As we look back today at what has come to be called the Holocaust, we recognize that after seventy-five years, both the survivors and the perpetrators are, for the most part, no longer with us, and the few who remain are unlikely to be with us much longer. The opportunity for scholars and serious journalists to interview individuals who might have and might be willing to share experiences and knowledge of the events of the 1940s is disappearing. We are no longer in a good position to hear the voices of people with personal experiences, so we have to rely on whatever they said or wrote in the past as long as that information is both accessible and preserved, two subjects that will be discussed in the latter part of this article. The very substantial attention accorded to the most recent trial in Germany of a functionary at Auschwitz is undoubtedly related to the fact that most of the last surviving perpetrators are escaping trial by passing on. This particular functionary was actually brought into court but died before beginning to serve his jail sentence.
This essay is based on the keynote lecture “The Holocaust, 75 Years After It Ended,” delivered by Professor Weinberg on March 13, 2019 at the conference and workshop “The Future of Holocaust Testimonies V,” Western Galilee College, Akko, Israel. A video of the lecture is available for viewing online: https://youtu.be/3wu5qOr3wdc
An accompanying interview with Prof. Weinberg, conducted by Dr. Yaron Pascher, is also available online: https://youtu.be/C1-Onfg1nhA
