Does anyone know how to obtain the actual documents of those who were transported to, detained in, and murdered in Chelmno Extermination Camp?  We have a large portion of our family who tragically met with such fate, and have no idea how to get all records pertaining to each of our family members.  Any help is greatly appreciated.

Lodz Transports to the Chelmno (Kulmhof) Extermination Camp

 

Name	Year Born / Age	Address	Transport Date Record # Transport#	Comments
FUKS, Bajla	1923	Holz 16	28 Jun 1944  225  223

--
Sharon E. Siegel 
Port Jervis, NY USA

I also have many family members that were in the Lodz Ghetto that “disappeared”. In general, I’ve found records at the US Holocaust Museum’s website but not necessarily complete records for all of them. Sometimes I’ve seen in address registrations in the “comments” column that someone died or was deported with a date. I’m not sure I’ve seen an actual transport list. From my understanding, Chelmno was strictly an extermination camp and no one was truly “detained” but murdered upon arrival. Someone else in this discussion group may know more.

Sharon Fleitman 
Atlanta, Georgia

Hi from Paris,

Hello Sharon & Sharon,

Searching and finding original documents concerning our Losts in Lodz' ghetto is possible with all online databases already available : an opportunity during our lockdown !

Remember what I wrote previously in this forum (#653706, Dec 17th) :

• During ghetto period, its Judenrat (Jewish administration under nazi rules) had ca. 14.000 clercs : they filed ca. 800.000 pages of archives which hadn't been destroyed and are available at USHMM : thanks again Ms. Megan Lewis, Library Referee who helped me to discover and understand structure of these huge archives. USHMM "Finding Aid" is 165 page thick, enough to present ca. 800 rolls of 1000 microfilms.
• Now, a large part of these archives are available on Polish State archives at https://szukajwarchiwach.pl/39/278/0#tabZespol . These archives are same microfilms as USHMM, but aren't already fully on line.
• With these archives, you can follow fate of almost all our Losts, from their early entrance in ghetto to their last day...
• "Residents" lists have been indexed by Yad Vashem and ORFLI : they are available in JewishGen, as are ID card of ghetto workers. But you have much more to find in these archives.

And additional answer from Ms Megan Lewis, Reference Librarian, USHMM

 

The collection Bernard referenced, USHMM Archives collection RG-15.083 (click on this link to be taken to the description and finding aid), contains many lists and documents relating to individuals.  Several sets of lists or documents have been indexed as part of our World Memory Project in partnership with Ancestry.com. The index is free to access on Ancestry's site.  The actual documents are not online but there are instructions on how to order copies.  You should also search our Holocaust Survivors and Victims Database which contains names from collections that are not part of the World Memory Project.

To search Bajla Fuks, I use USHMM "Finding Aid RG-15.083" (165 pages) to determine which "file" (archived from microfilm reel) could be of interest. 

There are ca. 2482 files from 695 reels.

 

Lodz ghetto archives aren't available on USHMM web site (only on its Intranet) because (I guess) these archives belong to Polish State Archives.
And obviously, it's not best moment to be in Washington...

But most of same microfilms of these 800.000 pages are now on line at Polish State Archives (PSA):

https://szukajwarchiwach.pl/39/278/0#tabZespol
 

So and fortunately, unit number are same in USHMM Finding Aid and in PSA web site:

example : reel 254, unit 1091 (Rumkowski's speeches), is found at 39/278/0/14/1091,  https://szukajwarchiwach.pl/39/278/0/14/1091#tabJednostka
 

I must add that a lot of units concerning individuals have been indexed by JewishGen or JRI Poland from Yad Vashem or ORFLI documents : so we will find data already known, but searching directly these archives is a way to access the original papers.

 

Concerning Bajla Fuks, I searched through "USHMM finding aid" what could be of interest:

 

Reel 163, file 845 : Alphabetical list of ghetto inhabitants, letter "F"

997 Fuks entries exist in various Lodz ghetto lists...

https://szukajwarchiwach.pl/39/278/0/12/845/str/1/1/100/qkJkJki_cwVW-OMUjZCfmA/#tabSkany

Bajla didn't appear in these 138 pages of lists : dates of compilation aren't known.  

As she was in ghetto till the end in June 1944, one possibility is: these lists had been made before Bajla arrived in Lodz ghetto.
Remember that after closing of ghetto in March 1940, Jews arrived from smaller ghettos and from other nazi occupied countries.

As lists are for "F", some "Flam" are there: I have no link to them as my family was fully Galizianer (around Olesko / Brody).

 

 Reel 169, file 870 : List of names of people deported from the ghetto in transports organized by Central Prison, June-July 1944 (Wykazy imienne osób wysiedlonych z getta w transportach przesłane przez Centralne Więzienie)

 

1st page of transport list of 28/6/1944, attached picture 47

https://szukajwarchiwach.pl/39/278/0/12/870/skan/full/q34RHSP9cXhXWZp1b3SABA
https://szukajwarchiwach.pl/39/278/0/20/1309/skan/full/qnl8EIiYVjHZYan6MeL4RA

 

Transport of Fuks Bajla,   attached picture 50

https://szukajwarchiwach.pl/39/278/0/12/870/skan/full/bsmUU92tJlaXrxaAHfEGzg
 

8 persons named Fuks have been deported with this transport.

4 had (I don't use intentionally the word "lived"..) same address in ghetto, Holz Strasse, 16 : Bajla (B 1923), Chaja (B 1927), Szajndla (B 1921) & Szulim (B 1928)

 

So I look at

Reel 225, file 1033 : Register books of street Holz,...

and search for Holz 16 :

https://szukajwarchiwach.pl/39/278/0/13.4/1033/skan/full/tHLI3W_JbfOP22zKJ7-JMQ , attached picture 114

Bajla and her 3 siblings / cousins (?) had a previous address "Siegfried Strasse 6, flat 33".

In same page, you get Ghetto ID number of these four persons : 183951 to 183954
With this number, we could search on other lists who were previous or following persons registered on same moment with them : parents, other family members ?
Also last date of meal deliveries to these ID numbers by cantins.

I have'nt found page of register book for "Siegfried St. 6" during my 3 hours searches.

Another clue : on a 1st registration in Lodz ghetto, Bajla had a former residence, town of Brzeziny.

 

Birth archives of Brzeziny exist from 1910 to 1935 :

https://www.rtrfoundation.org/results.php?rin=716&testing=

I found no Fuks in

Reel 305, files 1308, Registration cards of persons destined to deportation and

Reel 305, file 1309, List of deportees in alphabetical order.

 

Reels 673-696 contain Identification cards for Lodz Ghetto worker in alphabetical order, a lot of them with ID pictures.

For some unknown reason from me, they aren't available in PSA online archives but they are at USHMM, indexed by JewishGen and you can get copies.

Chaja, Szandjla et Szulim cards are indexed :
https://www.jewishgen.org/databases/jgdetail_2.php?df=JG0147B&georegion=01holocaust&srch1=fuks&srch1v=S&srch1t=E&srchbool=AND&dates=all&newwindow=0&recstart=0&recjump=0

Khavershaft
Bernard Flam
Archives & history of Medem Center - Arbeter Ring 
Families Zysman, Kronenberg, Rottersman of Lodz.