Welcome to Nowy Zmigród!

And Dukla

Up until 2019, Phyllis Kramer (OBM) developed and maintained this KahilaLink. Phyllis did a wonderful job documenting and sharing information about this shtetl. Starting in July 2021 Jeff Alexander is trying to fill Phyllis’s shoes. Please contact Jeff Alexander for anything related to Nowy Zmigrod.

We were once 5 strangers..........

......JewishGen's Family Finder brought us together in our search for information about our families. We exchanged e-mails and letters hoping to learn more about our Nowy Zmigród roots. Discovering more questions than answers, however, we decided to pool resources and hire a Poland-based researcher to find whatever could be found about "our town" and ancestors. The results of her remarkable efforts on our behalf, coupled with the ongoing research each of us is involved in, provided the data and inspiration for the creation of this web page.

Although many records were destroyed over the course of two world wars, our researcher found some information relating to each family. She visited archives and libraries, talked with residents and officials, took many photographs, obtained printed maps of the area, drew a street map of the town and gathered historical information to give us a better picture of the times our relatives lived in and through.......and found that four of the five of us were related!!

During the next stage we searched for, and found, folks who were born in Zmigrod. We heard wonderful stories of early family life, and we transcribed these stories onto these pages. With great sadness, we learned of the fate of the Jews still living in Nowy Zmigród in July, 1942. The murder of 1250 men, women and children by the Nazis touched every family. The development of this web page is our loving tribute to their memory and a legacy for future generations.

If you are visiting our page because your family came from Nowy Zmigród (latitude 49° 37´ longitude 21° 32´) or one of the surrounding communities remember that often marriages were arranged between families from neighboring towns, so you may well find information on your surnames where you least expect it. Click on JewishGen web pages expressly devoted to the Krosno Area (krosno is 12 miles ENE of Zmigrod), with stories and photographs from Dukla (8 miles ENE), Korczyna (14 miles ENE), Yaslo (10 miles NNW), Jasienica, Brzozow and Rymanow (15 miles E), Dukla, Frysztak, Strzyzow, and Bukowsko. Other nearby towns: Biecz-15 miles WNW, Jedlicze-9 miles NE, Krempna-7 miles S, Osiek Jasielski-3 miles WNW.

Please feel free to contact any or all of us if you have any questions or information to add. Just like our research, this is an evolving project! The photograph on the right shows our reunion with Zmigrod cousins Fred (& Therese) Van Vliet, Max Findling, Phyllis Kramer, Maralyn Steeg, and Max's two sons.
Jeff Alexander, web page developer
Debbie Raff, Calif., spiritual guide
Maralyn Steeg, Westchester, editor
Bill Leibner, Jerusalem major contributor
Copyright © (1998)Team Zmigród. All rights reserved. Web Page Updated May 2019.

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A Shtetl Called Zmigród: Table of Contents

1. Zmigród Yesterday and Today
   • Zmigród Yesterday: History and Stories
     • Stories of Life in Zmigród by Max Findling and Nathan Laks (including Postcards and Prints of the Town and Its Synagogues)...And, alas, a Memorial to Max Findling April 2009
     • The History of Nowy Zmigród by William Leibner, Israel, updated 5/2007 photo added 10/2011
     • Rabbi Chaim Halbershtam by William Leibner, Israel, 2006
     • Jewish Life In Zmigrod Before World War I: A Wonderful History of Zmigrod by Hersh Gross, translated by William Leibner, Israel, 2008
   • Photographs and Postcards and Town Site Plan
     • Town Site Plan and Coat of Arms
     • Fabulous Photographs from the Polish National Digital Archives 11/09
     • The Synagogues in Nowy Zmigród Synogogue Photos April 2013 >>
     • Postcards from Zmigrod Nowy's past...link to the web page by Debbie Raff
   • Maps of The Area
     • All the major Galician Towns sept2013
     • The small towns around Zmigrod latitude 4937, longitude 2132
     • Actual Map of Zmigrod Today thanks to Google March 2017
     • Towns which have Kehilalinks pages
     • Zmigród and neighboring Towns Detailed Map from the Lemko site
2. Zmigród Today
   • Travelogues
     • A Humorous, Informative Travelogue From Our Fabulous Researcher 1998
     • Visit to Zmigrod by Howard Haskel Lehr, U.S. Sept2007
     • Visit to Zmigrod by Camila Mandel Barros, Brazil 6/09
     • Visit to Zmigrod 2010 by Deborah L. Benzil, U.S.Sept 2010
   • Zmigrod Today: The Cemetery lovingly cared for by Jurek Debiec, Director of the local museum apr2019
     
     • Short History of the Cemetery jan2019
     • ACE High School in Israel Visits Zmigrod, mapped the cemetery and documented 300 gravestones! Dec2013
     • The Cemetery is Being Renewed! ...Photos of Work on the Cemetery from Jerzy Debiec dec2011
     • Foundation for Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland An exciting happening locally in Zmigrod! 12/08
     • More Cemetery Photos From Rochelle Smith Jan 2011 (we need translations! please help)
     • Photos of Zmigrod and the Cemetery from Jerzy Debiec Nov 2009 Can Anyone Translate these Tombstones for us??
     • Polish Site with Cemetery Photos 5/07
   • The Carpathian Connection -- interdemoninational web site offering genealogical research and historical education for the Carpathian Mountain region.

3. Zmigrod on JewishGen
   • JewishGen's Zmigrod Community Page maps, town history, yizkor books, nearby towns, researchers and more!! 2010
   • Try These Databases on JewishGen:
     • The Best Site for Jewish Genealogical Research -- JewishGen
     • Find Other Researchers looking for your Surnames and/or Towns!! -- JewishGen's Family Finder (JGFF). Sign up, there's no obligation; join the wonderful world of JewishGen
     • The JewishGen Online Worldwide Burial Registry (JOWBR) a database of more than two million names from cemeteries worldwide, many with tombstone photographs
     • A Bibliography for Polish Genealogical Research
     • Want Information on Other Shtetls? try KehilaLinks, over 400 pages written by JewishGenners in memory of their towns!
     • For People with Roots in Galicia -- Gesher Galicia
   • Osiek, a Neighboring Town
     • Resources for Osiek Nov 2013
     • A trip to Osiek with Photographsby Rachelle Smith nov2013
     • Osiek, a neighboring town--by Bill Leibner
4. Zmigród Genealogy
   • Genealogical Documents available in Zmigród Nowy
   • Search our Surname List!!!! over 750 Birth, Death And Marriage Certificates!!!!!
   • The Landsmanshaften Organizations in NY and NJ--Over 200 Names!
   • Immigrant Surnames from Ellis Island, Business Directories from 1891, 1907
   • New York Cemetery Lists Online!For those researchers who may have ancestors buried in major New York area cemeteries you can search online! Searchable cemeteries including Mount Hebron, Mt. Zion, Washington, Mount Carmel 2010
   • 1929 Zmigrod Business Directory June 2016
   • 1939 German Minority Census: Folks born in Nowy Zmigrod Feb 2016
   • FindMyPast: Britain, Enemy Aliens and Internees, World Wars August 2016

5. Family Information available on this Web Page
   • Stecher, Trachman, Feir/Feuer, Deutschman, Kornreich, Gotz Phyllis Kramer
   • Raff, Herbach, Birenbaum, Meisner Deb Raff
   • Eichner, Facher, Haber Maralyn Steeg
   • Schachner, Findling Fred van Vliet
   • Spiro, Berger, Erreich, Krill, Morgenstern, Kurtzmann, Getzler, Grossman Bea Chesler
   • Leibner, Teller, Goodman, Tzimet, Gross, Findling, Klein, Lang William Leibner
   • Wolmuth, Blaugrand, Schonwetter, Rothman Florence Rothman Shulman
   • Weinstein, Wilkenfeld Alexander Steinkoler
   • Mandel,Grubel & RosenbergCamila mandel Barros 6/09
   • Kampler, Kratzer M. Kampler, Israel 5/19

   • The Holocaust in Zmigród and Surrounds
     • A comprehensive List of Online Holocaust Sites - With Query Directions Jan 2019
     • Yizkor Book Published! Book Details and where to order Aug 2018
     • The yiskor Book and the Story of Halbow by Bill Leibner, Jerusalem; completed March 2015 with large list of names!
     • A plea for Help in Finding the "Berek" family by Jacob Lasak from Zmigrod Nov2014
     • Gedenkbuch (German Memorial Books) list of victims January 2019
     • The Halbów Monument
     • Two Zmigrod Survivors Revisit Holocaust Sites, by Max Findling and Leo Rosner.
     • The Holocaust Remembered A Book by Leo Rosner.
     • Additional History of the Halbow Monuments
     • Nowy Zmigród in WWII, by William Leibner, Israel
     • What Happened in Nowy Zmigród letter from a Polish eye witness, donated by Johanna Lehr feb2010
     • A Yiskor by Shia Tsimet, translated by William Leibner
     • Zmigród Survivors & Those Who Perished, Lists compiled by William Leibner
     • The Action of 1942 (a secondhand version)
     • After the War: An Important 1944 Photograph
     • List of People from our Area from the JDC May2019
     • United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
     • Search for Pages of Testimony at Yad Vashem
     • The Judenrat of Zmigrod, 1940; Image from JDC Apr 2019

Looking for some information about a Jewish “Berek” family from Nowy Zmigród

by Jacek LASAK

I'm living in Warsaw, about 450 km from Nowy Zmogród. My Mother lives in Wroclaw (400km from Nowy Zmigród). My grandmother Rozalia Wojtas, born in 1908 in Mytarz, died in 1988 in Nowy Zmigród, and she told to my Mother this story and my Mother still remember some details.

My mother Janina Wojtas was born in 1930 in Mytarz near Nowy Zmigrod (1 km) and remember some Jewish from Nowy Zmigrod, she had some Jewish girl friends in primary school of Nowy Zmigrod and she still remember this girl (she always had some sweets for my Mother …)

My Grandmother Rozalia Wojtas, born in 1908 (died in December 1988) was a "housekeeper" in Piwinski Family in Nowy Zmigród. Piwinski Family had a "Traffika" store in the Rynek of Nowy Zmigród.

My Grandmother purchased bread for Piwinski Family, and very often she purchased bread in a Jewish bakery - the best in the Zmigród.This Jewish bakery was located on the center of Nowy Zmigród, on the right : going to the top (from North to the South) of the city form the direction of Jaslo in the direction of Katy-Krempna. So probably for this reason she knew this Jewish Family (owner of this bakery), and she called this Family “Berek” Family but I’m not sure that this is a true name or maybe “a nickname” used by Polish people before War.

Just after the World War II (in 45) Grandmother Rozalia was contacted by one person of this “Berek family”, probably a survivor, a man about 25-30 years old, not killed at Halbow forest in 1943 and this person looked for member of Berek family- probably 2 sisters (he probably had 2 sisters in Zmigród as my Mother told me).

Just after WW II (in 45) my mother was 15 years and this survivor a man, about 25-30 years old told to my grandmother Rozalia that my mother Janina was very similar to his sister and he wanted to take my mother back to USA...My grandmother refused.

After WWar my Grandmother Rozalia lived in Mytarz (with my mother Janina).And as I know in Nowy Zmigród there were 2 bakeries just before War but my mother is not sure which one of these 2 bakeries/Jewish family can be involved in.

Do you have any information about this “Berek” Family from Nowy Zmigrod , probably owner of bakery?
Jacek LASAK, 10.11.2014 Return to Table of Contents

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1929 Zmigrod Business Directory

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1939 German Minority Census: Folks born in Nowy Zmigrod

The description is at http://tracingthepast.org/minority-census. It reads: "Currently, the searchable data includes persons who can be proven to have perished in the Holocaust, those who were born prior to 1903 (+110 years ago), and others who deceased prior to 1984 (+30 years ago). Of the approximately 410,000 original entries, about 275,000 (or around 67%) of the "Minority Census" are available here online... Tracing the Past is honored to have the opportunity to share this research tool online. " and the index can be searched here:

http://tracingthepast.org/minority-census/census-database

The folks born in our town and living in Germany in 1939 included:

• , Arnstein, Markus, 1/17/1877,
• , Atlas, Anna nee Fostrong, 8/4/1899,
• , Atlas, Mendel, 5/25/1895,
• , Axelrad, Mathilde nee Berger, 5/15/1898,
• , Berger, Jenta nee Gartner, 10/22/1889,
• , Beck, Reisel, 5/15/1898,
• , Berger, Josef, 8/30/1887,
• , Birnbach, Regina, 8/10/1901,
• , Bobker, Chaim, 6/25/1896,
• , Eisenberg, Bendet, 12/19/1885,
• , Eisenberg, Rose nee Stecher, 1/27/1892,
• , Erreich, Ester nee Krill, 1/10/1873,
• , Erreich, Moses, 1/18/1872,
• , Fruhling, Chaim, 10/7/1893,
• , Gross, Leiser , 10/25/1899,
• , Gross, Naftali, 10/10/1893,
• , Grosshaus, Scheindla nee Weinberger, 5/15/1891,
• , Hormann, Debora, 11/15/1898,
• , Just, Henoch, 10/5/1898,
• , Kampler, Hinda nee Kratzer, 5/1/1884,
• , Karger, Itte nee Gross, 11/7/1875,
• , Katz, Maly nee Bobker, 7/2/1900,
• , Kessler, Israel, 1/8/1888,
• , Kolber, Baila, 5/15/1883,
• , Krill, Benjamin, 12/4/1875,
• , Lerner, Gitel, 11/25/1919,
• , Lerner, Ita nee Findling, 4/10/1886,
• , Meisner, Hersch, 1/22/1877,
• , Neumann, Breindel nee Findling, 2/15/1880,
• , Rettig, Chawa nee Wein, 8/20/2868,
• , Rosner, Chaim, 2/15/1884,
• , Scherl, Niche nee Janger, 10/11/1895,
• , Schonberg, Dressel, 5/5/1866,
• , Semler, Chawa nee Grossman, 4/8/1876,
• , Stein, David, 4/29/1880,
• , Stein, Estera, 4/29/1878,
• , Ungar, Reisel nee Jenig, 12/22/1882,
• , Wilkenfeld, Regina nee Karger, 3/15/1902,
• , Winter, Frieda nee Golstem, 2/5/1887,
• , Winter, Hanna nee Fruhling, 10/8/1894,
• , Ziegler, Hermann, 10/4/1880,
• , Zimet, David, 11/2/1887

…. ….

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FindMyPast: Britain, Enemy Aliens and Internees, World Wars

• First name(s) -- Last name -- Birth year -- Birth place -- Document details -- Year range
• 
  
• Chaim Bobker 1896 Zmigrod Dead Index - Wives of Germans, Black-Brenn 1941-1947
• Chaim Bobker 1896 Zmigrod Dead Index - Wives of Germans, New Dead Index 1941-1947
• Ester Mindel Engel 1871 Zmigrod Internees at Liberty in the UK, Em-Ez 1939-1942
• Allen Josef Gray or Zmigrod 1902 Tarnow German Internees released in UK, 1939-1942
• Josef Gray or Zmigrod 1902 — Germans Interned in the UK, 1939
• Rachela Roper 1906 Zmigrod Dead Index - Wives of Germans, Podh-Rosenba 1941-1947
• Abusz Adolf Weinstein 1893 Zmigrod Dead Index - Wives of Germans, Tuchb-Welz 1941-1947
• Josef - Zmigrod 1902 — Germans Interned in the UK, Y-Z 1939
• Josef - Zmigrod 1923 Berlin German Internees Released in UK, Wob-Zyl 1939-1942
• Josef - Zmigrod 1923 — Germans Interned in the UK, Y-Z 1939
• Lissi - Zmigrod 1897 Aachen Internees at Liberty in the UK, Zi-Zy 1939-1942

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Maps of Zmigrod and the Area

Towns in the Zmigrod area

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This KehilaLinks page was created Phyllis Kramer (OBM), V.P. of Education, JewishGen Inc.
Jeff Alexander is now maintaining this website. If you have any questions, comments or additions, please email me by clicking