By Dr. Melamed
Collection Overview
Title: Jewish Courts of Honor, Central Committee of Liberated Jews in Germany, 1945-1949
Predominant Dates:1945 --1948
ID: RG-01.16/RG-01.16
Creator: Legal Department of the Central Committee of Liberated Jews in the US Zone of Occupation in Germany
Extent: 2.0 Boxes
Languages: Yiddish [yid], Polish [pol], German [ger]
Abstract
Jewish courts of honor, a postwar phenomenon, an institution established to serve justice in regard to Jewish collaborators with the Nazi-German regime in the occupied territories. In many instances, Jewish functionaries of Jewish Councils (Judenraete) took advantage of the position in control over Jewish population in ghettos. They facilitated arrests of Jewish resistance, promoted deportations, enriched by using corrupt schemes of money laundering and black market economy. They allied themselves with corrupt German officials for the sake of personal well-being and enrichment. In Nazi-German concentration camps corrupt Jewish functionaries devotedly served to German administration, treated fellow prisoners with cruelty and promoted bribery and denunciation.
Survived the war, these Jewish functionaries made their way to displaced person camps in Germany, positing themselves as victims of Nazi-German regime. Judicial Department of the Central Committee of the Liberated Jews in Germany collected evidential base against a number of alleged Jewish collaborators.
Scope and Contents of the Materials
This Collections contains documents related to litigation in the matter of Jewish collaborators with the Nazi-German regime, that is, the notes and preparatory papers of defense, deposition and organizational nature.
This Collection also comprises materials in regard to Central Committee of Liberated Jews in Germany routine activities, namely easing the process of obtaining personal documents from the Polish consulates in Germany.
Biographical Note
The Legal Department of the Central Committee of Liberated Jews focused on establishing a dialogue with the new Polish authorities, in order to resolve the following issues:
1. Restoration of ownership of the Jewish estates remaining in Poland. Enabling the processes of succession.
2. Arguing about the fixed fees for the claim process that shall not be corollary of of the property value.
3. Prolonging the deadline for submitting claims for the war damages.
4. Easing the issuance of the duplicates from the prewar wedding acts and birth certificates. To ease this process, it was proposed that the testimonies of two witnesses would suffice as a proof. Having the testimonies of two witnesses, the Legal Department of the Central Committee of Liberated Jews in Germany may officially reinstate the prewar Polish certificate attaching the stamp of their own. This provisional document would be regarded sufficient for the Office of Civil Status in Poland. This Office would eventually issue and deliver a proper document to the Central Committee in Germany.
5. The Central Committee discussed numerous complaints submitted by the Polish citizens in German about understaffed Polish Consulates in Germany resultant in inefficient business.
6. The Central discussed difficulties of re-issuance of Polish passports to the Polish citizens. It was requested to ease this process on the part of the Polish Consulate in Frankfurt. The Central Committee pointed out that the Polish Consulate requires submitting of 17 supporting documents in order to obtain a new Polish passport.
Box and Folder Listing
- Document/Artifact of Item-Level 1: RG-01.16.01, Memorandum, Central Committee of Liberated Jews in the US zone in Germany, part 1


- The Central Committee of Liberated Jews in Germany, Judicial Department, A Memorandum to Estera Epstein (Anna Przeworska Pratt) atorney.
- Subject/Index Terms:
-
Estera Epstein, Polish-educated lawyer, working for the Legal Department, Court of Honor, postwar
-
Central Committee of Liberated Jews in the US Occupation Zone of Germany
-
Legal (Judicial) Department, Central Committee of Liberated Jews in Germany, Estera Epstein
-
Legal Department of the Central Committee of Liberated Jews in Germany
-
Judicial (legal) Department of the Central Committee of Liberated Jews in Germany, correspondences
-
Documents in Yiddish language
-
narratives in Yiddish
-
Central Committee of Liberated Jews in Germany, US zone of occupation, discourse and activity
- Creators:
-
Legal Department of the Central Committee of Liberated Jews in the US Zone of Occupation in Germany
-
Central Committee of Liberated Jews in the US zone of occupation in Germany (1945 -- 1952)
- Document/Artifact of Item-Level 2: RG-01.16.01, Memorandum, Central Committee of Liberated Jews in the US zone in Germany, Part 2


- Judicial (Legal) Department, Central Committee of the Liberated Jews in Germany, US zone of occupation, Memorandum to Estera Epstein (Anna Przeworska Pratt), atorney
- Subject/Index Terms:
-
Estera Epstein, Polish-educated lawyer, working for the Legal Department, Court of Honor, postwar
-
Central Committee of Liberated Jews in Germany, US zone of occupation, discourse and activity
-
Legal (Judicial) Department, Central Committee of Liberated Jews in Germany, Estera Epstein
-
Legal Department of the Central Committee of Liberated Jews in Germany
-
Judicial (legal) Department of the Central Committee of Liberated Jews in Germany, correspondences
-
Documents in Yiddish language
-
narratives in Yiddish
- Creators:
-
Legal Department of the Central Committee of Liberated Jews in the US Zone of Occupation in Germany
-
Central Committee of Liberated Jews in the US zone of occupation in Germany (1945 -- 1952)
- Document/Artifact of Item-Level 3: RG-01.16.02, Conference notes taken on a Polish military mission, Berlin, September 1947, Part 1


- A conference between officials of the Central Committee of Liberated Jews in Germany and officials of the Polish military mission in Berlin in the matter of easing the process of issuing identification documents for Polish citizens in Germany, September 1947
- Subject/Index Terms:
-
Central Committee of Liberated Jews in Germany, US zone of occupation, discourse and activity
-
Central Committee of Liberated Jews in the US Occupation Zone of Germany
-
Judicial (legal) Department of the Central Committee of Liberated Jews in Germany, correspondences
-
Legal (Judicial) Department, Central Committee of Liberated Jews in Germany, Estera Epstein
-
Polish consulates in Germany, postwar
-
Polish military mission in Berlin, postwar, 1947
-
Unknown author of conference notes taken on a Polish military mission, Berlin, September 1947
-
Estera Epstein (Anna Przeworska Pratt), Judicial Department, Central Committee, work activity
-
Aleksander Celniker, Central Jewish Committee of Liberated Jews in Germany, work activity
-
Henryk Goldring, Central Committee of Liberated Jews in Germany, work activity
-
Stanislaw Gebert. Lieutenant-Colonel, Polish military mission, Berlin, postwar Germany
-
Displaced population in postwar Germany
-
Polish-Jewish displaced population in postwar Germany
-
Issuance and restoration of civil status and property related documents to displaced persons
-
Documents in Polish language
-
Narratives in Polish language
- Creators:
-
Legal Department of the Central Committee of Liberated Jews in the US Zone of Occupation in Germany
-
Estera Epstein (Anna Przeworski Pratt) Polish-Jewish lawyer the former prisoner of camps and ghettoi
- Document/Artifact of Item-Level 4: RG-01.16.02, Conference notes taken on a Polish military mission, Berlin, September 1947, Part 2


- A conference between officials of the Central Committee of Liberated Jews in Germany and officials of the Polish military mission in Berlin in the matter of easing the process of issuing identification documents for Polish citizens in Germany, September 1947
- Subject/Index Terms:
-
Central Committee of Liberated Jews in Germany, US zone of occupation, discourse and activity
-
Central Committee of Liberated Jews in the US Occupation Zone of Germany
-
Judicial (legal) Department of the Central Committee of Liberated Jews in Germany, correspondences
-
Legal (Judicial) Department, Central Committee of Liberated Jews in Germany, Estera Epstein
-
Polish consulates in Germany, postwar
-
Polish military mission in Berlin, postwar, 1947
-
Unknown author of conference notes taken on a Polish military mission, Berlin, September 1947
-
Estera Epstein (Anna Przeworska Pratt), Judicial Department, Central Committee, work activity
-
Aleksander Celniker, Central Jewish Committee of Liberated Jews in Germany, work activity
-
Henryk Goldring, Central Committee of Liberated Jews in Germany, work activity
-
Stanislaw Gebert. Lieutenant-Colonel, Polish military mission, Berlin, postwar Germany
-
Displaced population in postwar Germany
-
Polish-Jewish displaced population in postwar Germany
-
Issuance and restoration of civil status and property related documents to displaced persons
-
Documents in Polish language
-
Narratives in Polish language
- Creators:
-
Legal Department of the Central Committee of Liberated Jews in the US Zone of Occupation in Germany
-
Estera Epstein (Anna Przeworski Pratt) Polish-Jewish lawyer the former prisoner of camps and ghettoi
- Document/Artifact of Item-Level 5: RG-01.16.02, Conference notes taken on a Polish military mission, Berlin, September 1947, Part 3


- A conference between officials of the Central Committee of Liberated Jews in Germany and officials of the Polish military mission in Berlin in the matter of easing the process of issuing identification documents for Polish citizens in Germany, September 1947
- Subject/Index Terms:
-
Central Committee of Liberated Jews in Germany, US zone of occupation, discourse and activity
-
Central Committee of Liberated Jews in the US Occupation Zone of Germany
-
Judicial (legal) Department of the Central Committee of Liberated Jews in Germany, correspondences
-
Legal (Judicial) Department, Central Committee of Liberated Jews in Germany, Estera Epstein
-
Polish consulates in Germany, postwar
-
Polish military mission in Berlin, postwar, 1947
-
Unknown author of conference notes taken on a Polish military mission, Berlin, September 1947
-
Estera Epstein (Anna Przeworska Pratt), Judicial Department, Central Committee, work activity
-
Aleksander Celniker, Central Jewish Committee of Liberated Jews in Germany, work activity
-
Henryk Goldring, Central Committee of Liberated Jews in Germany, work activity
-
Stanislaw Gebert. Lieutenant-Colonel, Polish military mission, Berlin, postwar Germany
-
Displaced population in postwar Germany
-
Polish-Jewish displaced population in postwar Germany
-
Issuance and restoration of civil status and property related documents to displaced persons
-
Documents in Polish language
-
Narratives in Polish language
- Creators:
-
Legal Department of the Central Committee of Liberated Jews in the US Zone of Occupation in Germany
-
Estera Epstein (Anna Przeworski Pratt) Polish-Jewish lawyer the former prisoner of camps and ghettoi
- Document/Artifact of Item-Level 6: RG-01.16.02, Conference notes taken on a Polish military mission, Berlin, September 1947, Part 4


- A conference between officials of the Central Committee of Liberated Jews in Germany and officials of the Polish military mission in Berlin in the matter of easing the process of issuing identification documents for Polish citizens in Germany, September 1947
- Subject/Index Terms:
-
Central Committee of Liberated Jews in Germany, US zone of occupation, discourse and activity
-
Central Committee of Liberated Jews in the US Occupation Zone of Germany
-
Judicial (legal) Department of the Central Committee of Liberated Jews in Germany, correspondences
-
Legal (Judicial) Department, Central Committee of Liberated Jews in Germany, Estera Epstein
-
Polish consulates in Germany, postwar
-
Polish military mission in Berlin, postwar, 1947
-
Unknown author of conference notes taken on a Polish military mission, Berlin, September 1947
-
Estera Epstein (Anna Przeworska Pratt), Judicial Department, Central Committee, work activity
-
Aleksander Celniker, Central Jewish Committee of Liberated Jews in Germany, work activity
-
Henryk Goldring, Central Committee of Liberated Jews in Germany, work activity
-
Stanislaw Gebert. Lieutenant-Colonel, Polish military mission, Berlin, postwar Germany
-
Displaced population in postwar Germany
-
Polish-Jewish displaced population in postwar Germany
-
Issuance and restoration of civil status and property related documents to displaced persons
-
Documents in Polish language
-
Narratives in Polish language
- Creators:
-
Legal Department of the Central Committee of Liberated Jews in the US Zone of Occupation in Germany
-
Estera Epstein (Anna Przeworski Pratt) Polish-Jewish lawyer the former prisoner of camps and ghettoi
- Document/Artifact of Item-Level 7: RG-01.16.03, Letter to the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs , October 1947

- Letter on behalf of the Central Committee of Liberated Jews in Poland to the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in regard to the regulations and adjustments in the process of retrieving property in Poland
- Subject/Index Terms:
-
Central Committee of Liberated Jews in Germany, US zone of occupation, discourse and activity
-
Central Committee of Liberated Jews in the US zone of occupation in Germany, activities
-
Judicial (legal) Department of the Central Committee of Liberated Jews in Germany, correspondences
-
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Poland
-
Recovery of property, postwar Poland
-
Documents in Polish language
-
Narratives in Polish language
-
Aleksander Celniker, Central Jewish Committee of Liberated Jews in Germany, work activity
-
P. Piekacz, President of Central Committee of Liberated Jews in Germany, US zone of occupation
-
W. Friedheim, attorney, Chairman of Federation of Jews from Poland, postwar Germany
-
M. Verestandig, Director of Legal Department of the Federation of Jews from Poland, postwar Germany
-
Questions of property restitutions, postwar Poland
-
Reinstatement of Polish passports for Polish citizens in postwar Germany
-
Polish consular outposts, postwar Germany
- Creators:
-
Legal Department of the Central Committee of Liberated Jews in the US Zone of Occupation in Germany