For decades, a significant amount of the documentation bearing on the Holocaust and its historical context has been scattered, endangered and in many cases made inaccessible. The Nazis, their allies and collaborators not only murdered Jews, Roma, political enemies and other victims; they also endeavored to destroy their culture. Therefore, each and every document pertaining to the life of these victims before, during and after the Holocaust is extremely valuable.
About the IHRA's Guidelines for Identifying Relevant Documentation for Holocaust Research, Education and Remembrance
- Contents
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- Preface
- The IHRA Working Definition of Holocaust-Related Materials
- General Guidelines for Identifying Relevant Documentation for Holocaust Research, Remembrance and Education
Allowing open access to Holocaust documentation and material is important as it is a part of the IHRA Member Countries’ declaration to “share a commitment to throw light on the still obscured shadows of the Holocaust” and to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the opening of archives in order to ensure that all documents bearing on the Holocaust are available to researchers.”
The purpose of these guidelines is to offer a unified tool for identifying relevant documentation for Holocaust research, remembrance and education which will assist archives and other entities in assessing their collections and allowing access to relevant documentation. For countries that are subordinate to the GDPR, this definition will also assist in the implementation of Recital 158 by offering a practical definition to the term “specific information related to the political behavior under former totalitarian state regimes, genocide, crimes against humanity, in particular the Holocaust.”
This resource was launched with an expert panel discussion on 23 March 2022. Watch the recording of the launch event here.
