Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on January 22, 2016

The Fred Roberts Crawford Witness to the Holocaust Project Files,1978-1983 provide a significant contribution to Holocaust research. The Project documented the liberation of concentration camps in Europe at the end of World War II. The late Fred Roberts Crawford, Director of Emory University's Center for Research in Social Change, founded and directed the project.

Dr. Crawford served as an Air Force pilot in World War II and was captured in Hungary after bailing out of his damaged plane. He was mistaken for a Jew and almost lynched on the spot, but a crucifix on his dogtag saved his life. While awaiting transfer to a prisoner of war camp, he witnessed Jewish inmates being tortured and executed.

Dr. Crawford was a prisoner of war in Stalag Luft III, a camp made famous in the movie, The Great Escape. He visited the newly liberated concentration camp Dachau shortly after his own release from Stalag Luft III. The difference in conditions and treatment for prisoners of war, protected by the Geneva Convention, compared to the cruel treatment inflicted on the inmates of Dachau impressed Dr. Crawford profoundly.

The Witness to the Holocaust Project began in 1978 largely to refute claims that the Holocaust never happened. The Project's focus changed over time to include documentation and analysis of the long-term effects of the Holocaust.

The collection consists of 43 boxes (ca. 15 linear feet) of transcripts, documentation, photographs, audiotapes, films, and videotapes, housed in the Woodruff Library of Emory University. This web page highlights a selection of materials from that collection.

This web site was created by the Georgia Institute of Technology Library and Information Center, as part of the SAGE project -Selected Archives of Georgia Tech and Emory -a three-year grant-funded project to develop and demonstrate multimedia virtual library technology at two Universities using significant archival collections.

Please click here for a list of viewer software, and suggestions for exploring this site.

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Witness to the Holocaust - Georgia Tech Library ...

Category: Jewish American Heritage Month
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