National collection of archives Entrust us with your family archives
The Mémorial de la Shoah is conducting a national campaign to collect archives by questioning the general public on the need to safeguard all types of private documents from 1880 to 1948 to help them in their mission of transmission and awareness-raising for the prevention of crimes against humanity.
Collection of archives in Toulon on March 30, 2017
Since the success of its collection in 2014, the Mémorial de la Shoah continues its national campaign to collect archives and comes to meet the general public throughout France (and Switzerland), in partnership with the Passerelles service of the Fonds Social Juif Unifié.
In 2014 and 2015, archival collection campaigns across France have collected thousands of documents, photos and objects from private archives.
In 2017, the collection notably aimed to give a face to each name inscribed on the Wall of Names.
Show «It’s happening at your place» broadcast on March 6, 2018 on Europe 1, interview with Lior Smadja, organizer of the Shoah Memorial collection.
"Entrust us with your archives" in partnership with the Passerelles service
Collection of Lacaune on September 10, 2017
National collection
In order to safeguard the memory of the Jews of France, Europe and North Africa for future generations, the Shoah Memorial is looking for all documents from 1880 to 1948: photos, letters, newspapers, personal papers, objects, identity cards, visas, passports, drawings... The day or days of collections were preceded (with some exceptions) by a conference. The documents are either reproduced on site and returned immediately, or deposited at the Memorial, in which case a contract will be established according to the rules.
More information: Lior Lalieu-Smadja – Tel: 01 53 01 17 28 ou 01 53 01 17 32
Collection abroad
The Memorial team comes to meet you to collect and preserve your family archives: documents, letters, photographs, films, objects. The documents are either reproduced on site and returned immediately or deposited at the Memorial, in which case a contract is established according to the rules.
In February 2020, they went to Florida, in the United States, where 35 people, in Naples and Boca Raton, entrusted them with original letters, passports, photo albums and personal items.
By appointment only.
What is the national collection?
Some years, the Shoah Memorial comes to meet donors in cities of France, in addition to its weekly permanence at the Memorial, located at 17 rue Geoffroy l'Asnier in the 4th district of Paris.
Given the success met with these first collections, in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018 the Shoah Memorial continues to directly challenge the general public on the need to save all private documents from 1880 to 1948 – letters, newspapers, personal papers, objects, identity cards, visas, passports, drawings – to help it in its mission of transmission and awareness-raising on the prevention of crimes against humanity.
Private archives provide another perspective on history. Depositing your archives or giving a copy of them is to contribute to the transmission, research and study of the history of European Jews in the 20th century, while ensuring the durability of the documents entrusted to the Shoah Memorial.
The Memorial teams, in partnership with the FSJU’s Gateways service, can stay on site for several days. According to the wishes of the families, the documents will either be reproduced on site and returned immediately, or deposited at the Shoah Memorial.
The Memorial is also a place of education and training, all generations are concerned by this approach.
Each document is a story!
For Parisians who can move to the Shoah Memorial, the collection takes place every Tuesday afternoon, from 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM, without prior appointment. Attention, please consult the practical information before going to this permanence as it is not provided on certain public holidays.
And these archives, where can we consult them?
At the documentation center of the Shoah Memorial in Paris: largest research center in Europe, for documentation and awareness on the history of the genocide of the Jews during the Second World War, the Shoah Memorial preserves and transmits the archives of the Shoah for 70 years. Today it has more than 40 million documents and articles, 270,000 photos – including 16,000 photos of the Jewish deportees from France- and 80,000 books and periodicals.
Give us your works
You could give a second life to your books by donating them to the Library of the Shoah Memorial.
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