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Collected Item: “Gabriella Karin Oral History, 2022/07/19”

Title

Gabriella Karin

Who conducted the interview? List all names, separated by comma.

Kit Heintzman

Who was interviewed? List all names, separated by commas.

Gabriella Karin

Email Address(es) for all interviewers. Separated by comma.

kheintzman@gmail.com

Use one-word hashtags (separated by commas) to describe your oral history. For example: Where did it originate? How does this object make you feel? How does this object relate to the pandemic?

#art, #artist, #California, #educator, #grandmother, #gratitude, #history, #Holocaust, #hospital, #isolation, #Jewish, #LosAngeles, #masking, #motherhood, #optimist, #Polio, #respect, #sculpture, #Slovakenian, #touch, #travel, #vaccination, #WWII

What is the format of your recording?

Video

In what ZIP code is the primary residence of the interviewee? (enter 5-digit ZIP code; for example, 00544 or 94305)? In what city/town/village does the interviewee live? In what country does the interviewee live? All comma-separated.

Los Angeles, California, USA

What is the gender of the interviewee? Be sure to allow interviewees to self-identify their gender in the pre-interview or interview. *Do not assign a gender identity to interviewees.*

Female

What is the age of the interviewee?

75 or older

How does the interviewee describe their race or ethnicity? Be sure to allow interviewees to self-identify their race/ethnicity in the pre-interview or interview. *Do not assign a racial or ethnic identity to interviewees.*

White

Describe the oral history.

Some of the things we discussed include:
Surviving the Holocaust in Slovakia; living in hiding; mother’s work in the resistance.
Regularly traveling across Europe and the Middle East teaching about the Holocaust and art; canceling such educational trips during the pandemic. The war in Ukraine impeding Holocaust educational travel.
Last educational travel to Krakow in January 2020; transitioning Holocaust awareness online.
As Holocaust educational travel opened up later in the pandemic for students, survivors are still not able to travel with them due to the risks of COVID among seniors.
Americans comparing the current American government and the historic German Nazi Party.
Occupying one’s mind during isolation: during WWII reading while hiding; during COVID-19 pandemic writing a book and making sculpture art.
Learning new technologies.
Searching for loved ones; remembering loved lost ones; honoring the dead.
Lessons from history, nothing lasts forever: wars end, pandemics end.
Gratitude to scientists working to protect us; listening to scientists.
Living alone and going without the touch of loved ones; touching clay.
Going for walks with friends.
Community members in LA bringing care packages of food and flowers during the pandemic; kindness happens when we have enough time; young people looking to help.
Difficulty accessing vaccination, repeatedly trying to get the first shot, traveling 30 minutes and standing in line; vaccine sites being closed without notice.
Minor vaccine reactions.
Needing medical attention due to an injury in 2022; hospital COVID safety precaution.
Traveling again for the first time in April 2022 to see family.
Greatgrandchild catching COVID at a nursery.
The importance of memory and testimony about global injustices.
Universal respect for all persons; teaching respect in the home and in school.
Maintaining optimism.

Other cultural references include: March of the Living, LA Times, Zoom

See also:
http://www.gabriellakarin.com
https://jewishjournal.com/culture/153184/
https://m.facebook.com/hmla1961/videos/holocaust-survivor-talk-gabriella-karin/522742368979857/
https://www.motl.org/survivor-speaker-gabriella-karin/

On what date did you record this oral history?

2022-07-19T09
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