World War II and the Holocaust in the Soviet Union

c. 1942-1943 CE | Photographs and oral history interviews with Russian and German veterans of the Battle of Stalingrad and their families

n.d. | Primary source documents

Large digitized collection of oral history interviews conducted by U.S. government personnel with Soviet displaced persons at the end of WWII; contains information about life in the occupied territories of the USSR.

Transcriptions of testimonies by survivors, diaries and letters, official documents pertaining to the Holocaust, maps, photographs

c. 1945-1949 CE | Digitized documents related to the 1946 war crimes trials of leading Nazi officials at Nuremberg

c. 1930s - 1990 | Clips from little-known films about the Holocaust made in the postwar USSR

The Holocaust provides a wealth of primary sources to examine how genocide unfolded in Eastern Europe. The Nazis spent years reshaping their government and constructing a society around the idea of racial purity. By examining primary source material, it is easy to see this progression. The following are made available (in English translation) for researchers, students, teachers, and anyone with an interest in this time period.

The Museum’s collection is the basis for investigating aspects of the Holocaust and its lasting impact. There are many different ways that people can use the collection, in person and online, to learn about the Holocaust and conduct research.

Contains Soviet government documents translated into English, propaganda posters, clips from Soviet films made during WWII, etc.

1943-1945 CE | Soviet war posters from the University of Nottingham

From the University of Nottingham

1949-2023 CE | Select English translations of Soviet and Russian news items

1851-2017 CE | Newspapers

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As the Jewish people’s living memorial to the Holocaust, Yad Vashem safeguards the memory of the past and imparts its meaning for future generations. Established in 1953, as the world center for documentation, research, education and commemoration of the Holocaust, Yad Vashem is today a dynamic and vital place of intergenerational and international encounter.

A resource of hope, the Red Cross has worked to trace and, if possible, reunite family members separated by every major war in this century. With access to World War II records, it is now possible to determine the fate of many more victims of Nazi persecution. The Red Cross can often assist in securing the documentation of forced labor or internment in a concentration camp, which is required when survivors submit claims for reparations or pensions from the German government. Each year, thousands of people turn to their local Red Cross chapter to request an international search for unforgotten family members.