Holocaust Archives Now Open to the Public

The archives at the International Tracing Service formally opened to the public on April 30 and genealogists are already beginning to take note. An organized group of 42 genealogists from the USA, Australia, Israel and Great Britain made the trip last week to the ITS archives in Bad Arolsen to research in the rich collection of records relating to victims of the holocaust -- including more than 6 million Jewish individuals who disappeared without a trace. In total, over 47 million records relating to the Holocaust have been amassed at the ITS over the past 60 years in an effort to reunite families torn apart by WWII, totaling about approximately 17.5 million victims of Nazism, both Jew and non-Jew. Until now the ITS archives, administered by the Red Cross, were open exclusively by its staff to answer queries about missing persons or to search for records to support compensation payments for Holocaust victims. Survivors, relatives and historical researchers had no direct access to the records.

As part of the official opening of these records, approved in November 2007, the archived material is being digitized and sent to the 11 states of the International Commission for the International Tracing Service (Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, United Kingdom, United States). Last August, ITS began the process of copying files from its 16 miles of filing cabinets housed in six buildings; organizations such as the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, the Yad Vashem Memorial in Jerusalem and the National Institute of Remembrance in Warsaw have received the first installment of about 18 million digital images of arrest, camp, prison, ghetto and transport records, and expect to ultimately receive more than 100 million digital images of archived material over the next two years.

The International Tracing Service in Germany and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum are both accepting inquiries, via their respective Web sites, for research of archival documents. These research services are only available to survivors and their families. All other researchers must visit in person to examine the records.

More: Holocaust Research Links