Explore diverse experiences of people during the Holocaust
Read a last letter thrown from a deportation train. Page through a handwritten diary. View photos and films of families living under Nazism. Hear the testimony of an American liberator. Discover the richness of first person accounts by:
- Learning about the Holocaust from selected primary sources with historical context;
- Uncovering surprising connections using tags like activism, propaganda, family, and health and hygiene;
- Reading diaries and documents in their original language with side-by-side translations.
Inside Auschwitz
Austrian physician Otto Wolken managed to survive in Auschwitz by working as a camp doctor. As a witness in postwar trials of the Holocaust's perpetrators, he provided important details on the Nazi campaign to murder Europe's Jews. In the testimony featured here, he describes the routine brutality which dictated life—and death—in the camp.
Hear Wolken's TestimonyBrowse Collections by Theme
Jewish Perspectives on the Holocaust
View diaries, letters, testimonies, art, and other media that highlight Jewish responses to persecution and genocide.
View CollectionsIn these collections
Americans and the Holocaust
Explore primary sources that depict politics and society in the US from the early 1930s, the Holocaust and World War II, and the postwar period.
View CollectionsIn these collections
Everyday Life: Roles, Motives, and Choices During the Holocaust
Find sources that explore the difficult choices and new social and political pressures confronted by individuals during the Holocaust.
View CollectionsIn these collections
Create an Account for Personalized Features
In your account, you can save bookmarks, create a course reading list as an instructor, or access your instructor’s course.