Berlin – A planned auction of Nazi-era documents, including files detailing the persecution of Jews, has been canceled following widespread condemnation for its “repulsive and cynical” approach to past artifacts. The auction, hosted by a German auction house, featured items from an anonymous collector and sparked outrage after details emerged of how the value of some pieces was explicitly linked to the scarcity of Jewish victims.
The Fritz Bauer Institute, a leading research center on the Holocaust, publicly denounced the auction, highlighting a catalogue entry stating a high starting bid was justified because “in 1943 there were so few Jews alive.” The institute also raised concerns about the privacy of individuals detailed in the archival documents, such as a forcibly sterilized man whose complete file - including the names of his five children – was available for review.
The auction house removed the catalog from its website yesterday afternoon without providing a reason. The controversy underscores a growing debate over the ethical handling of Holocaust-related materials and the potential for profiting from the suffering of victims. Poland has reportedly expressed interest in seizing the collection and transferring it to the Auschwitz Museum.the Fritz Bauer Institute hopes the documents will be placed in a public archive or memorial site to ensure professional preservation and responsible access for research and education.
