The 1939 Jewish Census of Biała Podlaska, Poland

Project to index genealogical collections at the Jewish Historical Institute, Warsaw in cooperation with The Jewish Genealogical Society, Inc. (New York)

The 1939 census of Biała Podlaska is a unique snapshot of a Jewish population of a Polish town at a very crucial time in history. Through it, we can learn the names of each member of every family at that time.

This census lets us know their connections to their antecedents who lived in the 19th century – and whose births, marriages and deaths can be researched in the 1826 to 1902 indices of Biała Podlaska vital records searchable online on the JRI-Poland database.

The census was handwritten on approximately two-sided highly detailed cards, 21 cm x 19 cm. Each of the 2800 cards contains a wealth of genealogical information for a researcher with a connection to the individual and family. Some cards include Property, Other Identification, or Changes of Status. Cards contain notations up to 1942 and one card states: “in 1947 in Tel Aviv”.

Front and back of a sample census card

Because of 100-year Polish privacy laws, the JRI-Poland on-line index only contains the basic information for each individual.

Surname and Town Lists

Click here for a list of 1844 SURNAMES extracted from the 1939 Census of Biała Podlaska.

Click here for a list of approximately 400 towns and villages mentioned in the 1939 Census of Biała Podlaska. These are places of birth, former residences or “moved to” locations of individuals listed in the Census.

For further information, please contact the Town Leader from the Biała Podlaska Town Page.

How to Obtain Copies of Records

Digitized copies of your family’s 1939 Biała Podlaska census cards can be obtained by visiting the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s website.

The 1939 Biała Podlaska census cards are in the Registration cards of the Jews from Biała Podlaska displaced to Mie̜dzyrzecz Podlaski collection. Search by name and other criteria here. Upon locating the desired record, click on the “Document Request Form” link to request an email that will contains a link to view and save the record. After you submit the Document Request Form, the link(s) to the requested document will be instantly sent to the email address you entered on the Document Request Form. A Screenshot depicting the first step follows below.