Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain Blog

From Jan Meisels Allen, Chairperson, IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee: The Netherlands branch of the Red Cross has transferred to the Jewish Cultural Quarter of Amsterdam  ownership of nearly 160,000 personal cards of Dutch Jews that are slated to be displayed to the public for the first time. The Museum in currently being rebuilt and will reopen in the autumn of 2022. The entire index of the Jewish Council of Amsterdam – a body that the Nazis set up to have Jews oversee preparations for the extermination of their own minority throughout the Netherlands – is among the most comprehensive and best-kept registries of its kind anywhere in Europe. It is unusual in that it includes references to status and personal traits, reflecting how this registry, unlike most other Nazi lists, was made by Jews by Jews. In more than 75% of the cards, the Red Cross after World War II added the date of deportation in red ink – a rare tangible reminder of how in the Netherlands, the Na...

From Ton Tielen and David Mendoza: "This week we bring you three expert speakers. The Pimentel are one of the oldest Sephardic families in The Netherlands. Henk Dijkman will discuss the family history, stretching back to Medieval Spain. Fokko Weerstra tells the story of Jacques Pimentel during the Shoah. Along with some other Sephardim, he tried to use his distant Catholic ancestry to escape deportation to Poland by the Nazis. Esther Shaya discusses Henriette Pimentel - one of the unsung heroes of the Holocaust - who saved the lives of six hundred children being held prisoner at the Hollandsche Schouwburg-theatre. We are hoping to trace people saved by Henriette and their family members. If you know anyone, please forward this message. Sunday Jan 10, 2021. 2pm NYC, 7pm London, 8pm Amsterdam/Paris, 9pm Jerusalem. Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86549610494 Thanks to everyone who supports our work. If you are not already a patron, please consider a small monthly...