Pre-Post World War II Photos



WW photos-girlIt was the Zionist Federation of Germany in the 1930s had sought to collaborate in the identification, location, and removal of German Jews to Palestine. This caused some 60,000 German Jews in a forced emigration before the start of what would become World War II. Some of your ancestors may have been a part of that emigration.

The photographic work from the 1920s through the 1950s of Roman Vishniac, who lived 1897 to 1990 have been made available for everyone to view online, Roman Vishniac Collection. Not only did Vishniac photograph the German Jews on the streets of Berlin, but also in various Eastern European counties during the 1930s. There are photos of the rise of the Nazi to power, and then the suffering of people across Europe (Netherlands, France, Italy, etc) due to the war. The aftermath of refugees and their struggle to survive are documented in this images.

Vishniac also has photos taken in the United States during the 1940s and into the 1950s. The site does have a search section. Place a keyword, surname or date to search. Or you might want to view the different collections according to topics, such as Berlin in Ruins or the Jewish Community in New York City 1941 to the early 1950s. There are a total of 16 categories the photos are divided into, some with 40 images and others with 27 or less.   WW photo-1936 games

It is a great view into life during those harsh times and could provide some insight to your own ancestors if they lived in those locations.  WW photos-displaced-1947

Photos: In New York 1941, a girl rescued from a Jewish refugee camp in France by the sponsorship of the American Friends Service Committee. In 1936 in Berlin were held the Summer Olympic Games, the photo of a family in the streets. In 1947, Ruth Sternfeld was born in Berlin in 1939 and by 1947 a displaced person.

Related FamilyTree.com genealogy blog articles:

Forgotten Photos

Ancestors and War

 

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