My grandmother's last name was Krolik, is this name Jewish?

Lots of records at the LDS; you can even order online.

Okay, I just heard from one of my cousins. She confirmed that they were definitely Catholic. Told me some stories about what they did before the war. Still don't understand why the split though. How could two sisters hate each other so much??? How could my mom not even acknowledge her existence. I just don't get it. It seems like they had a good family life. I just don't get it.

Didn't the other sister leave any clues either? Truly mysterious. And, I must admit, intriguing.

I just do not get why they want to be Jewish so hard are they thinking about reconsolidation?

Well, little by little is coming out. My aunt didn't like my mom. Trying to figure out why. Maybe if we get more information, some of the mystery will get cleared up. I hope so. I hope they had a really good reason, but honestly, they should have just got over it. They were sisters for gosh sakes. Sometimes my older sister and I clash like a set of drums, but we always make up. I have just learned to forgive her, and accept her for who she is, as I hope she done the same for me. I just found my cousins last Tuesday on Feb 11th. I have connected with 2 of them but not the third yet. it will be interesting to hear what they all say. I think it's more than just another woman that my grandfather liked, after his own wife died. My mom wasn't that petty, trust me. What is cool, is that I see much of my grandfather in me. He was very outgoing and gregarious, which is how I am. My mom was like that too. My grand dad and I liked to do the same things too, and we are both good at it. Gosh, I sure wish I had got to meet him. I really do. Even if it was for just one time.

We are not wanting to be Jewish, we were wondering about it. We had heard different things, and were confused. But, my cousin just sent me an email, and she highly doubts any Jewish blood in us. Her mom at least talked about her life before the war. My mom told stories, but now, I am wondering if most of those were made up or what. Why she would do that even many years after the war, I have no clue. This is what I am trying to find out. Why the deception???? It makes no sense and yes, it is very intriguing, and yes, I plan to get to the bottom of this.

Let it go, darling, let it go. You are who you are now. Focus on that!

I don't want to let it go. I want to know why we were cheated out knowing our family. That's important to me. It's really important, and I want some answers. I won't stop till get them. Please respect that. This is my family, and my quest.

If you really want to find the truth, you'd do better to not assume you already know the truth and then look at facts in ways which support what you think, for example your theory that the split was because somebody was secretly Jewish.

And you need to understand that there is a very good chance that you'll find something unsavoury; more than a few researchers have discovered that the parent they thought was a hero was actually a collaborating piece of sh¡t (note that that I'm not saying that that is what you will find).

Okay, one I now know that we were not Jewish, after reaching out to my cousin. Our theory about being Jewish, was just a theory, was simply theory that were exploring. Secondly, whatever answers we do find, no matter how unsavory, I still look at my family as heroes. You don't win the highest awards(Virtuti) for doing unsavory acts though. My mother led the Krybar unit during the Uprising. She was awarded this medal because of her courage, her leadership skills, and how she dealt with people. She was only 20 years old. How many 20 year olds do you know today that can do that???? Not many. She was a nurse, and officer (sergeant), and a messenger. She survived 3, yes 3, death camps. She was an incredible mother. So, my friend, I hardly see anything unsavory about that. I really do. My mother will always be my hero, and she fought tooth and nail for Poland. My grandfather was a career army officer who fought in both world wars and was decorated with not only the Virtuti, but with also other medals from other countries. Hardly anything unsavory about that. He was apparently a pretty dashing guy, who loved his kids, and did things with them. Hardly anything unsavory about that either. I have no theories at this point. Just complete confusion.

Of course you don't, but winning the Virtuti Militari doesn't preclude one from committing highly unsavoury actions. A prime example is Waclaw Stykowski: he won the VM for his actions during the Warsaw Uprising but was also reported by an AK Captain for commanding an AK unit in the Warsaw Uprising which murdered at least 23 Jews.


Sorry but that's impossible: very simply there were not three death camps still in operation when the Warsaw Uprising ended (or even when it started), there were only two (Auschwitz-Birkenau and Chelmno).

We have proof that she was in three camps. One of them Bergen Belsen and Oberlangen Stalag VI was another one. Also, I don't think it was either my mom, my aunt, or my grandad that was the problem. It was my grandmother. Stuff that my cousin told me, plus some stuff that my dad also confirmed, makes me wonder about my grandmother. Trust me, I knew my mom well. She would be the last person on earth to be unsavory. She was the kind of person who would give the shirt off her own back. She was an incredibly giving, loving, compassionate human being. Heck, when my older sister started all this research, and she was in the library of the Uprising Museum, after she identified herself from seeing all these old photos of my mom, people would tell her how amazing my mom was, what she did for so many. They said she was known as "the heart and soul of Poland". Look up her name if you want. It 's Maria Przytula. Her code name was Marysia or Marina Woronieckia. She was an amazing woman, throughout her whole entire life. Nothing you say will ever make me think less of her. I just don't know why she never told us about her sister. It seems very strange to us. It was just so unlike her. We are all very baffled.

Oberlangen Stalag VI was a POW camp, not a concentration camp.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stalag_VI-C

Yes, I know that. But, she was also in Bergen Belsen, and one other, which was a concentration camp. It starts with an S, but can't remember the name now. My sister just told tonight. We just got off the phone, after having a really long conversation about my mom. We both agree that for whatever reason my mom denied her sister, it must have been very profound and deep. It wouldn't be for anything casual. My mom wasn't like that. She was a smart, savvy woman, who highly trained. She had a big heart, and compassion like you wouldn't believe. She was a survivor, and she helped others survive, even when they wanted to give it all up. I've heard incredible stories that my sister found, while researching her in the Uprising Museum. I knew her as my mom though. She was funny as hell, a great listener, humble, yet proud, and would give you her shirt off her back. She always fought for the underdog. I remember how happy she was when Lech Walensa came on the seen. She had a HUGE Solidnorsc poster, and how proud she was of Poland was becoming. She died right before the Wall came done, maybe a month or so. I like to believe she helped bring that Wall down from up in Heaven. You see, I adore my mom. She will always be my hero. Always. She went through a lot in her life. Not just the war, but afterwards too. And she survived, always with a smile on her face. I miss her so much, I can't even begin to tell you. I just hope one day we will find out the real reason why our family split. Honestly, I wish she would come to me in a dream, and tell me, but I know that is just fantasy. We will find out though.

Oberlangen Stalag VI was a POW camp, not a death camp. Bergen Belsen was also not a death camp, it was a concentration camp; by the standards of Nazi concentration camps, living conditions there were fairly 'good'.


The only death camp which started with the letter S was Sobibor. It closed before the Warsaw Uprising and all of the survivors were Jews.


If she'd wanted you to know, she'd have told you. You should respect her right to privacy.

Regardless of what they were, they were all pretty awful. Many people died, and the fact that she survived three of them, I will get the name of the third one, but I think it is the one that you mentioned, is pretty damn amazing. It was a testament to her strength and character. She suffered a lot in those camps. A lot. She also encouraged to carry on. In Oberlangen, even though they were supposed to be following the Geneva Convention rules, they weren't, and I remember my mom telling me how thin she was, and boils she had all over body. So, for that alone, and the fact that she kept up a positive attitude, and help others with that attitude, is pretty darn amazing. As for the secret, it's important for us to know. I think even though our mom is dead, she wants to know. The fact that my sister found out all this info, and the fact that we found our cousins, none of that was an accident. I do believe she wants us to know. So, at some point, when the stars want to us to know more we will. We are finding out stuff all the time. In fact, yesterday my sister just told me that her guide in Poland had information on how our uncle died. This was my mom's younger brother. Also, what unit he belonged to, and other information. Maybe even a picture. My mom wants us to know. We have been searching for years, and know it's time to let go of whatever the big family secret was. In the long run, the secret affects us all somehow, and not in a positive way. So, as a loving mother, I think she wants to resolve that. She may have just not had the courage to reveal it. Maybe she wanted to tell us, but didn't know how to tell us, and then figured what was the point. But there was a point, and somehow, eventually we will find the answer.

If your mother survived Sobibor, she is Jewish: the names of all the survivors of Sobibor are known and all of them were Jewish.


She chose not to tell you: you should have enough respect for your mother to respect her decision.

Harry, we are finding out stuff for a reason. I sincerely believe that. It is all coming out now. We never even dreamed any of this would even happen, so I do think somehow she wants us to know. Maybe it was too painful for her to tell us when she was alive, but now, many years after her death, things are coming out. It's not a matter of respect, or no respect....I totally respect my mom, but I do believe she wants us to know. Whatever it is. I will call my sister now, and ask her the name of the camp, and get back with you.

How can we get the list of who survived?? Would it be on the web?

Here you go: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_survivors_of_Sobibor

As I said, they are all Jewish. Not that that is a surprise, as one of the SS commandants of Sobibor extermination camp confirmed when interviewed after the war by a Sobibot survivor (sobibor.info/confrontation.html), only Jews were murdered at Sobibor.

Maybe she meant concentration camp, not death camp - as is the case with Bergen-Belsen. In this case, there were two starting with "S" located in or near wartime Poland: Stutthof and Soldau.

Stuthoff that was the one. I remember it was a German sounding name. That sounds right. Was that all Jewish too, or did it have a mixture of everyone? Was it also a concentration camp?

Królik? Doesn't that just mean rabbit in Polish? lol...

Yeah, Stutthof was a concentration camp, according to what I read its population was mixed, with the two most numerous groups of prisoners being Jews and Poles. This was also apparently the camp with the biggest female population of prisoners.

Interesting. Thanks for that info. I don't know how people survived the way they did, and then carried on in the rest of their lives to do incredible works. Adversary makes you tough I guess. The scars they must have all bore.......no wonder not much was said. I don't know if we will ever get the full story of why my mom split with her family. I think some information will come out, but I wonder if we will ever get the full story. It's sad for all around. I am still going to get tested to see if I have any of the Ashkanzie markers, just to rule out. I don't expect I do, but one never knows.

If your mother was a fighter in the AK she was not likely to be Jewish. I've heard there were some Jews in the Ak but not many and certainly not many women. Nothing in your story points toward a Jewish background.

good to know. Yes, she was in the AK. The only thing is this, her mom could have assimilated herself so well, in terms of changing her name, shortening it etc, going to church......we don't know. I think you are most likely right in your thoughts, however, just to rule out, I am going to take the genetics test. But, I so appreciate your words. Thank you. BTW, my sister just told me the name of the 3rd concentration camp my mom was at. It was Sandbostel. Does anyone know about this camp???

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stalag_X-B

as always, Google is your friend

Wow, thanks for that info. It sounds like a really horrible place. I cringed when I read about it. Whew.........

lol.. KROLIK in russian or polish language means RABBIT xdddd

Thats google translate mistake. Królik means rabbit