Family History | Holocaust | ImmigrationPartially online Imperial War Museum The Imperial War Museum (IWM) is a national museum based in London, whose archival records cover Holocaust testimony, military history documentation and accounts. Archive Description Imperial War Museum’s document collection holds over 20,000 individual collections of private papers, comprising unpublished diaries, letters and memoirs written primarily by British and Commonwealth servicemen and women since 1914 and by civilians mainly during the two world wars. It also looks after a large collection of foreign documents, including the official British records of the major war crimes trials conducted at Nuremberg and Tokyo, together with related documents from the Second World War which mainly concern the German and Japanese war efforts. Archival material in the collection with particular reference to Jewish history includes oral history interviews and written testimony from Holocaust survivors and those involved with the Kindertransport scheme, as well as much important supporting documentation on these subjects. Access Information The archives are open to members of the general public by appointment. Access requires the museum to be notified at least five full working days in advance. Access times are 10am to 5pm, Monday to Thursday (closed Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays). More information about access to the archives is available on the Museum’s website, as well as contact information. Online Accessibility The Museum’s catalogue is available online, and includes substantial digital collections, including its digitised sound archive – available online. Street Address Imperial War MuseumLambeth RoadLondonSE1 6HZ https://www.iwm.org.uk
Family History | Holocaust | ImmigrationOnly online AJR Refugee Voices AJR Refugee Voices is a digital archive created by the Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR) and holds Holocaust survivor and refugee testimony. Archive Description AJR Refugee Voices is the Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR)’s groundbreaking Holocaust testimony collection of 250 filmed interviews with Jewish survivors & refugees from Nazi Europe who rebuilt their lives in Great Britain. The archive contains video interviews, written transcripts and summaries, historical photos, documents and other artefacts. You can see photos, documents and videos from the archive via their Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts. Access Information The archive is available to the public and can be accessed in full at the following partner institutions: The Wiener Holocaust Library The Brotherton Library Special Collections, University of Leeds German Historical Institute London The Stanley Burton Centre for Holocaust Studies, University of Leicester The Albert Sloman Library, University of Essex Hartley Library Special Collections, The University of Southampton Interview summaries, photos and documents are also available on the AJR Refugee Voices website. For more information about accessing the collection you can contact the archive on their website. Online Accessibility A searchable catalogue of the interviews can be found on the AJR Refugee Voices Website. The website also holds information about the history of the archive, background information about the interviews, and teaching resources. https://www.ajrrefugeevoices.org.uk
Family History | Holocaust | Jewish Life | Middle Eastern JewryOnly online Sephardi Voices UK Sephardi Voices UK is a video and image archive held in the British Library. Its collection of interviews covers topics around family history, Middle Eastern Jewry, and Holocaust testimonies. Archive Description Sephardi Voices UK documents stories of childhood, displacement, migration, exile, and resettlement and brings to life the vibrant Jewish communities left behind, the journeys of migration and the rich culture and tradition of Sephardi/Mizrahi Jews. The archive works to enable families and communities to connect with their past and celebrate their heritage, and for researchers and the general public to gain a unique window into the lives of Jewish communities which have been severely depleted or no longer exist. To date Sephardi Voices UK has interviewed 105 people from more than fifteen different countries including Iraq, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, and Iran – each with their own unique story. Access Information The archive can be accessed at the British Library and new readers are required to register with the library for access. Information on this process can be found on the British Library website. For more information on visiting and using the archive, you can contact Sephardi Voices UK on its website or email directly at info@sephardivoices.org.uk. Online Accessibility Parts of Sephardi Voices UK archive are available online on the website, and the full collection can explored using the British Library’s online catalogue. Street Address British Library96 Euston RoadLondonNW1 2DB https://www.sephardivoices.org.uk
Holocaust | Immigration | Local HistoryPartially online Scottish Jewish Archives Centre The Scottish Jewish Archive Centre (SJAC) is a community archive with collections covering all aspects of Scottish Jewish life. SJAC is housed at Garnethill Synagogue in Glasgow, Scotland’s oldest synagogue which opened in 1879. The SJAC partnered with the Garnethill Synagogue Preservation Trust to create the Scottish Jewish Heritage Centre, incorporating the Scottish Holocaust-era Study Centre, which opened in 2021. Archive Description The Scottish Jewish Archives Centre opened in 1987 as a national heritage, information and research centre, dedicated to preserving Scotland’s Jewish heritage. It collects historic material relating to the experiences of Jewish people in Scotland over the past 200 years. SJAC aims to document, preserve, exhibit and publish aspects of the collections and make them available to the public. Access Information The archive is open to members of the public, but access must be arranged by appointment by email: info@sjac.org.uk or by visiting the SJAC contact page. Visitors from outside the United Kingdom are required to bring photographic identification to access the archive. If you are unable to visit the archive personally, enquiries can be made via email to info@sjac.org.uk. Digital Content The SJAC has a growing collection of digitised material which can be viewed on the website. Street Address Scottish Jewish Archives CentreGarnethill Synagogue129 Hill StreetGlasgowG3 6UB Home
Family History | Holocaust | ImmigrationPartially online World Jewish Relief Archives The World Jewish Relief Archive is a private archive based in London. It holds records of those who came to the UK from Nazi-Europe during the 1930’s and 1940’s and whom the organisation helped to escape and start new lives in Britain. Archive Description The Central British Fund for German Jewry (CBF) was founded in 1933 to bring Jewish Refugees to Britain from Nazi-occupied Europe. World Jewish Relief (as the CBF is known today) still holds thousands of records of Jewish people who were brought over from Europe before, during and after the war. This includes many of the children who arrived as part of the Kindertransport in 1938 and 1939, the 732 child survivors (later known as ‘The Boys‘) who were brought to Windermere in 1945, men who were placed in the Kitchener Camp and many others. There are records for young women who arrived on a Domestic Visa, family groups who managed to come together as well as individuals who were able to secure work before arriving. The CBF’s administrative archive contains documents which help tell the story of the Central British Fund from its inception and throughout the following decades. Access Information The personal records of the refugees are not available for public access. Family members are encouraged to make an equiry using this online form and a dedicated archive team staffed by part-time volunteers will get in touch with any information they may find. The records have been digitised and if an enquiry is successful, digitised copies of the documents can be sent to family members for them to view. The original documents are stored at the The London Archives along with the organisation’s administrative records and access to view these must be approved by World Jewish Relief. You can send requests to the archive team by emailing archives@worldjewishrelief.org. Due to the popularity of the service there may be a substantial wait before you receive a response to your enquiry. Online Accessibility There is detailed information on the World Jewish Relief website about the types of documents and records found in the archive along with stories of some of those refugees for whom files have been found. There are no online catalogues available. If you need any additional information you can reach the archive team by emailing archives@worldjewishrelief.org. https://www.worldjewishrelief.org/about-us/your-family-history