Mapping Memory - UW Stroum Center for Jewish Studies

Mapping Memory

The Mapping Memory project follows the extraordinary paths of Jewish refugees around the time of the Second World War (1939-1945). Based on interviews and memoirs, these narratives track refugees’ journeys across war-torn Europe as their homes and identities were threatened by the advancing Nazi war machine. Often, the places where refugees arrived were just as dangerous as those they had fled from, as the socio-political landscape of Europe rapidly changed before and during the war.

Click on a portrait to learn more, or explore refugee journeys directly via the interactive map below.

Choose a Path

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Mapping Memory: Claude Vigée

The story of an Alsatian-Jewish medical student who helped others escape danger during World War II.

Mapping Memory: Werner Cahn

Trace the journey of a Dutch electrician who escaped the war through Spain and made his way to Haifa.

Mapping Memory: Lisa Fittko

An intrepid activist who helped refugees across the border at great risk to her own life.

Click the Layers button above to see individual paths and start exploring refugee journeys.

Author Ryan Gompertz graduated from the University of Washington in 2015 with majors in Political Science and History and a minor in Law, Society, and Justice. He is currently a student at the UW School of Law.

Learn more about the Mapping Memory project in Ryan’s article, “From Story to History.”

All information comes from first-hand accounts.

This project was made possible through a Digital Media Fellowship at the UW Stroum Center for Jewish Studies.