 9, 1996
• Run Time: 70 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6303997317
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #105,523 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The Survivors of the Shoah (Hebrew for Holocaust) Foundation grew out of Steven Spielberg's research for his film Schindler's List. He interviewed many survivors of the Holocaust and found that, despite their similar experiences, each had a unique story to tell. In order to preserve these memories for future generations so that the horrors of Nazi Europe might never be forgotten, Spielberg created the foundation, whose mission involves taping interviews with the remaining survivors. Survivors of the Holocaust provides just the briefest glimpse of the many stories the foundation has collected. The video is broken into thirds by year, so we learn of life before the Holocaust, during internment in concentration camps, and after liberation. The testimonies are powerful, and at times overwhelming. The photos and film clips are frequently horrifying and may be too much for younger viewers. The video opens with a brief presentation, hosted by Ben Kingsley, about the foundation itself. This is the weakest part of the video--at points it seems to serve simply as a reminder of how wonderful Spielberg is for his involvement in this effort--but don't let it deter you . No matter how much you may have seen or read about the Holocaust, the interviews will affect you tremendously. A powerful, powerful experience. --Jenny Brown

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Teacher's Point of View, April 1, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Survivors of the Holocaust [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I am a 6th grade teacher and I teach the Holocaust to my students. This video is one resource tool that I use. It is quite powerful and the students get so much out of it. Through accounts of survivors, drawings, paintings, and vivid footage, we are taken through step by step the horror of the Holocaust and how it happened, from pre-occupation all the way until they day the war was over. The stories are fascinating, the visual images horrifying. This video is intense, but not on the "sickly" level of "Night and Fog." However, if you are interested in this subject, I strongly suggest getting your hands on this movie.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Teacher's Dream, May 8, 2003

By 

kzeke (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Survivors of the Holocaust [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This sad but powerful video is a must-have for any English or History teacher dealing with the Holocaust. I *do* agree with many Holocaust survivors who urge teachers to NOT begin their units with such a film, but to use it as a tool that complements a balanced discussion of this horrific time period. I begin my unit with a study of poems from the book, "I Never Saw Another Butterfly," recommended by another teacher, and then proceed to this video. Finally, we read the book, "Night," by Elie Wiesel. I feel all the first-hand accounts really hit home the reality of the time, as well as the need to be wary of recurrences in such hatred today.

5.0 out of 5 stars IF THIS TOPIC INTERESTS YOU...., January 3, 2003

By 

Lily Whiteman "a book author" (usa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Survivors of the Holocaust [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This was an excellent movie...If you are interested in this topic, you should check out the critically acclaimed books of Dorit B. Whiteman (she is a Holocaust survivor herself as well as a pysychologist): "The Uprooted", a classic which insightfully examines how some Jews (including many Kindertransport members) managed to miraculously escape Nazi occupied countries and describes the emotional aftermaths of their ordeals, and the more recent "Escape Via Siberia", which tells the dramatic story of a Polish boy who surived exile in Siberia and joined the only Russian Kindertransport.