Holocaust pics - who to contact?

[ElizK]

A friend's dad was one of the G.I.s that liberated Dachau. He had quite a few photos that he took, and each one of them has some of his thoughts written on the back. There were other pics he took, too. As well as a poem he wrote. Quite the treasure!

Who would they contact if they decide to share the collection? I've tried googling without finding anything helpful. Thanks for your help.

 

[lizabu]

Maybe the United States Holocaust Museum would want them.

 

[Janepod]

Maybe the United States Holocaust Museum would want them.

Them, or the Shoah Foundation.

 

[lovemygoofy]

You could contact whatever branch military installation that he was serving. Each has a historian and probably some sort museum.

 

[Cindy B]

Here's a few places you can start:

-- National Museum of American Jewish History
http://www.nmajh.org/ (in Philadelphia, PA- an amazing place and trove of American History). They take all kinds of donations!

United States Holocaust Museum http://www.ushmm.org/ - another heartwrenching but powerful place- this is in Washington DC.

Local Jewish Community Centers- I have a large JCC near me, that has a very small Holocaust museum inside with members mementos. Check a large city near you that has a strong Jewish Population.

Local synagogues (Reform or Orthodox). My boss is an Orthodox Rabbi and he is extremely concerned that the newer generation of students will forget about the Holocaust.

Also do not forget about Jewish faith based schools, any day school, high school or Jewish university. I teach at a day school (American History even!). Primary sources are one of our strongest tools to remember the past.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

You might contact the US Holocaust Museum http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10006237

(Note that you might want to look at some of the photographs that were reprinted and given to GIs and make sure they are not reproductions that the museum has many copies of already. The article above provide links to these. In that case, your friend's family can keep them or give them a local organization who, I'm sure, would be glad to have them.)

 

[Imzadi]

Them, or the Shoah Foundation.

I was also thinking the Shoah Foundation. They are interested in collecting first person accounts of genocides & atrocities. Those pictures & thoughts at the time, on the back, fit that description.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/17/arts/shoah-foundation-institute-examines-other-genocides.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

 

[ElizK]

Thanks, y'all! I knew I could count on the Dis! I'll pass on the information.

 

[teller80]

I know it's very personal, but would your friend mind sharing with us first?

 

[mombrontrent]

I know it's very personal, but would your friend mind sharing with us first?

What a strange request

 

[Lorelei Lee]

I would love to see the photos, horrible as they may be. Such an important piece of history.

 

[PrincessKsMom]

I know the college my daughter will be attending next year has a holocaust and genocide program: The Sara & Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center, at Richard Stockton College in NJ. Maybe they would be interested

 

[Kies99]

You could always contact the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site directly. Here is a link to the contact info:

http://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/contact.html

The will speak English so don't worry about that. I'd try the Archive department contact e-mail address first.

 

[Imzadi]

I know it's very personal, but would your friend mind sharing with us first?

That's probably not a good idea. I would think once the pictures get out and spread all over the Internet, the less of a likelihood any organization like a museum will want the pictures. Part of the rights of obtaining the collection of pictures would be to have some exclusive rights to them. If they are plastered around ahead of time, that's lost.

 

[KiKi Mouse]

I don't have anything to add, all the previous posters took care of what I was going to post.

What a treasure to have those pieces of history.

We have a family member that has a photo of two of her working in a concentration camp. Another family member is putting together her story. We get together and this one family member presents all of us with a photo and tells the story as if it were read from a book.

We are not sure what we are going to do with our photos and the story that goes with them. We haven't gotten that far yet.

OP please let us know what you wind up doing with them.

As for people wanting to see them, I can understand as my family has a great interest in holocaust and the holodomor but the OP should contact a museum first.

 

[wiigirl]

Them, or the Shoah Foundation.

 

[ElizK]

I don't have anything to add, all the previous posters took care of what I was going to post.

What a treasure to have those pieces of history.

We have a family member that has a photo of two of her working in a concentration camp. Another family member is putting together her story. We get together and this one family member presents all of us with a photo and tells the story as if it were read from a book.

We are not sure what we are going to do with our photos and the story that goes with them. We haven't gotten that far yet.

OP please let us know what you wind up doing with them.

As for people wanting to see them, I can understand as my family has a great interest in holocaust and the holodomor but the OP should contact a museum first.

They are not my family's pictures. We were out with friends this past weekend, and the wife mentioned them. They were taken by the husband's dad. The husband didn't seem particularly interested in doing anything with them, didn't think anyone would really be interested. I think there are places that woud definitely be interested. Part of what really made them special were the things that were written on the backs of the photos. This young GI's anger at the atrocities is palpable. Also, they were numbered, so you get a sort of timeline. There are similar pictures out there that I have seen, just one or two that I've never seen anything like it before. But the narration that goes with it... that really makes the collection special.

 

[Handbag Lady]

Here is another option:


http://www.wiesenthal.com/site/pp.asp?c=lsKWLbPJLnF&b=6212365#.Up5Vomf1NkA

From their website: The Museum of Tolerance (MOT) is the educational arm of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, an internationally renowned Jewish human rights organization. The only museum of its kind in the world, the MOT is dedicated to challenging visitors to understand the Holocaust in both historic and contemporary contexts and confront all forms of prejudice and discrimination in our world today.