Searching for my hero relatives

[Kasha]

I heard back from my sister. She said it did happen a lot, but many times they would convert, so as to hide the identity. When she was in Warsaw a couple of years ago, she spoke with a researcher on survivors. So, my sister showed her a picture of my mom. The woman swore she must have come from the Ghetto, but my mom had to do whatever she had to do to survive. So my mom enrolled in a convent in Warsaw. It was the famous language school one. Being half Catholic, she might possibly pass. About my grandmother, it is interesting he lists himself as married, because we know for a fact that my grandmother died in an air raid. My mom tried to save her, but couldn't. If they did indeed connect, she would have told him that. Another mystery. My grandmother could have been half Jewish also, but still considered Jewish enough for the Nazis. I think they were known as "hybrids". Many converted to Christianity for safety's sake.

[StefanM]

It was actually not that uncommon to hear of mixed-marriages in the larger towns and cities where Jews from the professional classes were more assimilated into general Polish society. Do you know what your grandmother's maiden name was?

An interesting point is that if your grandmother was Jewish then I believe so would your mother or father also be Jewish as the maternal line is the determining factor.

Going back to the Nazi period a person with one or two grandparents enrolled in a Jewish congregation could be classified as Mischling, of "mixed blood", if she or he was not a member of a Jewish congregation at the time the Nuremberg Laws were enacted.

There were many such Mischling in the Warsaw Ghetto and Jewish-Christian converts who congregated at All Saints Church (Kościół Wszystkich Świętych) which was included in the ghetto boundaries. A book was written about this subject: Christians in the Warsaw Ghetto: An Epitaph for the Unremembered by prof. Peter F. Dembowski. The book cover features a photo All Saints Church with its twin spires— one of the Warsaw ghetto photos from my collection




There is also another thread on the forum "Why, Oh God Why" about Halina Gorcewicz who was the daughter of Jewish father and Catholic mother.

Would you be willing to post the picture you mention of your mother on here?

[Cenowski]

Hybribs? Sounds more like a science fiction terminology. How would this Woman know she would of come from the ghetto from a picture?

Quite possible like i said your Grandfather just didn't want to see an end of his Marriage. Unless he remarried, before heading to Brazil. It sounds like your Sister usually has a lot of answers to what your after.

I read a book quite a while ago which showed the rates of Polish-jewish intermarriage was very low compared to many other countries with significant numbers of jewish people, however conversions whether self motivated or for saftys sake like you said happened. Sometimes it can be obviously noted in certain surnames that overtime have been adapted in a Polish pronunciation. Maybe if you just knew your Grandmothers maiden name it might shed light.

[Kasha]

Sure, I would love to post a photo of my mom, if I can figure out how. I just heard from Zenon Dudek. He is going to do some research on my grandmother, whose family was from Kalisz. I know, there was a very big Jewish population there. Hopefully we will find out her maiden name, which will help. Who knows what the real story is. We are just trying to figure out why the split. I can post a picture of my mom when I get home this afternoon. I have lots from after the war, and later years. She was quite a looker, I will tell you that much! She had dark red hair and hazel eyes. The trashed woman had been doing research for a decade. I'm not sure which exact picture it was, but I can share with you the one's I have. Is there an attachment link on this forum?

[Kasha]

I definitely want to check out both books. They sound fascinating. I spoke to Marc who knows the grand daughter of Whyy Oh God Why. He said if I had questions to ask. I will try and get to the library this week, and see if I can read it.

[Cenowski]

Thinking about the Immigration paper of Franciszek, it lists him at one of Scotlands Polish resettlement camps. I can't seem to find much on it but it was for Soldiers and accommodated relatives aswell, so maybe your Auntie Barbara was there also for a while. I can not find your Auntie Barbara online entering the uk or whether she was Married as Grosicka before or in the uk.

[Kasha]

According to Dudek, she was married in 1948, and then changed her name.She could have spent time there.

[StefanM]

Hybribs? Sounds more like a science fiction terminology. How would this Woman know she would of come from the ghetto from a picture?

I read a book quite a while ago which showed the rates of Polish-jewish intermarriage was very low compared to many other countries with significant numbers of jewish people, however conversions whether self motivated or for saftys sake like you said happened.

Strange as it might seem an elderly Varsovian who was alive during wartime Poland once suggested that my family might be Jewish because he said the style of suit cloth and cut of a mens jacket and the clothing style of the woman in the photos looked Jewish to his eyes. To me my grandfather was in a normal looking summer suit jacket and my grandmother in a normal looking summer frock...so maybe there is some sense in what was said about Kasha's grandmothers clothes.

I do not know if either of my grandparents were Jewish however my fathers birth was recorded in St. Johns Cathedral in Warsaw as a Roman Catholic, I have seen his record in person in the Cathedral register of births.

Do you happen to remember which book you read the assertion that the proportion of Jewish-Polish intermarriage was low given the population demographic, as I would like to read it also.

[StefanM]

I definitely want to check out both books. They sound fascinating. I spoke to Marc who knows the grand daughter of Whyy Oh God Why. He said if I had questions to ask. I will try and get to the library this week, and see if I can read it.

Kasha,

There are quite a few books i have seen on the market about the NSZ and in particular in the Warsaw Uprising. Obviously they are all in Polish and i do not know if any translated version exist, but its always possible you might find Names, units and events mentioned in them you are looking for. I can only find one easy to get online at the moment.

Attachment 597056

Just looked at the index (see below) in my copy and the surname Przytula is not listed:

[Cenowski]

It was in a copy a Historians book which a series was made from Called: The War of the World, it was by Niall Furguson and went quit in depth as to the Ethnic aspect of War. It actually said that the germans were infact with a high number of mixed marraiges.

Im not sure how great Furguson works are but it was a good read. I got rid of my copy as there was not a major section of Polish related History.