How Bookbinders Helped the Nazis Track Holocaust Victims
The New York Times • • world
Key Points:
- British researcher Morwenna Blewett discovered that bookbinders and restorers in the 1930s and ’40s aided the Nazi regime by restoring damaged historical records, which were then used to create a database for persecuting Jews and other targeted groups.
- The Nazis utilized church, civil, and synagogue records, often centuries old and illegible, which were cleaned and preserved by professionals to access detailed genealogical information.
- This extensive database enabled the Nazi regime to identify and target individuals based on racial criteria, contributing to their persecution and killings during the Holocaust.
- Blewett’s findings stem from over 20 years of research and are detailed in her recent book, "Art Restoration Under the Nazi Regime: Revelation
