Claude Lanzmann: The Recordings
Public Tour
The exhibition Claude Lanzmann: The Recordings makes history audible. For the first time, the audio archive of Claude Lanzmann — the French filmmaker and chronicler of the Shoah — is being made accessible to the public. Previously unknown magnetic tape cassettes document numerous conversations he and his assistants conducted in the 1970s with Holocaust survivors, perpetrators, and bystanders.
The audio archive, created during the research for the film Shoah (1985), was donated to the Jewish Museum Berlin and was added to the UNESCO Memory of the World Register in 2023.
Sun 7 + 28 Dec 2025 + 4 + 11 + 27 Jan + 22 Feb + 22 Mar 2026, 11 am
Where
Old Building, level 1
Lindenstraße 9–14, 10969 Berlin
The tour offers insights into Lanzmann’s research project and introduces the particularities of listening to historical audio sources. The reception of the interviews focuses on various aspects — for instance, the hesitation of survivors to speak about their experiences, or the strategies of denial, minimization, and deflection employed by the perpetrators.
Before and after listening to the audio recordings, there is space to discuss observations, thoughts, and emotions. The conversation about how we, as contemporary listeners, perceive these recordings is an integral part of the tour.
Please note that the audio recordings contain accounts of severe acts of violence.
Exhibition Claude Lanzmann: The Recordings: Features & Programs
- Exhibition Webpage
- Claude Lanzmann: The Recordings: 28 Nov 2025 to 12 Apr 2026
- Accompanying Events & Tours
- Public guided tour of the exhibition: For adults and students from grade 11 onwards, find all dates in our calendar
- See also
- Shoah (1985) by Claude Lanzmann
- The Lanzmann Collection: Projects to catalog, preserver, and share the legacy of the audio cassettes from this holding of the Jewish Museum Berlin
Public Tours: Current Dates and Topics of our Guided Tours (19)
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Current Dates and Topics of our Guided Tours
You can currently participate in the following public tours. Details and ticket information can be found on the page of the respective guided tour.
