A Journey to Poland

A Journey to Poland
Looking for my father’s Jewish
forebears.
Gregory Sachs 24th November 2009.
Introduction
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What stimulated my early interest;
Joining AJGS;
JewishGen Family Finder;
Some important documents from my aunt;
The original family name – Zaklikowski;
Early records from LDS Family History;
The decision to visit Poland again in 2009.
Family Names I was searching for:
• Zaklikowski: Grandfather’s family name;
• Weinstein [Wajnsztajn]: Grandmother’s
maiden name;
• Kirshbaum: Grandfather’s mother’s
maiden name;
• Portek: Grandmother’s mother’s maiden
name;
• And maybe variants thereof.
Documents that I started with:
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My grandfather's birth record in Russian [LDS];
My GGF’s marriage record in Russian [LDS];
My grandfather’s UK 1901 census record;
My grandfather's Russian army document;
Letter to my grandmother from United Jewish
Overseas Relief Fund of NSW dated April 1949;
Pages from the Dobra Book of Residents;
Grandfather’s naturalisation application;
Handwritten notes from aunt;
Some old photos.
Planning
• Synchronising an 8½ weeks multi-country
holiday to Qatar, UAE, Germany, Poland,
Russia, Finland & Norway.
• Contact with Stanley Diamond and thence
Krzysztof Malczewski [Chris].
• Agreeing timing and budget with Chris.
• Arranging accommodation in Poland.
• Keeping contact with Chris.
• Contact with Anna Przybyszewaka-Drozd [JHI].
Setting Priorities for Poland
To find:
a) the birth records for my father and his older sister;
b) my grandparents' marriage record;
c) records of my grandmother’s birth & of her siblings;
d) records of other children from my GGF’s second
marriage;
e) records of my GGF’s first marriage and of any children;
f) if the family originated from around Zaklikow;
g) how my forebears may have lived in Poland.
What did I take for my research?
• In Hard copy (in a plastic sleeved folder):
a) Family records & documents I had collected;
b) Recent correspondence with Chris, Anna and
Mazenna Gruszecka;
c) A Pedigree chart;
d) Pages from Dobra Book of Residents for
Weinstein;
e) Other reference material.
Also took
• Duplicated USB memory sticks with all my family
data, photos, documentation and other relevant
material;
• My (tri-band) GSM mobile telephone with
assured international roaming access and with
Chris’s & Anna’s numbers already in its memory.
• We did not take a laptop due our other extensive
travel, but used Chris’s when needed. Also
Chris transferred data to/from my memory sticks.
Our travels in Poland
Program in Poland [2009]
12 May: Depart Sydney;
27 May: Arrive Warsaw by train from Berlin;
28 May: Meeting with Anna & Chris at JHI;
31 May: Travel to Lublin with Chris, visit
Majdanek;
01 June: Visit Lublin archive, visit Zaklikow;
02 June : Travel to Lodz, visit archive office;
03 June: Lodz archives and Foundation for
Jewish Monuments in Lodz;
Program in Poland [2009]
04 June: To Zgierz, meet Mazenna, visit
archive office;
05 June: To Lodz archive then to Zgierz
archive. End of time with Chris;
06 June: To Krakow by coach for our tourist visit;
09 June: Return to Warsaw by train;
10 June: Visit JHI bookshop;
11 June: Depart Warsaw for Moscow by
Aeroflot (Russian visa 11 to 23 June);
12 July: Arrive Sydney.
The Jewish Historical Institute
At the Jewish Historical Institute
Thursday 28 May 2009
Sample document from JHI archive
Approaching Zaklikow
The Jewish cemetery in Zaklikow
The Lodz archive building
The first floor entry to the Lodz
archive
The well appointed Lodz archive
office
In the Lodz Archives
At the Lodz Foundation
Index of Lodz Ghetto identity cards
Index of Lodz cemetery records
Entering Zgierz
The remains of the Zgierz Jewish
Cemetery
My forebears may have lived in
such a house in Zgierz.
The fortunate coincidence
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- From : Zuzanna Maria ORourke, (researcher code 371918) [email protected]
- To : Gregory Lewis Sachs, (researcher code 118202)
- Subject : The JewishGen Family Finder:
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Hello,
I am writing this message as you appear to have searched the JGFF for 'Zgierz, Poland'.
We are a non-governmental organisation in Zgierz. We are striving to protect our town's heritage and disseminate
knowledge of its history, in which the Zgierz Jewish community played an important role. We are researching and
documenting the history of Zgierz Jews; we have translated into Polish the Yizkor Zgierz Book which is now
accessible on the JewishGen website and will soon be also published in a book form.
Between the 18th - 22nd October 2009, together with the Mayor of the City of Zgierz we are organising an event to
commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the Extermination of the Jews of Zgierz. We would like to invite all the
descendants of previous Jewish residents of Zgierz. Anyone with Zgierz connections is very welcome.
If you think you might be interested in this event, could you please contact me at [email protected].
Best Regards
Zuzanna O'Rourke
Association of the Cultural Preservation of the City of Zgierz
Scalloway, Scotland
[email protected]
Mazenna Gruszecka
Co-ordinator of the Association of the Cultural
Preservation of the City of Zgierz
Rewarded – this is family.
My Great-grandparents’ marriage
record (ex LDS microfilm)
Mazenna & Chris entering the
Zgierz archive office
At the Zgierz Archives Office
My Great-grandmother's death
record
My great-grandmother’s death
record translated.
What did this visit yield for me:
a) the birth records for my father and his older sister; NO.
b) my grandparents' marriage record; YES.
c) records of my grandmother’s birth & of her siblings;
PART.
d) records of other children from my GGF’s second
marriage; PART.
e) records of my GGF’s 1st marriage and any children; NO.
f) if the family originated from around Zaklikow; NO.
g) how my forebears may have lived in Poland. YES.
That just 5 week days were not sufficient time to meet
my target given the wealth of information we tapped
into in the Zgierz archive office. There was insufficient
time to also go to Dobra/Turek.
Some Lessons Learnt
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Allowing sufficient time for archive research;
Allowing time for review of where to from here;
To maintain some flexibility with searches;
How to avoid “brain overload”;
Limitations of archive opening hours;
Language – need to have some of the basics;
Activities for spouse while you are at archives;
Estimate some 12 months to work through the
information I returned with & follow-on activities.
Costings
• Fees charged by Chris [as at May 2009]
Daily charge
€140/day;
Transport (car for 2 or 3 people) €0.60/km;
Transport (mini-bus vehicle)
€0.70/km;
Plus all accommodation and meals.
Chris accepted my payment in Zloty in cash.
Hotels we used in WARSAW
a) Polonia Palace Hotel
Al Jerozolimskie 45
Tp +48 22 31 82888; Fx +48 22 31 82889
email: [email protected]
[walking distance from main railway station & pleasant
walk to JHI]
b) Hotel MDM
pl Konstytucji 1
Tp: 48 22 33 91600; Fx +48 22 33 91608
email: [email protected]
[short taxi ride from main railway station]
Hotel we used in Lodz
• Hotel Focus
ul Lakowa 23/25
Lodz, 90-554
Tp +48 42 63 71200; Fx +48 42 63 69818
email: [email protected]
[Recommended & used by Krzysztof Malczewski]
Business Cards
• Contacts in Poland:
Jewish bookshops visited:
> Galicia Jewish Museum Bookshop
ul. Dajwor 18, 31-052 Krakow
Tp +48 12 421-6824
www.galiciajewishmuseum.org
> Jewish Historical Institute
ul. Tlomackie 3/5, 00-090 Warsaw
Tp +48 22 827-9221; Fx +48 22 827-8372
www.jhi.pl
Galicia Jewish Museum Bookshop
Translations done by:
Polish to English: Ms Eva Wetzlich
email: [email protected]
Russian to English: Ms Elena Mikhailik
email: [email protected]
Conclusion
Thank you for listening to my presentation.
Are there any questions?
I may be contacted at (02) 9427-4111 or by
email at [email protected]