History meets technology: Remembrance on the internet

In times of fake news and historical distortion: Do you think our online archive can help tell the truth?

Michael Lieber

Frankly, I don’t believe that having access to these documents will help us deal with people who are ready to flatly deny the Holocaust or other historical facts. You cannot change their views. They will just think that these documents are fake, too, or assume that the whole archive is staged. But the online archive is invaluable for people who want to know more about their ancestors, or for those who are generally interested in the history of Nazi persecution. It helps people who don’t need convincing, but who are searching for specific details.

And how can we support them in finding these details?

The user experience has to be very good. Users need to be able to find the relevant documents very quickly. A good platform understands what people are looking for and guides them smoothly and efficiently. When we’re thinking about the younger generations, it’s especially important to arouse their interest, to really draw them into the search experience and encourage interactive dialogue. Showing them relevant and interesting documents might inspire them to extend or broaden their research.

Can you give an example?

Michael Lieber

Let’s say you’re a young U.S. citizen and you know that your ancestors are from the Netherlands. There’s no known connection to the Holocaust– you’ve just been told that your family comes from some village there. You begin a search based on the name of that village and you find documents about Nazi occupation, persecution, or the existence of a concentration camp in the area. And suddenly there is, possibly, a personal connection to these historical events in Europe. You want to know more about it. A responsive, interactive digital archive both inspires and guides you along the way.

What were your initial challenges in building such a platform?

Well, it was a lengthy and complicated process, especially at the beginning, because the archive had not been accessible to the public for decades. In 2007, shortly after the opening of the ITS (the former name of the Arolsen Archives), I was brought on as a consultant for the digitalization and, ultimately, online publication of the documents. I was also Israel’s representative on the International Commission (IC) that supervises the work of the Arolsen Archives.

So you started working on an online archive back then already?

Yes, but there was still significant challenges to be faced, starting with the re-organization of the work of the archive and the IC. And the question of data privacy: Which documents could we put online? Overall, the organization had to come up with a whole new sense of identity, new processes and guidelines, new people. The two directors during that period (Rebecca Boehling from 2013 – 2016; Floriane Azoulay since 2016) initiated major changes; they were deeply committed to making the transformation happen.

What was Yad Vashem’s role in establishing the online archive?

Michael Lieber

We offered the Arolsen Archives access to our platform. We had already developed it to publish very large amounts of documents online. This aligned closely with our mission to commemorate the Holocaust and educate younger generations about it. Making the documents accessible to everyone is a vital part of that process.

How did you work together to bring the system up to speed?

The interface was developed from scratch by the Arolsen Archives and IT experts in Germany, while we advised them on the basis of our own experience. They needed to come up with a design and create a user experience that would appeal to younger generations and could handle a large number of documents. After all, the Arolsen Archives are vast – an archive of archives, essentially – and there was no off-the-shelf system that could meet their needs. But I think together, we’ve done a good job: since the online archive went live in 2019, the access rates have been impressive!