The Auschwitz Album is an incredibly powerful and rare visual document of the horrific mass murder that occurred at Auschwitz-Birkenau during World War II. Donated to Yad Vashem by Lilly Jacob-Zelmanovic Meier, the photos contained within it were taken in late May or early June 1944 by Ernst Hofmann and Bernhard Walter, two SS men tasked with taking ID photos and fingerprints from their prisoners.
The album contains some of the few known images depicting the process of this tragic event, including photos of prisoners crowded into trains heading to Auschwitz, families being separated upon arrival, and individuals standing in front of a wall where they were photographed for identification purposes. This visual record not only serves as a reminder of one of humanity’s darkest moments, but also serves as a testament to the resilience of those who endured it.
For those who wish to learn more about this incredible artifact, The Last Survivors: The Auschwitz Album Documentary is available on Youtube. This powerful documentary brings together testimonies from survivors alongside newly discovered archival footage to explore this remarkable piece of history. Through interviews with experts and survivors alike, viewers gain a much-needed insight into both what happened before the camera was present and after its terrible images were taken away.
We invite you to take a moment out of your day to watch The Last Survivors: The Auschwitz Album Documentary and discover how this amazing survivor’s story has been transcribed into an astonishing piece of history. By doing so you will not only be reminded that such tragedies must never happen again but also gain an understanding of how these events have shaped our world today.
