Tracing And Documenting Nazi Victims Past And Present

Description

After World War II, tracing and documenting Nazi victims emerged against the background of millions of missing persons and early compensation proceedings. This was a process in which the Allies, international aid organizations, and survivors themselves took part. New archives, documentation centers and tracing bureaus were founded amid the increasing Cold War divide. They gathered documents on Nazi persecution and structured them in specialized collections to provide information on individual fates and their grave repercussions: the loss of relatives, the search for a new home, physical or mental injuries, existential problems, social support and recognition, but also continued exclusion or discrimination. By doing so, institutions involved in this work were inevitably confronted with contentious issues—such as varying political mandates, neutrality vs. solidarity with those formerly persecuted, data protection vs. public interest, and many more. Over time, tracing bureaus and archives changed methods and policies and even expanded their activities, using historical documents for both research and public remembrance. This is the first publication to explore this multifaceted history of tracing and documenting past and present. • First edited volume to explore the history of the search for missing Nazi victims in detail • Explores today’s significance and relevance of archival holdings that emerged from tracing activities • Transnational focus with multiple case studies Cover Half Title Title Copyright Preface Table of Contents Tracing and Documenting Nazi Victims Past and Present – Introduction On the Uses and Disadvantages of the Arolsen Archives for History From Early Tracing Activities to Information for Descendants The (Early) Search for Missing Nazi Victims Family Searching and Tracing Services of JDC in the Second World War Era Those Left Behind Tracing Services in Poland and Czechoslovakia after 1945 Survivors Helping Survivors Caring for the Dead and the Living Yad Vashem and Holocaust Victim’s Search for Family ITS Research at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum for Descendants of Holocaust Victims and Survivors The New Tasks and Challenges for Tracing Collections and Activities of Archives Dealing with Nazi Victims Collections Archives Dealing with Nazi Victims From Tracing and Fate Clarification to Research Center “It is our job to find out who did what.” The Federal Archives and its Role in German Politics of Remembrance Institutes of National Remembrance and their Role in Dealing with National Socialism Linking and Enriching Archival Collections in the Digital Age Contributors