Historical photos of Jews from the early period of the German occupation of Oświęcim, Poland, have recently been unveiled by the Auschwitz Jewish Museum, known as "Oshpitzin."
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The photos taken in the area where Nazis established the Auschwitz extermination camp in which 1.1 million Jews were murdered, were presented for the first time alongside a call from the museum for help in identifying the people in the photos.
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Only a handful of the Oświęcim town Jews survived the Holocaust
(Photo: Oshpitzin Jewish Museum in Oświęcim)
The museum acquired nearly 120 original negatives from the World War II era at the end of 2023. Some of the photos depict Oświęcim and its residents, including Jewish inhabitants, during the German occupation. The photos were purchased from a private individual who apparently discovered them in Braunschweig, Germany in 2020. Among various personal documents and post-war photographs was an envelope marked "Poland II," containing all the negatives.
Tomasz Kuncewicz, the director of the Auschwitz Jewish Museum, said that the materials discovered are not only unique documentation of the German occupation of Oświęcim and the crimes committed, but primarily serve as historical evidence showcasing the Jewish community on the brink of the Holocaust.
"These are significant and intriguing photographs taken during a specific period - after the town's occupation in early September 1939 and before the expulsion of Jews and Poles from the town to surrounding cities in 1940-1941," explains Dr. David Silberklang, a senior historian at the International Institute for Holocaust Research, Yad Vashem.
"They were taken by a German doctor who resided in the area, offering us a glimpse into the daily lives of Jews in the town during that time. In the photos, we see Jews marked with armbands - the initial labeling of Jews by Germans in this area, which later turned into yellow badges, alongside Poles, in markets and the central square of the town, as well as the concentration of Jews prior to deportation."
