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Mazal Holocaust Collection

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The Mazal Holocaust Collection is a Holocaust-related archive at the University of Colorado Boulder in Boulder, Colorado, U.S.

Content

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The Mazal Holocaust Collection is the largest privately owned Holocaust-related archive in the world.[1] It comprises 500,000 items, including 20,000 books.[2] Some of its items include aerial photographs of the Auschwitz concentration camp and transcripts of the Nuremberg Trials.[2] Additionally, it includes old copies of Der Stürmer, books of Holocaust denial, and material published by the American Nazi Party in the 1930s.[2] As of March 2015, the full extent of the collection was unknown.[2]

History

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The collection was established by Harry W. Mazal, a businessman of Turkish-Jewish descent who was born in Mexico City, Mexico, and subsequently lived in San Antonio, Texas.[2][3] Mazal only found out he was Jewish as a teenager, and he began collecting documents related to the Holocaust then.[2] His primary aim was to counter the discourse of Holocaust deniers.[4] In 2011, Mazal discovered one of his employees was stealing and selling some of his collection; the thief was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2014.[5]

With the help of Professor David Shneer, it has been based at the University of Colorado Boulder since January 2014.[1] Students act as volunteers to categorize and digitalize the collection.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b "The Mazal Holocaust Collection". University of Colorado Boulder. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Heilman, Uri (March 9, 2015). "After intrigue, theft and deterioration, Holocaust collection secure at CU Boulder". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  3. ^ Ayala, Elaine (August 23, 2011). "Mazal created widely used library in S.A." San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  4. ^ "Holocaust Denial on Trial: Harry Mazal, The Holocaust History Project". Emory University. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  5. ^ Danner, Patrick (June 20, 2014). "Man gets eight years for stealing Holocaust documents". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
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