Hello Genealogy Friends,
I found some great FREE resources in my search for my own family history (Jewish Pols) that I think could be helpful to so many people, that I had to share it with you.
So far, what I found during this search…I happened upon it because after speaking with my ailing aunt she mentioned a name of the Deggendorf DP camp in Germany that they lived in ... that search led me to ...
these breakthrough items which were available for free from the AROLSEN ARCHIVES (https://collections.arolsen-archives.org/en/search)
A single surname search brought me these results …
3 Registrations and Files of Displaced Persons, Children and Missing Persons / 3.2 Relief Programs of Various Organizations / 3.2.1 IRO “Care and Maintenance” Program
First was my grandfather’s application requesting US help to leave Germany for either Israel (his 1st choice) or USA. Listed on that single document is a ton of information
1) Applicants:
oNames (Grandfather, Grandmother with Maiden Name included and each child),
oexact birth dates,
oNationality (i.e. Jewish + Country),
oand locations for each (town or village, province and country)
2) Residences for the past 12 years:
odates/years and
olocations (town or village, province and country).
oThe information included is for each adult, both of my grandparents.
oIn my case, as my grandparents were fairly young and children very small, the places where they lived and grew up, prior to their marriage only a handful of years … when they would have lived in the location.
3) Work history for past 12 years:
odates/years,
otype of work,
owages,
oemployer,
olocations (town or village, province and country),
oreason left (religious persecution, etc.).
oThe information included is for each adult, both of my grandparents.
4) Education:
odates/years,
otype / name of schools,
olocations (town or village, province and country)
oThe information included is for each adult, so in my case each of my grandparents.
5) Languages:
oEach Languages
oFor each, an indication of what level of fluency: speaking, reading and also writing.
oThe information included is for each adult, both of my grandparents.
oIn this case each Grandparent spoke several languages, with my grandfather having a couple additional.
6) Relatives:
onames of any extended family members
owith full addresses
oIn my case there were relatives listed from NY + WI, USA and Canada
7) Documents:
oFor my grandparents and each of their children
oincluding the exact date of issue,
otype (i.e. DP card),
oPlace of Issue,
oWho Issued it (government, country, etc.)
8) Present Address:
oDP Camp in Germany (in my grandparents + mom’s case)
oThe completed date of when they got there
9) Remarks: more detailed information related to prior entries
10) Future plans: Responses to questions like
oDo you want to return to your country of former residence? If not, why?
oDo you wish to remain in Germany?
oDo you wish to emigrate to some other country? If so, list Country of first preference and if you have relatives there.
oOther preferences as to resettlement and reasons.
Second, ANOTHER piece from this same website
A copy of the Registration Record from the American Zone run Displaced Persons camp, in Germany, after WWII. This provided the names of my grandparents, my mom and her siblings as well as their birthdays and places of birth. There were other zones run by different countries after WWII that you might find relatives in (i.e. British Zone.)
ALSO … separately ...
MyHeritage.com recently published a huge new collection covering immigration to Israel from 1919 onwards, with 1.7 million records, and they’ve made it FREE! Here’s a shortened link.
https://tinyurl.com/IsraelImmigrationLists1919-74
Israel Immigration List
1) Names (Grandparents, Mom and siblings)
oNote Names Written in Hebrew as it is on the source document
oSmall PROBLEM ... is it also shows the name in English, but their site doesn’t translate it correctly into the actual English version used. Instead, their ai site's “translation” for the last name is spelled out in an alternate phonetically spelling, which is not correct. Their AI program is likely not sophisticated enough, yet, to be able to link the names to what my family actually used as English spelling. All that system has to go on is the closest match it can make in converting the available information on the source document which is in Hebrew, into English.
2) Exact Birth Year for each passenger
3) Ship Name (in this case Negba or נגבה a very famous ship doing many such routes to Israel)
3) Passenger Parent’s names (full or partial) (i.e. Grandparent's parents)
4) Arrival Date in Israel (journey likely took about 10 days from Germany, where they left from)
5) Notes (i.e. emigrating with primary or head of family passenger name)
The results of the above search on the website are actually confusing and not sure if they are correct. The site mentions a page number that they are on probably because the entire document pdf they attach contains additional ship manifests from the same period, all bunched together. So, I had to search through the original source document, with its own page numbers, in order to find the actual page in which all their names appear on.
I emailed the co. about the misspellings of the last name, so they’d have it correct. But, thus far, no reply and it looks like I may have to buy a membership to be able to correct anything. Definitely have to if any records from current family in the US, if available, which are not free. But they offer a trial so you can figure out if worthwhile or not.
I don’t think anyone should be charged for access to such important historical records. Sure, I understand that for security purposes, these days especially, you should have to register to search. But paying to actually view what in essence belongs to your own familial records seems wrong. And, the actual source databases where they derive their information from … those libraries and research institutions … they don’t require you to purchase, only to donate to their research which to me is a far more appropriate way to handle this important material.
[I’ll detail the sites and group to join which a whole lot of people recommended such as JewishGen and JRI-Poland, etc. to explain how these were either not helpful or only helped a little bit, not nearly as impactful as the places I found real treasures of information.]
When I began this journey, I was really disappointed and upset that I didn’t see both my lost and surviving family member’s names at
the website for Yad Vashem Holocaust Remembrance Center in Israel, within their Central Database of Shoah Victims Names (to search for those already registered…
https://collections.yadvashem.org/en/names).
This was especially surprising to me being that my family immigrated to Israel directly after WWII, and the passenger list was in Hebrew and my family’s first and surnames are clearly Jewish Biblical Names.
That fueled me to search for the necessary information and documents to ensure that these survivor names, as well as all those family members who perished as a direct result of the Nazi’s during the Holocaust, are remembered there. We say as a Jewish people that we must “Never Forget” and so it is the duty of those who come afterwards to ensure the histories of their family members (blessed be their names), that their existence + so their memories are not lost to time.
Yad Vashem offers forms for you to complete + attached records for your own family in order to request that names be added, but you need to bring it to them if not already in there. If you scroll down to the bottom of this page you can find Shoah Survivor and Refugee Registration Forms in various languages. https://www.yadvashem.org/archive/hall-of-names/survivors-registrat...
My grandfather wrote an amazing book in Yiddish about our family and the history of that time, it’s beautifully written as he was skilled with writing and language, *an excerpt will share separately …
The issue with the book is the barrier (to myself and my family) in uncovering all its valuable information because the language it is written in is Yiddish and we all speak English.
We offered a copy to Yad Vashem who were happy to accept it into their collection, but were not able to translate it. We tried to find other sources to get this book translated or even see if grants might be out there in order to do so but nothing found.
It’s an expensive undertaking, and that is only if and when you can actually find a truly good translator. My family is trying to achieve this document translation for both the historical and personal treasure and value so it is available to the world. Again, it is expensive so we are only able to get this translated in small chunks (chapter by chapter). And what we find is that every chapter is a treasure in what it reveals. There are names not only of our family but others including important Rabbis and Yeshivas and what Jews were experiencing in day-to-day life, about political systems, partisans, stealing borders to escape the Nazi’s, and all sorts of religious + cultural customs as well all the true-life experiences from the time in the shtetls to post-war and onward. All this is just so valuable to retain and share.
I’ll continue to provide any other information and resources as I come across them. I hope that the resources provided above, which helped me so much, may be helpful to others too.
I wish success to all of you who are trying to uncover their family histories as well.
