Holocaust Oral History Sources in the Yahad-In Unum Archive Collection (Based on Volhynia-Podolia General District Materials)

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to analyze the oral history collection of the Holocaust sources at the Yahad-In Unum scientific institution (Paris, France) on the example of the Nazi-occupied territories of the Volhynia-Podolia General District of Reichskommissariat Ukraine. The research methodology is based on the principles of historicism and scientific objectivity. Analysis of oral history sources is the main method of the research. Scientific novelty: For the first time in historiography, the oral history Holocaust sources of the Yahad-In Unum scientific institution were analyzed based on the example of the Volhynia-Podolia General District. The conclusions prove that the oral history sources of Yahad-In Unum have powerful potential for Holocaust studies. They have exclusive information that is not found in other sources. German and Soviet documents cannot fully shed light on Holocaust history. Instead, the stories of witnesses provide an opportunity to examine this topic in a multifaceted way.

Keywords

• Yahad-In Unum
• Holocaust
• oral history
• eyewitness testimony
• Patrick Desbois
• Volhynia-Podolia General District