Holocaust items auction in Germany draws outrage from International Auschwitz Committee
An auction house in Neuss, Germany, is facing severe criticism for planning to sell documents and items related to Holocaust victims, prompting the International Auschwitz Committee to demand cancellation.
November 15, 2025 - 10:12 PM ET • 2 min read
An auction scheduled for Monday in western Germany featuring documents and objects related to Holocaust victims and Nazi persecution has sparked widespread outrage, prompting demands for its cancellation.
The Felzmann auction house in Neuss, near Düsseldorf, is set to proceed with the sale, which includes items listed under the title "System of Terror Vol II," covering the period from 1933 to 1945.
The International Auschwitz Committee (IAC) strongly urged the auction house to halt the event. Christoph Heubner, IAC Executive Vice President, issued a statement describing the auction as "cynical and shameless."
Heubner criticized the commercialization of history, stating that the legacy of Holocaust survivors was "being exploited for commercial gain." He emphasized that documents relating to persecution and the Holocaust should not be "degraded to objects of trade."
"Documents relating to persecution and the Holocaust belong to the families of those who were persecuted," Heubner said. He added that such items should instead be displayed in museums or exhibitions at memorial sites.
The trove of documents listed for auction includes sensitive historical records. Among the items are Nazi documents detailing a forced sterilization carried out at the Dachau concentration camp. The auction also features records, including passports, belonging to Jewish individuals who fled Nazi Germany, specifically those who sought refuge in Chile and Argentina.