Guide to the Territorial Collection, Poland, 1939-1945 RG 116. Poland 2

Processed by Solomon Krystal. Edited by Rivka Schiller, 2007

Collection rearranged with the assistance of a grant from the Conference of Jewish Materials Claims Against Germany (New York) and the Fondation pour la Memoire de la Shoah, Paris. Finding aid edited, encoded and posted online thanks to a grant from the Gruss Lipper Family Foundation.

YIVO Institute for Jewish Research
15 West 16th Street
New York, NY 10011
Email: archives@yivo.cjh.org
URL: http://www.yivo.org

Electronic finding aid was converted to EAD version 2002 by Yakov Sklyar in January 2007. Description is in English.

Collection Overview

Title: Guide to the Territorial Collection, Poland, 1939-1945 RG 116. Poland 2

ID: RG 116. Poland-2

Extent: 4.3 Linear Feet

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged topically and according to locality in 229 numbered folders, with towns and cities appearing according to their Polish names (e.g., Rzeszow—as opposed to Reyshe in Yiddish).

There are 10 series in this collection:

Languages: Polish, Russian, Yiddish, German, English, French, Hebrew, Swedish, Danish

Abstract

The Territorial Collection, Poland 2 is comprised of documents that were amassed at the YIVO in New York City. The collection is of mixed provenance and is fragmentary in nature, consisting of miscellaneous materials dating back to World War II and its immediate aftermath. The Territorial Collection Poland 2 is a portion of the greater Territorial Collection (RG 116), which incorporates materials that are relevant to over 42 different countries and geographical regions. The overarching theme of the collection Poland 2 is the annihilation of the Jewish life in Poland under the Nazi rule. Chronologically, the Territorial Collection Poland 2 follows the Territorial Collection Poland 1, which pertains to pre-World War II Poland; and precedes the Territorial Collection Poland 3, which pertains to post-World War II Poland.

Scope and Contents of the Materials

The collection includes texts of German decrees and anti-Jewish laws; press articles written after the war about the fate of the Polish Jewry; materials relating to communities, ghettos and concentration camps; materials on Jewish resistance; records of war crimes trials of 1946-1950; letters from Nazi-occupied Poland sent abroad; texts of poems and songs written in the ghettos. The latter part of the collection contains materials pertaining to Holocaust memorial observances and commemoration meetings. A large section pertains to Warsaw and the Warsaw ghetto uprising. Files on communities contain personal documents and correspondence.

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions:

Open to researchers.

For more information, contact:

Chief Archivist

YIVO Institute for Jewish Research

Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street

New York, NY 10011

email: archives@yivo.cjh.org

Acquisition Method: Various donors.

Preferred Citation: Published citations should read as follows:Identification of item, date (if known); YIVO Archives; Territorial Collection, Poland, 2; RG 116-Poland 2; folder number.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Series:

Series 1: Series I: German Anti-Jewish Decrees in Poland, 1939-1944,
Series 2: Series II: Warsaw Ghetto, 1939-1944,
Series 3: Series III: Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of April 19th 1943, 1942-1948,
Series 4: Series IV: Jewish Communities Under the German Rule, 1938-1967,
Series 5: Series V: Concentration and Death Camps, 1939-1965,
Series 6: Series VI: War Crime Trials, 1944-1949, 1955, 1964, 1978,
Series 7: Series VII: Eyewitness Accounts of Survivors, 1939-1958,
Series 8: Series VIII: Holocaust Memorial Observances After World War II, 1944-1973,
Series 9: Series IX: Newspaper Clippings, 1939-1969,
Series 10: Series X: Miscellaneous, 1939-1973,
All

Series IV: Jewish Communities Under the German Rule 1938-1967

Language of Material: German , Polish , Yiddish , French , Hebrew

Folder 43: Baranowicze undated: German poster: “Das betreten des ghettos ... (verboten)"
Folder 44: Bełchatów 1940-1942: Essay by Noe Gruss about Jewish dentists in Bełchatów being forbidden to practice their profession. Attached is correspondence between the mayor of Bełchatów and the German authorities on this subject
Folder 45: Będzin (Bendzin, Bendsburg) undated, 1944 April 19: “Arbeitskarte”-German work card for Berel Levitas, 4/19/1944
Copy of a statement indicating that Israel Golub handed over furs and other articles of clothing to the Germans
Folder 46: Bereza Kartuska (Under Soviet Russia) 1938-1941: Letters in Yiddish to J. Harrison in NY
Folder 47: Białystok undated: Copy of an appeal written by Mordechai Tenenbaum-Tamaroff, leader of the Białystokghetto uprising to the Polish underground.
Letter from M. Tenenbaum (Tamaroff) to his sister in Israel
Folder 48: Białystok undated: Personal letters incl. messages from a smuggler written on the reverse side of a family photograph
Folder 49: Białystok undated: Newspaper clippings about the Białystokghetto uprising
Folder 50: Białystok undated, 1946-1948: On the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the Białystok ghetto uprising, 1943-1948-A Holocaust commemoration ceremony held 8/16/1948.
Białystok Jews in different concentration camps in Europe.
Jews registered in Bialystok.
Białystok Jews in different cities in Europe, 1946
Folder 51: Brzesko undated: A family letter sent from parents to their children in New York
Folder 52: Brzesc N/B 1940 March 24-1940 September 9: Family letters sent to Philadelphia
Folder 53: Chelm undated, 1956: Appeal to all Jewish survivors of Chelm re: publishing a Chelm memorial book, made by Jewish survivors of Chelm residing in Paris.
An invitation (in French) to a memorial service on 6/24/1956; Language of Material: some materials are French
Folder 54: Chełmno undated, 1946: “These are the last days of our life…” a letter written in Chełmno by the last remaining Jews there.
“Landsberger lager tsaytung” (newspaper generated in the Landsberg DP camp), Rosh Hashana, 1946 re: Chełmno Yiddish written in Latin characters
Folder 55: Chmielnik: Yiddish newspaper articles undated
Folder 56: Ciechanów undated, 1946: Election of a Ciechanów survivors’ committee, Łódź 11/1/1946.
An announcement from the Ciechanów survivors committee
Folder 57: Ciechanów circa 1950: United Ciechanów Relief Committee, New York. Records
Folder 58: Ciechanów undated, 1940-1949: Correspondence between B. Appel in Philadelphia and H. Klein, 12/5/1949.
Handwritten articles by B. Appel: “Dedicated to My Youngest Daughter, Born in Warsaw, 9/22/1939, Died in Auschwitz, 11/15/1942.”
“Dedicated to My Beloved Wife and Three Children—Tragically Perished in Auschwitz, 11/15/1942.”
“The 30th of April 1945—Dedicated to the Day of My Liberation.”
Newspaper clippings.
Photograph: A monument to the Old Synagogue in Ciechanów
Folder 59: Częstochowa 1940-1942: Copy of a document issued to Maria Gliksman, born 4/17/1885, issued 8/28/1942.
Announcement to the Jewish population re: relinquishing their property, 5/7/1940
Statistical Tables:
Table #27: “The Jewish Population in the City,” 7/31/1940.
Table #28: “The Movement of the Jewish Population in the Year 1940.”
“Changes in the Jewish Population, 1938-1941.”
“Free Professions in the Częstochowa Ghetto, 1941.”
“Weddings Among Jews in 1941.”
Letters from the ghetto, 2/28/1943, 3/26/1943 in Polish, translated into Yiddish by M. Gliksman.
Title page of the Judenrat’s annual, published in the ghetto in 1940.; Language of Material: some materials are Polish and German
Folder 60: Częstochowa. undated: “The Destruction of Częstochowa’s Jewish Community” - L. Brenner.
Notice from the Bund re: opening a restaurant.
David Koniecpoler-“Her Last Minutes.”
Cwi Rozenwajn-“The Destruction of Częstochowa Jewry.”
Advertisement for the book, “Khurbn Tsenstokhov” (“The Destruction of Częstochowa”) by B. Orenstein.
Newspaper clippings
Folder 61: Druja 1942: Photostat of a letter written to a Jewish woman before execution (Russian).; Language of Material: Russian
Folder 62: Glubokoye 1945 October 13: List of Glubokoye Jews murdered by the Nazis, Tel-Aviv
Folder 63: Glubokoye undated: Glubokoye memorial book
Folder 64: Gorlice undated: Photograph of a Jewish woman (~70 yrs. old) murdered by the Nazis
Folder 65: Grodno undated: Clippings
Folder 66: Horodok undated: Copy of letter dated 2/20 (no year), written by A. Muravchik to relatives and former residents of Horodok in America re: the arrest of Nazi collaborators who participated in anti-Jewish pogroms
Folder 67: Horodenko undated: Eyewitness account and diary of Icchak Platt who survived in hiding by being aided by Poles
Folder 68: Iwaniska 1940-1941: Letters from resident of town to relatives in America; Language of Material: German and Polish
Folder 69: Kazimierz Dolny undated: Newspaper clipping
Folder 70: Kapuczynce undated: Newspaper clipping
Folder 71: Kielce 1940, 1957: Letter from the son of the Kielce rabbi in Amsterdam re: rescuing his father from a Kielce prison, 2/20/1940.
Letter from the Vilna rabbi, Ch. O. Grodzienjki on behalf of the Kielce rabbi.
Letter from Boruch Rapoport, son of the Kielce rabbi, to former residents of Kielce re: his father, 1/6/1940.
“The Murder of the Kielce Jews” by A. Rutkowski, “Folks-shtime,” 8/21/1957
Folder 72: Kolomyja 1942 June 1: Confirmation given by the country inspector that Isak Platt is approved as a technician in Horodenko
Folder 73: Kolomyja 1962 February 9: Letter from a lawyer in Ludwigsburg, Germany re: a document and photos from Kolomyja from Sh. Bikel in Yiddish, which he is unable to comprehend and needs help translating
Folder 74: Konin undated: Concerning where one may find information about Konin under German occupation
Folder 75: Konske undated: Clippings
Folder 76: Kozienice undated, 1957: Handwritten article from Rabbi Freilich, Brooklyn, NY: “The Destruction of Kozienice: The Stronghold of Hasidism”.
“When the Jews of Kozienice Were Murdered” by A. Rutkowski, “Folks-shtime” no. 1, 1957.; Language of Material: some materials are Yiddish
Folder 77: Kraków undated, 1939-1946: Decree from Kraków municipality re: “yellow patches” for Jews, 11/15/1939.
Information and business documents about Julian Mielniczuk-includes photocopy of a photo ID card (“kennkarte”) issued in Warsaw, 5/18/1943.
Letter from Kraków to Ignacy Aleksandrowicz, a former resident of Kraków, now residing in NY, 1946.
“A Letter Concerning Hanka Aleksandrowicz,” “Unzer tsayt”; Language of Material: Yiddish and Polish
Folder 78: Kraków undated: Newspaper articles
Folder 79: Lewartow undated, 1947: Excerpts from “Umgekumene Levartover” (“Murdered Residents of Lewartow”)-includes names, dates of death, photos.
“Khurbn Levartov” (“The Destruction of Lewartow”) issued by “Friends of Lewartow” in Paris, 1947
Folder 80: Lida 1967 May 6: “How Lida Was Destroyed” by Leizer Engelstern, “Der tog”
Folder 81: Lipno undated: “The Melody of Our Town Lipno” by Walter Covadlo.; Language of Material: Yiddish
Folder 82: Łódź undated, 1947: Personal questionnaire issued by NSDAP (German)
An order to the German troops to be alert after the dark.
Letter from “Boruch” to his family, 8/27/1947 (Hebrew).; Language of Material: German and Hebrew
Folder 83: Łódź 1941-1949: Correspondence between American Embassy re: dues owed the Singer Sewing Machine Company for its services in the Łódź ghetto.; Language of Material: German and English
Folder 84: Lublin 1943: Personal documents of Jews in the Lublin Concentration Camp, 1943: Fabrykant, Hersz; Fabrykant, Majer Dawid; Faingold, Abram; Fajer, Azriel; Falc, Jakob; Fersztman, Moszek; Finger, Berko; Finger, Moszek; Fiszer, Icak; Fersztman, Berek; Frydman, Lewin; Frydman, Szajne; Weisman, Nuta
Folder 85: Luck 1943-1947: “For Three Days the Cry, “Hear o Israel” Was Heard from a Mass Grave in Luck”
“An Interesting Type of Jewish Woman of Valor,” “Tog,” 12/4/1943.
“The Ashes of Polish Jews…,” “Tog,” 11/14/1944.
“Jewish Survivor … Retrieves Burnt Torah Scrolls from German Synagogue,” “Tog,” 12/13/1947.; Language of Material: Yiddish
Folder 86: Lwów (Lemberg) 1940-1941, 1958: “Die Schwarze Juden-Mord-Chronik von Lemberg (Lwów)” by Dr. Manfred Reifer.
“Z Lwówskiego ghetta” by Zofia Kozarynowa, “Wiadomosci” no. 682, 1958.
Photostats of ID cards issued by the Lemberg “Arbeitsamt” (“Office of Labor”) for Bronislawa and Dr. Marek Redner.
Family letters from Lwów bearing Nazi censor’s stamp, sent to A. Goldring in Brooklyn, NY, 4/12/1940, 6/20/1941.; Language of Material: German and Polish
Folder 87: Międzyrzec undated: Notes about the ghetto by I. Trunk
Folder 88: Mińsk Mazowiecki undated: “Our Commemorations for the Dead—Minsk-Mazowiecki” by A. Winter, “Folks-shtime” no. 197
Folder 89: Mława 1941 April 2: A postcard from Mława written to an uncle in Brooklyn.; Language of Material: Polish
Folder 90: Nieśwież undated: A list of Jews who perished during the Holocaust
Folder 91: Nowogródek 1943-1945: Copy of a letter (a will) from a concentration camp in Nowogródek, 5/12/1943, meant to be delivered to family members in Tel-Aviv. Copy of a letter sent to the family members, 4/12/1945
Folder 92: Olszanica undated: A letter from a Polish mail carrier who delivered mail to former Jewish residents of Olszanica re: the events that took place during the German occupation.; Language of Material: Polish , Yiddish translation
Folder 93: Ostrów Mazowiecka 1957 September 19: “A Day in Ostrów Mazowiecka” by Y. Emiot, “Folks-shtime”
Folder 94: Ostrowiec 1942-1945: Newspaper clipping from undated and unknown source on “The Destruction of Ostrowiec”.
Article re: the destruction of the Jewish communities of Bodzanow, Ostrowiec, Nieśwież and Sandomierz, “Forverts,” 12/4/1945.
“Ausweis/Przepustka” (identity cards) valid until 4/30/1942.; Language of Material: Yiddish
Folder 95: Ostrozec undated: Eyewitness account
Folder 96: Otwock undated, 1947: “The Otwock Line,” “Dos naye lebn” no. 62.
Correspondence from S. Symchowicz in Wroclaw, 1947 re: testimony from Otwock.
“The Destruction of Schools … and Cemeteries: Otwock”.
“Powstanie getta w Otwocku” by Noe Gruss.; Language of Material: Polish and Yiddish
Folder 97: Parczew 1945 July 19: “The death of 670 Jewish War Prisoners”
Folder 98: Pinsk undated: “How I Rescued Six Jews,” a Polish woman’s eyewitness account
Folder 99: Piotrków 1939-1940: Decree issued by the gubernator concerning the registration of Jewish property, 1/24/1940
Notice to all Jewish men born during the years 1914-1923, who registered for forced labor on 3/14/1940 must submit their income from 1939.
Newspaper clippings.; Language of Material: Yiddish , Polish , German
Folder 100: Płock, Płońsk 1940-1941: Postcards sent from Płock and Płońsk to NY.; Language of Material: Polish and German
Folder 101: Rabka 1957 April 9: “At the Memorial Monument of the Mass Grave of 1,200 Jews of Rabka” by M. Rympel, “Folks-shtime” no. 50
Folder 102: Radom 1941, 1947: Photocopies of postcards including photographs.
Letters sent from Radom, and other places to Arthur Mosoff (a brother) in New York
Folder 103: Radom undated: Prosecution of Joseph Wilhelm Blum, SS deputy commander for the Radom district 1942-1944, 7/29/1947 (Polish).
“What Transpired in the City of Radom?”, materials concerning the annihilation of Radom Jews-a fragment of a larger work by Gabriel Weisman (Yiddish).
Newspaper clippings
Folder 104: Radomsko (Radomsk) 1958 January 29: “The Destruction of Jewish Life in Radomsk” by A. Rutkowski, “Folks-shtime”
Folder 105: Rawa Mazowiecka undated, 1940: Identity card for I. Korman, 8/10/1940.
Memorial (“Yizker”) document dedicated to the murdered Jews of Rawa Mazowiecka
Folder 106: Rowne 1946 November 6: “The First Slaughter in Rowne-6 November 1941” by N. Gris, “Mishmar,” Tel- Aviv.; Language of Material: Hebrew
Folder 107: Rypin 1949: Postcard of “Yizker-Rypin” issued by the Rypin Jewish Committee in Germany
Folder 108: Rzeszów 1946 May 11: Plea issued by the Jewish community of Rzeszów to the Jewish community of Paris re: the whereabouts of Bernard, Abram, and Binem Szymkiewicz.; Language of Material: German
Folder 109: Siedlce undated, 1940: Notice issued by the Siedlce Judenrat re: a prisoner’s work status, 10/26/1940 (German).
Former Jewish residents of Siedlce in Argentina-memorial sign for the Jewish victims of Siedlce including photographs of the Siedlce ghetto.
Introduction to the Siedlce memorial book.; Language of Material: some materials are German
Folder 110: Skierniewice undated: Newspaper clippings
Folder 111: Slonim undated: The account of a Slonim resident, J. Slonim re: his experiences during the German occupation in Slonim and as a partisan.
“Tragedia Slonimska” by S. Szlakman, murdered during the Holocaust.; Language of Material: Polish
Folder 112: Sokołów Podlaski 1957, 1959: Prospect of the Memorial book for the Jewish community of Sokołów Podlaski, published by the Organization of Sokołów Podlaski Former Residents in Israel, Tel-Aviv, 1959 (Yiddish).
“Our Commemorations for the Dead-Sokołów Podlaski,” “Folks-shtime,” 2/8/1957.; Language of Material: Yiddish
Folder 113: Sosnowiec 1941, 1957: Letter to Russia, 3/23/1941.
Account of former resident of Sosnowiec now residing in Israel (Polish).
“That Tragic Wednesday in Zaglebie,” “Folks-shtime,” 8/14/1957.; Language of Material: Polish and Yiddish
Folder 114: Stanisławów undated, 1957: “How the Jewish Community in Stanisławów Was Murdered,” “Dos naye lebn” no. 107 by I. Borenstein.
“The Murder of the Last Jews in Stanisławów,” “Folks-shtime,” 2/20/1957
Folder 115: Staszów 1959 November 29: “The Destruction of Staszów,” “Letste nayes”
Folder 116: Suchedniów 1941: Work documents (copies) of Chaim Milchman; Language of Material: German
Folder 117: Suwalki undated: Partially filled ID cards of Jews from Suwalki murdered in Biala-Podlaska
Folder 118: Szydlowiec 1958 January 22: “The Murder of the Jews of Szydlowiec,” “Folks-shtime”
Folder 119: Tarnopol undated, 1942: A notice verifying that the Jewish woman bearing ID number 301114 is currently employed, 9/11/1942.
A letter (copy) addressed to a brother and a Gentile Polish friend who saved the life of the author’s daughter.; Language of Material: German and Polish
Folder 120: Tarnow 1943 February 17: A letter from the Tarnow Judenrat to the UGIF of Paris certifying that a woman and her two daughters reside in Tarnow.; Language of Material: German
Folder 121: Tymbark undated: A Polish newspaper bearing a description of the commemoration ceremony held at the Kraków Jewish cemetery for the murdered Tymbark Jews.
A letter to a deputy in the Polish Sejm re: the Jewish cemetery of Tymbark.; Language of Material: Polish
Folder 122: Troki 1957 November 14: “The Murder of the Jews of Troki,” “Folks-shtime”
Folder 123: Węgrów undated: Newspaper clippings
Folder 124: Zakrzowek undated: “The Destruction of Zakrzowek,” a testimony.; Language of Material: Yiddish , in Latin letters
Folder 125: Zawiercie 1946: Statement signed in Vienna by three former residents of Zawiercie claiming that a given Jew collaborated with the Gestapo, 8/4/1946.
Statements by other individuals vouching on behalf of this same Jew, August 1946.; Language of Material: German
Folder 126: Zdzięcioł 1941 January 30: Memoirs of L. Kaplinski
Folder 127: Złoczow 1946 August 25: Photocopy of a testimony given by World War II survivor, Leon Peczenik in Straubing, Germany.; Language of Material: German
Folder 128: Żyrardów 1940-1941: Letters from the local Jewish community council in Żyrardów addressed to the Social Welfare Committee (Juedische Unterstutzungstelle) in Kraków, 11/27/1940, 1/14/1941.; Language of Material: Polish