Scottish Holocaust Project

Gathering the Voices is a good example of the many projects, big and small, and in various countries, that still contribute to our knowledge of the Holocaust and its impact. In the end EHRI hopes to connect all this material and to create the best environment for Holocaust research.

Angela Shapiro and Claire Singerman

Before my mother-in-law, Gretl Shapiro, died, she said that she did not wish to be remembered only as a victim of the Holocaust; rather she wanted to be remembered for her contribution to Scotland. After Gretl passed away in December 2008, we wondered what what was the best way to honour Gretl's wish.  Susan Singerman, a survivor of Auschwitz and slave labour, was also an inspiration to my main collaborator, Claire Singerman and she too was keen to do something to help.

Following a discussion with other ‘second generation’, we decided to commence the present project: ‘Gathering the Voices’, with the main focus being gathering the stories of Holocaust survivors living in Glasgow. We were aware that already the number of survivors was reducing and that those left were increasingly frail.  Although valuable oral testimony had been gathered with respect to their experiences as a result of Nazi anti-Semitism, little had been recorded regarding their contribution to the UK and to Scotland in particular.

The aims of this project are therefore to gather, and contextualise, oral testimony from people who sought sanctuary here in Scotland to escape the racism of Nazi-dominated Europe. We have concentrated on the experiences of refugees who came to Scotland as children. Very few studies have been undertaken up to now to investigate the ways the newcomers integrated and so it is important to learn about their lives and the role these new residents played in the business, cultural and social life of Scotland. To date we have recorded 17 interviews with Holocaust survivors. In the main these interviews have taken place in individuals’ homes and each has lasted approximately three hours.

All the material will backed up at Glasgow Caledonian University's Spoken Word Repository, which  integrates  digitised spoken word audio and video and copies of the full interview will be kept at the Scottish Jewish Archives Centre in Glasgow. The information will be indexed in such a way to ensure that the testimonies are accessible for pupils, family members and researchers. Users will therefore be able to access the website at different points, depending on their personal interests.

This project is itself a true reflection of community for it has involved volunteers and organisations from the Glasgow Jewish community as well as Riverside Studios, Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) and ‘Sense Over Sectarianism’ a project funded by the Scottish Executive. The wonderful contributions from the survivors who have given up so much of their own time and helped in so many ways have made it possible for us to turn Gretl's wish into reality.

We now intend to apply for funding to gather further testimonies from elsewhere in Scotland and are considering an educational project with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

gatheringthevoices@gmail.com
www.gatheringthevoices.com

On the picture you see the late Susan Singerman with her son, daughter and daughter in  law with her MBE for services to education about the Holocaust.