Loyola Professor Awarded Grant for Holocaust Research

The NEH provided $140,000 to study personal autograph books from the Holocaust era.

Updated on Sept. 29, 2026 in Judaism

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of a weathered, antique journal from above, evoking the somber study of historical personal artifacts. — Loyola University Maryland political science chair Janine Holc has received a $140,000 NEH grant to study Holocaust-era personal autograph albums. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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The National Endowment for the Humanities has awarded a $140,000 grant to Janine Holc, chair of the Department of Political Science at Loyola University Maryland. Holc and collaborator Marta Kubiszyn will use the funding to study Holocaust-era autograph albums.

Why it matters

The research aims to better understand the experiences of Jewish girls and women during the Holocaust by analyzing personal autograph books as historical objects. This project provides a new lens into the daily lives and social bonds of victims during the period.

The National Endowment for the Humanities awarded a $140,000 grant to support the two-year research project. This funding allows the researchers to reduce their normal duties to focus on examining collections in Belgium, Hungary, and the Czech Republic.

The players

Janine Holc

She is the chair of the Department of Political Science at Loyola University Maryland.

Marta Kubiszyn

She is an associate professor at the Center for Jewish Studies at Marie Curie-Skłodowska University.

National Endowment for the Humanities

This is an independent federal agency that supports research and education in the humanities.

The details

Janine Holc, who authored a 2023 book on Jewish women in labor camps, will work alongside Marta Kubiszyn from Marie Curie-Skłodowska University. Together, they will produce a co-authored book titled Autograph Albums as Holocaust Objects to document their findings.

Janine Holc published a book regarding Jewish girls and women in labor camps in 2023.
The research project will take place over the next two years.

Culture Shift

This project aligns with a broader academic shift toward preserving the personal narratives of marginalized individuals through physical objects. By utilizing the National Endowment for the Humanities research grant program, the study follows established patterns for funding historical preservation.

Residents may see an increase in local academic contributions to Holocaust studies through the work of Loyola University Maryland faculty. This research highlights how personal history is preserved and analyzed within the local university community.

The takeaway

Personal objects like autograph books offer a rare window into the social world of those who lived through the Holocaust. Researchers hope this study will preserve these narratives and provide a deeper understanding of victims' lives.