My great grandfather, Avraham Beitch, was killed in the Holocaust. I know bits and pieces about him from my grandmother, but not a ton. However, in 1950, his wife Sheva applied for reparations for her husband's death, giving us some insight into Avraham's pre-war life.
Translation:
In the case of the persecuted Avrom Bajch, section A = form that deals specifically with harm to life.= the filled-in spaces deal with family and first name; 3. place of birth (Shklin, Russia); 4. last known address (Luzk, Poland) place & locale of death (29 September 1942 in Luzk, shot by Nazis in the ghetto); reason for incarceration (racial reasons - Jewish); avg annual income of deceased over the last 3 years (3,000 Polish Zloty) II. remarks abt applicant = family name (Bajch), maiden name (Fejn), first name (Sheiwa); place & date of birth (Shklin, Russia); address (1700 Harlem ave., Baltimore, MD. USA); (date of marriage (document not existent); citizenship (stateless); divorced (no); remarried (no); Orphans=name (crossed-out: Diment); first name (crossed-out: Sonja); date of birth=(crossed-out: 12 July 1925); legitimate = (checked); do the children live with the mother (no); was the income earned entirely by the persecuted person (yes); (statement of proof shall be provided when required)
Translation:
III. is the applicant recognized as heir (no); do the applicants already receive help (no) IV. income from work (none); income from rent (none); income from charity (none); any receipt of a pension or has one been applied for (no); are you unable to work (yes). Witnesses: (Dowid Dumant - witness statement shall be provided when required - 447 Dr…. Ave., Baltimore, MD) V. I apply for reasons of restitution of the National Socialist ……, a pension and restitution for loss of capital for the period between the death and the begin of the pension [sic]; (followed by a statement that the above was filled out under oath). March 27, 1950, signed (Sheiwa Bajch)
So what did I learn? I got information about his salary. The place of birth was different than what my grandmother had said--she said that her father had been born in Huben, just next to Shklin, although Shklin is where the family lived as the war broke out, with my great-great grandfather Moshe Dovid Fine. Like my grandparents' applications for reparations, it notes that Avraham died in the Lutsk Ghetto, while both of my grandparents had said that they were in Senkevychivka Ghetto. I'm working to figure out how to find records for the two ghettos to resolve the question of which ghetto my family was in.
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Translation:
In the case of the persecuted Avrom Bajch, section A = form that deals specifically with harm to life.= the filled-in spaces deal with family and first name; 3. place of birth (Shklin, Russia); 4. last known address (Luzk, Poland) place & locale of death (29 September 1942 in Luzk, shot by Nazis in the ghetto); reason for incarceration (racial reasons - Jewish); avg annual income of deceased over the last 3 years (3,000 Polish Zloty) II. remarks abt applicant = family name (Bajch), maiden name (Fejn), first name (Sheiwa); place & date of birth (Shklin, Russia); address (1700 Harlem ave., Baltimore, MD. USA); (date of marriage (document not existent); citizenship (stateless); divorced (no); remarried (no); Orphans=name (crossed-out: Diment); first name (crossed-out: Sonja); date of birth=(crossed-out: 12 July 1925); legitimate = (checked); do the children live with the mother (no); was the income earned entirely by the persecuted person (yes); (statement of proof shall be provided when required)
III. is the applicant recognized as heir (no); do the applicants already receive help (no) IV. income from work (none); income from rent (none); income from charity (none); any receipt of a pension or has one been applied for (no); are you unable to work (yes). Witnesses: (Dowid Dumant - witness statement shall be provided when required - 447 Dr…. Ave., Baltimore, MD) V. I apply for reasons of restitution of the National Socialist ……, a pension and restitution for loss of capital for the period between the death and the begin of the pension [sic]; (followed by a statement that the above was filled out under oath). March 27, 1950, signed (Sheiwa Bajch)
So what did I learn? I got information about his salary. The place of birth was different than what my grandmother had said--she said that her father had been born in Huben, just next to Shklin, although Shklin is where the family lived as the war broke out, with my great-great grandfather Moshe Dovid Fine. Like my grandparents' applications for reparations, it notes that Avraham died in the Lutsk Ghetto, while both of my grandparents had said that they were in Senkevychivka Ghetto. I'm working to figure out how to find records for the two ghettos to resolve the question of which ghetto my family was in.
You would think the Germans could have provided applications in the claimant's kwn language.
ReplyDeleteThey weren't known for being the most accommodating to those not just like them....
DeleteInteresting that my father was the witness.. also how he spelled his name at the time. BTW, guess his address was on Druid Hill Avenue - handwriting didn't change that much in the following years.
ReplyDelete:)
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