Besnijdenis is the Dutch word for circumcision. In the Netherlands, circumcision was traditionally performed on Jewish boys only. For the period before the introduction of the civil registration in 1811, besnijdenisregisters [circumcision records] are an important source of birth information about male Jewish ancestors. They can often be found among the church records. Read about other resources for Jewish research. … [Read more...]
Stumbling Blocks – Remembering Debora Hedeman and Bertha Zilversmit
20 November 2015 by 6 Comments
Last month, twenty bronze monuments were installed in my home town of Oldenzaal. They are Stolpersteine, "stumbling blocks," about 10x10 cm (4x4") large bronze stones inscribed with the name of a Jewish resident who was murdered during the Holocaust. They are placed in the pavement in front of the house where they last lived. These Stolpersteine are a project of German artist Gunter Demnig, created to commemorate the victims of Nazi persecution in the place where they once lived. To bow over … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Deaths are recorded in the place of residence
18 November 2015 by 3 Comments
If a person died in a different location than where he lived, the civil registration of his place of residence would also record his death. Often, they would receive a copy of the death record that was created in the place of death, and would then record that copy in their own death registers. This was also done after World War II, to record all the Dutch Jews who were murdered in Eastern Europe. Sometimes it took many years to find out where and when a person died, so many towns have death … [Read more...]
Ask Yvette – Resources for Jewish genealogy in the Netherlands
3 July 2015 by 5 Comments
Several people have asked me how to find their Jewish ancestors in the Netherlands. I have researched several Jewish families, but don't read Hebrew so I cannot access all records. Here are some resources that have been useful in my research. Please share your own tips in the comments. Regular records Since the introduction of the civil registration (in 1811 in most parts of the country), Jews were recorded in the regular administrations of births, marriages and deaths and the population … [Read more...]
Ask Yvette – Are there any records of people who helped Jews in World War II?
6 March 2015 by 5 Comments
Earlier this week, Kirk Payne wrote the following comment: I have a request that might stump you. My wife’s immediate ancestors immigrated to the US in the early 20th Century. Most of her great- and great-great Aunts and Uncles remained in the Netherlands. She had a cousin ask us if we’d seen any records showing her relatives having helped the Jews in the Netherlands during and preceding WWII. … [Read more...]
Quick tip – Visit the virtual Jewish monument
27 January 2015 by Leave a Comment
Today we commemorate that Camp Auschwitz was liberated 70 years ago. I visited the camp with my class in high school and it made a lasting impression on me. We saw rooms packed with children's shoes, toothbrushes, toys, and then read that it was just 1% of the total number that had been collected. Each one representing a tragic story. The website Jewish Monument tries to show each of these stories of the Dutch victims of the Holocaust. On the homepage, one dot represents each victim: blue for … [Read more...]
Column: Best find
4 May 2014 by 3 Comments
When you are at a birthday party and tell people you are into genealogy, the first question you often get is "How far back were you able to go?" If they haven't lost all interest after hearing your stories about tracing some lines to the Middle Ages and getting stuck on some illegitimate children in the 19th century on other lines, a second question sometimes follows: "What is your best find?" … [Read more...]
Name taking records
15 November 2013 by 3 Comments
The French occupation from 1795-1813 introduced many new types of administration, including the civil registration. To properly record people, it was necessary that they all had a last name. In 1811 and 1813, Napoleon decreed that everybody had to register their last name. After the French occupation ended, the Dutch government decided to keep the obligated last name. In 1825 they required that everybody who had not registered his name yet should do so. You can find information about … [Read more...]
