Ukrainians in Auschwitz: Olesia Isaiuk Speaks at the Pilecki Institute, Warsaw
Pylyp Orlyk Foundation visiting researcher, historian Olesia Isaiuk took part in the event “Embracing the New, Preserving the Old: Researching Fascism, Communism and Totalitarianism in the 2020s,” held at the Pilecki Institute in Warsaw on October 15. Her presentation, “Puzzle inside of a blind zone: experience of identifying and categorizing of Ukrainians in Auschwitz (1941–1945),” focused on the experience of identifying Ukrainians among the prisoners of the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz.
The presentation was the result of a research project carried out with the support of the Pylyp Orlyk Foundation. Its aim is to expand the electronic database of Ukrainians imprisoned in Auschwitz.
According to Olesia Isaiuk, the research showed that identifying Ukrainians in the camp’s documents is complicated by several factors. The Nazi registration system recorded prisoners by citizenship, which meant that Ukrainians ended up in the categories of citizens of different states. At the same time, they formed a heterogeneous group that included Red Army prisoners of war, members of the Ukrainian nationalist underground, forced laborers, Ukrainians deported from border territories, and Jews from Zakarpattia.
According to Olesia Isaiuk, a single universal criterion is not enough to establish Ukrainian origin. The researcher analyzed the spelling of first names and surnames in German and Polish documents, places of birth, the language of everyday communication, and religious affiliation. Cross-referencing this data makes it possible to identify people more accurately and to reconstruct their stories.
“The experience of building the database of Ukrainian prisoners of Auschwitz clearly shows that the use of seemingly traditional descriptive methods can reveal new facets of totalitarian practices,” Olesia Isaiuk emphasized.
The research also revealed discrepancies between data in European and Russian archival databases. Comparing them and verifying information across different sources helps to restore more accurate records about the prisoners and to see how totalitarian regimes affected people’s identity and the memory of them.
As a reminder, as part of the European Heritage Days in Lviv, Olesia Isaiuk gave a lecture, “How to Find Your Own: The Experience of Identifying Ukrainians in the Lists of Auschwitz Prisoners.”
