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Georg Wiener Collection

 Collection
Identifier: AR 4275 / MF 1023

Scope and Content Note

The collection comprises 10 folders containing the original Georg Wiener collection at the beginning, followed by the collection formerly entitled “Oppeln Jewish Community”. The contents are divided into manuscripts, correspondence and community registers. Correspondence folders are arranged alphabetically. Manuscripts are arranged chronologically, where applicable.

The manuscripts contain very detailed and comprehensive information regarding the history of the Oppeln Jewish community. Most of the shorter ones are handwritten in old German script, the longer ones are typed. Sometimes there are drafts. The first folder of the collection holds manuscripts that cover Oppeln Jewish history or general Jewish history and are ordered according to Wiener's own numbering. A cover sheet with a detailed list of contents is in the folder of manuscripts.

The correspondence folders include letters between former members of the Oppeln community (post-war) or descendents of members searching for community records (1930s). These will be useful for individuals doing genealogy research as they often contain detailed information regarding a specific family. One letter to Wiener’s brother contains a partial family tree.

There are several folders containing typed copies of the Oppeln and Krappitz Jewish community registers. These charts contain dates for births, marriages and deaths of community members from the late 1700s to the mid/late 1800s. Wiener typed them up from the originals in the mid 1930s. They will be very useful for individuals who know their ancestors are from Oppeln or the surrounding area.

There is also a photo of the Oppeln synagogue burning on Kristallnacht and a postcard of the synagogue, from the early 20th century (folder 10).

Dates

  • Creation: 1933-1957
  • Creation: Majority of material found within 1930s

Creator

Language of Materials

The collection is in German.

Access Restrictions

Open to researchers.

Collection is digitized.

Access Information

Readers may access the collection by visiting the Lillian Goldman Reading Room at the Center for Jewish History. We recommend reserving the collection in advance; please visit the LBI Online Catalog and click on the "Request" button.

Use Restrictions

There may be some restrictions on the use of the collection. For more information, contact:

Leo Baeck Institute, Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011

email: lbaeck@lbi.cjh.org

Biographical Note

The collection does not contain any precise biographical information regarding Georg Wiener. It may be assumed he was born in the late 19th century. Whether he was related to the Oppeln reformist Rabbi Adolph Wiener (1811-1895) is unclear, but possible. He does write about being descended from Menachem Man, high Rabbi of Vienna at the time of the expulsion of 1670, and Rabbi Itzchak Hakadosch (the former’s son-in-law), martyred in Krakow in prior to that. Wiener was very active in the Oppeln Jewish community, writing articles for the newspaper on community history and actively researching questions of genealogy for members of the community and/or their descendents. He escaped at some point in time during the Second World War to Bolivia. The means and date of escape, date of birth and death are all unknown or in any case, not to be found in the collection.

Extent

0.25 Linear Feet

Abstract

Georg Wiener lived in Oppeln, Upper Silesia (today Opele, Poland) in the 1930s and was a passionate genealogist with an extraordinary amount of knowledge relating to the history of the Jewish community of Oppeln and the surrounding villages, including regarding important personalities originating from the town. The collection includes long and short manuscripts on Oppeln Jewish community history, correspondence between Oppeln community members or their descendents regarding genealogy questions and typed copies of the Jewish community registers for Oppeln and Krappitz including dates of marriages, births, deaths and other events impacting the community. The collection will be of great use to those researching ancestors from Oppeln or the surrounding villages.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in one single Series of 10 folders.

Other Finding Aid

Also available is a list of all original manuscripts in the Georg Wiener Collection.

Microfilm

Collection is available on 1 reel of microfilm (MF 1023).

Separated Material

Photographs have been removed to the LBI Photo Collection.

Processing Information

The collection was formerly two collections, one the Georg Wiener Collection (1 folder, AR 4275) and the other the Oppeln Jewish Community Collection (AR 810). In October 2009 the two collections were merged into one (AR 4275). The original Georg Wiener collection can be found in the folders entitled "Original Collection: […]." The documents were rearranged, correspondence was alphabetized and the manuscripts put into page order.

Title
Guide to the Papers of Georg Wiener 1933-1957 AR 4275 / MF 1023
Status
Completed
Author
Processed by Julie Dawson
Date
© 2009
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Description is in English.
Edition statement
This version was derived from GeorgWiener.xml

Revision Statements

  • September 2010:: Links to digital objects added in Container List.
  • 2010-09-20 : encoding of linking to digital objects from finding aid was changed from <extref> to <dao> through dao_conv.xsl

Repository Details

Part of the Leo Baeck Institute Repository

Contact:
15 West 16th Street
New York NY 10011 United States