Problems of research on the European Jewish catastrophe

As the war drew to its end, and during the first postwar years, the work of documentation entered a new stage, and a new purpose became evident: to collect data that would be instrumental in establishing the guilt of the Nazi war criminals. Simultaneously with the actitivties of the war crimes tribunals, Jewish historical committees began their work. Centres in France, Portugal, Hungary, Slovakia, Bohemia and Switzerland were established. The aim was historical documentation, including the life of the Jewish community at that time