One Week Before

• Call survivor 1 week before interview
• Review Date and Time
• Wear solid colors – not white
• Any message they will want to end interview with
• “Do you anticipate any problems with noise at your home?”
• Remind survivor to prepare up to 10 artifacts

Night Before

• Review the Equipment Checklist
  Call survivor to confirm date and time
• Remember to bring all to the interview:
• Survivor Release Form (2 copies)
• Slate Sign
• Pre-Interview Questionnaire
• This checklist
• Confirm time and meeting place with other team members
• Tell interviewee to contact any close friends or relatives who may be upset if the phone is not answered

At the Interview

Review the Set-up Guide Reminders
• Organize photos and documents
• Have survivor fill out the release forms
• Place tissues and glass of water within arm’s reach of survivor
• Switch off telephones, cell phones, pagers
• Place “Interview in Progress” sign on front door
• Fill in any missing information on the Pre-Interview form
• Review policy for tape changes (shoulder tap at 5 minutes + 2 taps at two minutes)
• Review format of interview with survivor
  • purpose is to document their experiences – would rather not include general historical information – only personal experiences
  • state percentage of focus (20% pre-war, 60% war, 20% post-war)
  • inform about tape changes

Begin the Interview

Camera will silently film the “Slate Sign” for 5 seconds

After slating is over, the entire interview team will appear on camera, all will introduce selves in this format:

1. “My name is __________________________.”
2. “My name is __________________________,” etc. and last person continues,
3. “Today’s date is  _____________________________.”
4. “We are conducting an interview with _____________________________.”
5. “The interview is being conducted in _____________________________.”.”

Camera stops, take your seats, wait for shoulder tap cue and begin the interview

1. “Please state and spell your name”
2. “Please state and spell your name at time of birth”
3. “What is your birth date and how old are you now?”
4. “What was the city and country of your birth” (ask to spell unrecognizable cities)

Continue with the interview

At the conclusion of the interview, be sure to ask:

• “In what ways have your experiences involving the Holocaust affected your life decisions?”
• “What final message do you have for future generations?”

Photos and Documents

• During the filming of each document, ask the survivor to briefly describe the artifact.

After the Interview

• Call the survivor within 2 days – thank them for the interview
• Send a Thank You note from the whole team