How to Research Ancestors Who Perished in the Holocaust
Discovering the stories of ancestors who perished in the Holocaust is both a challenging and deeply personal journey. While the task can feel overwhelming, there are ways to uncover fragments of your family’s past and honor their memory.
1. Start With What You Know
Begin your research at home. Talk to relatives, gather documents, photographs, letters, and any family stories. Even small details—like a birth date, a town, or a distant cousin’s name—can lead to important discoveries.
2. Explore Online Databases
Several online archives specialize in Holocaust records. Some key resources include:
- Yad Vashem – Israel’s official Holocaust memorial. Their Central Database of Shoah Victims’ Names contains millions of entries.
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum – Offers archives, survivor testimonies, and digitized records.
- JewishGen – Focused on Jewish genealogy, including Holocaust-related records.
3. Use Civil and Local Records
Birth, marriage, and death records, as well as census data and local registries, can provide context about your ancestor’s life before the war. Archives in the towns or regions where your family lived often hold invaluable documents.
4. Connect With Other Researchers
Genealogy forums, Jewish genealogy societies, and local history groups are full of people who share your passion. Collaboration can reveal leads that might otherwise remain hidden.
5. Preserve and Share Their Stories
As you uncover information, consider creating a digital memorial, writing a family history, or contributing to databases like Yad Vashem. Sharing helps keep their memory alive for future generations.
Remember, this journey is as much about honoring the memory of your loved ones as it is about gathering facts. Every photograph, name, and story you recover is a victory against forgetting.
Start small, be patient, and let curiosity guide you. Each discovery is a piece of a story that deserves to be remembered.
