World War II, 1941
After Japan attacked the United States in December 1941, World War II became truly global with battles between the Axis and the Allies occurring on nearly every continent.
![After Japan attacked the United States in December 1941, World War II became truly global with battles between the Axis and the Allies occurring on nearly every continent.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Holocaust_1941_WorldWarII_%20FH229536.jpg?h=048697cd&itok=tiaMVxK4)
Za'atri Refugee Camp in Jordan
According to the UNHCR, 79,225 people lived in the Za'atri Refugee Camp in Jordan, near the Syrian border. All of them fled from Syria to escape the brutal civil war.
![Aerial view of the Za'atri refugee camp in Jordan near the Syrian border.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/2013_Aerialviewofzaatriregugeecamp_FH2174138.jpeg?h=3d552d23&itok=rgzLfH5S)
The Mission's Beginning
Waitstill Sharp describes how he and and his wife, Martha, were asked to begin relief work in Czechoslovakia aiding refugees from Nazi occupation.
![Martha and Waitstill Sharp wave to a crowd before leaving New York City for Europe. Martha wears a corsage of flowers on her coat and holds a bouquet of flowers in her left hand. Stamped in ink on verso: "Photo by William T. Hoff, New York Municipal Airport"](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-09/Martha_and_Waitstill_Sharp_waving_for_Web_or_Office_Use.jpg?h=a9a611f7&itok=ld5w1FcD)
Helen’s Letter to Supporters
Read Helen Lowrie's letter to the Sharps' supporters describing their efforts to aid refugees with the children's rescue project.
![Formal portrait of the Sharp Family](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-09/Formal_portrait_of_the_Sharp_family_for_Web_or_Office_Use.jpg?h=5fa81f83&itok=jCHdObjE)
Capture of Jewish Resistance Fighters
Jewish resistance fighters who fought against the SS and German army during the Warsaw ghetto uprising between April 19 and May 16, 1943, are captured.
![Jewish resistance fighters who fought against the SS and German army during the Warsaw ghetto uprising between April 19 and May 16, 1943, are captured.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Holocaust_1943_CaptureofJewishResistanceFighters_FH229479.jpg?h=80724209&itok=yPkpM8hK)
Pre-war Jewish Life in Europe
Explore photographs depicting the everyday life of European Jews between World War I and World War II.
![A woman wearing a scarf on her head leans out of a window. Photo taken circa 1935-1938.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/14_Vishniac_woman_GALLERY_2_Medium_res.jpg?h=1fb8bf0a&itok=0w7bUtGb)
Pre-War Jewish Life in Eastern Europe
Explore photographs of the everyday lives of European Jews living in shtetls and larger cities before World War II.
![Shabbtai (Shepske) Sonenson takes one of the shtetl's Hebrew teachers for a ride on his new motorcycle.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Holocaust_1941_ShabbtaiSonensonOnMotorcycle_FH2115443.jpg?h=d392e916&itok=DmuRlDw6)
Pre-War Jewish Life in Eastern Europe (en español)
Explore photographs of the everyday lives of European Jews living in shtetls and larger cities before World War II. This resource is in Spanish.
![Shabbtai (Shepske) Sonenson takes one of the shtetl's Hebrew teachers for a ride on his new motorcycle.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Holocaust_1941_ShabbtaiSonensonOnMotorcycle_FH2115443.jpg?h=d392e916&itok=DmuRlDw6)
The Auschwitz Album Visual Essay
View a famous collection of photographs from the Holocaust of a transport arriving in Auschwitz from Hungary in early summer 1944.
![People and belongings outside a train having just arrived at Birkenau.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/Women_and_children_arrive_on_the_ramp_at_Birkenau_FH260051.jpg?h=827069f2&itok=vOZqS_LJ)
Pre-War Sighet Visual Essay
Enrich your reading of Night with photos depicting daily life in Elie Wiesel's hometown.
![Group portrait outside of a wooden synagogue](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Members_of_Sighet%E2%80%99s_Jewish_Community_FH260043.jpg?h=f83c6171&itok=ED05ruNK)