Holocaust

The Holocaust Memoirs Project

n the year 2000, in partnership with the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, and led by Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel, the World Jewish Congress undertook to collect and publish the individual memoirs of Holocaust Survivors. The Holocaust Memoirs Project was begun to help preserve the memory of those who survived the Nazi onslaught. .

The project is an expression of the WJC's unwavering commitment to ensure that the individual experiences are preserved for generations. Elie Weisel, "The Holocaust must never be studied exclusively from the perspective of the perpetrators. Survivor's recollections are integral to the historical record. Each story is unique, and crucial to future understanding of the Holocaust."

In the introduction to the first published memoirs Mr. Wiesel writes,

"On the surface, all memoirs of Holocaust survivors resemble one another. They tell of the peaceful happiness of the before, the terrifying violence of the Tragedy, and then, the difficult challenges that came after. This seems to be true of the broad strokes of these narratives. Except that each person evokes his or her life and agony in his or her own unique manner, distinctive voice, with his or her own distinct emphases and silences."

The US Holocaust Memorial Museum and the World Jewish Congress are making the Holocaust memoirs available for purchase as they are published. To order a book or request a catalog please send your request via email to memoirs@worldjewishcongress.org.

In time, we hope to offer the memoirs series online as a permanent digital record of these important and timeless stories. If you would like to be kept up to date on this online publishing initiative, please click here to register for WJC updates.

If you would like to submit a memoir to be considered for publication in this series please contact us via email at memoirs@worldjewishcongress.org.