Rhose 24 | 19 June 2023, 2.30pm
Representations of Home Open Seminar
Abstract: This paper introduces the representation of home in testimonies of Holocaust survivors. Holocaust testimonies of the Video History Archive of the Shoah Foundation of University of Southern California (USC SF) are full-life interviews where survivors, rescuers or witnesses tell stories and experiences of their lives before, during and after the Holocaust. The focus of their childhood memories is often around their home which also can be considered the place of security and peace before the traumatic events. In the testimonies, many topics are related to the concept of „home”, such as family, holidays, relationships or religious life. During the presentation clips of testimonies are analyzed discussing the respresentation of these topics.
Keywords: Holocaust, testimony, home, the life before
Bio-note: Mónika Mezei teaches history and Latin language at Berzsenyi Dániel Secondary School, Budapest. She gained her MA and Ph.D degree at Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest. Besides teaching in the secondary school, she organizes various programmes on tolerance, combating antisemitism and social issues. In 2012, she took part in the programme „Teaching with Testimony in the 21st Century”, and she is the author of several educational materials. Since the beginning of 2014, she has been a consultant (as a USC Shoah Foundation Master Teacher and Ambassador) on multimedia lesson development in the ITeach programme, and leader of seminars for teachers on using multimedia education resources in Holocaust Education. As a teacher-researcher, she takes part in exploring the impact of multimedia materials in teaching.