Holocaust Centre North (Holocaust Survivors' Friendship Association)
Huddersfield, England, United Kingdom
Holocaust Centre North is based at the University of Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. The Centre promotes Holocaust education through the lived experiences of Holocaust survivors and refugees. It is part of the Holocaust Survivors’ Friendship Association (HSFA), a charity originating in 1996 to support Holocaust survivors and refugees in Leeds.
Archive Description
The Holocaust Centre North Archive has a growing collection of material relating to the history and activities of the charity as well as over 140 collections of personal papers of Holocaust refugees, survivors and their descendants who have made the North of England their home.
From cocktail shakers to correspondence, telegrams to travel documents, photographs to filmed testimonies, the Centre preserves and safeguards these individual stories and rare materials for future generations and makes them available for education and research.
The Archive comprises organisational and personal papers, covering the 1880s to the present day. We actively collect physical and digital records, including:
- Material up to the end of the Second World War
- Records which tell the story of survivors and refugees post-war, e.g., naturalisation or compensation papers
- Recorded testimonies (video and audio)
- Original documents, e.g., passports, certificates, ID papers
- Correspondence, e.g., letters and postcards
- Photographs
- Objects – the toys, household items and mementoes on display really help bring the history to life
Research Strengths
The collections are a rich resource for educators, creative practitioners, and researchers of Holocaust history. Collection themes include:
- Jewish life in pre-war Europe
- Impact of the Nuremberg Laws
- Emigration attempts, migration routes
- Kindertransport and child refugees
- Internment as enemy aliens in Britain
- Ghetto and camp experiences, slave labour
- Liberation and displacement
- Making a new life in the North of England
- Culture shock and assimilation
- Faith and identity
- Intergenerational relationships and trauma
- Memorialisation, post-memory
Access Information
The permanent exhibition is open to the public for free, Monday-Thursday.
The Archive is accessible by appointment only, Tuesday-Thursday. To arrange a visit please contact [email protected]
Online Accessibility
The collections are being developed through preservation, cataloguing, and digitisation so that they will be more accessible for different audiences. Descriptions for 70 of the 140+ personal paper collections are available via an online catalogue and the Holocaust Centre North website features a selection of survivor stories and photographs.
Donate a collection
The Centre is actively seeking new donations of archive material. Sometimes just one letter or a small photograph can tell an unknown story. Please contact us for a chat if you’re looking for a suitable permanent home for your collection and/or would allow us temporary access to carefully digitise it.
Find us at:
Holocaust Centre North
The University of Huddersfield, Schwann Building (Level 2)
Queensgate,
HD1 3DH
Find on map
Find the precise location of the entrance at map.w3w.co/trace.local.total