Holocaust Victims and Baptisms for the Dead

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Holocaust Victims and Baptisms for the Dead

47 Primary Sources

Timeline

August 15, 1840

Joseph Smith introduces the concept of vicarious baptisms for the dead.[1]

1990

Nine people submit approximately 380,000 names of Jewish Holocaust victims. They are posthumously baptized.[2]

1991

Ezra Taft Benson[BIO] orders all posthumous baptisms of Holocaust victims to cease.[3]

June 1992

Gary Mokotoff,[BIO] President of the Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies, discovers Jewish Holocaust victims in the IGI database.[4] Mokotoff expresses his concern to David Mayfield,[BIO] director of the Family History Library.[5]

1993

Gary Mokotoff sends a letter to Elder J. Richard Clarke[BIO] protesting the inclusion of Jewish Holocaust victims in the IGI.[6] Elder Clarke responds that they have updated their policy to prevent this.[7]

Spring 1994

Gary Mokotoff's letter to Elder Clarke is published in the Spring 1994 issue of AVOTAYNU.[8]

July 1994

Gary Mokotoff meets with the Family History Department and is told that the Church will not remove the names of the Jewish Holocaust victims from the IGI database.[9]

November 21, 1994

Ernest W. Michel[BIO] of the American Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors (AGJH)[BIO] petitions President Howard W. Hunter[BIO] for a meeting over Jewish Holocaust baptisms for the dead.[10]

January 6–May 3, 1995

AGJH and Church leaders meet[11] and the Church agrees to support measures to remove names, both existing and future, from Church databases.[12]

April 11, 2005

AGJH and Church leaders meet to reaffirm the 1995 agreement and to establish a joint oversight committee to ensure Holocaust survivors do not accidentally appear in Church databases.[13]

February 9, 2008

Helen Radkey[BIO] releases a report accusing the Church of continuing to posthumously baptize Holocaust victims.[14]

November 10, 2008

D. Todd Christofferson[BIO] issues a statement reaffirming the 1995 accord between Church and the AGJH.[15]

September 2, 2010

The Church and the American Gathering of Holocaust Survivors and Their Descendants[BIO] signed a joint statement.[16]

February 14, 2012

Huffington Post publishes "Elie Wiesel: Mitt Romney Should Tell Mormon Church To Stop Performing Posthumous Proxy Baptisms On Jews"[17] which results in the Church issuing a statement that condemns the submission of Elie Wiesel's[BIO] relatives into their database.[18]

March 2, 2012

The First Presidency[BIO] reiterates the warning that those who submit names of Jewish Holocaust victims may have their FamilySearch privileges revoked and "other corrective actions may be taken."[19]

September 25, 2023

FamilySearch.org publishes an article that states that ordinances may be done for victims of the Holocaust under specific circumstances.[20]

A man, Gary Mokotoff, a Jewish geneaologist, looks at name registers in the middle of a lot of shelves, in Germany, 2008. — Gary Mokotoff, a Jewish geneaologist, looks at name registers in Germany, 2008. (Associated Press)

Does the Church posthumously baptize Holocaust victims?

Yes, as of September 2023, under some circumstances, with special permission from the Church, holocaust victims may be posthumously baptized.[21]

Prior to this, the First Presidency had directed members that “without exception, Church members must not submit for proxy temple ordinances any names from unauthorized groups, such as celebrities and Jewish Holocaust victims.”[22]

Why was the original policy to prohibit posthumous baptisms of Jewish Holocaust victims?

It's unclear why President Benson initially restricted posthumous baptisms of Jewish Holocaust victims in 1991,[23] but the 1995 policy was made in direct response to a request from the American Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors.[24] The Church made this policy out of respect for the Holocaust survivors and their family members.[25]

The 1995 accord included removing an estimated 380,000 Jewish Holocaust victims from the International Genealogical Index.[26]

Did the Church issue an apology for baptizing Holocaust Victims?

Sort of. They issued a joint statement with the American Gathering of Holocaust Survivors and Their Descendants[BIO] which stated that the Church had "unintentionally caused pain"[27] and that through discussions and policy changes, the issues had been resolved.[28]

The Church also specifically issued a statement that they "sincerely regret" an accidental baptism of famed Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal.[29]

Was this policy effective?

Yes, probably. According to Rabbi David Sandmel, the Anti-Defamation League’s Director of Interfaith Affairs, the policy established in 2017 was reasonable.[30]

Can't the Church control who gets baptized in their temples?

Mostly. The Church is a complex, global infrastructure that millions of volunteers utilize.[31] There are policies in place to control temple baptisms, but the process isn't perfect.[32]

Read More Difficult Questions

47 Primary Sources

Footnotes

BIOEzra Taft Benson
Ezra Taft Benson (1899–1994) was born in Whitney, Idaho. He served as the Secretary of Agriculture under President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 to 1961. He was ordained an Apostle and member of the Quorum of the Twelve in 1943. Benson later served as President of the Quorum of the Twelve from 1973 to 1985, when he was called as President of the Church.
BIOGary Mokotoff
Gary Mokotoff (1937–) is a Jewish author, lecturer, and Jewish genealogy researcher. He was the former President of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies.
BIODavid Mayfield
David Mayfield previously served as the Director of the Family History Library.
BIOJ. Richard Clarke
J. Richard Clarke (April 4, 1927–June 29, 2022) was born in Rexburg, Idaho and served as an emeritus member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. He served a mission in South Africa as a young man and later became the mission president of the South Africa Cape Town mission.
BIOErnest W. Michel
Ernest W. Michel (1923–2016) was the founder of the World Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors. He, along with Church leadership, negotiated the agreement to cease the vicarious baptisms of Holocaust victims.
BIOThe American Gathering of Holocaust Survivors and Their Descendants
The American Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Their Descendants, also known as the American Gathering, was founded in 1981. It is the largest organization of Holocaust survivors in North America and offers resources for survivors. It also has Holocaust remembrance, education, and commemoration programs. The American Gathering holds reunions regularly.
BIOHoward W. Hunter
Howard W. Hunter (1907–1995) was the 14th president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, serving from 1994 to 1995. He served as an apostle from 1959 to 1994, during which he negotiated the establishment of the Jerusalem Center. As President, he oversaw the drafting of the Proclamation on the Family and promoted temple worthiness and access.
BIOHelen Radkey
Helen Radkey is an independent researcher, a minister of the Universal Life Church, a tarot card reader, a former Catholic, and a former member of the Church, as well as a past-life therapist. She is known for her genealogical work related to Jewish Holocaust victims.
BIOD. Todd Christofferson
D. Todd Christofferson (1945–) was born in American Fork and is a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He practiced law until the start of his apostleship in 2008.
BIOElie Wiesel
Elie Wiesel (1928–2016) was a Holocaust survivor and prominent author of 57 books. His book, Night, encouraged widespread discussion about the Holocaust in the United States. Wiesel was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986.
BIOFirst Presidency
The First Presidency is the highest governing body of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It consists of the president of the Church, who is the most senior apostle, and of his first and second counselors. There have been other configurations during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Some decisions and policies of the Church can only be made at that level. Russell M. Nelson is the current president, and his counselors are Dallin H. Oaks and Henry B. Eyring.
[1]↩︎
At Elder Seymour Brunson's funeral, Simon Baker reported, "I was present at a discourse that the prophet Joseph delivered on baptism for the dead August 15, 1840."
This is the earliest record of a public teaching on baptisms for the dead.
- Simon Baker states that Joseph taught baptism for the dead at Seymor Brunson's 1840 funeral.
[2]↩︎
Elder Monte Brough later investigated the baptisms. As recorded in the 1995 agreement, Brough stated:
In 1990 the Church's Family History department had discovered that nine people had made four major submissions of lists on computer disks, namely, from the German Gedenkbuch, the Dutch Book, the French Book, and from lists at the Holocaust museum in Israel, aggregating approximately 380,000 names of Jewish names who were baptized.
- Church and Jewish group sign agreement re: Jewish baptisms.
[3]↩︎
Elder Monte J. Brough stated that Benson's order was to "cease the baptism of known Jewish Holocaust victims, except for those who were direct ancestors of living members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."
- Church and Jewish group sign agreement re: Jewish baptisms.
[4]↩︎
Gary Mokotoff discovered these names in the IGI (International Genealogical Index) while searching for names in the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.
- Gary Mokotoff finds Jewish Holocaust victims in the International Genealogical Index.
[5]↩︎
Mokotoff said:
I discussed the matter with David Mayfield, then director of the library, and protested the extraction. Mayfield explained various aspects of the Mormon religion involving posthumous baptism.
- Mokotoff contacts Mayfield (Director of the Family History Library); tells Mayfield it is insensitive to perform proxy baptisms for these victims.
[6]↩︎
Mokotoff decided to reach out to somebody in authority over David Mayfield and found Elder J. Richard Clarke. He said:
Dear Elder Clarke: It has come to my attention that well-intentioned LDS members are baptizing Jewish victims of the Holocaust into the Mormon faith. It shows incredible insensitivity to the anguish of the living relatives of these martyrs, some of whom saw their loved ones murdered, to perform a Christian ritual on people who were killed for only one reason; they were Jews. Baptism is a Christian ceremony that is particularly repugnant to Jews. It reminds us of the centuries of persecution against Jews where our ancestors were given a choice; be baptized or suffer death. There are many Christians living today who can trace their family history back to people who chose option one. Our Jewish history books are filled with martyrs who chose option two. I have been told that the LDS church does not support this policy; that it is the act of individuals. But the fact that the ritual is performed in a Mormon Temple is tantamount to condoning this practice. At present, this practice is known to only a few Jewish-American genealogists who noticed the entries in the International Genealogical Index. Once the Jewish world community is aware of the practice, it will seriously strain relations between Mormons and Jews.
- Gary Mokotoff, with approval of Rabbi Stern, writes to Elder J. Richard Clarke, protesting proxy baptism of Jewish Holocaust victims.
[7]↩︎
Elder Clarke's letter detailed "refinements" to procedures to help solve the problem:
In light of the concerns raised in your letter, we have reviewed our procedures regarding temple ordinances for the dead and have adopted the following refinements: first, that temple ordinances be performed only at the request of family members; and second, that family members wishing to perform such ordinances also have permission from the nearest living relative before proceeding.
- Elder J. Richard Clarke responds to Gary Mokotoff with listing of "refinements" to Family History procedures.
[8]↩︎
Both Gary Mokotoff's letter and Elder Clarke's letter were published in AVOTAYNU, the International Review of Jewish Genealogy.
Mokotoff noted that the history of Christians forcing Jews to be baptized or be killed was making relations between Latter-day Saints and Jews tense about the issue of baptisms for the dead.
- Gary Mokotoff publishes protest letter in AVOTAYNU (a Jewish Genealogical Journal).
[9]↩︎
Thomas Daniels, public relations staff of the Family History Department, met with Gary Mokotoff about the decision.
Mokotoff said Jewish genealogists would need to inform the general Jewish community.
- Thomas Daniels tells Gary Mokotoff the Church will not remove the names of Jewish Holocaust victims from IGI.
[10]↩︎
Ernest W. Michel wrote President Howard W. Hunter about the Holocaust baptisms for the dead on November 21, 1994. In response, Elder Monte J. Brough, then director of the Family History Department, set up a meeting with the AGJH for January 6, to be held in Utah Senator Orrin Hatch's office.
- Church and Jewish group sign agreement re: Jewish baptisms.
[11]↩︎
The meeting was held on January 6, 1995, in Senator Orrin Hatch's office and lasted for approximately two hours. Elder Monte J. Brough (Family History Department director), Ernest W. Michel, Herbert Kronish (both leaders in AGJH), and Lamar Sleight (a local Church representative acting as observer) attended the meeting.
- Church and Jewish group sign agreement re: Jewish baptisms.
[12]↩︎
The agreement reached in the January meeting was ultimately signed on May 3, 1995. Any Holocaust victims who were baptized were removed and the Church agreed to remove future requests.
[13]↩︎
The meetings were held in Salt Lake City with D. Todd Christofferson, Boyd K. Packer, Ernest W. Michel, Herbert Kronish, and David Elcott.
- Peggy Fletcher Stack reports on reaffirmation of 1995 agreement with Church and Jewish leaders.
[14]↩︎
Helen Radkey characterized the 1995 agreement as "inherently flawed" and the Jewish victims as misplacing their trust:
The 1995 agreement between Mormons and Jews was inherently flawed at the outset. It had more holes than Swiss cheese. As it turned out, Jews placed their trust in the wrong people.
- Helen Radkey maintains Church failed to uphold 1995 Holocaust baptism agreement.
[15]↩︎
Elder Christofferson detailed the steps that the Church had taken to correct the issue, and concluded with this statement:
Whether a religion has existed for more than 5,000 years or less than 200 years, its survival and identity are built around sacred beliefs. It is critical that we respect one another’s religious beliefs and freedoms, and the Church believes that our 1995 accord with the Jewish group respects the rights of Holocaust victims while preserving the rights of Mormons today to honor their ancestors in one of their most sacred expressions of faith.
- D. Todd Christofferson reaffirms the 1995 accord with the AGJH.
[16]↩︎
The joint statement released by the Church and the American Gathering of Holocaust Survivors and Their Descendants said:
It is gratifying that the good faith efforts undertaken over the years to deal with an important issue of sensitivity to the Jewish Holocaust survivor community have eliminated a source of tension between our two groups, enhancing our ability to cooperate, including important programs of humanitarian aid across the world.
- Church and The American Gathering of Holocaust Survivors and Their Descendants sign joint statement concerning proxy baptisms of Holocaust victims.
[17]↩︎
Helen Radkey notified the Huffington Post that she had discovered that the family of Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor and Nobel Prize winner, had been found in the IGI database.
The Huffington Post directed the news to Mitt Romney, who was running for President of the United States at the time:
"I wonder if as a candidate for the presidency Mitt Romney is aware of what his church is doing. I hope that if he hears about this that he will speak up," Wiesel said, noting that a presidential candidate "should comment on everything."
- Huffington Post reports on Mitt Romney and Elle Wiesel's comments on proxy baptisms for holocaust victims.
[18]↩︎
The statement made by Church concludes:
It is distressing when an individual willfully violates the Church’s policy and something that should be understood to be an offering based on love and respect becomes a source of contention. The Church will continue to do all it can to prevent such instances, including denying access to these genealogical records or other privileges to those who abuse them in this way.
- Church issues statement on Elie Wiesel name submissions.
[19]↩︎
In 2012, the Church developed a "New FamilySearch" platform which allowed for stronger regulation of name submissions and published this statement:
Without exception, Church members must not submit for proxy temple ordinances any names from unauthorized groups, such as celebrities and Jewish Holocaust victims. If members do so, they may forfeit their New FamilySearch privileges. Other corrective action may also be taken.
- TFP statement on proxy temple ordinance policies.
[20]↩︎
The specified circumstances are:
1. You are an immediate family member
2. You have permission from all living immediate relatives
3. Or, if there are no immediate living relatives, you have permission from the closest living relative
- FamilySearch explains when temple ordinances can be performed for victims of the Holocaust.
[21]↩︎
In September of 2023 FamilySearch published an article that states that there are some circumstances when Holocaust victims can be posthumously baptized.
The specified circumstances are:
1. You are an immediate family member
2. You have permission from all living immediate relatives
3. Or, if there are no immediate living relatives, you have permission from the closest living relative
Each request to perform ordinances for Holocaust victims is subject to acceptance or rejection by the Family History Department:
You receive a message regarding your request no matter what the decision is. FamilySearch Support tries to reply in a timely manner. Your request is approved. If the request is approved, the admin (anyone in the area who is assigned to work the case) will print the card and provide it as part of an email attachment with the response. Your request is declined. If you have additional information or reasons to provide, reply to the message you received.
- FamilySearch explains when temple ordinances can be performed for victims of the Holocaust.
[22]↩︎
The policy was first established by President Benson in 1991, and reiterated several more times over the years.
In 2012 the policy was reiterated:
Our preeminent obligation is to seek out and identify our own ancestors. Those whose names are submitted for proxy temple ordinances should be related to the submitter. Without exception, Church members must not submit for proxy temple ordinances any names from unauthorized groups, such as celebrities and Jewish Holocaust victims. If members do so, they may forfeit their New FamilySearch privileges. Other corrective action may also be taken. Members are encouraged to participate in FamilySearch indexing which is vital to family history and temple work.
[23]↩︎
The internal memo from President Benson is not available, but Elder Monte J. Brough, executive director of the Family History Department, referenced it in 1995.
- Church and Jewish group sign agreement re: Jewish baptisms.
[24]↩︎
In January 1995, the Church reiterated its policy that members should only submit names of their ancestors, but American Holocaust victim groups challenged the Church's commitment to their policies.
In the spring of 1995, the American Gathering of Holocaust Victims met with Elder Monte J. Brough, a general authority and executive director over the Family History Department. Once the American Gathering had provided written confirmation that the Church's actions in removing names would be satisfactory, he recommended that the Church either "remove from the next issue of the IGI the names of all posthumously baptized Jewish Holocaust victims" or "leave all the names, eradicate any indication of baptism, and include a code next to each name that would signal 'not to be used for Christian ordinances.'"
Brough suggested that the latter solution be implemented in order to protect the names from duplicate submissions and offered to continue meeting with Jewish representatives regarding the next steps. Lester Pollack, the Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, and Malcolm Hoenlein, the Executive Vice-Chairman, agreed to support the proposed actions on May 3, 1995.
- Church and Jewish group sign agreement re: Jewish baptisms.
[25]↩︎
D. Todd Christofferson explained:
It is critical that we respect one another’s religious beliefs and freedoms, and the Church believes that our 1995 accord with the Jewish group respects the rights of Holocaust victims while preserving the rights of Mormons today to honor their ancestors in one of their most sacred expressions of faith.
- D. Todd Christofferson explains reasons for baptism policy: to honor one's ancestor in the "most sacred expressions of faith."
[26]↩︎
According to the New York Times:
The church agreed to seek out and remove the names of an estimated 380,000 Jewish Holocaust victims for whom such ceremonies have been performed from its International Genealogical Index, which lists 147 million names.
- D. Todd Christofferson defends Church baptisms for the dead, preclusion of holocaust victim.
- New York Times reports on the Church re-issuing a ban on proxy baptisms of Holocaust victims.
[27]↩︎
The Deseret News reported on the joint statement and noted it was "issued to news media simultaneously in New York and Salt Lake City."
- Deseret News prints the Church's and The American Gathering of Holocaust Survivors and Their Descendants joint statement that states the Church had "unintentionally caused pain."
[28]↩︎
The joint statement released by the Church and the American Gathering of Holocaust Survivors and Their Descendants said:
It is gratifying that the good faith efforts undertaken over the years to deal with an important issue of sensitivity to the Jewish Holocaust survivor community have eliminated a source of tension between our two groups, enhancing our ability to cooperate, including important programs of humanitarian aid across the world.
- Church and The American Gathering of Holocaust Survivors and Their Descendants sign joint statement concerning proxy baptisms of Holocaust victims.
[29]↩︎
The statement was made by Church spokesman Michael Purdy and emailed to Reuters.
- Church spokesman Michael Purdy expresses regret that individual Church members submitted a Holocaust name.
[30]↩︎
In a 2017 statement, Rabbi David Sandmel said:
My sense is that they are making every good faith effort to first of all block these before they happen, [and] if in the case that something slips through and they become aware of it, they then remove it and reverse it.” He continued, “I’m satisfied that they take this seriously and that they are doing the best they can to fulfill the commitment they made on this.
- Rabbi David Sandmel of the Anti-Defamation League says the Church is doing what it can to enforce its policy on baptisms for the dead.
[31]↩︎
D. Todd Christofferson highlighted how Latter-day Saints take millions of names to the temple in his 2008 statement about baptisms for Holocaust victims. He said:
As a worldwide Church with members in over 160 countries, we emphatically attest that Mormons do not practice temple baptisms to separate people from their heritage. Instead, we seek to unite generations of a shared heritage in eternal family units.
- D. Todd Christofferson defends Church baptisms for the dead, preclusion of holocaust victim.
[32]↩︎
This includes a team that reviews for any instance of violation in the policy. Hawkins describes the process in place as including, "Four full-time employees at FamilySearch monitor the site for names of Holocaust victims and others that should not be added."
In a different statement, D. Todd Christofferson also mentioned that the Church removed names of Holocaust victims and would continue to remove names should they violate the policies that the Church outlined.
- Eric Hawkins details the process the church uses to prevent unauthorized posthumous baptisms.
- D. Todd Christofferson defends Church baptisms for the dead, preclusion of holocaust victim.
[33]↩︎
The Deseret News observed that Anne Frank had been "baptized by proxy, in some cases multiple times."
The Church responded to the report by reiterating that it is "absolutely firm" in its "commitment to not accept the names of Holocaust victims for proxy baptism."
The Church noted they believed it to be "distressing when an individual willfully violates the church's policy and something that should be understood to be an offering based on love and respect becomes a source of contention."
- Deseret News reports on Anne Frank's posthumous baptisms.
[34]↩︎
The Church website clarifies this point:
Some people have misunderstood that when baptisms for the dead are performed, deceased persons are baptized into the Church against their will. This is not the case. Each individual has agency, or the right to choose. The validity of a baptism for the dead depends on the deceased person accepting it and choosing to accept and follow the Savior while residing in the spirit world. The names of deceased persons are not added to the membership records of the Church.
[35]↩︎
D. Todd Christofferson explained:
Because the result of a proxy baptism is not binding on the recipient, no name is added to the membership rolls of the Church.
- D. Todd Christofferson explains baptisms for the dead are not considered binding, no name is added to the membership rolls of the church.
[36]↩︎
The primary concern is that people who were killed for being Jewish are seen as having a different religion forced on them.
Gary Mokotoff, a Jewish genealogist, said, "These people died because they were Jews, and here you are bringing them into a second religion even though these people are not related to you."
- Gary Mokotoff explains why posthumous baptisms for Holocaust victims are offensive.
[37]↩︎
Rabbi Marvin Hier, the founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, noted:
We reiterated yet again the reasons we protested that it's insulting that the People of the Book whom G-d made a Covenant would need the assistance of a group of Mormons to gain entrance to Heaven.
- Rabbi Marvin Hier explains why baptizing holocaust victims posthumously is offensive.
[38]↩︎
Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor, said about baptisms for the dead, "I object fervently. It's an outrage."
Rabbi Abraham Cooper said "people who lost everyone and everything and were murdered for being Jewish during the Holocaust should not have their souls hijacked by another religion."
- Church spokesman Michael Purdy expresses regret that individual Church members submitted a Holocaust name.
- Huffington Post reports on Mitt Romney and Elle Wiesel's comments on proxy baptisms for holocaust victims.
[39]↩︎
For example, the late Krister Stendahl, a professor at Harvard Divinity School and the Bishop of Stockholm, said:
I could think of myself as taking part in such an act: extending the blessings that have come to me in and through Jesus Christ. That's generous. That's beautiful.
- Stendahl and Madsen discuss "holy envy" for the practice of baptism for the dead.