Jan Hlavinka, whose participation in the IAJGS conference is being
sponsored by H-SIG, recently appeared on Czech and Slovak television
announcing the discovery of registration "diaries" >from the Sered
concentration camp in Slovakia. The lists include more than 2700 names and
other important data about prisoners arriving >from November 19, 1944
to March 30, 1945.

In 1944, after Germans seized control of western Slovakia, the camp,
which is near Trnava, was enlarged under the command of SS-
Hauptsturmfuhre Alois Brunner, the right hand of Adolf Eichmann.
During the winter of 1944 and spring of 1945, 13,500 Jews were
deported >from Sered to Auschwitz and Theresienstadt.

Jan's presentation on the Holocaust in Slovakia will include
information about these documents, which were discovered by his
colleague Dr. Ragac, the director of Slovak National Archives. Jan,
who created the database of liquidated Jewish-owned businesses http://www.upn.gov.sk/likvidacie/english/glossary.php
will be creating a new database >from the Sered records.

You can view TV coverage of the May 5 press conference held in
Bratislava to announce this new record source. Although the TV
reports are in Czech and Slovak, they also include film footage.

Czech TV mainstream time News /UDALOSTI:
http://www.ceskatelevize.cz/ivysilani/209411000100508-udalosti/obsah/77846-dokumenty-k-obetem-holocaustu/

Slovak TV :
http://www.stv.sk/videoarchiv/

from the list on the left side of the screen go to 05.05. 2009 and

click on: "Zoznam vaznov objasni minulost".

In order to ensure Jan's participation in the H-SIG program at the
conference, we have made a commitment to cover the substantial expense
of his trip to Philadelphia. Although IAJGS will cover his hotel stay
and part of the airfare, we need to raise funds to augment this
subsidy. Jan has offered to help with Slovak translation and provide
one-on-one advice about research in Slovakia. Even if you are not
able to join us in Philadelphia to take advantage of this opportunity,
we are looking forward to establishing a working relationship with
Jan that will ultimately benefit all who are researching families >from
the formerly Hungarian counties that are now part of Slovakia.

To make your donations please go to: http://www.jewishgen.org/JewishGen-erosity/
and scroll down to the Hungarian SIG. Enter the amount of your tax-
deductible donation by the listing for the *Speakers' Fund*, click
on: Donate, and follow the instructions.

And, if you haven't yet registered for the Conference, there's still
time. Go to http://www.philly2009.org/ to register and to check out
the program. Wednesday, Aug. 5, will be Magyar day with events
including the annual H-SIG business meeting, speakers, and the H-SIG
luncheon featuring filmmaker Gabriela Bohm speaking on the search for
Hungarian Jewish identity.

Vivian Kahn, Oakland, CA
Hungarian SIG Coordinator