Poles to Siberia – Diary of a young girl

This link is to part of a diary written by a female survivor, Danuta, who, with her family, was forced from their home in Poland and taken to Siberia in 1940. This is not a novel. It is a true story. A story of survival.
One of Danuta’s daughters helped put a section of the diary on line. I suggest everyone read it. This is the history seldom talked about, the “Forgotten Holocaust.” It behooves every Pole to know the facts of the atrocities committed against Poland by the Soviets. These would of course, include Katyn.

Danuta ended up in England so some of the wording used may be unfamiliar to those in the U.S. Nevertheless, it doesn’t change the effect this story will have on you.

posted by Debbie

Ancestry.com free access

Ancestry.com announced it is providing free access to the most extensive immigration records collection online through December 31, 2006.

You will need to register at the Ancestry site. On November 9, Ancestry released the most comprehensive collection of US passenger list records from 1820 to 1960. The offer of free access is to mark the expansion of the passenger list collection which
now covers almost all US immigration records. Immigration database additions include Detroit border crossings (1905 to 1957), emigrants from Baden-Wurttemburg (1735 to 1930), more years for the ports of New York and Boston, and more.
To compliment the immigration collection, Ancestry also introduced an interactive site on the immigration experience. The site delves into the details of the immigrant experience, illustrating the story of immigration from start to finish through photos, maps, and oral histories. Users can access the site at www.ellisislandexperience.com

posted by Elaine

Polish Christmas songs

Del recently asked about Polish Christmas songs – kolędy

The Polish Christmas carol or koleda is derived from the Latin word Calendae, meaning “first day of the month”. Polish Christmas carols are almost all anonymous, having been composed by the people. Their origins date from the fourteen century, and many from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. W Zlobie Lezy, believed to have been composed in the fourteenth century, is considered to be the first Polonaise.

The Polish carol has an essentially folk song quality which makes it specifically national. The melodies are characteristically Polish – cheerful, tender, and even humorous – typical of the Polish peasant or mountaineer. The Infant Jesus, poor, homeless, and born in a stable surrounded by the familiar domestic animals, appeals to the hearts and imaginations of all peoples. Koledy are very joyful songs announcing the coming of Christ on earth and through His grace, the rebirth of our souls.

Some of the more popular Christmas carols are: “Jesus, Heaven’s Infant” (Jezus Malusieńki), “To the Town of Bethlehem” (Przybieżeli do Betlejem), “Let Us All Go ” (Pójdźmy Wszyscy), “Rejoice Bethlehem” (Dzisiaj w Betlejem), “God is Born” (Gdy sie Chrystus rodzi), “Midst Quiet Night” (Wsrod Nocnej Ciszy), “Hush-A-Bye Little Jesus” (Lulajże Jezuniu).

Lyrics and more about Polish carols can be found here

Jedwabne tragedy

In the Fall of 1939, Jedwabne (pron: Yedvabneh], a small town with a population of almost 3,000 in northeastern Poland, came under Soviet occupation. The day following the June 22, 1941, German attack on the Soviets Union, Jedwabne came under German occupation. On July 10, 1941, some members of the Polish population of Jedwabne participated in the slaughter of several hundred of the town’s 900 to 1600 Jews. After the war, a number were tried, convicted and served prison terms for having done so…

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