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At the end of November 2004, a massive new central database of
Shoah victims' names was published on the Yad Vashem website,
http://www.yadvashem.org
The database is an international undertaking led by
Jerusalem-based Yad Vashem and is an attempt to reconstruct the life stories of
all the Jews who perished in the Shoah - the final sign of respect we can show
them.
The database is a truly unique project. Starting with basic
research commencing in the 1950s, it now currently includes almost three
million names.
The data was gathered from Pages of Testimony - forms with
victims' biographical data submitted by family, friends, and acquaintances -
and from lists compiled for a variety of purposes, by the Nazis and other
entities in Europe during and after WWII.
It is an ongoing project. Millions of names that appear in other
historical documents have not yet been identified for inclusion in the
database. More precariously, many other names linger only in the memories of
survivors or in the lore of their families. All these details are being
actively sought for inclusion.
All Jews are urged to check the database for the Shoah victims
they know of, and to submit any unrecorded names. Submissions can be made on
line through the web site.
This is seen as a race against time, while the generation that
remembers the victims is still able to record the knowledge.
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