Explore diverse experiences of people during the Holocaust
Read a last letter thrown from a deportation train. Page through a handwritten diary. View photos and films of families living under Nazism. Hear the testimony of an American liberator. Discover the richness of first person accounts by:
- Learning about the Holocaust from selected primary sources with historical context;
- Uncovering surprising connections using tags like activism, propaganda, family, and health and hygiene;
- Reading diaries and documents in their original language with side-by-side translations.
World War II Spurred an Unprecedented Refugee Crisis
How Did Americans Respond?
In 1945, many Americans remained skeptical of granting asylum to millions of Europeans uprooted by war and genocide. Visual media, including films like this one, played an important role in building support for admitting Displaced Persons (DPs) from war-torn Europe.
More Sources on Displaced Persons in Postwar America
Browse Collections by Theme
Jewish Perspectives on the Holocaust
View sources that highlight Jewish responses to persecution and genocide under Nazism.
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- Holocaust Diaries
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- Diary of Elisabeth Ornstein
Americans and the Holocaust
Explore sources that reveal how Americans understood and responded to Nazism, World War II, and the Holocaust.
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- Black Americans and World War II
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- Oral History with Leon Bass
Everyday Life: Roles, Motives, and Choices During the Holocaust
Find sources exploring the difficult choices and pressures that confronted people during the Holocaust.
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Belonging and Exclusion: Reshaping Society under Nazi Rule
Examine sources that show how the Nazis and their supporters transformed Germany to align with theories about race and national unity.
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- Targets of Eugenics
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- Self-Portrait by Franz Karl Bühler
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