The Last Witnesses: Holocaust Survivors Defy Time in a Digital Age
Patricia Martellotti
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – As the number of Holocaust survivors dwindles, two voices in Santa Barbara refuse to let memory fade.
George Rusznak and Josie Martin were children when war tore through Europe — ripped from homes, separated from family, and forced to hide simply because they were Jewish.
“We survived,” George says, “because my mother didn’t just hope — she acted.”
In 1940s France, Josie was taken in by a nun after her parents made the impossible choice to send her away. “I cried, thinking I might never see them again.”
Decades later, their lives intersect at the Jewish Federation of Santa Barbara — two survivors bound by resilience, remembering those who never returned.
Now, a new virtual exhibit at the Jewish Federation of Santa Barbara uses artificial intelligence to preserve their stories, letting visitors ask them questions even after they’re gone.
It’s a way of defying time itself — ensuring that when the last witness is gone, their voices still answer.
“It’s a tremendous opportunity,” says George. “Whether I’m here or not, people can still hear what I lived through.”
Two survivors. One promise: never again.
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