Ringelblum Archive (1939–1943)

Headed by Dr. Emanuel Ringelblum, the Oyneg Shabbos [Joy of Sabbath] group sought to create a record of Jewish life in the Warsaw ghetto. To this end, the group solicited diaries, memoirs, and other documents from the Jews who lived there. Ringelblum initially envisioned the archive as the eventual basis for a history of the Jewish experience under occupation. When it became clear, however, that ghetto residents were destined for death camps, Ringelblum buried the collected materials, stashing documents in milk cans and metal containers. Over 35,000 pages were unearthed in 1946 and 1950. A third cache has never been found.