The Ringelblum Archive was created in secret in the Warsaw Ghetto to document every aspect of the Nazi terror. The only collection of documents of its kind, it laid the foundation for Holocaust research. In recognition of the exceptional value of this archive for humanity, UNESCO inscribed it in the Memory of the World register.
"An Archive More Important Than Life," a joint initiative of the Emanuel Ringelblum Jewish Historical Institute and the Association of the Jewish Historical Institute of Poland, aims to bring this unique archive and its dramatic story to a wide audience through exhibitions, publications, and educational and cultural programs.
"I would like to invite you to an exceptional place — an archive unlike any other in Jewish history — the Ringelblum Archive. Created underground in the Warsaw Ghetto, this archive was saved by a miracle: it was buried before the destruction of the ghetto and unearthed from the ruins after the war. It contains documents, reports, and memoirs of particular importance, as well as works of art created in the ghetto. We believe that this great legacy of the Jewish people is the property of all the Jews in the world, wherever they are. All humanity should be able to benefit from the unparalleled contents of this unique archive."
Marian Turski
Vice-Chairman, Association of the Jewish Historical Institute of Poland
Member, International Auschwitz Council
Chairman, POLIN Museum Council
The permanent exhibition of the Ringelblum Archive will open in November 2017 in the renovated Tłomackie 3/5 building, itself a witness of history. The occasion, the 70th anniversary of the Jewish Historical Institute, will also be marked by the publication of the complete archive in 36 volumes.
