Skokie's Howard Bergman is among more than 14,000 people from 60 countries who have used the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's International Tracing Service to access information about Holocaust-era histories.
The collection of more than 150 million digital images of documentation, in vaults in Bad Arolsen, Germany, was established by Allied powers to help reunite families and trace missing people after World War II.
The museum led an effort to open the archives in 2007 in response to the frustration of Holocaust survivors seeking information about their loved ones, said Andrew Hollinger, museum spokesman.
The archive is overseen by an 11-nation commission and administered by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Like Bergman, many searchers have received copies of documents recorded by the Nazis but sealed from the public for decades, such as prison cards, transportation documents and camp entry cards. In many cases, names and details were meticulously transcribed by the Nazis.
To help people find information online, the museum has partnered with Ancestry.com to build what's touted as the largest online resource on Holocaust victims.
Trained museum researchers handle database search requests at no charge and use other museum collections to seek further information. Search times vary depending on the complexity of the search, though priority is given to survivors and their families.
To request a search, go to ushmm.org/its. Anyone who has documents, photographs or other materials to donate to the museum's collection is asked to contact Susan Snyder at email@example.com or call 202-488-0430.
— Amanda Marrazzo