The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum has begun receiving digital images of the documentation at the International Tracing Service (ITS) in Bad Arolsen, Germany. Over the next two years, the Museum expects to receive more than 100 million digital images of archival material from the ITS, an archive established by the Allied powers after World War II to help reunite families separated during the war and trace missing relatives.
To date, the Museum has received the first two installments of about 18 million digital images of arrest, camp, prison, ghetto and transport records. The Museum is committed to making the information in these records accessible to Holocaust survivors as rapidly as possible.
Using these records plus other relevant archival documents in its already extensive collection, Museum staff will search for documentation about the fates of individuals during the Holocaust. Please note that while the Museum will make every effort to locate requested documentation, archival records do not include information on every Holocaust victim or survivor.
Survivors and their families may submit requests for information to the Museum as follows:
Use the online form available by clicking here: Start Online Request (preferred method).
Submit your request on paper using the
Paper Request Form, that can be printed and submitted by postal mail or fax.
Survivors and their families are welcome to visit the Museum to directly access the archive, but this is not required to request a search of the ITS records.
When responding to survivor requests, Museum staff will research all relevant documentation on deposit at the Museum from both the ITS records and other Museum holdings. Please note that while the Museum will make every effort to locate the documentation requested, ITS archival records do not include information on every Holocaust victim or survivor.
Requestors will receive a response within 8 - 10 weeks.
All others interested in accessing the ITS records--scholars, authors, genealogists and other researchers--must visit the Museum in person to examine the records. Access to the ITS records, like all of the Museum's archival material, will be free and open to the public.
The International Tracing Service in Germany is also accepting inquiries, via its Web site, for research of its archival documents.
The Central Names Index (CNI) of the International Tracing Service (ITS) contains 50 million documents covering 17.5 million people. There are many different kind of cards in many languages, much of it handwritten, etc. These cards fall into two basic categories – Inquiry cards and Reference cards. Please click here to learn more.
For your convenience we have included a Glossary of commonly-used German terms and phrases, please click here.
Please note that The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum will locate documentation about individuals. It cannot offer family tracing services that are aimed at locating missing relatives. For services that will help locate family members separated during the Holocaust, individuals should contact:
The Holocaust and War Victims Tracing Center (HWVTC), a national clearinghouse managed by the American Red Cross for persons seeking the fates of loved ones missing since the Holocaust. The HWVTC taps into a wide variety of resources beyond the ITS collection. Survivors not in the United States should contact their local Red Cross or Magen David Adom.
The International Tracing Service, which is now accepting direct inquiries. Not all of the ITS records have yet been transferred to the Museum.
