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December 1,2009

ITS Ups Academic Staff

Press Release

The International Tracing Service (ITS) in Bad Arolsen is expanding its staff of research associates. Effective immediately, the research and cataloguing divisions will be backed by sociologist Sebastian Schönemann and archivist Jens Zirpins. In January, archivist Karen Siepelt will also be joining the tracing service.

November 2,2009

Exhibition on Displaced Persons in Korbach and Kassel

Press Release

An exhibition on view until 1 December 2009 at the International Tracing Service(ITS) in Bad Arolsen chronicles the history of two displaced persons (DP) camps in Korbach and Kassel-Hasenhecke. Under the title “Survived, Liberated, Homeless – Displaced Persons in our Region,” school children at Christian Rauch Gymnasium in Bad Arolsen present the results of their project week at the ITS archive. “It was an interesting search for clues,” said 20-year old student Hendrik Fox. “We almost felt as if we were a part of history.”

October 14,2009

Belgium Receives Digital Copies of ITS Documents

Press Release

Yesterday, the National Archives of Belgium (Archives Générales du Royaume) in Brussels received data copies from the archives of the International Tracing Service (ITS) in Bad Arolsen. Following Israel, the US, Poland and Luxembourg, Belgium is now also making use of the extensive documentary holdings on Nazi persecution. In accordance with the resolution by the International Commission responsible for overseeing the work of ITS, all eleven member states are entitled to digital copies of the documents archived in Bad Arolsen.

August 10,2009

ITS supports “Youth for Dora” project “Survivors prospect the future”

Press Release

The International Tracing Service (ITS) in Bad Arolsen has assumed the role as a cooperative partner for the project “Survivors prospect the future” initiated by the “Youth for Dora” (Jugend für Dora) association. The project’s objective is to facilitate the involvement of the survivors of Nazi persecution in the discussion about future commemorative work. Six young people from Leipzig who work on the project visited Bad Arolsen for a three-day research stay. “We are happy to offer them support with their research endeavours,” said ITS historian Susanne Urban. “Survivors’ voices must continue to be heard.”

July 28,2009

Federal Minister Zypries Impressed by Change

Press Release

During her two-hour visit to Bad Arolsen today, German Federal Minister of Justice Brigitte Zypries gained an overview of the latest developments at the International Tracing Service (ITS). Research possibilities and the digitisation of the documents were the primary focus of her interest. “By opening up its archives, the International Tracing Service has gained in importance,” said Zypries. “It makes an essential contribution to the documentation of NS atrocities. I am sure that ITS will master all the challenges the future might hold.”

July 20,2009

Israel’s Deputy Ambassador visits ITS

Press Release

During his three-hour visit today to the International Tracing Service (ITS) in Bad Arolsen, the deputy ambassador of the State of Israel in Germany, Ilan Mor, gained an impression of the work of ITS and the archive’s inventory. “I never could have forgiven myself if I hadn’t have stopped by in Bad Arolsen once again before returning to Israel,” said Mor.

July 3,2009

Data Transfer to Luxembourg

Press Release

Following Israel, the US and Poland, Luxembourg has now also received copies of data from the archives of the International Tracing Service (ITS) in Bad Arolsen. The recipient institution is the Centre de Documentation et de Recherche sur la Résistance (Documentation and Research Centre on the Resistance) directed by Paul Dostert in Luxembourg. In accordance with a resolution from the International Commission responsible for overseeing the work of ITS all eleven member states are entitled to digital copies of the documents archived in Bad Arolsen.

June 10,2009

Hessian Archive Day in Bad Arolsen

Press Release

On the occasion of the 32nd Hessian Archive Day in Bad Arolsen, the association of German archivists (VdA) welcomed the International Tracing Service (ITS) into the circle of Hessian archives. “We greet ITS with open arms. This is a very special archive in the state of Hesse,” said Dr Brigitte Streich, Chairwoman of the Hessian state association, at the opening event. This year ITS was one of the joint organisers of the two-day assembly of archivists in Bad Arolsen. “The event will help continue to boost the publicity of the tracing service in Hesse,” said ITS Director Jean-Luc Blondel. “At the same time, it is an expression of the future reorientation of the institution in terms of research and educational work.”

May 20,2009

Debate on the future of ITS is well underway

Press Release

During its two-day annual meeting in London, the UK-chaired International Commission for the International Tracing Service (ITS) dealt with the question of the future organisational structure and administration of the ITS. Past humanitarian work done by the Tracing Service, the clarification of the fates of victims of the Nazi regime and the reunification of families, is to be continued as long as there is a need for such expressed by the victims and their descendants. “Apart from this, we are also discussing taking on an active role in the area of education, commemoration and research”, said Daniel Bethlehem, President of the International Commission. “In any case, the international character of the institution shall remain.”

May 5,2009

Conservation of original documents at the ITS Archives

Press Release

This year the International Tracing Service (ITS) of Bad Arolsen will be conserving around 400,000 original documents from the Nazi era. Starting today, facsimiles of important documents are being used for visitor tours. “ITS stores documents of enormous historical relevance on the persecution, exploitation and murder of millions of people. It is essential that these files are conserved for the coming generations”, said chief archivist Udo Jost.

May 4,2009

Dr Susanne Urban new historian at ITS

Press Release

Today the historian Dr Susanne Urban took up her position as Head of Research at the International Tracing Service (ITS) in Bad Arolsen. She succeeds Dr Irmtrud Wojak who had been appointed Founding Director of Munich’s NS Documentation Centre in March 2009. “This is an extremely appealing task for me”, said Urban upon taking up her office. “The documents stored at the ITS archive offer some interesting perspectives for research.”

April 28,2009

International Meeting of Tracing Services in Bad Arolsen

Press Release

This week the International Tracing Service (ITS) is hosting an international meet-up with the Red Cross and Red Crescent tracing services. Thirty-two tracing service representatives from 27 countries and ten delegates from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Geneva have arrived in Bad Arolsen for the three-day meeting. Among other things, the topic of their discussions are the various experiences made with tracing requests in conjunction with WWII, as well as the future cooperation between the Red Cross societies and the International Tracing Service. “The objective of the meeting is to further optimise the collaborative efforts between the individual tracing services,” said ITS Director and ICRC delegate Jean-Luc Blondel. “For the people concerned, the clarification of their family members’ fate is of enormous relevance just as much today as it has been in the past.”

April 23,2009

Freie Universität Berlin and ITS collaborate on online forced labour archive

Press Release

The Freie Universität Berlin and the International Tracing Service (ITS) in Bad Arolsen are collaborating on the development of the digital archive “Forced labour from 1939–1945. Memory and history”. “We hope to gain valuable information on the fate of forced labourers during the National Socialist regime from the comprehensive archive at ITS,” said Professor Dr Nicolas Apostolopoulos, Project Manager at the Centre for Digital Systems (CeDiS), which is carrying out the online project in cooperation with the Institute for Eastern European Studies at the Freie Universität Berlin.

March 27,2009

Jewish organisations draw positive balance of visit

Press Release

This week twelve representatives of the largest American Jewish organisations paid a two-day visit to the International Tracing Service (ITS) in Bad Arolsen. Among them were delegates from the American Jewish Committee, the American Jewish Congress, B’nai B’rith and the Anti-Defamation League. During their stay they gained insight into the ITS documentation and learned about new developments since the archives opened up to the public in November 2007. They also discussed the scope of responsibilities and future of the institution.

March 3,2009

ITS and the City of Bad Arolsen – An Alliance for Common Welfare

Press Release

The director of the International Tracing Service (ITS), Jean-Luc Blondel, and the mayor of Bad Arolsen, Jürgen van der Horst, want to intensify the mutual exchange between ITS and the city, and promote the location of Bad Arolsen for the benefit of both. This agreement was reached at a meeting held last Tuesday. “The municipal bodies have realised that the tracing service is relevant for Bad Arolsen,” says Mayor van der Horst.

Contact

International Tracing Service (ITS)

Press Office

Kathrin Flor
Head of Communication

Grosse Allee 5-9
34454 Bad Arolsen
Germany

Phone: +49 (0)5691 629 116
Fax: +49 (0)5691 629 501

Email: communications[at] its-arolsen.org