Hundreds of families contact WJR after digitisation of family records

Hundreds of Jewish families across the world have contacted a Jewish charity based in London following the digitisation of family members’ records, charting how Jews left Europe for Britain before the Holocaust. 

World Jewish Relief (WJR) launched the open-access project last month, letting people learn more about family members’ journeys, when it made the personal records of more than 40,000 Jews who arrived in the UK before and after the Second World War publicly available for the first time.

WJR volunteer Debbie Cantor, who leads a team of five and whose grandparents’ records were included in the archive, said: “We’ve had over 350 requests [for information] since the Jewish News article – a huge number!” 

She added: “Each file contains a story and a personal family history. I love hearing back from family member who requested the files. They are genuinely grateful and often tell us they’ve learned something they didn’t know before.”

For those interested in following-up, fill in your details on the World Jewish Relief website www.worldjewishrelief.org/archives or call the Archive volunteers on 0208 736 1250.