Saving history one story at a time

Summary

Saving History One Story at a Time

Consider This from NPR
Hosted by NPR
Release Date: July 2, 2025

In the episode titled "Saving History One Story at a Time," NPR delves deep into the urgent need to preserve Holocaust testimonies as survivors age and Holocaust denial gains traction. Through historical recounting, personal stories, and expert insights, the episode underscores the critical importance of recording and sharing these firsthand accounts to prevent history from being forgotten or distorted.

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1. Historical Context: Murrow’s Reporting from Buchenwald

The episode begins by transporting listeners back to the final days of World War II. CBS News correspondent Edward R. Murrow was among the first journalists to report from the Buchenwald concentration camp, providing harrowing details to his audience.

B (Edward R. Murrow): “There were two rows of bodies stacked up like cordwood. They were thin and very white… All except two were naked.” [00:47]

Murrow was profoundly affected by the atrocities he witnessed, taking three days to compose his report. Despite his efforts, he feared public disbelief.

B (Murrow): “I pray you to believe what I have said about Buchenwald. I have reported what I saw and heard, but only part of it. For most of it, I have no words.” [01:19]

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2. Present-Day Concerns: Rising Holocaust Denial and Fading Memories

Fast forward eighty years, and Murrow's anxieties seem prescient. The episode highlights a disturbing rise in Holocaust denial, partly fueled by fringe ideologies and certain political administrations.

A (Narrator): “Multiple members of President Donald Trump's administration have expressed support for Nazi sympathizers and people who promote antisemitism.” [01:30]

Historian Rob Williams from the USC Shoah Foundation voices concerns over the dwindling number of survivors who can relay their experiences.

C (Rob Williams): “Generation or the survivor generation who are still with us. And if we are unable to not only record their stories but share them.” [02:01]

The episode emphasizes the race against time to capture these vital stories before they vanish.

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3. The Story of Andrew Roth and Jack Moran: Survivor and Liberator

At the heart of the episode is the poignant meeting between Andrew Roth, a nearly 100-year-old Holocaust survivor, and Jack Moran, an American soldier who helped liberate Buchenwald.

Andrew Roth: A Survivor’s Journey

Born in Hungary in 1927, Andrew Roth and his Orthodox Jewish family were subjected to Nazi persecution. Roth recounts the harrowing separation from his family upon arrival at Auschwitz.

B (Roth): “Made a life and death choice. All those who went to the right were gassed the same night. And I went with my uncle the other way and here I am.” [07:28]

Roth survived the brutal conditions of Auschwitz and Buchenwald through sheer resilience and resourcefulness.

B (Roth): “I was just very resourceful and very lucky most of the time.” [08:17]

Jack Moran: The Liberator’s Perspective

Born in Wisconsin in 1925, Jack Moran endured intense combat during the Allied march to Germany. He recalls the immense loss and psychological toll of the war.

B (Moran): “Life was so cheap and death came so easy, so, so sad.” [05:37]

Moran describes the harrowing Battle of the Bulge, where he and his comrades were trapped in a frozen foxhole, barely surviving the brutal onslaught.

B (Moran): “I saw grown men at the after battles crying like a baby, saying, I can't take this anymore. I can't stand this anymore. I felt the same way.” [05:15-06:03]

Their Reunion

In April 1945, both men found themselves at Buchenwald—a place of unimaginable horror and a site of liberation. Their meeting symbolizes the convergence of suffering and salvation.

B (Moran): “Unreal. Unreal. Unbelievable. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. How man can see so mean to his fellow human beings.” [08:32]

Roth cherishes the day of liberation as his birthday, signifying a new beginning after immense loss.

C (Roth): “With most of his family murdered, Roth was forced to do hard labor in the camp. And death was everywhere. Every day.” [07:41]

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4. The Imperative to Preserve Memories

Historian Rob Williams emphasizes the broader implications of losing Holocaust memory. Understanding these events is crucial for shaping a just and humane modern world.

B (Rob Williams): “I hate to be pessimistic, but I don't think it's any coincidence that just as we are casting doubt on the value of democracy or on the value of human rights, that we're also beginning to witness a decline in understanding and memory of the Holocaust.” [09:57-10:13]

The episode highlights recent antisemitic incidents in the U.S. and the dangerous spread of Holocaust denial online, underscoring the urgent need to preserve survivors' testimonies.

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5. Legacy and Reclamation of History

The reunion between Roth and Moran also serves as a platform for Roth to reclaim his history. Through official documents and testimonies, Roth confronts the erasure attempted by the Nazis.

B (Narrator): “With him is, in a certain sense, a way to let him reclaim his own history, a history that was ripped away from him by the Nazis.” [11:14]

Roth’s documentation of his arrest solely for being Jewish stands as irrefutable evidence against Holocaust denial.

C (Document): “Reason for arrest? In cursive lettering, it says, only being a Jew.” [11:22]

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Conclusion: A Race Against Time

"Saving History One Story at a Time" not only recounts the harrowing experiences of individuals during the Holocaust but also amplifies the critical need to document and remember these events. As survivors pass away, their stories become irreplaceable pillars of historical truth and moral lessons for future generations.

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Notable Quotes:

• Edward R. Murrow (CBS Correspondent):
  “There were two rows of bodies stacked up like cordwood. They were thin and very white… All except two were naked.” [00:47]

• Jack Moran (Liberator):
  “Life was so cheap and death came so easy, so, so sad.” [05:37]

• Andrew Roth (Survivor):
  “I was just very resourceful and very lucky most of the time.” [08:17]

• Rob Williams (Historian):
  “...understanding the Holocaust is crucial to understanding the modern world, how it led to the United Nations, international treaties on the treatment of refugees and against genocide.” [09:03]

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By weaving together historical reportage, personal narratives, and expert analysis, NPR's Consider This episode compellingly illustrates the imperative to "save history one story at a time." The episode serves as a powerful reminder of the fragility of memory and the enduring responsibility to honor and preserve the truths of the past.

Transcript

[A]

Eighty years ago, Allied forces marched deep into the interior of Nazi Germany. CBS News chronicled their advances.

[B]

Front reports from Germany tell us that British troops of the 2nd army are now within seven miles of two important German cities.

[A]

World War II was coming to an end in Europe, but the world was only just beginning to discover the horrific scale of the Holocaust.

[B]

Permit me to tell you what you would have seen and heard had you been with me on Thursday. It will not be pleasant listening. If you're at lunch or if you have no appetite to hear what Germans have done, now is a good time to switch off the radio.

[A]

CBS News correspondent Edward R. Murrow was one of the first journalists to report from the Buchenwald concentration camp, an experience he shared with his radio audience.

[B]

There were two rows of bodies stacked up like cordwood. They were thin and very white. Some of the bodies were terribly bruised, though there seemed to be little flesh to bruise. Some had been shot through the head, but they bled but little. All except two were naked.

[A]

The Buchenwald memorial estimates more than 50,000 people were killed at the camp. According to CBS, Murrow was so disturbed by what he saw that it took him three days to write his report. And still he worried listeners wouldn't believe him.

[B]

I pray you to believe what I have said about Buchenwald. I have reported what I saw and heard, but only part of it. For most of it, I have no words.

[A]

Eighty years later, Murrow's fear that people would deny the atrocities he witnessed is becoming more of a reality once fringe ideas of Holocaust denial are spreading. Multiple members of President Donald Trump's administration have expressed support for Nazi sympathizers and people who promote antisemitism. And fewer survivors of the Holocaust are around to share their stories. That worries historian Rob Williams. There are so few of the greatest.

[C]

Generation or the survivor generation who are still with us. And if we are unable to not only record their stories but share them.

[A]

With the world, there are aspects of.

[C]

This history or opportunities to build connections that may forever be lost.

[A]

Consider this. The stories of those who lived through the Holocaust are in danger of being forgotten. And there's a race against time to record as many as possible. Coming up, the story of a Jewish man who survived Buchenwald and an American soldier who helped liberate the concentration camp. From npr, I'm Ari Shapiro. This message comes from Capital One with the Venture X card. Earn unlimited double miles on everything you buy, plus get premium benefits at a collection of hotels when booking through Capital One Travel. What's in your wallet? Terms apply [e-mail] the House of Representatives.

[C]

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[A]

It's Consider this from NPR. An estimated 6 million Jews were systematically murdered by the Nazi regime. With the passage of time, there are fewer survivors who can tell the stories of what they witnessed and endured. Last month, an American soldier who helped liberate the Buchenwald concentration camp met a Jewish man who was almost killed at the same camp. NPR's Tom Dreisbach has their story.

[C]

Andrew Roth was born in Hungary in 1927. He's nearly 100 years old, and he recently arrived for an interview in a wheelchair. Then he met Jack Moran.

[B]

Are you the soldier? Yes.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Can I hug you?

[C]

Roth grabbed his cane and stood.

[A]

And.

[C]

The two men embraced. Moran was born in Wisconsin in 1925. He turns 100 later this year.

[B]

I was much younger.

[C]

So are you?

[B]

Yeah. How wonderful. You survived. Yeah.

[C]

The Shoah foundation at the University of Southern California brought Andrew Roth and Jack Moran together to share the stories of what took them both from their homes as teenagers all the way to the Nazi concentration camp known as Buchenwald. Moran's journey was with the US army, where he went through some of the worst fighting during the Allied march to Germany.

[B]

I saw so many nice young fellows laying in the ditches of France and in the woods of Germany, just 19 years old, 20 years old, their lives cut short.

[C]

What sticks out from Moran's story is loss. In one battle, Moran said four of his best friends were killed. He said for some reason, God spared him.

[B]

Life was so cheap and death came so easy, so, so sad.

[C]

During the brutal Nazi offensive known as the Battle of the Bulge, Moran said he was stuck for days in a frozen foxhole, surrounded by the German military with no food. He said, thank God it snowed because that meant they at least had some water. He survived that battle. But that just meant moving on to fight again and again.

[B]

I saw grown men at the after battles crying like a baby, saying, I can't take this anymore. I can't stand this anymore. And I felt, I felt the same way. We all did, but we had to continue. We had no choice but to keep going forward.

[C]

Along the way, Moran also started to see signs of another kind of horror perpetrated by the Nazis.

[B]

In railroad yards, we found boxcars. We'd open up the door and inside would be six or seven hundred suitcases that the owners ever got back.

[C]

The Nazis and their collaborators were known to take belongings stolen from Jews and send them back to Germany to help with the war effort. On the other side of the continent, in Hungary, was Andrew Roth. He and his family were Orthodox Jews and targeted by the Nazis. They were taken from their home and sent to a ghetto and and then eventually deported to Auschwitz, the Nazi camp that used gas chambers to commit murder on an industrial scale. When Roth and his family got there, he said a Nazi guard was directing the new arrivals into two lines with his little flag. Rach links right, left, right, left. Roth's mother and four of his siblings went to the right. The guard told him to follow, but. But his uncle was sent left. And Roth said that without thinking, he followed his uncle, not realizing that I.

[B]

Made a life and death choice. All those who went to the right were gassed the same night. And I went with my uncle the other way and here I am.

[C]

With most of his family murdered, Roth was forced to do hard labor in the camp. And death was everywhere. Every day.

[B]

So routine you get. You get immune to all that stuff.

[C]

Just as the Soviet army was about to liberate Auschwitz, the Nazis sent inmates to another concentration camp in Germany, Buchenwald. Roth says the fight for survival often boiled down to a fight for warmth and for food. He remembers figuring out at one point where the camp guards fed the German shepherds and he risked his life for just a little bit of dog food, enough to keep going.

[B]

I was just very resourceful and very lucky most of the time.

[C]

Then, as the Nazi regime was collapsing in April 1945, Andrew Roth and Jack Moran's journeys landed them both at Buchenwald. Survivor and liberator.

[B]

Unreal. Unreal. Unbelievable. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. How man can see so mean to his fellow human beings. We're all created by the same God and we're all brothers and sisters.

[C]

Roth says he now considers the day of liberation, April 11, his birthday. In the days afterwards Roth said he spoke to Germans and told them what the Nazis had done.

[B]

They kept saying.

[C]

We did not know. They said Roth did not believe them.

[B]

It's a blatant lie, okay? There was no way of ignoring it.

[C]

Roth said that when the Nazis burned the bodies of their victims, you could see it and smell it for miles. Back then, many people closed their eyes to the atrocities of the Holocaust. Historians worry that's happening again. By and large, knowledge of the Holocaust is decreasing even in some of the countries responsible for the crimes of the Holocaust. This is Rob Williams. He's a historian and leads the USC Shoah Foundation. Williams told me that understanding the Holocaust is crucial to understanding the modern world, how it led to the United nations, international treaties on the treatment of refugees and against genocide. And Williams worries that as the world begins to lose that understanding, we are also losing those values.

[B]

I hate to be pessimistic, but I don't think it's any coincidence that just.

[C]

As we are casting doubt on the value of democracy or on the value.

[B]

Of human rights, that we're also beginning.

[C]

To witness a decline in understanding and.

[B]

Memory of the Holocaust.

[C]

There were two recent violent antisemitic attacks in the U.S. in Boulder, Colorado, and in Washington, D.C. popular online influencers with millions of followers have promoted Holocaust denial and even have ties to officials in the Trump administration. Now Williams says an estimated 200,000 survivors are still alive, but their memories are fading and time is running out to gather their stories. Williams says that process can be helpful not just for historians, but also for the survivors and witnesses themselves. Jack Moran thought so, too.

[B]

Anybody survives those camps is a wonderful thing. And I. I'm so happy to meet him.

[C]

After the microphone stopped recording, Williams also showed Roth official documents. He managed to find the questionnaire Roth filled out when the Americans liberated the camp. Williams was the first person to show the documents to him in decades.

[B]

And being able to share those documents.

[C]

With him is, in a certain sense, a way to let him reclaim his own history, a history that was ripped.

[B]

Away from him by the Nazis.

[C]

The documents list the dates of his confinement at Auschwitz and Buchenwald. And then there's a question. Reason for arrest? In cursive lettering, it says, only being a Jew. Tom Dreisbach, NPR News.

[A]

That was NPR investigative correspondent Tom Dreisbach. This episode was produced by Monika Ustatieva, Kai McNamee and Matt Ozug. It was edited by Barry Hardiman and Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. It's Consider this from npr. I'm Ari Shapiro.

[C]

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