Oral Histories

Introduction from “Sister” Prince

Holocaust survivor Anna Gruber, left, with Oral History Project Chairman Vida “Sister” Prince, right

When people ask me how I became involved in oral history, I have always told them I “backed” into it, or I “fell” into oral history. I believed this to be true. I was born in 1933, and I’ve always had a strong interest in World War II and felt deeply about Israel since my visit there in 1954. Like many other American Jews, I was horrified, angry, and anguished by the Holocaust. I bless the day in 1979 when I read a small article in the St. Louis Jewish Light about a Holocaust Center that had been established in 1977. I quickly became interested and phoned Alex Grobman, the director. We met, and Alex tutored me over the next couple of months and supplied me with different periodicals to learn more about the Holocaust. I was touched and deeply moved by all I was learning and was in awe of people who endured so much emotional and physical pain. I knew I had found something I wanted to do for as long as I was able. Little did I know then that the survivors’ lives would become so much a part of my life.

Since 1979, I have been Chairman of the Oral Histories Project. I am pleased to say that many interviewers over the years have interviewed not only Holocaust Survivors, but also liberators of Nazi concentration camps and other non-Jewish witnesses living in Europe during World War II. The St. Louis Center for Holocaust Studies (now the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum) was one of the early oral history projects that interviewed survivors, and we felt like pioneers – we were breaking new ground. I feel truly blessed and grateful to the people we have interviewed for opening up their hearts and souls and trusting us with their personal history. I am proud that these voices and photographs will be displayed so that future generations will continue to be witnesses to this catastrophic period of world history.

I would like to thank Margi Lenga Kahn and Michael Kahn who allowed us to use funds given to the Museum in memory of their father-in-law and father, Bill Kahn, to digitize these Oral Histories approximately five years ago. That gift laid the foundation for what we are able to bring to you through this website.

Lastly, I would like to extend my gratitude to Jean Cavender, Andrew Goldfeder, Diane Everman, and Felicia Wertz at the Holocaust Museum & Learning Center, who helped ensure that these interviews remain accessible to all.

How to Navigate the Site:

Visitors to the Oral Histories site can explore the entries in a number of ways:

• By nationality, with 18 different countries represented.
• By locations, including 339 sites like specific concentration camps or cities that people lived.
• By experience, sorting histories based on personal events like being sent to a ghetto, serving as a soldier or aiding Jewish refugees.

Each oral history includes a range of information about the person and their life. Where possible, you’ll find photos, a biography, interview recordings and transcripts, an interactive map and timeline, and a compelling quote from their story.

The HMLC is grateful to offer the Oral Histories project as a celebration of life and a crucial part of honoring and remembering the past.