Johannes S. Holocaust testimony

Videotape testimony of Johannes S., a non-Jew who was born in 's-Gravenzande, Netherlands in 1923. He describes growing up in a predominantly Protestant town with little awareness of the situation of European Jewry; the influx of Jewish refugees to the Netherlands following Crystal Night; the relief efforts organized by his school; the outbreak of war, bombing, and the German victory over the Netherlands in four days; and the German occupation with its anti-Jewish decrees. He recalls acts of active and passive resistance; hiding on a farm in Deurningen to avoid conscription into the army; the two Jewish boys also hidden by the same farmer; life in hiding; and liberation by the Canadians and British in April 1945. Mr. S. discusses a course on the Holocaust he teaches, noting the increasing interest of students, and he reflects upon the effects of religion upon people's responses in terms of obedience to authority. He also remembers the loss of his best friend in a concentration camp.

2 videocassettes (3/4" u-matic)