How to reconstruct the tragic history of your Jewish ancestors in France and Belgium (1940-1945)

This free guide includes :

  • The complete 3-step method to already get a result (tools included)
  • Direct inspiration for your own discoveries: 5 practical cases, 16 examples, 9 useful links
  • 17 recommendations to avoid drowning or making unnecessary expenses or research 

 NB : this method of historical reconstitution from genealogical information is transposable to other periods of the jewish life in Europe.

Mapping a tragedy: the Jews in France and Belgium (1940-1944)

Between 1940 and 1944, the borders of the French Republic and the Kingdom of Belgium gave way to

  • occupied (by Germany or Italy) and non-occupied zones
  • prohibited or annexed zones

This new division itself evolved between 1942 and 1943.

Depending on the time and the place, the situation of the persecuted and then hunted down Jews presented unfavorable or very unfavorable factors.

To escape the measures that targeted them, many Jews (often foreigners) moved from one zone to another.

Here are a few points of reference to help you find their traces…

Tracing Jewish refugees in Switzerland (1938-1945)

Chronological and cartographic references

How did one get to Switzerland?

  • 3 examples taken from our research
  • The 3 main channels

Refoulé or refugee?

Where and how to find the traces of a Jewish refugee in Switzerland?

  • Lists of names

Obtaining a complete nominative file

The holocaust in the shadows: the Belgian case

Alain Blitz is responsible for the first book written directly in Hebrew about the extermination of the Jews in Belgium.

Your place in history : 5 answers to your questions

Whether consciously or not, your family’s history lives in you.

Our customers decided to explore their history. They got many answers to their questions !