"Deaf Holocaust"
Professional Background
Mark Zaurov is a Ph. D. candidate in sign languages at the University of Hamburg, Germany, where he also received an M.A. in the same subject. For his Charles H. Revson Foundation Fellowship, Mr. Zaurov conducted research for his project, “Deaf Holocaust.”
Mr. Zaurov is the author of numerous publications, including, Gehörlose Juden – eine doppelte kulturelle Minderheit [Deaf Jews: A Double Cultural Minority] (2003). He has also written numerous articles and book chapters, including “Spurensuche: Richard Liebermann (1900-1966): Ein juedischer gehörloser Kuenstler und sein Werk” [Searching for Traces: Richard Liebermann (1900-1966), a Jewish Deaf Artist and his Oeuvre] in Das Zeichen 59/02 (2002) and several chapters in Overcoming the Past, Determining its Consequences and Finding Solutions for the Present: A Contribution to Deaf Studies, Holocaust Studies and Sign Language Education (2009) which he co-edited with Klaus-B. Günther. Mr. Zaurov is the recipient of the Usable-Award from the Körber-Foundation for the report The Lighthouse for Deaf-Blind in Seattle WA (2000) and the BIENE-Award for Sign Video in German Sign Language (DGS) (2006). He has presented his research at various conferences and has given lectures around the world. Mr. Zaurov has language skills in German, English, Hebrew, German Sign Language (DGS), American Sign Language (ASL), Israeli Sign Language (ISR), and International Signs.
Fellowship Research
During his time at the Center, Mr. Zaurov researched the Deaf Jewish world before the Holocaust, as well as gathered information on Deaf survivors and the Deaf Holocaust. As interviews between a hearing interviewer and a deaf interviewee are usually conducted through a hearing translator, the interview tends to be choppy and superficial. Mr. Zaurov aimed to create guidelines as to how to conduct an interview with Deaf survivors completely through Sign. To complete his research, Mr. Zaurov utilized the Museum’s extensive archival collections, particularly those concerning Deaf Jewish communities in Eastern Europe, and conducted interviews with Deaf survivors.
Mr. Zaurov was in residence at the Mandel Center from April 1 to July 30, 2011.