# Gathering the Fragments

Gathering the Fragments is the name of a campaign created and organized by Yad Vashem. Launched in 2011, the goal of the project was to collect personal items from the Holocaust period, including before World War II, during the Holocaust, from life in the DP camps, and in the post war period.

## Background

In the destruction of the Holocaust and World War II, countless personal items belonging to Jewish individuals were lost. And, as the number of Holocaust survivors dwindles, the need to preserve Holocaust evidence and artifacts is becoming more urgent. Many families with Jewish ancestors possess artifacts that are of great importance to Holocaust studies. These artifacts provide unique perspectives that may not already be captured by other Holocaust artifacts, like government documents. Therefore, Yad Vashem wants to collect these artifacts along with their stories so that they will be preserved for future generations.

## Goal of the Project

The goal of this project is to not only collect artifacts but to “rescue” them from being forgotten. Yad Vashem wants to conserve and catalogue these artifacts so that they could be of use to researchers, curators, educators, students, and the general public. These artifacts would help educate about what happened to the Jews before and after the Holocaust.

## Collection Process

There are a variety of methods in which Yad Vashem seeks to collect items for the Gathering the Fragments project.
* Online Submissions: Artifacts can be submitted online through a digital form or you can contact Yad Vashem via phone number to discuss and submit your potential artifacts.
* Public Collection Campaigns: Through Yad Vashem's website, newspaper articles, and Youtube videos, the project is attempting to reach a wide audience which may include people who can donate their personal artifacts or people who can donate money to help fund the project.
* In Home Collections: Yad Vashem professionals will sometimes go into residential homes to collect artifacts from Holocaust survivors. In this type of collection process, professionals collect the items and the stories behind them in the comfort of the residents home, which in this kind of environment, often “reveals an emotional story of then and now.”

## Items Collected

Yad Vashem is looking to gather any of the following items, along with their stories behind them:
* Memoirs
* Testimonies
* Names
* Films and video footage
* Art works
* Letters
* Documents
* Artifacts
* Diaries
* Photographs

## Exhibitions

On International Holocaust Remembrance Day in 2013, Yad Vashem opened an exhibition for Gathering the Fragments. This event was attended by Holocaust survivors whose personal items were on display in the exhibition. As of 2013, roughly 71,000 items were donated to Yad Vashem for the project though only some were displayed. The rest were cataloged and can be used for educational purposes by researchers.
The curator of this exhibition, Michael Tal, explained in an interview that the majority of items the project received came from second or third generation descendants of Holocaust survivors who only possess partial information about the artifacts. Because of this, he said, “The exhibition therefore showcases the research work carried out at Yad Vashem in order to reconstruct the full story behind each item. We are committed to learning as much as possible about everything that comes to us, and to sharing new insights with the greater public." Yad Vashem is dedicated to learning as much as possible to make this project the best it can be.
The Gathering the Fragments project has an online archive entitled “The Story Behind the Artifact”. This archive includes a variety of digital artifacts including letters, documents, pictures, artwork, and trinkets. It is organized into subcategories which include the following:
* Arts and Culture
* Clouds of War
* Correspondence
* Fragments of Childhood
* From the Inferno
* Jews in the Allied Armies
* Life in Hiding
* Religious Life
* Righteous Among the Nations
* The Return to Life
* Torn Families
Though the Gathering the Fragments project has slowed down in recent years, Yad Vashem still encourages the public to donate any type of Holocaust artifact they may have for Gathering the Fragments and for other exhibitions at Yad Vashem. The project remains as a vital resource for students, researchers, and anyone who wants to learn more about the victims of the Holocaust and their stories. Through the collection and preservation of these artifacts by professionals, they will be available in high quality for future generations to study, which will ensure that the horrors of the Holocaust are never forgotten.

## Contact Information

To Contact Gathering the Fragments you can call +972-2-6443888 or apply via the form on their website.