Finding my way around

I started off today by walking to the Jewish Historical Institute (without getting lost!). Luckily, most of the people who work there speak English, so it wasn't hard to find where I wanted to go in terms of research. A woman in the archival office showed me how to search a computerized database of people who registered as survivors after the war, and I began searching for all the different names I could remember. Unlike other databases I've searched, where when searching names, similar sounding ones will also appear in the results (Zylberman and Silberman for example), this database only took exact spellings. This made it harder to use, but eventually I found the registration cards for Mama Manya, Rachela Goldstein (Mama Manya's great aunt whom she was with after the war), Zayde, and whom I think is Grandma Esther. I say "I think" because the card matches all of her information (father's name, year of birth, place of birth), and was registered on the same day and in the same place as Zayde's, except that her last name on the card is not Zylberman or Wajner (her maiden name), but Grinberg. I'll have to investigate more into that one. I also found cards for Zayde's cousin in Israel (I think I mentioned her before, but she had posted about Zayde's family on the Yad Vashem database), also a survivor, and members of her family--it turns out that both her parents, a brother, and a sister also survived. Hopefully someone from the family is still alive so that I'll be able to meet them when I visit Israel in a couple of weeks.

After I found these records and went through the exhibit at the Institute, I began walking over to the Warsaw University Library, which I figured would be a nice place to do some further work on my computer. On the way there, I found the Old Town district of the city. It's such a change from the area where I'm staying! It's all old buildings and cobblestone streets, and definitely much more touristy. But off of the main square is another street lined with shops, restaurants, and museums, and it turns out it leads basically right to my apartment. But more on that soon.

When I got to the library, I was amazed at what it looked like! From now on, I might just have to fly to Warsaw every time I need to study. On the outside, the building is a turquoise color and has a series of huge pillars with writing in different languages, and from the roof and the side of the building, there are plants growing in all directions. When you enter the building, you're in a huge hall that looks like a greenhouse with its glass roof, and there are cafes and small stores there. To get inside the actual library part, you climb up a huge set of stairs before entering the main hall, a three-level room with huge windows overlooking gardens planted on the building. I wish I could post a picture but I didn't bring my camera with me today! I'll be back for sure, despite the one (literal) downside of the place--to get there, you have to walk down a huge hill. Meaning, to get back, you have to go up the hill. But it was definitely worth it.

On the way back from the library, I hit the same main street as before with the shops and restaurants, and realized that to get there from my apartment, I just have to walk down another street lined with shops (and closed to cars), and then I'm right there! It's nice to know, especially since I found a nice surprise on this street...a Starbucks! It was a good way to end the day.