Ellen Land-Weber: To Save a Life: Stories of Jewish Rescue. To order this CD, please contact the Autor at Humboldt State University, Art Dept., Arcata,CA 95521 or e-mail: eell@axe.humboldt.edu.

To Save A Life avaliable on CD- ROM and through the Internet, emerged out of a Humboldt State University study of altruism conducted by Samuel and Pearl Oliner. Ellen Land-Weber interviewed over fifty rescuers (and the people they rescued) for this study; and out of a desire to create a more detailed companion piece to the Oliner study, Land-Weber returned to six interviewees to create a more complete record of their stories. A professor of art at Humboldt State, Land-Weber’s compilation of narrative and photography offers a compelling visual accompaniment to the rescuers’ stories, including hyperlinks to the perspectives of the people they saved.

To Save a Life offers the best of both worlds in digital media. As a self-contained CD-ROM, it is a computerized book that offers compelling graphics and linked stories; and because it is viewed through a computer’s website browser (such as Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Explorer) it also allows for hypertext links that direct users from the CD-ROM into many other avenues offered via the Internet. The entire project offers insight into the particular contexts and personal lives of those who survived the Holocaust, illustrating how the actions of individuals do indeed make a difference.

In representing the stories of rescuers Tina Strobos, Mirjam Pinkhof, and Bert Bochove, Land-Weber not only details their accounts in Holland, but also offers perspectives on the German occupation of the Netherlands (complete with maps for those who need them). John Damsi’s and Barbara Makuch’s stories are also conveyed with materials that offer insight into the occupation of Poland, and Anna and Jaruslav Chlup’s narratives are accompanied by information about the Czechoslovakian occupation. To Save a Life includes sections that discuss the treatment of Jews in each of these countries, which add important contextual information to inform our reading of their struggles. Concise synopses of these stories are offered as well, providing brief overviews of the different stories of rescue; and Land-Weber also includes an "Album of Rescuers" that highlights the actions of other rescuers. This section of the CD-ROM is expected to grow with each new edition; and since the pressing of the compact disk, the Humboldt website has added five new documents.

For those users who follow links from the CD-ROM to the website, Land-Weber offers a "What’s New" page that identifies recent additions and forecasts future updates. To ensure easy navigation, a modification of background color indicates the difference between documents from the CD-ROM and those available on the Web. As a sign of the organic, dynamic nature of the multimedia project Land-Weber has initiated, she offers a mailing list to inform recipients of changes to the site, including updates to a variety of useful links to further web exploration regarding the Holocaust. For further inquiries about the CD-ROM, write to Ellen Land-Weber at Art Department, see above address. A website version of the CD-ROM is also currently available online at Humboldt State University.

Brad Lucas