Elizabeth Mundlak collection

The collection consists of photographs and documents regarding the Holocaust-era experiences of Dora Juress-Mundlak and her husband Majer (Mielek) Mundlak, both originally of Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki, Poland. Photographs depict the pre-ware lives of the Juress and Mundlak families in Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki, including Majer with his first wife and their child, Majer in his Polish military uniform, members of the Juress family, and a pre-war postcard of Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki. Documents include forged identity cards for Dora and Majer under the respective false names of Janina Janiszewski and Karol Janiszewski, 1942; a forged identity document for Karol Janiszewski, 1938; and a post-war identity document issued to Dora in 1946. Majer (Mielek) and Dora (née Juress) Mundlak married in Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki in 1934. Both had previously lived there among their extended families. Dora had several siblings and her father was the proprietor of a local photo house in the city. Majer, a clock maker, had been previously married with a child. In 1937 the couple welcomed a son, Alexander. Life for the family grew difficult following the German invasion of Poland under the growing hardships of occupation. In 1940 Dora, Majer, and their son were deported from Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki to the recently established Warsaw ghetto. For three years the Mundlak family endured harsh ghetto conditions and avoided round-ups and deportations. In February 1943, Majer and Dora fled the ghetto with their son and lived as non-Jews under the false identities of Karol and Janina Janiszewski. They also received assistance from various non-Jewish families. They remained under their false identities until liberation by the Soviet Red Army on 17 January 1945. They were the only members of their immediate family to survive the Holocaust. After the war the family immigrated to Venezuela. Majer, Dora, and Alexander remained in hiding in Warsaw through the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and the final liquidation of the ghetto. Majer, Dora, and Alexander were ultimately liberated on January 17, 1945 with the arrival of Soviet forces. They were the only members of their immediate families to survive the Holocaust. After the war the family fled west and eventually settled in Venezuela. Majer (Mielek) and Dora (née Juress) Mundlak married in Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki in 1934. Both had previously lived there among their extended families. Dora had several siblings and her father was the proprietor of a local photo house in the city. Majer, a clock maker, had been previously married with a child. In 1937 the couple welcomed a son, Alexander. Life for the family grew difficult following the German invasion of Poland under the growing hardships of occupation. In 1940 Dora, Majer, and their son were deported from Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki to the recently established Warsaw ghetto. For three years the Mundlak family endured harsh ghetto conditions and avoided round-ups and deportations. In February 1943, Majer and Dora fled the ghetto with their son and lived as non-Jews under the false identities of Karol and Janina Janiszewski. They also received assistance from various non-Jewish families. They remained under their false identities until liberation by the Soviet Red Army on 17 January 1945. They were the only members of their immediate family to survive the Holocaust. After the war the family immigrated to Venezuela. Majer, Dora, and Alexander remained in hiding in Warsaw through the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and the final liquidation of the ghetto. Majer, Dora, and Alexander were ultimately liberated on January 17, 1945 with the arrival of Soviet forces. They were the only members of their immediate families to survive the Holocaust. After the war the family fled west and eventually settled in Venezuela.