The Wiener Library has many eyewitness accounts of Nazi persecution. They are held in a variety of forms, both published and unpublished, as individual, deposited manuscripts or larger archives. The Library was responsible for two specific projects to collect, archive and make accessible such eyewitness accounts:
More than 300 reports of the infamous November Pogrom in 1938 were collected in the immediate aftermath – November 1938 to January 1939 - of the events themselves (WL Doc 1375).
Virtually all accounts are in German and accessible in our reading room in digital format as part of the Testaments of the Holocaust database.
The idea for the Eyewitness accounts project was born from the desire to ensure that reliable, authentic testimonies of Holocaust survivors are preserved and made accessible while the memories were still relatively fresh.
This collection, known as the ‘Eyewitness Accounts’ comprises some 1200 accounts, ranging in length from a few to dozens of pages, that provide a personal insight into antisemitism and persecution in Europe, including
- The pre 1933 era
- From the Nazi’s coming to power
to the outbreak of the Second World War - Deportations and incarceration in
concentration camps and ghettos - The fate of survivors of the Holocaust
The vast majority of accounts and documents are in German. A detailed index and comprehensive summaries (in English) of the accounts are available in the Wiener Library reading room.
The Eyewitness accounts can also be searched on the online searchable database Testaments to the Holocaust (click here for more details). This database is accessible in the Wiener Library reading room.
This collection is the product of countless interviews of Holocaust survivors and refugees conducted between 1954 and 1960 by the Wiener Library, plus much original supporting documentation.
The Wiener Library advertised in national papers for eyewitnesses to come forward to be interviewed. In addition, Wiener Library staff compiled a list of potential eyewitnesses from personal contacts, trial reports, newspaper articles etc. Those who were agreeable were interviewed. Staff proof read the resulting reports and re-submitted them to the interviewee for correction before producing the final draft. They then catalogued and indexed them.
When most sources in Great Britain were exhausted, experienced interviewers were recruited to generate reports from many more eyewitnesses in Europe.
This series also includes personal accounts written by the victims themselves, along with affidavits, contemporary letters and official documentation.
The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany provided the funding for the project, which commenced in 1956 and lasted approximately 5 years.