Hidden Child Foundation/ADL records

Identifier
irn558385
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 2017.478.1
Dates
1 Jan 1936 - 31 Dec 2016
Level of Description
Item
Languages
  • English
  • Hebrew
  • Yiddish
  • Polish
  • French
Source
EHRI Partner

Extent and Medium

boxes

oversize folder

31

1

Creator(s)

Biographical History

The Hidden Child Foundation is a volunteer-run organization supporting Holocaust survivors who were hidden as children during the Holocaust. With the help of Abraham H. Foxman, National Director of the Anti-Defamation League and a Hidden Child from Poland, 1,600 former Hidden Children from 28 countries met for the first time in May 1991 in New York City at the First International Gathering of Children Hidden During World War II. The purpose of the gathering was to share memories, help those who were too young to remember, and most importantly, tell the world that they were witness to the atrocities committed against their people. After the gathering, the Hidden Child Foundation joined the Braun Holocaust Institute of the Anti-Defamation League. The mission of the Hidden Child Foundation is to educate all people about the consequences of bigotry and hatred so that never again will anyone suffer the atrocity, the injustice, and the agony of the Holocaust. The Foundation is in close contact with its worldwide membership, over 6,000, to convey current Holocaust related issues; liaises between the U.S. and international hidden child/child survivor groups; provides cultural and social programs for the New York metropolitan area membership; honors the rescuers, the Righteous Among the Nations, on International Rescuers' Day; publishes The Hidden Child, an international newsletter, sent to members, Holocaust centers and college and university libraries; advocates for all members, including 2nd and 3rd Generations, who are in need of financial, psychological or social assistance; provides a Speakers Bureau for all audiences; offers an International Family Tracing Service to locate survivors and relatives; and is a source of information for writers, filmmakers, journalists and researchers.

Archival History

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Acquisition

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of the Hidden Child Foundation/ADL

Funding Note: The cataloging of this collection has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.

The Hidden Child Foundation donated the Hidden Child Foundation records to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2017.

Scope and Content

The Hidden Child Foundation/ADL records consist of conference materials, correspondence, photographs, printed materials, readers files, Speakers Bureau materials, subject files, testimonies, personal accounts, photographs and photocopies of personal stories, and audiovisual and electronic materials documenting the Hidden Child Foundation/ADL and its work organizing conferences, providing speakers, hosting memorial and holiday events, and providing reference and tracing services for Holocaust survivors who were hidden as children during the Holocaust and who are searching for relatives, acquaintances, and information about their experiences. The collection also includes many personal stories about the experiences of hidden children during the Holocaust. Conference materials include announcements, invitations, clippings, correspondence, rosters, planning information, publicity, programs, registration information, schedules, and workshop materials documenting the Hidden Child conferences planned and led by the Hidden Child Foundation as well as additional conferences planned and led by other hidden child organizations. The correspondence series consists of a handful of alphabetical correspondence files as well as chronological fax and email files. Additional correspondence can be found in the Conferences, Readers files, and Speakers Bureau series. Photographs primarily document Hidden Child Foundation conferences, events, and holiday celebrations and are arranged chronologically. Printed materials consist of catalogs, pamphlets, newsletters, essays, articles, and clippings documenting the Holocaust and hidden children and written by the Hidden Child Foundation, the AntiDefamation League, historians, and former hidden children. Readers files consist of correspondence (mostly outgoing correspondence) thanking donors for financial donations, participating in events, or sharing stories; answering questions about the HCF newsletter and acknowledging contributions to it; announcing events; addressing requests for speakers; responding to requests to trace survivors; sharing information about the Foundation’s work; and coordinating the Foundation’s work with other child survivor and Holocaust memory organizations. Speakers Bureau files consist of speaker applications, contact lists, correspondence, requests for speakers and confirmations, and thank you letters documenting the work of the Speakers Bureau, its speakers, and their popularity. Subject files consist of correspondence, printed materials, contact lists, and speeches documenting topics such as child survivor groups, hidden children, and memorial projects. Testimonies, personal accounts, photographs and photocopies of personal stories include personal narratives (of various length, some rough, some polished); photographs, copy prints, and photocopies of photographs; photocopies of original Holocaust-era documents; poems; reflections; narratives about family members and acquaintances; and a handful of original Holocaust-era documents. These records document the experiences of hidden children throughout Europe during the Holocaust and are arranged alphabetically by name of hidden child. This series also include search requests posted to bulletin boards during Hidden Child conferences and events. Audiovisual and electronic materials consist of CDs, DVDs, videocassettes, and audiocassettes containing recordings of conference sessions, media coverage, and special events.

System of Arrangement

The Hidden Child Foundation records are arranged as 9 series and 17 subseries: Series 1: Conferences, 1990-2016 Subseries 1: Conference, 1990-1991 Subseries 2: Conference, 1993 Subseries 3: Conference, 1994 Subseries 4: Conference, 1995 Subseries 5: Conference, 1997 Subseries 6: Conference, 1999 Subseries 7: Conference, 2000 Subseries 8: Conference, 2001 Subseries 9: Conference, 2002 Subseries 10: Conference, 2003 Subseries 11: Conference, 2004 Subseries 12: Conference, 2005 Subseries 13: Conference, 2008 Subseries 14: Conference, 2009 Subseries 15: Conference, 2010 Subseries 16: Conference, 2016 Subseries 17: Miscellaneous, approximately 1990s Series 2: Correspondence, 1995-2006

People

Subjects

Genre

This description is derived directly from structured data provided to EHRI by a partner institution. This collection holding institution considers this description as an accurate reflection of the archival holdings to which it refers at the moment of data transfer.