In late spring-summer 1944, SS photographers documented the arrival, selection, and registration of Jews at the Auschwitz-Birkenau killing center. Some of the photographs were collected in a photo album. After the war, the album was found by Holocaust survivor Lili Jacob, who recognized herself and her family in some of the photographs. The album is commonly called the “Lili Jacob Album” or the “Auschwitz Album.” This media essay shows some of the photographs from the album.
A photograph of Jews from Hungary who have just arrived at the Auschwitz-Birkenau killing center in 1944. They are disembarking the freight train on which they had been transported to the camp in inhumane conditions.
This photograph is from the Auschwitz Album (also called the “Lili Jacob Album,” after the Holocaust survivor who found it).
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A 1944 photograph of Jews from Hungary who have just arrived at the Auschwitz-Birkenau killing center. Stefan Baretzki is on the far right. Baretzki was an SS man who served as a block leader (Blockführer) at Auschwitz-Birkenau. During the Frankfurt Auschwitz trials in the 1960s, Baretzki was tried for murder and aiding and abetting murder. The photograph was presented at the trial and proved that he staffed the ramp. In 1965, Baretzki was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
This photograph is from the Auschwitz Album (also called the “Lili Jacob Album,” after the Holocaust survivor who found it).
Item View
A photograph of Jewish women and children from Hungary who have just arrived at the Auschwitz-Birkenau killing center in 1944. They have been separated from the men and teenage boys who arrived with them and are lined up in an area of Birkenau known as "the ramp" before undergoing the selection process. The Nazis murdered most of the women and children pictured here in the gas chambers. An Auschwitz prisoner wearing a striped camp uniform is visible on the right side of the image. He was most likely part of a work detail responsible for facilitating the arrival of deportation transports at Auschwitz.
This photograph is from the Auschwitz Album (also called the “Lili Jacob Album,” after the Holocaust survivor who found it).
Item View
Photograph of brothers Zelig (left) and Yisrael (right) Jacob on the ramp at the Auschwitz-Birkenau killing center on May 26, 1944. That day, SS photographers documented the arrival, selection, and registration of transports of Jews from Hungary at Auschwitz-Birkenau. Some of the photos, including this image, were collected in an album. The Nazis murdered the brothers in a gas chamber shortly after the photo was taken.
Holocaust survivor Lili Jacob found the album after her liberation. She recognized herself, her younger brothers Yisrael and Zelig, and other members of her family and community in some of the photographs. The album is commonly called the "Lili Jacob Album" or the "Auschwitz Album."
Item View
A photograph of Jews from Hungary who have just arrived at the Auschwitz-Birkenau killing center in 1944. They are standing in two lines in an area of Birkenau known as "the ramp," about to undergo the selection process. Women, teenage girls, and young children are in one line. In the other line are men and teenage boys. In the background, the main gate to Auschwitz-Birkenau is visible.
This photograph is from the Auschwitz Album (also called the “Lili Jacob Album,” after the Holocaust survivor who found it).
Item View
A photograph of Jews from Hungary who are undergoing selection at the Auschwitz-Birkenau killing center in 1944. They are standing in two lines in an area of Birkenau known as "the ramp." Women, teenage girls, and young children are in one line. In the other line are men and teenage boys. SS officers conduct the selection, determining who will be selected for forced labor and who will be sent to the gas chambers.
This photograph is from the Auschwitz Album (also called the “Lili Jacob Album,” after the Holocaust survivor who found it).
Item View
A photograph of Jews from Hungary who have just arrived at the Auschwitz-Birkenau killing center in 1944. They are standing in an area of Birkenau known as "the ramp" before undergoing the selection process. In the background is the freight train on which they had been transported to the camp in inhumane conditions.
This photograph is from the Auschwitz Album (also called the “Lili Jacob Album,” after the Holocaust survivor who found it).
Item View
Jewish women and children who have been selected for death at the Auschwitz-Birkenau killing center walk toward the gas chambers. This photograph is one of many taken in late spring/summer 1944 as SS photographers documented the arrival, selection, and registration of transports of Jews from Hungary at Auschwitz-Birkenau.
This photograph is from the Auschwitz Album (also called the “Lili Jacob Album,” after the Holocaust survivor who found it).
Item View
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