Vienna Jewish Archive Tells Tale of Nazi Annexation
An archive of Jewish documents detailing the community's life in Vienna after Austria's annexation by Nazi Germany has gone on public display seven years after it was uncovered.
The Jewish Community of Vienna was set to sell a vacant building it owns there in 2000 when two employees on a sweep of the structure discovered two rooms piled floor to ceiling with papers — 800 boxes worth.
What makes the discovery historically significant is that it is one of the few such records to survive. The Nazis systematically destroyed most Jewish records, while keeping their own detailed records of the destruction. Until now, historians have had to rely primarily on the Nazi documents for an understanding of what happened. The Vienna archive provides a new perspective.
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The Jewish Community of Vienna was set to sell a vacant building it owns there in 2000 when two employees on a sweep of the structure discovered two rooms piled floor to ceiling with papers — 800 boxes worth.
What makes the discovery historically significant is that it is one of the few such records to survive. The Nazis systematically destroyed most Jewish records, while keeping their own detailed records of the destruction. Until now, historians have had to rely primarily on the Nazi documents for an understanding of what happened. The Vienna archive provides a new perspective.