The aim of this paper is to reflect briefly on newly found sources which contribute to rebuild
the history of the Rabinovitch family of interpreters, focusing mostly on Georges, who
became United Nations (UN) chief interpreter in 1947. The subject fits into the Italian
tradition of microhistory, as part of a chapter in the narrative of a story which unfolds in
the realm of a family but connects with larger-scale events. The geopolitical and social
consequences of those events, particularly the two World Wars, shaped the lives of the
characters and institutions I am approaching here. My inquiry protocols include conventional
history records – in physical or digital format; personal interviews – a blend
of oral history and memory – with Joana Rabinovitch, G. Rabinovitch’s daughter; and
photographic image analysis, where my positioning as a present observer of past images
is unavoidably distant in time and place, far from neutral, and in need of guidance from
the holder of the photographs. The essay shows a sample of the sources as interpreted
by the author. Additionally, the paper touches on the importance of private archives for
historical research.
