Purpose of the site
The Holocaust Explained website has been created to help learners understand the essential facts of the Nazi era and the Holocaust, as well as its causes and consequences. It is designed with the British school curriculum for thirteen to eighteen year olds in mind, but it aims to be accessible to other users as well.
The Holocaust Explained is managed by The Wiener Holocaust Library, the world’s oldest archive on the Holocaust and the Nazi era. Formed in 1933 and now based in London, the Library’s unique collection is the largest and most significant of its kind in Britain.
The Wiener Holocaust Library became the custodian of The Holocaust Explained in 2016 and began a four-year project of revitalisation. This project was led by Roxy Moore under the supervision of Dr. Barbara Warnock. In March 2020, the website was relaunched, with around three hundred new articles and over five hundred new primary sources from the Library’s unique archive.
Creation of the original site – The London Jewish Cultural Centre
The original The Holocaust Explained website was designed and built by the London Jewish Cultural Centre (LJCC), with particular credit due to Alan Fell and Garry Clarkson. The LJCC was one of London’s leading providers of Jewish education and cultural events. It was formerly based at Ivy House in Golders Green. In 2015 it was merged with the Jewish Community Centre London (JW3) on Finchley Road.
Sponsors of the site
The organisations which have provided funding for the latest version of The Holocaust Explained website include:
The Pauline and Harold Berman Charitable Trust
The Pears Foundation
The organisations which provided the funding for the original The Holocaust Explained website, developed by the London Jewish Cultural Centre, include:
The Leo Baeck London Lodge
The Deutsche Bank
The Shoresh Charitable Trust
Mrs J Millan, London, UK
The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany
Strategic partners
Many organisations contributed to the design and development of The Holocaust Explained. They continue to be involved in its use as an accurate and engaging place to learn about the Holocaust online.
Yad Vashem, the International School for Holocaust Studies
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum