Yorkshire Holocaust museum searching for historic High Holy Days mementos to expand archive
Holocaust Centre North appeals to public for photographs and cards to further tell stories of Shoah refugees who made their home in the north of England
A Shoah museum in the north of England is searching for personal materials connected to the High Holy Days that descendants of survivors would consider donating.
Holocaust Centre North, based at the University of Huddersfield in west Yorkshire, tells the global story of the Holocaust through a northern lens. In an attempt to expand its unique archive collections, this month, as Jewish families mark Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Succot and Simchat Torah, it is asking for donations of items including photographs, small mementos, greeting cards and letters wishing family a happy new year.
The museum says that each of these items holds “immense educational and historic significance and value to the Holocaust Centre” and that any personal treasures will be “carefully collected, safeguarded, and where possible, digitised for preservation, ensuring that family histories are shared and never forgotten.”
The living archive is central to the Holocaust Centre North’s permanent exhibition and the museum believes that “without these personal and valuable objects and archive materials, the history of the Holocaust, along with local stories of survival, hope, migration and of building new lives in the north of England risks becoming less accessible for future generations. Sometimes just one letter or a small photograph can bring a whole part of history to life and keep it alive.”
Holocaust Centre North archivist Hari Jonkers said: “We are a living archive. We have a growing collection of materials relating to the history of the Holocaust as well as telling the stories of Holocaust refugees and survivors who made the North of England their homes. Without these personal belongings, many stories would be lost and or forgotten and educating the future generation about these atrocities – particularly now that fewer survivors are alive – becomes a harder and harder task.”
She adds that they are “always seeking to enrich our understanding of pre-war Jewish life in Europe, the Holocaust and the postwar lives of survivors, refugees and their families” and “that is why we would dearly love to gather more documents, letters, small items or photographs that represent the Jewish High Holy days.”
To have an initial conversation with the Holocaust Centre North Collections team, email collections@hud.ac.uk, or call the Centre on 01484 471939.
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