1939 Biala-Podlaska Census, card 1446

Translation: Szaja-Wigdor Lejbzon, son of Aron and Sura-Marjem (nee Elencwaig) and Chwalysz Tokar, daughter of Moszko-Hersz and Sprinca (nee Last). Szaja Wigdor, a tokar (turner) was born in Biala-Podlaska on March 20 1892 and Chwalysz was born in Brezesc-on-the-Bug (Brest-Litovsk) in 1891. Both Hebrew, married in Biala-Podlaska in 1932. Children and dates of birth (all born in Biala-Podlaska): Lejb May 25 1915, Jakow March 14 1920, Jehuda January 31 1923, and Wolf June 3 1927. According to the dates, address, and remarks on side 2, Jakow (Jankiel) and Lejb (Lejbko) left the town in 1940, possibly going to Brzesc. It appears that Szaja-Widgor, Chwalysz, Jehuda, and Wolf stayed in town, possibly until September 26 1942 when they were displaced to the nearby town of Miedzyrzecz. In December 1942 the entire family was removed from the register in a decision made by the mayor in October 1942.

Additional information:

-According to a fellow researcher who is familiar with this family, Szaja-Wigdor had gotten on the train with sons Jankiel and Lejbko but at the last minute decided he was too old for the journey east, got off the train, and returned home.

-Jankiel and Lejbko (Leon) survived the war but I do not know the details of their activities during the war. They emigrated to Israel where they both married and had children. My cousin Penina remembers them from when she was young but did not stay in touch with the families.

-Chwalysz, aka Hulke, is the sister of my great-grandmother Jennie Schneider (Sheine Tokar Sznajder)

-The reference that Szaja-Wigdor and Chwalysz married in 1932, after the children were born could mean one of two things: one, they had a religious marriage earlier but did not have a civil (legal) ceremony until 1932 or, two, this is a second marriage for Szaja-Wigdor and the children were all by his first wife.

-According to my cousin Penina, Chwalysz/Hulke's parents did not want her to marry into this family because of their run-ins with the law (horse thieves per a fellow researcher). Suuposedly Hulke was bringing Szaja-Wigdor meals in jail. No confirmation on this but it does add a little spice to the family history.

-Any Jews who survived the transportation to, and time in, Miedzyrzecz were transferred to the Treblinka death camp late in 1942. For more information, see http://www.holocaustresearchproject.org/ghettos/bialapodlaska.html

-Another son Aron was tracked on a separate census card: see http://sharon-genealogy.blogspot.com/2011/03/1939-biala-podlaska-census-card-1445.html
-See census card 1451 for Szaja-Wigdor's mother Sura and sister Estera at http://sharon-genealogy.blogspot.com/2011/03/1939-biala-podlaska-census-card-1551.html

Also see eye witness statement to murders at http://sharon-genealogy.blogspot.com/2011/12/fate-of-lejbzon-family-of-biala.html