Library and Collections

Library bookshelves filled with books, organized and labeled with yellow tags, under bright ceiling lights. In the background, tables and chairs are visible in a study area.The RCNJ CHGS maintains a growing collection of books and other materials pertinent to Holocaust and genocide studies. Our stacks are located on the second floor of the library, in front of the Special Collections Reading Room, which houses the Center. Additional books and media are available in the general stacks and are shelved according to their call numbers.

CHGS also maintains a reference and archival collection, separate from the library system, which primarily includes materials donated by individuals and organizations. If you have materials that you are seeking to preserve or make available, please consult our donation guide.

Our Collection of Holocaust-Survivor Testimonies

Three shelves of VHS tapes in a wooden cabinet with open glass doors. There is a info sheet in a picture frame in the middle of the bottom shelf

VHS copies of the testimonies we recorded

The Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Ramapo College of New Jersey recorded 136 video testimonies with Holocaust survivors between 1990 and 2011. Most took place between 1990 and 1995. One survivor left two testimonies and two survivors share a single screen. Though the primary language of most of the videos is English, two survivors elected to tell their stories in Yiddish.

The Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies at Yale University maintains our collection, which comprises a fraction of their nearly 4,700 testimonies. Thanks to the archive’s generosity, Ramapo students, faculty, staff, and visitors have on-campus (and VPN) access to all of the Fortunoff testimonies via Potter Library.

View Ramapo students digital story-map, research projects on Holocaust survivors who witnessed Kristallnacht and settled in our region.