Claims Conference Launches International Holocaust Survivor Speakers Bureau
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The Survivor Speakers Bureau — SSB, for short — is a vast database of Holocaust survivors willing and able to tell their stories. As the Holocaust survivor population wanes, it is more critical than ever that survivors tell their stories. The SSB exists to facilitate their vital telling by forging connections between survivors and those who want to listen and learn.
Elevating Holocaust Education In Schools, Survivors Take Their Testimony Directly To The Classroom, Sharing Their Critical Testimony With Children And Young Adults
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, April 4, 2024: Today, the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) launched the Survivor Speakers Bureau (SSB), a vast program of over 270 Holocaust survivors willing and able to tell their critical stories to students around the world.
Gideon Taylor, President of the Claims Conference, said, “At a moment of dramatically rising antisemitism, this program tells the history and educates for the future. A Holocaust survivor speakers bureau of this scale and reach is unprecedented. Holocaust stories remain as important as ever, for both ends of the generational spectrum. Survivors continue to feel the enormous need to share their harrowing stories, and, encouragingly, schools continue to want to fill their rooms with living, eyewitness testimony.”
Since its founding in 1951, the Claims Conference has been dedicated to securing a measure of justice for Jewish survivors of the Holocaust. As a result of ongoing negotiations with the German government, the German government has paid more than $90 billion in indemnification to individuals for suffering and losses resulting from persecution by the Nazis. Just as important, the Claims Conference has secured increasing funding for Holocaust education as the need and desire for sustainable Holocaust education has been proven globally. Funding has increased year over year from €30 million for 2024, €35 million for 2025, €38 million for 2026 and €41 million for 2027.
Greg Schneider, Executive Vice President of the Claims Conference, said, “It is more important than ever that every student in every school, regardless of where they are, have the opportunity to hear directly from the Holocaust survivors who are still with us. First-hand accounts are essential to maintaining Holocaust memory and go much further to ensure people understand the impact of bigotry, antisemitism, and unchecked hatred.”
In a 50-state survey of Holocaust Knowledge and Awareness in the United States, 64 percent of Millennials and Gen Z over the age of 18 believe that Holocaust education should be compulsory in school, and 80 percent of all respondents believe that it is important to continue teaching about the Holocaust, in part, so that it does not happen again.
Holocaust survivor Hanne Holsten, in the United States, said, “It is one thing to read about the Holocaust in a textbook, a few paragraphs about the global politics of World War II and the history of Europe. It is another thing altogether to sit with someone who was deported from their hometown, stripped of everything they own, and made to live in hiding or to endure a concentration camp. If speaking directly with the few remaining survivors makes an impact on even one person, I am more than willing to participate.”
The importance of making sure survivors have ample platforms to share their testimonies in the limited time they have with audiences who want to hear them is vital to the overall impact and success of Holocaust education.
The Claims Conference Survivor Speakers Bureau connects Holocaust survivors with students both virtually and in person. There are many schools in countries that do not have access to survivors. To provide these experiences to both survivors and schools regardless of location, the option for virtual presentations is critical for a successful speakers bureau with truly global reach and will ensure first-hand testimony is accessible even in communities that have perhaps never had the opportunity to hear a survivor share their story.
Holocaust survivor Eva Szepesi, in Germany, said, “Holocaust education is crucial, especially given the current events happening around the world. My goal in sharing my own story of survival is and has always been to show the human impact, not just of the Holocaust, but of all the racist and hateful actions being taken in the world. If hearing my testimony helps one person understand that they too have a role in the events happening in their community, and they can stand up for what is right, then I feel it is worth it for me to go remember and share those terrible stories.”
To request a survivor speaker, a school or social group must register their institution on the bureau’s website: www.claimscon.org/Speakers. Once registered, they can fill out an event request which includes forms for audience size, average audience age, and venue, as well as any special requests and requirements. The Claims Conference considers each request before connecting institutions or groups with survivors.
