ENGLISH CORNER, CON LINDA JIMÉNEZ – This week’s trivia question: What two databases are unique to the Jewish Genealogy and Family Heritage Center in Warsaw?

The Jewish Genealogy and Family Heritage Center  is part of the Jewish Historical Institute  in Warsaw.

Its stated goals are to:
– Assist Jews worldwide to learn more about their Polish roots and to connect more closely to their Ashkenazic heritage;
– Help Poles who believe they have Jewish roots to explore their own backgrounds and, if appropriate, to resume their place amongst the Jewish people; and
– Provide guidance and instruction on the process of searching for documentation relevant to particular individuals and families.
Although the Center has a very small staff, they are extremely dedicated to what they think of more as a mission than a job, and have developed a really impressive cross-referenced data base using information they have gathered from many different sources, both in Poland and abroad.

Matan Shefi grew up in Jerusalem. He was an officer in the Israeli navy and studied European History and Humanities at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. A few years ago he relocated to Warsaw, and now he works at the Genealogy Center. He spoke with us about the Center and the work that they do.