International Workshop within the Framework of the European Holocaust Research Infrastructure (EHRI), supported by the European Commission.

Jewish Museum in Prague, October 21-23, 2014

EHRI would like to invite you to an international workshop on Early Attempts at the Historical Documentation of the Holocaust, to be held at the Jewish Museum in Prague, Czech Republic on October 21-23, 2014.

In November 2012, EHRI organised a first international workshop on early documentation of the Holocaust which was, to our knowledge, the first comparative research meeting on the topic. The fascinating workshop made it clear that more research and discussion is needed.

Thematic focus

The forms, methods and means of the early documentation of the Holocaust are the main focus for this workshop. Participants are expected to provide new insights on the projects to collect evidence about the Holocaust in its immediate aftermath, from the war period up to 1960s. The workshop will promote a comparative perspective and attempt to broaden the scope of research into the documentation initiatives, with special focus on those in Eastern and South-Eastern Europe.

Over the last few years, much new research has been conducted which has shed new light on the attempts of individuals and groups to collect documents and photos and to record testimonies. Many of these activists were Jewish survivors for whom documentation – at least in some cases – was a way to cope with the murder of their families and communities and a necessary precondition for reconstructing their lives in the shadow of the Shoah. Laura Jockusch and other researchers have explored the often neglected history of Jewish documentation committees, the collectors themselves, as well as results of these initiatives. Without these endeavours, later historians would miss significant pieces of evidence and current historiography of the Holocaust would look different.

The upcoming workshop strives to extend the existing research from the following perspectives (while not excluding other relevant subjects):

• We wish to further develop the comparative perspective, either by adding new research results to the countries discussed during the previous workshop (Great Britain, France, Israel, USA, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Lithuania, Hungary, Romania, Greece), or by adding results from countries which were not included in the previous workshop, with special attention to Eastern-Central and South-Eastern Europe.
• In order to identify the Jewish initiatives on the broader map of the documentation of the World War II, we encourage comparison with other projects, both those initiated by governments as well as those of a more private nature. This may include cooperation with or comparison to the various state-run bodies, as well as the collection of documents with regard to the Nuremberg trials, and other post-war trials. In this way we would like to comparatively determine, among other research questions, in what situations and why Jewish individuals and groups preferred to establish separate Jewish documentation efforts.
• Holocaust archives were often created by activists, constructed by people with their own interpretation of the past. We would like to look more closely at the process of construction of the early Holocaust archives and how their content and structure were influenced by the the ideology and methodology of their creators.
• Participants are invited to focus on the phenomenon of early testimonies, usually in written form and often styled as formalized and signed protocols. We wish to explore the significance of the act of testimony, its languages, as well as the methodology of testimony collection.
• As EHRI is putting together a database on Holocaust-relevant archival materials for its portal, the workshop will have a session on the inclusion of archival sources used and/or referred to by the workshop presentors.

Call for Papers

Proposals are invited for individual presentations or participation in round tables relating to the topics above. Case studies and collection-specific presentations are also welcomed across all topics.

Individual Papers

Each accepted paper for individual presentation will be allotted 30 minutes for presentation and discussion.

Round Tables

An opportunity for several shorter presentations (approx. 10 minutes each) and a chaired discussion. This may be a more suitable slot for ‘work in progress’ submissions.

If you are interested in giving an individual paper or participating in a round table discussion, please send a short 500 word proposal and a CV (including all relevant contact information) in English to: magdalena.sedlicka@jewishmuseum.cz 

The deadline for submissions of proposals is July 30, 2014. Notification will be sent via email by mid August, 2014.

The workshop will be conducted in English. Subsidies will be available to participants in accordance with European Commission guidelines and the EHRI project budget.

Please contact us for further information concerning financing.

Contact: Magdalena Sedlická, magdalena.sedlicka@jewishmuseum.cz
tel: +420 222 749 238

www.jewishmuseum.cz

Read more about the first EHRI Workshop on Early Attempts at the Historical Documentation of the Holocaust in November 2012.

This expert meeting is organised within the framework of the European Holocaust Research Infrastructure (EHRI) programme, supported by the European Commission.  EHRI was launched in November 2010, and is dedicated to opening up collections related to Holocaust history within a web-based environment. The overall objective of the EHRI experts' workshops is to generate a creative exchange of knowledge and views between experts in various methodological subfields of Holocaust research and documentation.

Photo: © Holocaust Memorial Center, Hungary. This photo was taken at the first EHRI Workshop on Early Attempts at the Historical Documentation of the Holocaust, November 2012.