Austrian Federal Ministry of Internal Affairs
Department IV/3
Landstraßer Hauptstraße 169
A-1030 Wien, AUSTRIA

Sent via the
General Counsulate of the Republic of Austria
Wrigley Building, Suite 707
400 North Michigan Avenue,
Chicago, IL 60116, USA

West Bloomfield, March 31, 2003

First Report / Holocaust Memorial Center, West Bloomfield, Michigan

Dear Ladies and Gentleman:

I want to use this report to express my gratitude for the possibility to spend my alternative service abroad.

Because of the current political situation the civil service abroad program gains additional significance. As Holocaust memorial service interns, we represent our county as well as Austria’s desire for reconciliation. We have the opportunity to inform the local communities about Europe’s history and, by that, about the background and motivations of Europe’s current political moves.

Sincerely,

Daniel Würinger

Personal Information

Holocaust Memorial Servant:	Daniel Würinger, MSc.
Service Location:	Holocaust Memorial Center 6602 West Maple Road West Bloomfield, MI 48322, USA Tel: +1 (248) 661-0840 Fax: +1 (248) 661-4204
Service period:	1. December 2002 – 31. January 2004
Report period:	1. December 2002 – 31. March 2003
Civil Service Association:	Association for Alternative Service Abroad Hutterweg 6, A - 6020 Innsbruck, Austria

 

General Information:

The Holocaust Memorial Center (HMC) in West Bloomfield Michigan, was founded in 1984 by the Shaarit Haplaytah Organization as the first institution of its kind in the United States. It is seen as a model for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C., the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, California, and the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York.

The HMC contains a museum, a library with attached research center, and external archives.

The Museum
The museum shows the horrors of the persecution and extermination of Jews in Europe during the Nazi-regime. It displays numerous dates and facts on the background of the events at that period starting at the end of World War I up to the liberation of the concentration camps. It is also dedicated to the most important aspects of the over two millennia of Jewish culture and the history of the Diaspora before 1920.

A guided tour through the museum takes about one and one half hour, followed by an half an hour-presentation by a holocaust survivor.

The Morris and Emma Schaver Library-Archive
The HMC’s library and archives house a multilingual collection of more than 15,000 volumes of books, journals, videos, audio recordings, microfilm and electronic media on the history, background and impact of the Holocaust. The library is regarded as one of the most important on the field of Holocaust research in the USA. It is second only to the Library of Congress.

The John J. Mames Oral History Department
This department of the Library is responsible for the recording and archival of oral history videos and audio recordings (interviews with holocaust-survivors).

The Research Center
The research center enables the public access to the holdings of the library and the oral history department.

Relocation and expansion of the Holocaust Memorial Centers
Because the HMC’s increasing difficulties in accommodating its growing number of visitors, the HMC will move in fall 2003 from its location on the Jewish Community Campus in West Bloomfield to a new facility in Farmington Hills.

In addition to the current exhibition the new museum will feature two new components: The International Institute of the Righteous and The Museum of European Jewish Heritage.

Integrating the external archives again into the new, expanded library will reduce the administrative effort as well as ease the access to the materials.

Work report:

• Time consumption:
At least 40 hours a week, 5 days a week, occasionally on Sundays; Participation and assistance at events, as well as representative activities outside of the regular working-hours.

• Work in the Museum
During the first two months I had to prepare myself to guide visitor groups through the museum. These groups mainly consist of high school and university students. I gained knowledge on the Holocaust, the Jewish culture, and also on the guidance of groups. In the mean time I passed the examination to become a docent and, therefore, have the opportunity to present a complete picture of the Second World War to the visitors.

At request of other docents, I am also available to groups which are not guided by me for a short presentation of Austria and the Austrian Holocaust Memorial Service.

At most guided tours I get the chance to present a better picture of Austria and Europe than the one currently presented in the news and media.

• Work in the Library and the Archives
One of my tasks for the library and the archives is the translation of German texts into English. This was either for the purpose of cataloging the texts or ongoing projects of the research center.

Another task in the library is the administration of the HMC’s web-site. I changed the technical background of the web-site during the last 4 months. Most information is now stored in databases instead of HTML-files which makes it much easier to modify the data or add additional sets of data. The affected areas of the web-site are the extensive collection of Holocaust related internet links, the oral history department, and the museum store.

Besides the technical administration I am also responsible for the actualization of the homepage. Especially the oral history video section and the online store are expanded constantly.

• Work in the Oral History Department
My tasks include the setup of the technical equipment for taking video-interviews with Holocaust survivors, as well as the technical editing (title, edit or duplication) of the video tapes.
Further I am responsible (as mentioned above) for the updating of the web-site of the oral history department. This includes updating the oral history video index as well as the synopses of the video-tapes.

• Work in the Office
Occasionally I assist by accepting telephone requests in the HMC’s office or I have to make sure that the process of the tours goes smoothly. In detail this includes telephone calls to schools and universities, the booking of tours as well as the work with Holocaust survivors.

• Computer and Network-maintenance
My tasks include the administration of the HMC’s computer network and all the peripheral equipment as well as the support of other HMC staff members who encounter computer problems.