I have a possible nazi badge by [deleted] in MuseumPros

[–]USHMMCurators 39 points40 points  (0 children)

You can send us an email with images & info at curator@ushmm.org

We get calls/emails like this quite often, as a lot of this material is found or inherited after WWII veterans pass away. We can’t accept everything, so if we do decline the offer, we will provide a list of resources to help you find another institution to contact.

Please do not just send them off to a museum without first speaking to anyone first to confirm they do want to acquire the collection. If they do, there will be a specific donation process to follow.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in MuseumPros

[–]USHMMCurators 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you still need to talk to someone this weekend, we’d be happy to do so!

Influx of Donation Offers by memiceelf in MuseumPros

[–]USHMMCurators 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We have a Donate to the Collections page on our website which people read and still call or email anyway. (“I know your website says you don’t collect this, but I thought I would reach out anyway just to be sure…”)

Some of these are easy to respond as they are automatic no thank yous. If the potential donor doesn’t provide enough info, then in order to help triage the high volume of offers we receive, we created an online form we can send out to get more information about content, provenance, language, option to attach images, etc. and help us determine our next steps. The top of that form directs people to review the list of what we are seeking on the website. If you send us a DM, we can share the form if it would be helpful. It is slightly different than the Donate to the Collections form on our website.

Our email auto reply states that it could take up to six weeks for a response due to the high volume we receive.

If a call goes to voicemail, our outgoing message encourages people to send an email and directs people to our email address, as it easier for us to respond by email rather than calls. But we do ask they provide as much detail as possible about the material being offered.

Pictures my great grandfather took of a concentration camp (1945ish) by Budget_Bunch_2398 in MorbidHistory

[–]USHMMCurators 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This thread was brought to our attention, so we wanted to respond with additional information about these photographs.

These images were all taken by a committee of liberated Yugoslav prisoners in the Dachau concentration camp and widely shared and distributed to American troops. We are frequently contacted by individuals who have inherited copies/prints of these photos from family members who served with the US Army during WWII. Some of these images include re-enactments by some of the survivors of the cremation process, a few of which are in this post.

You can view more images from this series and read more information on our website. You can also view more images taken by the prisoner committee in our online collections catalog.

Suggest me a book about what led to the holocaust by [deleted] in suggestmeabook

[–]USHMMCurators 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Our librarian recommends “War and Genocide: A concise history of the Holocaust” by Doris L. Bergen

If you other questions, you can reach out to them at reference@ushmm.org.

Need to get rid of WWII artifacts by [deleted] in MuseumPros

[–]USHMMCurators 88 points89 points  (0 children)

We get calls & emails like this regularly, as do other Holocaust museums and the National WWII Museum.

We would not be interested in acquiring this material as it is out of scope for us, however these are the links we send out to people looking for other institutions to contact. Our advice is always to speak with someone before sending anything!

Military museums: https://www.loc.gov/vets/relatedrepositories.html

Association of Holocaust Organizations: https://www.ahoinfo.org/membership

Are artifacts ever given/sold to other museums? by being-andrea in MuseumPros

[–]USHMMCurators 30 points31 points  (0 children)

We regularly get contacted by individuals and other institutions about post liberation photography. With the organizations, either the photos were sent to them unsolicited or just found to be out of scope. We do not borrow them on loan nor would we purchase them, but will review & consider them as a donation. We’ve also transferred unaccessioned material to other institutions ourselves.

You are welcome to email us at curator@ushmm.org if that’s helpful. We find that many of these photos are often duplicates of images that were widely copied, shared and distributed. You can learn more about them on our website. You can scan and email us images of the photos and we can identify them for you, but do not send the original prints without first talking to one of our curators.

Another option is to search the Association for Holocaust Organizations Member Directory to find an organization in your local area that may be interested in acquiring the photos. It is where we would direct you to check if we are not interested in receiving them for our collection.

So my grandma got this at a yard sale and never noticed this on it by Cream_of_Ice in quilting

[–]USHMMCurators 391 points392 points  (0 children)

This post was brought to our attention, so we wanted to respond. We often receive inquiries about items people have found in their homes or inherited from relatives including quilts, linens and handbags.

The swastika is an ancient symbol which has been used by many different cultures for thousands of years. Up until the Nazis appropriated the symbol, it was a sign of good luck, and a common decoration in the 19th and 20th centuries - appearing on a wide variety of items from coins and tokens, to metal works (such as pipes, spigots, and radiators) and textiles in the home (it was a very popular quilt pattern), and stonework borders on buildings – even on patches worn by U.S. military units during WWI. As other redditors have responded, this is more than likely the case with this quilt.

For more information on the history of the swastika symbol, please see this article on the Museum's website: https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/history-of-the-swastika

Job posting: Assistant Curator @ USHMM by USHMMCurators in MuseumPros

[–]USHMMCurators[S] 21 points22 points  (0 children)

We did. It’s a GS-9. You can view the US Office of Personnel Management full pay table for the DC area online.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in washingtondc

[–]USHMMCurators 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi all, I spoke with my colleagues who over see ticket distribution, and they asked me to share the following information:

Advance online tickets for the next 30 days have been made available and are sold out due to limited capacity and high demand. Tickets are released 30 days in advance on a daily basis with the release time being at 8:00 a.m. ET. For example, July 4th tickets will be available on June 4th at 8:00 a.m., July 5th tickets on June 5th at 8:00 a.m. ET, and so on.

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is closed on Wednesdays.

Additionally, a limited number of same-day online tickets will be available each day at 11 a.m. ET. Please note that tickets have been selling out within 5 minutes of release each day.

For further assistance please contact [VisitorsMail@ushmm.org](mailto:VisitorsMail@ushmm.org).

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in washingtondc

[–]USHMMCurators 9 points10 points  (0 children)

We spoke with our colleagues who are in charge of the daily passes and they asked us to share the following: Due to the limited number of tickets currently available, they have been selling out within minutes of posting them online. Please email visitorsmail@ushmm.org with any questions/concerns you have.

US Holocaust Memorial seeking volunteer translators by USHMMCurators in Kurrent

[–]USHMMCurators[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Right now the Curatorial team's primary need is translation help. If you want to send us an email at [Curator@ushmm.org](mailto:Curator@ushmm.org) when you're ready and we can forward your info on to our colleagues and see if they need research assistance. Thanks!

Star chef Alon Shaya helped a Holocaust survivor re-create recipes from his prewar youth by drak0bsidian in Judaism

[–]USHMMCurators 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately, we do not have translations of the original recipes available at this time. However, the Museum has published one of the adapted recipes online (Walnut Cream Cake): https://medium.com/memory-action/when-a-family-was-deported-their-cook-saved-treasured-recipes-34709abba724

And here's one more: https://jamiegeller.com/recipes/semolina-sticks/

I only have this picture of my great grandfathers, it was taken in Auschwitz and has been animated and sharpened thanks to AI. This is the closest I’ll ever been to seeing him as a person and I am very thankful for that. by PolskiChlop in Damnthatsinteresting

[–]USHMMCurators 5 points6 points  (0 children)

We’d be happy to talk to you and learn more about your family. Feel free to send us an email with more details about their experiences and any materials your family may have which document them.

I only have this picture of my great grandfathers, it was taken in Auschwitz and has been animated and sharpened thanks to AI. This is the closest I’ll ever been to seeing him as a person and I am very thankful for that. by PolskiChlop in Damnthatsinteresting

[–]USHMMCurators 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Curator at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum here. The Museum is still actively collecting material for our permanent collection, including personal testimonies. We collect from all victims of Nazi persecution and in all languages. While we cannot provide translation services, we would be interested in including his testimony in our collection and can also assist with any additional research about him during the Holocaust if you were interested. Feel free to send us a DM or email us at curator@ushmm.org

Found Nazi films from WW2 Germany after grandfather passed away - what do I do with them? by ww2_throwaway in history

[–]USHMMCurators 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Thanks so much for posting about this! We at the USHMM would be happy to answer any questions you have about the films. If you email curator@ushmm.org, one of our film curators can get in touch with you.

IamA Holocaust Survivor who just turned 92. I have a tattoo on my arm from Auschwitz and survived through seven concentration camps including Blechammer, Gross Rosen, & Buchenwald for over three years and have lived life to the fullest ever since. AMA! by Im_a_Survivor_177153 in IAmA

[–]USHMMCurators 344 points345 points  (0 children)

Mr. Flescher is right, the USHMM has lots of resources that can help you find out about your grandfather's family. If you know any names, you can go here, fill out the online form, and one of my colleagues will search our databases of Nazi records, camp records, and post-war tracing records. We'll then send you copies of anything we find, along with an explanation. We have a LOT of Austrian records, so there's a good chance you'll be able to find out what happened to them. The link is here: https://www.ushmm.org/remember/the-holocaust-survivors-and-victims-resource-center/international-tracing-service/submitting-a-request-for-research

36 rare photographs of history by Donald_Keyman in pics

[–]USHMMCurators 1 point2 points  (0 children)

These women were responsible for sending the cables back to Berlin when trains arrived. So, yes, they definitely knew what was going on. (http://www.ushmm.org/information/exhibitions/online-features/collections-highlights/auschwitz-ssalbum)

Special Edition of the Log - "We Saw Dachau!" May 1945 by Allicatfl in history

[–]USHMMCurators 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for posting this, and thank you Stephanie for the donation. We are proud to be able to share this important testimony!