German Auction House Cancels Sale of Holocaust Documents Following Survivors' Outrage

A German auction house announced Monday the cancellation of a planned sale of Nazi-era documents and Holocaust-related items after facing significant backlash from Auschwitz concentration camp survivors.

The controversial auction, titled "The System of Terror 1933-1945," was scheduled to offer personal correspondence from Nazi camp prisoners, Gestapo secret police files, and various documents chronicling Nazi persecution throughout the Third Reich period.

"We acknowledge our misjudgment in evaluating this consignment request and sincerely regret if we have wounded the feelings of relatives and victims of Nazi terror," stated the Ulrich Felzmann auction house from Neuss in western Germany.

Prior to the cancellation, the International Auschwitz Committee had strongly condemned the planned sale on Saturday. Christoph Heubner, the committee's vice president, characterized it as "a cynical and shameless undertaking" that attempted to profit from "the history and suffering of those persecuted and murdered by the Nazis."

The auction house explained that some items had been provided by descendants of victims, while others originated from a private research collection containing documents that had been "acquired legitimately on the open market."

According to the Auschwitz Committee, the auction included highly sensitive personal records revealing victims' identities, which heightened ethical concerns about the sale.

This is not the first time such auctions have sparked controversy. In 2016, Germany's Central Council of Jews expressed outrage when an Argentinian collector acquired Nazi personal effects through auction. Similarly, a 2019 sale featuring Adolf Hitler's personal items drew protests from the European Jewish Association, which warned that such items would most likely attract Nazi sympathizers.