Tracing Holocaust Survivors & Victims

Starting Your Search

The following is a brief guide to help you research, trace Holocaust survivors or victims, and acquaint yourself with the resources available in The Zekelman Holocaust Center's Library Archive. For specific questions, please check with the reference librarian on duty or call Genealogy Expert Feiga Weiss at 248.553.2834 to make an appointment for individual guidance.

Preliminary Searching

Name, Location, and History:
Check the name of the person you are searching for and the town where the person originated. Locate the city on a map and note the surrounding towns and areas. Learn what happened to the city during the war and identify the governing bodies or occupying forces. Get as much information as possible, including the European spelling of the person’s name, age, address and names of relatives.

Arolsen Archives (Formerly International Tracing Services):
The Arolsen Archives are the international center on Nazi persecution with the world’s most comprehensive archive on the victims and survivors of National Socialism. The collection has information on about 17.5 million people and belongs to the UNESCO’s Memory of the World. Access the agency's online collections and digital archive by clicking here.

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum:
Submit a research request form by clicking here. Priority is given to survivors and families, and they are happy to check their own vast archive.

Ancestry.com:
Ancestry.com has acquired millions of Holocaust records from Arolsen Archives, an index to the Shoah Foundation index of Jewish Holocaust survivor testimonies, JewishGen, and USHMM records. All Ancestry Holocaust records are available at no charge. Records may be searched by clicking here.

Jewish Genealogy Website:
JewishGen, the global home for Jewish Genealogy, allows you to search names, locations, registers, and current research by topic and location. Pay special attention to the Infofiles, Holocaust Database, Special Interest Groups, and KehilaLinks.

Avotaynu:
Avontaynu, The International Review of Jewish Genealogy, hosts many articles and resources in your area of research.

In-Depth Searching

  • Contact the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Survivor Resource Center at 202.488.6112 or 202.488.6130
  • American Joint Jewish Distribution Committee files are available by clicking here. Photograph and text searching are also available.
  • Miriam Weiner’s Routes to Roots website identifies Jewish archival records in Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, Lithuania, and Moldova.
  • USC Shoah Foundation's Institute for Visual History and Education is an online catalog of survivors who gave oral testimonies and is searchable by relatives, subject, and location name.
  • Review Memorial Books for the town(s) where the person originated and numerous registers. The HC has a very extensive collection and can be accessed by clicking here.
  • If the person was imprisoned in a concentration camp, forced labor camp, transit camp, killing center, or death camp, you may be able to write directly to the address or find out where the records are currently being kept.
  • Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, hosts a Shoah Names Database with the names and biographical details of approximately 4.8 million people murdered in the Holocaust. View all digital collections available by clicking here.
  • Check Displaced Persons Camp records and periodicals that appeared at the time. The HC has copies of many microfilms in our Library Archive.
  • To locate persons who may have gone to Israel, Batya Unterschatz-Landsman conducts research for a fee. Contact her at batyal2@012.net.il or her mailing address at 91 Derech Hazeitim, Moshav Beit Zeit, Israel 90815. Be aware that the person’s last name may have been changed to a Hebrew version of a European name.
  • Write to Landsmanschaften societies. Place an ad in their newsletters or ask the head of the society to speak with members regarding the person(s) in whom you are interested.
  • Place an ad in TOGETHER published by the American Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors by emailing Allgenerations@aol.com. This magazine has a ‘Searches’ column and they accept notices for publication.
  • Place an ad with Allgenerations@aol.com. Serena Woolrich, President of Allgenerations, Inc. administers this email group of survivors and children. The notice will reach the survivor community quickly and efficiently.
  • Place an ad in Generations of the Shoah International Newsletter by emailing GSI@genshoah.org.

Resources last revised in August 2020