Proving ancestry in Nazi Europe

[Diana Helen Gomes da Costa Mohr]

X-No-archive: yes
I have heard it stated that in some countries overrun by the Nazis, that
local populations were required to prove their lack of Jewish ancestry by
producing their own family trees. Is this just a myth or is it true and if
so, which countries were affected? Regarding Germany, I don't think this
was the case but perhaps it might have been in some areas?

All ideas welcome on this issue!

Diana (Mohr) Gomes da Costa, Kent UK - formerly from London -
Researcher number: 166938 email: ***@btinternet.com

Researches include ARNSTEIN, BACH, BASS, BERLIN, COHN, DITTMANN, FLACHFELD,
GUETERMANN, HAHN, HELLMANN, HIRSCHMANN, KOHN, KRAILSHEIMER, KUGLER, LOEWI,
MANES, MARX, MENDEL, MORGENTHAU, MOHR, ROSENFELD, ROSENWALD, UHLMANN,
WEIKERSHEIMER and ZIRNDORFER - all originally from Bavaria, mainly Furth,
Nurnberg and Bamberg as listed in the JGFF database.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The 39th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy is now
history, but you can still enjoy the presentations by purchasing the
Fleetwood audio/video recordings (visit fleetwood.iajgs2019.org).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Watch JewishGen's video -- click here:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Planning to use Ancestry.com? Start by using the "Ancestry Search Box"
on the JewishGen homepage.
By doing this, any eventual subscription to Ancestry.com will result in
Jewishgen receiving a commission.
It's an easy way to help JewishGen!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Support JewishGen with a contribution to the JewishGen General Fund!
http://www.jewishgen.org/jewishgen-erosity/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sign up for the JGFFAlert!
http://www.jewishgen.org/jgff/jgff-faq.html#q3.7
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Join our mailing list at http://lyris.jewishgen.org/ListManager if you
would like the convenience of receiving all soc.genealogy.jewish posts in
your mailbox, instead of having to search for them in the newsgroup, whose
content may not be consistently carried in its entirety by all providers.

[Enzo Falco]

X-No-archive: yes
An Italian cousin whose Jewish father moved to Italy from Germany about 1910,
told me that in Germany, after about 1933, all citizens had to keep up to
date a document, passport size, with their family tree. Every time they
updated it they had to go to the authorities where it was stamped with the
current date. I saw one in the Holocaust section of the British Imperial War
Museum and took a poor picture through the glass cabinet. I had read that
Nazi Germany encouraged the Jews to investigate their genealogy. IBM punched
cards were immensely used to keep track of all of this data.

The Nuremberg laws of about 1938 defined a Jew if less than a certain
percentage of their ancestry was Jewish. I think it was specified that you
had to have not a single Jewish grandparent for a specified number of
generations.

In Italy, according to the Anti-Jewish laws of 1938, patterned after the
Nuremberg laws, required all Jews to bring their birth certificates to the
local police station where it was stamped with, "Of the Jewish Race." I
understood that passports were also similarly stamped. Similarly to Germany,
you were not Jewish if you had no Jewish grandparents for a number of
generations. Italy, being a "nicer" country, the number of generations was
less than Germany! Also you were exempted from this law for a number of
reasons such as being a Medal of Honor winner in WW I, having a disability
of so many limbs missing, etc.

Enzo Falco
Belmont, Massachusetts
USA

Post by Diana Helen Gomes da Costa Mohr
I have heard it stated that in some countries overrun by the Nazis, that
local populations were required to prove their lack of Jewish ancestry by
producing their own family trees. Is this just a myth or is it true and if
so, which countries were affected? Regarding Germany, I don't think this
was the case but perhaps it might have been in some areas?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The 39th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy is now
history, but you can still enjoy the presentations by purchasing the
Fleetwood audio/video recordings (visit fleetwood.iajgs2019.org).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Watch JewishGen's video -- click here:
http://youtu.be/nASSn4rDXh4
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Planning to use Ancestry.com? Start by using the "Ancestry Search Box"
on the JewishGen homepage.
By doing this, any eventual subscription to Ancestry.com will result in
Jewishgen receiving a commission.
It's an easy way to help JewishGen!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Support JewishGen with a contribution to the JewishGen General Fund!
http://www.jewishgen.org/jewishgen-erosity/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sign up for the JGFFAlert!
http://www.jewishgen.org/jgff/jgff-faq.html#q3.7
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Join our mailing list at http://lyris.jewishgen.org/ListManager if you
would like the convenience of receiving all soc.genealogy.jewish posts in
your mailbox, instead of having to search for them in the newsgroup, whose
content may not be consistently carried in its entirety by all providers.

[j***@lyris.jewishgen.org]

X-No-archive: yes
Diana,
A German friend showed me their family tree signed by the swastica
stamp. (Genealogically it is an amazing document).
According to his grandmother, they had to keep it within hands reach
during Nazi era.
So, whether Federal or State policy, in Germany it is definitely not a myth.
I hope it helps.
Ayana KimRon
***@gmail.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The 39th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy is now
history, but you can still enjoy the presentations by purchasing the
Fleetwood audio/video recordings (visit fleetwood.iajgs2019.org).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Watch JewishGen's video -- click here:
http://youtu.be/nASSn4rDXh4
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Planning to use Ancestry.com? Start by using the "Ancestry Search Box"
on the JewishGen homepage.
By doing this, any eventual subscription to Ancestry.com will result in
Jewishgen receiving a commission.
It's an easy way to help JewishGen!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Support JewishGen with a contribution to the JewishGen General Fund!
http://www.jewishgen.org/jewishgen-erosity/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sign up for the JGFFAlert!
http://www.jewishgen.org/jgff/jgff-faq.html#q3.7
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Join our mailing list at http://lyris.jewishgen.org/ListManager if you
would like the convenience of receiving all soc.genealogy.jewish posts in
your mailbox, instead of having to search for them in the newsgroup, whose
content may not be consistently carried in its entirety by all providers.

[Diana Helen Gomes da Costa Mohr]

This post might be inappropriate. Click to display it.

[Eva Karoline Lawrence]

X-No-archive: yes
To back up Thomas Kemper, I'd like to reprise a post I'd already sent,
but unfortunately in formatted form. Genealogy was quite a popular
gentleman's hobby among middle-class Jews, well before the Nazi
administration made terrible use of it.

I have copies of a letter from my great-uncle, dated 1924, asking the
Burgermeister of Biedesheim in Bavaria for details of his maternal
grandfather's family (12 children!). He received a detailed reply,
with exact the date of birth for each. My late father, too, left file of
family trees and correspondence on the subject. His research was made
for his own pleasure, but the results may well have saved our lives,
when he was able to contact family members who provided the guarantees
for our entry visas.

Family records were kept locally under every European jurisdiction,
to keep tabs on the population for all sorts of administrative purposes
(eg road maintenance, property law, market licences, taxation, school
administration, workhouses) I don't know the American system, but in
Europe they have been universal, and don't per se have any sinister
connotations.

In Germany (as in England) they were the province of local religious
organisations, be they church or synagogue until the start of the 1800s.
If there was no formal local community, the recording task fell to
the local Protestant clergyman. Some GerSiggers have been perturbed to
find their ancestors BMDs in Church records, but this only happened if
there was no recognised local Jewish community.

It was the French Revolutionaries and then Napoleon Bonaparte who first
introduced the new concept of Civil registration, in order to curb the
political power of the Churches (and the Rabbis).

Eva Lawrence
St Albans, UK
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The 39th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy is now
history, but you can still enjoy the presentations by purchasing the
Fleetwood audio/video recordings (visit fleetwood.iajgs2019.org).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Watch JewishGen's video -- click here:
http://youtu.be/nASSn4rDXh4
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Planning to use Ancestry.com? Start by using the "Ancestry Search Box"
on the JewishGen homepage.
By doing this, any eventual subscription to Ancestry.com will result in
Jewishgen receiving a commission.
It's an easy way to help JewishGen!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Support JewishGen with a contribution to the JewishGen General Fund!
http://www.jewishgen.org/jewishgen-erosity/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sign up for the JGFFAlert!
http://www.jewishgen.org/jgff/jgff-faq.html#q3.7
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Join our mailing list at http://lyris.jewishgen.org/ListManager if you
would like the convenience of receiving all soc.genealogy.jewish posts in
your mailbox, instead of having to search for them in the newsgroup, whose
content may not be consistently carried in its entirety by all providers.