Swedish research project sheds light on untold Holocaust survivor stories
At Stockholm's Northern Jewish Cemetery there are rows upon rows of small, plain headstones. Headstones of Jews who survived the Holocaust and arrived in Sweden, but passed away shortly thereafter. Who were they, and what can we learn about their lives? "Lost Voices - Echoes from the Rescued in 1945" is a Swedish research project dedicated to these fates. This material with numerous international ties is published continually by the Swedish Holocaust Museum and is now available in English and for a broader audience.
The project was firstly initiated by the Jewish Community in Stockholm and has been carried out by Daniel Leviathan, an archaeologist and PhD student in Jewish Studies. Daniel has worked on the project for several years. This work was made possible through a grant awarded to him by the Micael Bindefeld´s Foundation in memory of the Holocaust in 2021.
“Lost Voices tells the story of Holocaust survivors who came to Sweden but died shortly after arrival. They were young Jews, mostly women and from different countries in Europe. Their voices were lost, but not their memory – a memory that can now live on and be shared with a wider public through this project. It is now up to us to carry on their stories and those of their families, and to ensure that the Holocaust will never be forgotten," says Daniel Leviathan.
The first stories are now available in English
The project in total includes about sixty survivors whose life stories will be published at the website of the Swedish Holocaust Museum, museumforintelsen.se. The content is published continually and was launched with the publication of ten life stories in September 2023, stories which are now also available in English. Visitors to the Northern Jewish Cemetery in Stockholm can also access the material independently via QR codes placed next to the graves.
"The Holocaust is a significant and important part of Swedish history and we work actively to highlight unknown stories connected to Sweden and the Holocaust. Daniel's project aligns well with this objective, and the material complements better-known stories. A few survived and have been able to share their experiences, but the vast majority were murdered or died of what they were exposed to. This project helps us tell the stories of those who were not able to tell them themselves," says Katherine Hauptman, Director of the Swedish Holocaust Museum.
In addition to the grant from the Micael Bindefeld´s Foundation in memory of the Holocaust, the project has also received support from the Swedish National Heritage Board, the City of Stockholm, the Eduard and Sophie Heckscher Foundation and Yad Vashem. The project has been realised thanks to the help of Hanna Nir and Anna Nachman and the support of the Jewish Community in Stockholm, the Living History Forum, the Jewish Museum and the Association of Holocaust Survivors.
Explore Lost Voices at museumforintelsen.se
Anton Wigbrand
Press officer
+46 (0)8-519 557 50
anton.wigbrand@shm.se
The purpose of the Swedish Holocaust Museum is to preserve and pass on the memory of the Holocaust. The museum is intended to deepen and develop knowledge of the Holocaust on a national level. The museum is located at Torsgatan 19 in Stockholm and the first exhibition Seven lives opened on 21 June 2023. The museum is part of the Swedish goverment agency National Historical Museums.
Tags:
