Author Archives: robinmigdol
Impact in Profile: Toni Hagopian
(Originally published by USC Shoah Foundation) Documentary filmmaker J. Michael Hagopian didn’t have to look too far for survivors of the Armenian Genocide. Somehow, says his wife Toni Hagopian, they always found him. “The first time I experienced it, we were in New York on our honeymoon and there was a note left in the […]
Impact in Profile: Louis Schmidt
Originally published by USC Shoah Foundation He was under five years old at the time, but World War II left an indelible mark on Louis Schmidt. He’s never forgotten the air raid drills, seeing his uncles in military uniform, or looking at pictures of prisoners of war in Life magazine. So when Steven Spielberg announced after he […]
The History and Significance of August 2, Roma Holocaust Memorial Day
Originally published by USC Shoah Foundation On August 2, 1944, nearly 3,000 Roma and Sinti women, men and children were murdered in the gas chambers of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Seventy-one years later, the date was formally declared “Roma Holocaust Memorial Day” under European law, and the need for continued memorialization of the fate of the Roma and […]
VIDEO: A Closer Look: 100 Days to Inspire Respect
Interview with USC Shoah Foundation Senior Director of Programs and Operations Kori Street about USC Shoah Foundation’s “100 Days to Inspire Respect” educational program, April 2017. As USC Shoah Foundation’s 100 Days to Inspire Respect program comes to an end, take a look back at the impact and scope of this unique educational initiative. Beginning […]
VIDEO: A Closer Look: New Dimensions in Testimony
Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center (IHMEC) this winter became the first museum to pilot the next three New Dimensions in Testimony interviews after the original testimony of Pinchas Gutter. Museum visitors can now interact with the testimonies of Holocaust survivors Sam Harris, Aaron Elster and Fritzie Fritzshall, in addition to Gutter, three weekends a […]
VIDEO: A Closer Look: Translating the Armenian Genocide Collection
USC Shoah Foundation’s Armenian Genocide Collection is in the process of being transcribed, translated and subtitled in English, so that more scholars, students and the public can watch the testimonies given in the survivors’ native languages. The Armenian Genocide collection was first recorded by documentarian J. Michael Hagopian from 1968-2005. The 333 testimonies are in […]
Original Manuscript of Armenian Genocide Whistleblower Discovered in San Francisco
When a cousin of Diana Hekimian’s in San Francisco mentioned that she had found an old manuscript in the basement of her apartment building two months ago, Hekimian didn’t know what to think. Then she saw the manuscript. With its faded type, handwritten notes, and photographs taped to the pages, “it looked like a very […]
Aleksan Markaryan: The Last Interviewee
At 110 years old (according to him; no one knows for sure), Aleksan Markaryan is the life of the party. Within minutes of meeting visitors for the first time, he’s launched into a story about his long, fascinating life. “He remembers too many things,” says his friend Ana. “Whenever people come over, we say, ‘Look […]
Wild (2014)
Wild will make you believe in the healing power of nature In 1995, Cheryl Strayed’s life was crashing down around her. Her mother died following a short fight against cancer, she was cheating on her husband, and she was shooting heroin. A pregnancy scare was the last straw. Cheryl left her home, her job and […]
Big Eyes (2014)
Delightful telling of a true story that feels made for the big screen Watching the story of Margaret and Walter Keane unfold in Big Eyes it’s hard to believe that it all really happened. A team of Hollywood’s best screenwriters may not have been able to come up with a better plot. Margaret, a newly […]
Robin Migdol 