Finding aid for the Ayduth Lachayim = Witness to Life : Holocaust Survivors in the Cleveland Jewish Community Records

History of of Ayduth Lachayim (Witness to Life)

Ayduth Lachayim (Witness to Life) is a manuscript documenting the experience of Holocaust survivors who resided in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1981. the project was conceived by Larry Hersh, a survivor, and presented to the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland. The Federation established the Holocaust Education and Commemoration committee, chaired by Rose Kaplovitz and comprised of Holocaust survivors, to coordinate the project. the goal of the committee was to prepare a book of documentation and biographical information concerning the survivors of the Holocaust that would be "a symbol of life, rebuilt from the ashes of oppression, from the ghettos and concentration camps of Europe." A representative number of survivors were identified and information was gathered via a standardized questionnaire. Funding for the project was provided by a grant from the Irene and Sidney Zehman Foundation of Cleveland.

A copy of Ayduth Lachayim was presented to the archives of the Yad Vashem martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority in Jerusalem, Israel during the World Gathering of Holocaust Survivors in June 1981. The World Gathering brought together 10,000 survivors from around the world including a delegation of more than 100 from Cleveland. the Jewish Community Federation provided $13,500 in grants and loans to defray costs of the trip to Israel for twenty-six Clevelanders.

Scope and Content

The Ayduth Lachayim = Witness to Life: Holocaust Survivors in the Cleveland Jewish Community Records, 1981, include the original transcript, a handwritten draft, drafts of the introduction, correspondence from Yad Vashem acknowledging the donation of a copy of the manuscript, and a statement by Jacob Hennenberg to the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland concerning the World Gathering of Holocaust Survivors. The manuscript consists of one hundred seventy-eight individual forms, each containing biographical data about a survivor and his or her family. The information compiled on the forms includes name, present address, and date and place of birth; names of parents and siblings, and what became of them during the Holocaust; names of present spouse and children; date of any marriage preceding the Holocaust with the names of spouse and children, and what became of them during the Holocaust; notes on the individual's experiences before, during, and after World War II until arrival in Cleveland; date of arrival in the United States , date of arrival in Cleveland, and current occupation; and additional remarks.

The forms vary in the amount of additional information provided and the detail included in each section from one short sentence to several descriptive paragraphs. The manuscript provides graphic evidence of the Holocaust experience of one hundred seventy-eight Clevelanders. It is an important statement of personal, human experience with overwhelming tragedy and evil.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Access

None.

The researcher should also consult PG 266 Ayduth Lachayim = Witness to Life: Holocaust Survivors in the Cleveland Jewish Community Photographs.

All photographs, except for those attached to the original document, have been removed to PG 277 Ayduth Lachayim = Witness to Life: Holocaust Survivors in the Cleveland Jewish Community Photographs.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects:

Preferred Citation

[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 3928 Ayduth Lachayim = Witness to Life: Holocaust Survivors in the Cleveland Jewish Community Records, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio

Acquisition Information

Gifts of the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland in 1982 and 1983.

Processing Information

Processed by Scott Cline in 1983.

Detailed Description of The Collection