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The Second World War was more ideological than political. Hitler’s hatred for the Jews

bore the largest massacre the world has ever witnessed. On the other hand, it united countries

against Germany. Most Jews and their sympathizers perished under the German onslaught.

However, many others were liberated and lived to tell their story. There are three interviews that

give important perspectives on the war. Jack Arnel narrates life before, during and after the War.

Edith Serras tells of the sufferings and murders of the Jews. Charles Jean speaks about resistance

against German oppression. The latter is a short but poignant recount of a rebel’s plight during

the Holocaust. It answers the question on the role of the world during the Jewish carnage.

Jean was a French citizen who spent his youth fighting the Germans and their

collaborators. The interview was conducted by David Boder on August 21

, 1946, in Paris,

France, just a year after the end of the Second World War. This conversation is part of a series

conducted with the family of Louis Kahn, a celebrated admiral of the French navy at the time.

There are instances of inaudibility as other family members were present during meeting. Due to

the language barrier, Madame Kahn acts as an interpreter.

The interviewee is a French national of Jewish origin. He was one of the approximately

200, 000 Jews present in France at the time of the German occupation. His life before the Jewish

slaughter is unclear. However, going by historical facts, it was normal as Jews were an accepted

part of the French society. In addition, some of them enjoyed peaceful lives (“Interview

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Testimony by Jack Arnel”). They had all privileges and affluence (“David P. Boder Interviews

Edith Serras”). During the French occupation and Jewish genocide, the respondent was part of

the FTP-MOI, a branch of the communist resistance force where he fought the Germans until the

end of the War. At the time of the interview, he worked for the Kahns as a chauffeur andhas

settled with his family in France.

The interviewer is concerned with Jean’s role in the resistance as a depiction of a

different plight of Jews during the catastrophe. In contrast to Serras’ and Arnel’s interviews

where the story is told from a victim’s view, Boderasks leading questions to establish the stance

of the Jews who fought in France against the Germans (“David P. Boder Interviews Charles

Jean”). His inquiry has three main questions. The first regards the rebels’ lives before the

annihilation; the second concerns their role and the way they sustained themselves. Finally, he

probes about their lives after the intransigence.

Boder is especially interested in explicating the alternative role of some Jews in the mass

murder. The Jewish story has always been told from a victim’s perspective as in the other two

instances. We know more about Jews like Serras and less about those who waged a war against

such atrocities. Unfortunately, the Germans are portrayed as the invincible inflictors of torment

but not as the recipients (“David P. Boder Interviews Edith Serras”). However, this interview

paints a different picture. Indeed, Jean has some specific points to make. He intends to

disapprove the notion that the Jews were largely victims of the Holocaust. For example, he

speaks of instances when they were outnumbered but still triumphed over the invaders (“David

P. Boder Interviews Charles Jean”). Furthermore, he notes that some of the armor they had was

from the captive German soldiers. Besides, he explains that the defiant forces were organized

and disciplined. They had a centralized leadership that was in constant communication with the

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allied forces. After serving its purpose in the war, the force was disbanded, and they returned to

their normal lives.

Jean’s points are an integral part of history. It is critical to the history of the survivors and

the memory of the six million who perished. Furthermore, it is important to understand that the

world never folded its arms as innocent lives were lost. Arnel’s and Serras’ stories mention

instances where sympathetic citizens from other nations attempted to help. There were

Europeans, Africans, and fellow Jews who waged war on the oppressive Germans. Boder

clarifies this by asking him about his first encounter with the allied forces (“David P. Boder

Interviews Charles Jean”). In retrospect, this query compounds the answer to the question on the

role of the rest of the world during the time. It restores the hope in humanity to learn that people

from different backgrounds played an integral part in stopping the gruesome annihilation of one

race. In my view, this is doubtful justification to the millions of lives lost. Although the pain may

not be fully erased, it is comforted by the realization that Jews outside the German camps fought

back, and the rest of the world stood behind them.

If I were present in the interview, I would ask some daring questions. First, I would ask

how the war affected Jean’s perception of races. In addition, I would inquire about his resolution

going forward. There is a motive behind these two questions. The first is to establish how the

Jews view the world after this ordeal. Secondly, it would be important, at least to future

generations, to understand the stance of their parents toward global relations. At present times,

this information would help in understanding why Jews are apprehensive in their relationship

with the world. It will also be important in conflict resolution and global reconciliation.

The relevance of such testimonials to historians, teachers, and the general public cannot

be overstated. There is a lot we can and must learn from history. An African saying states that

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until the lion learns how to write, all tales will glorify the hunter. Indeed, Germans have their

reasons for the genocide. It would be simplistic to assume that it was solely perpetrated by

hatred. There is a myriad of political, economic, and social issues that instigated this racial

cleansing. Such interviews help historians understand these issues. Moreover, they give teachers

a reference point for explaining current global issues. Finally, it is important that the public is

aware of these events. We must avoid a repeat of such morbidity in the future. However, to

achieve this, we must first endure the graphic tales of the victims. We may not be able to change

the past, but we can definitely shape the future.

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Works Cited

“David P. Boder Interviews Charles Jean; August 21, 1946; Paris, France.”Voices of the

Holocaust, http://voices.iit.edu/interview?doc=jeanC&display=jeanC_fr.Accessed 20

Nov. 2017.

“David P. Boder Interviews Edith Serras; August 7, 1946; Paris, France.”Voices of the

Holocaust, http://voices.iit.edu/interview?doc=jeanC&display=jeanC_fr. Accessed 20

Nov. 2017.

“Interview Testimony by Jack Arnel.”Facing History and Ourselves,

https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/video/interview-testimony-jack-arnel.

Accessed 20 Nov. 2017.

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