Wide-ranging and deep discussions have been conducted over the past few years on the comportment of Swiss authorities towards Jewish refugees during World War ll. Much less has been heard, however, of the points of view of the refugees themselves or from the people who looked after them. The Swiss Archives of Contemporary History (AfZ) at ETH Zurich (1) has now concluded this part of a multi-year project by opening these archives to the public. On 21 May project workers presented the archive's research database on this chapter of history.

Life as a refugee in Switzerland

The documents in the archive are case files that were formerly stored in the cellars of the Swiss Union of Jewish Welfare Organisations in Zurich, the VSJF (Zentralstelle des Verbands Schweizerischer Jüdischer Fürsorgen). After the seizure of power in Germany by the National Socialists, the VSJF was responsible for the care of Jewish refugees in Switzerland. The case files, opened and kept by the organisation, include many different sorts of documents, such as: official forms, letter exchanges between refugees and the political authorities, copies of asylum applications and requests for support, appeals against deportation orders, and many more. The files provide insight into the lives of the refugees and the problems that they faced. These public papers also document VSJF's efforts to help the refugees.

Long cherished goal

"Researchers have cherished the goal of opening up this archive for a long time," as AfZ's Claudia Hoerschelmann and Daniel Gerson put it. It was not until the mid-1990s, however, that the initiators were able to launch the project. At the time VSJF moved to a new location and was looking for a suitable place to store the documents. This coincided with the wide, public debate taking place on the holocaust, and funding was found to make this comprehensive archive accessible. In particular, the Evangelical Reformed Church of Canton Zurich supported the project with the sum of 600,000 Swiss francs in accord with its aim of fostering the dialogue between Judaism and Christianity.

"What we have here is a globally unique collection of documents," Hoerschelmann and Gerson emphasise. The archive comprises more than 12,300 case files which give account of the destinies of over 20,000 Jewish refugees. At times during the project as many as eight researchers were working on the 170 running metres of documents.

Fragile documents damaged by mould

In a first step the material had to be suitably preserved. Some of the documents, many of which were printed or written on wartime paper, were extremely fragile. Indeed, some were partially mouldy owing to inadequate storing conditions and had to be chemically treated before work could commence. Following this all documents were newly sorted and the information they contained on each individual was then entered into a database.

Historians did not only include the bare personal data of the refugees, but numerous other facts, such as, the date of entry into Switzerland, any subsequent date of departure, their status within the country and the kind of support they received. The database mask runs to 100 fields.

Considerable work on co-ordination

In order that such a meticulous processing of the files leads to a database which can be used for research, a consistent input of the data is essential. This explains why the resource expended on co-ordination was a major item of the project. "Many team meetings were necessary and had to take place until we had synchronised all data entries." The database now makes it possible to trace individual fates and the destinies of refugees, as well as providing a valuable tool for general research into themes of contemporary Jewish history.

Claudia Hoerschelmann (left) and Daniel Gerson with Jolana Gross, who worked for many years as refugee helper and was head archivist at the former VSJF archive. large

Satisfied expressions on the faces of those present at the opening of the database. From the left: Ruedi Reich, President of the Evangelical Reformed Church of Canton Zurich, Rolf Bloch, President of the Jewish Foundation of Modern History (Stiftung Jüdische Zeitgeschichte), Karin Krauthammer, President VSJF, Klaus Urner, head of AfZ, Alfred Donath, SIG President (partially obscured) and Eva Koralnik, contemporary witness. large

Material for new research

Nevertheless, is there a real need for further research into this issue following the comprehensive report of the so-called Bergier Commission? "The refugee archive is an important complement to the official files," explains Hoerschelmann. Records exist in the archive of people who did not enter Switzerland until after the end of World War ll, for example of people seeking asylum after the uprising in Hungary was crushed by Soviet troops and the Suez crisis (both in 1956), which caused many Egyptian Jews to leave their country or after the Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia (in 1968). "Precisely these files provide materials for further research," says Gerson. These files would make it possible, for instance, to examine the different treatment meted out in Switzerland to refugees from Eastern Europe and Egypt.

Tracing the ancestors

The archive is not exclusively accessible to researchers but can also be a source of information to private individuals who wish to find out more about the history of their ancestors. In order that interested parties do not have to travel all the way to Zurich, the AfZ plans to make it possible to order copies of documents via the internet. Descendants of refugees will thus be able to view the pertinent documents at a partner archive. There are very good reasons why documents will not simply be sent directly to inquirers, but only given to them after their personal identity has been verified by the partner archive. "The files hold a lot of very personal information," says Garson, "and we must be extremely circumspect when it comes to handing out the information they contain."