USC Shoah Foundation testimonies, including that of Oct. 7, to be available in Hebrew

The USC Shoah Foundation visual history archive interface is now available in Hebrew along with testimonies of 275 Holocaust survivors who currently reside in Israel, the organization said. 

The USC archive features some 59,000 videos, which include testimonies of Holocaust survivors and that of victims of the October 7 massacre.

The project, achieved in conjunction with the National Library of Israel, began in March to grant Israelis access to such testimonies. 

Dr. Robert Williams, USC Shoah Foundation Finci-Viterbi Executive Director Chair, said of the project, "The translation of our archive into Hebrew marks a significant milestone in our mission to thoroughly document the history of the Holocaust, as well as contemporary antisemitism, and ensure that these crucial survivor experiences are accessible to Hebrew-speaking audiences."

'Understanding the horrors perpetrated against Jewish people'

"As we expand access to our extensive video testimony collection, we are positioned to deepen our collective understanding of the horrors perpetrated against Jewish people, as well as their resilience throughout history and during this moment of resurgent antisemitism," he added. 

In the past year, the national library had created the "Bearing Witness" project aimed at documenting the October 7 massacre. 

Dr. Raquel Ukeles, Head of Collections at the National Library of Israel, said, "With the Hebrew interface, Israelis will have easier access to archive content, to help learn about the persistence and destructiveness of antisemitism, and the genocides, crimes against humanity, and related persecutions that have occurred throughout history, and, sadly, in our own time as well.”