Douglas Morris Collection
Scope and Content Note
This collection consists primarily of interviews conducted by Douglas Morris between 1975 and 1977. The interviewees were German and Swiss Jews and persons of Jewish descent who survived World War II and were living in Germany or Switzerland at the time of the interview.
The first set of 33 interviews (Series I) focused on the individuals' lives in Germany, and the experience of being Jewish or of Jewish descent in Germany. Topics included education, World War I, the Weimar Republic, the rise of Nazism, World War II, concentration camps, emigration, and the choice to remain in or return to Germany. The German interviews formed the basis of Morris’s undergraduate honors thesis at Wesleyan University. Morris also conducted a second set (Series II) of 43 interviews in 1976-1977 with Swiss Jews who survived World War II and were living in Switzerland at the time of the interview. Many of these interviews were recorded, but transcripts or translations were not prepared.
This collection includes audio cassette tapes and other interview materials such as transcripts, translations, narratives, notes, and index cards, as well as drafts and other materials related to Morris’s thesis. It also includes some printed research material for his Swiss interviews.
Dates
- Creation: 1975-1977
Creator
- Morris, Douglas G., 1954- (Person)
Language of Materials
This collection is in English and German, with some French.
Access Restrictions
Access to this collection is restricted. Anyone wishing to view the material must sign an agreement promising to respect the privacy of the interviewees. Researchers who are interested in accessing this collection may contact the Leo Baeck Institute, 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011 (lbaeck@lbi.cjh.org).
Access Information
Collection is digitized. Follow the links in the Container List to access the digitized materials.
Use Restrictions
Copyright is retained by the donor. Furthermore, any citation or use of the material that may identify the interviewee or a relative or friend of the interviewee requires written permission from the donor. For more information, please contact the Leo Baeck Institute, 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011 (lbaeck@lbi.cjh.org).
Biographical Note
No biographical data available.
Extent
2.5 Linear Feet
Abstract
The Douglas Morris Collection consists of oral history interviews conducted by Douglas Morris in the mid-1970s. The interviewees were Swiss and German Jews who survived World War II and were living in Germany or Switzerland at the time of the interview. The collection includes audio cassette tapes as well as associated materials such as transcripts, translations, narrative summaries, notes, index cards, and printed research materials. The German interviews formed the basis of Morris’s undergraduate honors thesis at Wesleyan University, and the collection includes drafts and other materials related to this thesis.
Other Finding Aids
A list of complete interviewee names (anonymized in Series I, below) is found in AR 11835. In addition, a three-page container list was prepared upon accession. Either document may be obtained by contacting the Leo Baeck Institute, 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011 (lbaeck@lbi.cjh.org).
Microfilm
The collection is on four reels of microfilm (MF 1107):
- Reel 1: 1/1 - 1/10
- Reel 2: 1/11 - 2/7
- Reel 3: 2/8 - 3/7
- Reel 4: 3/8
Processing Information
In October 2010, this collection was processed by imposing an intellectual structure, creating a finding aid, and rehousing the documents.
Subject
- Morris, Douglas G., 1954- (Person)
Genre / Form
- Audiocassettes
- clippings (information artifacts)
- Oral histories (literary genre)
- Research notes
- Transcripts
- Typescripts
Geographic
Topical
- Title
- Guide to the Douglas Morris (1954-) Collection 1975-1977 AR 6470 / MF 1107
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Processed by Kevin Schlottmann
- Date
- © 2010
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Description is in English.
- Sponsor
- as part of the Leon Levy Archival Processing Initiative, made possible by the Leon Levy Foundation
Revision Statements
- June 2011.: Microfilm inventory added.
- March 29, 2012 : Links to digital objects added in Container List.
Repository Details
Part of the Leo Baeck Institute Repository
