This morning was reserved for another visit to the Jewish Institute where the genealogy department would be open. In there I met Matan Shelfi an Israeli born English speaker who loved his work and it showed. I spent more than hour in his company while he did his best to search and try and extract information about members of my mother's family who came to Poland in 1928.
What we established was that my great-aunt, her husband, her son and their daughter were not or did not show any Jewish origins and it may well be that they were Catholic. The head of the family was shown in a telephone directory - a German one - and they were at the given address in 1942.
We could find no trace of any of the names in other sources and it maybe that because I am only an indirect descendent I will not be given information. However, I will persevere as there is military route to follow and The Polish Institute and Sikorsky Museum in London. That will have to wait until later. Also it looks as though I should go the Catholic Church route now that I know that the Jewish connection does not exist.
However we traced the family to an address in Warsaw which was not destroyed and still exists. I have seen photographs of it as it was in 1939 and an up-to-date one. It is in a good class area which does indicate their status. We will visit. I have to.
We are now in a bar drinking stout for me and for her a Pils The sign on the wall 'Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales is odd. We know all the best places to go!
I am very impressed by this city. The streets are remarkably clean with no litter at all. The smokers stand outside with a litter bin close by. I did not see even one 'dog-end' on the floor. That is a credit to them and their culture. I can add to that as well as they all seem so friendly. It is a good place to be.
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