Annotation
The liberation action that went down in history as the “Musy transport” (USC Shoah Foundation) and, more sublimely, “train to freedom” (Beit Terezin) provides a perfect platform for analyzing many facets playing a crucial role in researching the Holocaust and beyond, such as center and periphery; allies, neutrals, and enemies; victims, perpetrators, and collaborators. The transnational aspect of this case study goes back to a private initiative of the “Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States of America and Canada” who turned in October 1944 to the former Swiss Federal Councilor Jean-Marie Musy with a rescue plan of Jewish prisoners.
The action took shape when Musy met with the SS Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler to negotiate their liberation, which was also about to serve as a mitigating circumstance in a possible capture and prosecution of Himmler. On this ground, we will explore how diverse historical records provide us with access to the past.
Studying and analyzing written, oral and photographic sources of particular life trajectories will enable us to investigate the recounting of the Holocaust from multiple angles. Apart from reflecting on VHA interviews, students will be engaged with diverse written records and assigned reading diaries and memoirs.