Position:Home>Genealogy> I just found out i'm Jewish and German..no kidding !!?
Question: I just found out i'm Jewish and German!.!.no kidding !!!?
I did some research in my family, since everyone seemed to act hush hush, and I found out my Mother was half Jewish and half German!. How can I learn more about who my ancestors were, the ones everyone lied about!? Everyone says they dont know anything like names, birthplaces, surnames, etc!.!.!. I only know their last names were Hayes and Steese!. I cant seem to find ANYTHING on Steese!. Hayes was the jewish one, I was told my grandfather was denied a burial by the catholic church hre, because they knew he was Jewish, and it was confirmed for sure by another family member!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
Before the Nazis rose to power, the German Jews were regarded by other European Jews as the most fortunate Jews in Europe!. So there has not always been conflict between German Jews and non Jews who were German!. Jewish men proudly fought for their kaiser in WWI!.
Jews do not agree on what is a Jew!. Reform Judaism defines a Jew as someone of the Jewish faith!.
Orthodox and Conservative Judaism defines a Jew by the mother only, not the father or even the faith of the individual!. They state they get the nation from the mother and the tribe from the father!. If they don't have a Jewish father, they belong to the tribe of the nearest male relative on the mother's side of the family!. If they don't have a Jewish mother, they aren't considered Jewish at all by Orthodox and Conservative Judaism!.
Most of the Jews in Germany were Reform Jews while those of Eastern Europe were Orthodox before the Holocaust!.
I would not imagine that your grandfather's family would have wanted him to have a Catholic burial!. also, if he became Catholic, even though he would still have been considered Jewish by Orthodox and Conservative Judaism, I don't believe the Catholic Church would have denied him burial!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
Understand history!.!.
if your family lived in Germany during WW2!.!. the info was changed for their literal survival!. For many of those persons!.!. the applicable records may well have been destroyed!.
From strictly genealogical terms!.!. you don't need to waste time on looking for a surname!. You MUST work with explicit records for a person!.
http://www!.cyndislist!.com/
this is one of the best sites out there!.!. including the beginner section!.
At the point where you have some solid records to work with, you might have a better chance!. Many Jewish organizations are out there with the goal of reconnecting Holocaust survivors or families with whichever records may have survived!.
But please, don't waste energy looking for a surname!. Www@QuestionHome@Com
There were a LOT of Jews in Germany!. In fact, thousands of Jews murdered by the Nazis were decorated war heroes from WWI!. As far as your grandfather not being allowed to be buried in a Catholic cemetery, If he was a Catholic, whether born or converted, he could be buried there under Catholic rules!. If this was during the time of Nazi control though, he might not have been allowed!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
Jewish is religion and German is geographic so there's not half anything!. There were millions of German Jews before the Holocaust!. But for more information about genealogy go to
Ancestry!.com
Genealogy!.com Www@QuestionHome@Com
You can post your grandparents' names here and someone will come along and look them up for you!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
I agree, Jewish is a religion!. Your parents can both be of German descent, and still be Jewish!. If your mother is half "Jewish" and half German, where were the "Jewish" side born!? That would be the other half of her heritage!.
THe only thing I could find on the surname STEES, which is how I've seen it spelled, is that it's Dutch, but there's no more information!.
There was a Charles STEES living with my ancestors at Hampton Court Palace in 1861!. Don't get excited though; my relatives were the BOURNE family, and were working as servants within the grounds!. I don't know if there's a link with your family and this STEES family, but you never know -
Charles W STEES, head of the house, widowed, aged 77, his occupation is listed as having been a judge in the Indian Civil ______ (possibly a court), he was born in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England!. His daughter, Eliza JACKSON (I assume she was married), was also there!. She was 33 years old and born in India (doesn't mean she was Indian, but as her father was working there, like many Brits, they would have emigrated), as well as her son Alexander E JACKSON, aged 7, born Marylebone, MIddlesex!.
You should be able to find them on Ancestry!. I don't have any more info on them, since they're not related to me; they were just living with my relatives!.Www@QuestionHome@Com