The Wiener Holocaust Library is the UK’s sole copy holder of the International Tracing Service (ITS) Digital Archive, a remarkable archive of over 30 million pages of Holocaust-era and post-war era documents relating to the experiences of over 17.5 million people persecuted by the Nazis. The ITS team conduct family history research for people still searching for information about the fates of their loved ones who were persecuted by the Nazis.
This exhibition is a case study of the Blumenfeld family, the owners of one of the most famous German-Jewish travelling circuses of the 20th century, passed down through generations following its first tour in 1811. The circus was truly a family affair, with mother Rosa working as co-director with her son Fritz, eldest son Alex performing dressage on his famous horse ‘Puppchen’ and Willy Blumenfeld performing as ‘Kucki the Clown’.
Only one member of the Blumenfeld family is known to have survived past 1951. Her name was Jeanette Blumenfeld, and this exhibition is the result of her great-granddaughter’s enquiry to the ITS team in 2023.
This exhibition demonstrates the varied trajectories of persecution that can be traced by the ITS Digital Archive. Click here to learn more about how you can submit your own enquiry to the ITS team to research your own family history.
