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Memories/Motifs

Rachel Deblinger, Author

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Irene Guttman: Video Testimony

Many years after serving as a representative for all child survivors and "war orphans," Irene decided to speak about her experiences on her own terms. She has been an active speaker in schools and synagogues throughout New York area for many years and has recorded multiple testimony accounts. In 1992, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum recorded and audio testimony of Irene and her brother, Rene. The audio is available online at the USHMM website >

In 1995, Irene recorded an additional audio testimony by herself and a video testimony with Rene. The video testimony adds detail to their story as well as visual cues to their emotional expression of these memories.  Irene and Rene discuss their memories of their parents, Auschwitz, and their reunion in New York in 1950. The testimony also includes their reflections on life since that time period and how they have dealt with these experiences as they've gotten older. The testimony is available for view here and opens up the story of the little girl from Life magazine.

Of particular interest: Irene discusses her trip to America in 1947 and recalls being shy and unhappy at her fate, since she had wanted to stay with a friend at the French orphanage and hoped to go to Israel. Although she remembers her initial discomfort with her new life, Irene has chosen to once again become a representative of Holocaust survivors, speaking about her own personal experience to schools and in a recent documentary.
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