[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Hidden holocaust and implementation of collective farming; Famines, and Immigration Law

[Nancy Gertner]

Thank you.

I purchased a used book for my nephew that was home schooled.

It had a photo in it of two young men 'implementing' collective  
farming with two old women, sisters, about 100 years old.

I think the peasant sisters had no teeth, and no smiles.

The young men wore uniforms and smiles as they imposed the new policy  
upon the women that had spent their lives working in agriculture.

Yes, a picture can be worth 1,000 words.

The paragraphs from Lonely Planet were good also.

My immigrant ancestors who came to USA in 1876 were in contact with  
siblings back in Russia until around 1916.

A County History book published then named the siblings and provided  
some info, like the fact that one was in the Russian Army.

In 1918 or 1919, the US deported several hundred or thousand people  
and sent them back to Russia.  After the Russian Revolution,  
immigrants from Russia were under suspicion of being dissidents.

Immigrants from Germany were suspected of being German sympathizers  
during WWII.

My German Russian ancestors probably discontinued communication with  
family in the old country to be obedient to their new country and  
avoid deportation or suspicion of dissidence.

In 1924, new USA immigration laws greatly restricted the number of  
immigrants coming from Eastern Europe, and people leaving Russia went  
to Canada where they were welcomed.

EWZ records from the 1940s show that at least one Gartner from the  
Grunau area survived the famine and the implementation of collective  
farming.

I've been unable to determine if he survived WWII, or make contact  
with any others that were descended from those family members 'left  
behind.'

Nancy Gertner
Minneapolis, Minnesota USA


On May 5, 2008, at 1:21 AM, Dr. Frank Stewner wrote:

> I forgot to mention a link to art connected to that event:
>
> http://www.artukraine.com/famineart/famine10.htm
>
> Frank Stewner
>