Why This Matters Now
Holocaust memory is becoming more distant, while antisemitism is becoming more visible.
For many students, an artifact is the moment history becomes real. A letter. A photograph. A yellow star. A suitcase. A prayer book. A document with a name.
These objects help students understand what hatred can lead to, and why memory, courage, and responsibility matter today.
Your artifact can become a witness.
Your family’s history can become a teacher.
Why Families Choose Holocaust Museum Orange County
Your artifact will educate students.
It will become part of an active learning environment where students encounter real history, not just read about it.
Your family’s story will be honored.
We preserve the object, but we also preserve the human story behind it: the name, the journey, the loss, the resilience, and the legacy.
Your gift can inspire action.
The Holocaust is not only history. It is a warning. When students stand before an authentic artifact, they understand that hate begins with choices, and so does courage.
Our museum team can help you understand what you have and the best way to preserve it.
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From Your Family’s Story to Shared Memory
Every artifact carries a journey: the home it came from, the person who carried it, the family who preserved it, and the history it still holds.
When shared with Holocaust Museum Orange County, that story becomes part of a living educational mission. Students do not only learn what happened. They encounter the names, choices, losses, and courage behind the history.
Artifacts We Are Seeking
We are seeking original materials connected to Jewish life before the Holocaust, the Nazi era, ghettos, camps, hiding, rescue, liberation, displaced persons camps, immigration, rebuilding, and survivor testimony.
Documents & Papers
Letters, diaries, passports, ID cards, immigration papers, DP camp documents, certificates, memoirs, prayer books, and family records.
Photographs & Albums
Prewar family photographs, ghetto or camp images, liberation photographs, postwar rebuilding, and survivor family albums.
Personal Items
Suitcases, clothing, jewelry, tools, household items, toys, religious items, or objects carried through war, hiding, camps, or displacement.
Textiles & Symbols
Uniforms, badges, yellow stars, armbands, prisoner clothing, and other textiles connected to Holocaust history.
Testimony & Media
Oral histories, written testimonies, film, audio, video, and recorded family memories.
Liberator and Witness Materials
Items, photographs, letters, or records from Allied liberators, soldiers, rescuers, and witnesses.
Handled with Care. Preserved With Purpose.
Your family’s history will be treated with care, respect, and responsibility.
Every accepted artifact is documented, protected, and connected to the human story it represents. It may be used in exhibitions, student tours, educational programs, research, and digital storytelling.
Artifacts are not only preserved. They are used to help students understand the past and carry its lessons forward.
What Happens After You Contact Us?
1. You tell us about the item.
Share photos, documents, names, places, dates, and the story behind the object.
2. We discuss the best path forward.
Together, we will explore whether the item may be right for donation, preservation, display, research, or digital documentation.
3. Your artifact is documented and protected.
We record the story so the object is never separated from the human life it represents.
4. It becomes part of education.
Your artifact can be used in exhibitions, student tours, programs, research, and digital storytelling.
“I learned history before, but today I felt it. This experience changed how I see people and responsibility.”
— Olivia, 10th Grade
Newport Harbor High School
Frequently Asked Questions
Not every artifact can be displayed at all times, but every accepted artifact is preserved, documented, and considered for exhibitions, student tours, educational programs, research, and digital storytelling.
Original materials are generally most valuable for museum preservation and education. If you are not ready to part with an original, please contact us to discuss options.
Yes. The story is essential. Names, places, dates, memories, and family history help students understand the person behind the object.
Donors seeking tax guidance should consult their own professional advisor.
This Is Where History Becomes Personal
When students encounter real artifacts, something changes.
History becomes personal. Stories become human. The past becomes present.
These experiences stay with them.
They shape how students understand responsibility, empathy, and the role they play in the world.
Collected to Be Shared
Many museums collect. Few actively use every item to educate.
Our approach is built around access and impact. Artifacts are not stored away — they are integrated into exhibitions, programming, and student experiences.
Students don’t just view history.
They engage with it.
They reflect.
They carry it forward.
Artifacts We Are Seeking
Items from 1933–1950 that were part of, or help document, the experiences of survivors, victims, or liberators.
Camp uniforms & badges
Yellow stars, badges, and uniforms from victims, survivors, and Allied liberators.
Personal items
Letters, prayer books, suitcases, documents, and displaced persons camp materials
Photographs
Holocaust-era family photographs, ghetto and camp images, liberation photos
Diaries & testimonies
Diaries, testimonies, and written accounts
Ritual objects
Jewish ritual objects carried through the Holocaust
From Personal History to Shared Memory
Every artifact carries a journey.
From homes that no longer exist
To lives that were rebuilt
To families who chose to remember
These objects hold memory, identity, and resilience.
Now, they become part of something larger, a shared effort to educate and ensure these stories are not lost.
“The Holocaust Museum Orange County gave our family a way to transform loss into education and legacy.”
Student name
School, City
Handled With Care. Preserved With Purpose.
Your family’s history will be treated with the utmost care.
Artifacts are:
Professionally documented
Preserved by trained museum staff
Used in educational exhibitions
Shared with tens of thousands of students each year
How to Donate an Artifact
Submit the Artifact Form
Share your item and its history.
Curatorial Review
Our team evaluates its significance.
Documentation & Transfer
We handle safe documentation and transfer.
Preserve History
Your artifact becomes part of our exhibits.
Let Their Story Teach the Next Generation.
Some artifacts have survived ghettos, camps, hiding, displacement, war, immigration, and decades in family care.
Now they can survive in a new way, as teachers.
At Holocaust Museum Orange County, your artifact will help students understand where hate can lead, why memory matters, and what responsibility asks of each of us today.
Preserve the object. Honor the person. Educate the future.
