Yad Vashem Launches Database
Israel’s Holocaust museum, Yad Vashem, launched an online database of 3 million Holocaust victims. Beginning Monday, the database, previously available only at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, will be accessible anywhere in the world, at www.yadvashem.org.
The database is part of efforts to reconstruct the names and life stories of all Jews killed in the Holocaust. Yad Vashem officials also are making a push to collect as many additional names as possible. “We are reaching a crucial historical hour. This is a race against time. We must record as many names as possible, before the generation that best remembers them is no longer with us. We call on families around the globe to help honor the memories of their ancestors by recording their names,” Chairman Avner Shalev said.
The database received funding from a $1.25 billion settlement with Swiss banks over Holocaust assets.