Applications for Identity Cards in Lodz: A Valuable Source for Jewish Genealogy
- JewishLodz
- Mar 5
- 3 min read
Before the Second World War, Łódź (Lodz) was home to one of the largest Jewish communities in Europe. Today, the archives of the city preserve many documents that can help reconstruct the lives of its former residents — including applications for identity cards.
When researching Jewish ancestors from Łódź, many people begin with birth, marriage, or death records. However, the archives of the city preserve many other types of documents that can reveal remarkably detailed information about its former residents.
One particularly valuable source for genealogical research is the collection of applications for identity cards preserved in the State Archives in Łódź.
These documents were created as part of administrative procedures when residents applied for an official identity card. As a result, they often contain extensive personal information about the applicant.
What information can an identity card application contain?
A single application may include details such as:
• photograph
• name and surname
• place and date of birth
• parents’ names
• mother’s maiden name
• occupation
• address in Łódź
• physical description (height, eye colour, hair colour, face shape)
• signature
• sometimes additional documents, such as a passport or another identity certificate
For genealogists, this type of document can be extremely valuable because it brings together information that is often scattered across many different sources.
Example of an identity card application
As an example, I am publishing here the identity card application of Benjamin Granat.
From this document we learn that he was born on 11 December 1875 in Zhytomyr and was the son of Szymon and Cyrla.
The application also provides additional details about the applicant. Benjamin Granat’s occupation is recorded as commercial traveller.
His physical description is also noted: medium height, round face, grey eyes, dark hair (now greying).
At the time of the application he lived in Łódź at 74 Wschodnia Street.
Why these documents are valuable for Jewish genealogy Lodz
Information like this can serve as a starting point for further genealogical research. With
these details it becomes possible to search for additional records, such as:
• residence cards
• civil registration records of parents and siblings
• wartime documentation
• references in historical newspapers
• other archival sources
Sometimes a single document can open the way to reconstructing a much larger fragment of a family’s history.
For descendants of Jewish families who once lived in Łódź, these documents can provide information that is not preserved in other sources. In some cases, they may be the only surviving archival trace of a person’s life before the Second World War.
Documents like these offer unique insight into the everyday lives of Jewish residents of Łódź — their occupations, addresses, family connections, and personal details that rarely appear in other records.
JewishLodz surname indexes
As a genealogical researcher working with the archival collections of Łódź, I regularly locate documents like these for families researching their Jewish roots.
Many of these families can already be found in the JewishLodz surname indexes, which are
based on archival records from the State Archives in Łódź and help researchers locate documents relating to Jewish residents of the city.
Among the indexed families are surnames such as Goldberg, Kaplan, Rosenberg, Weinstein, Weinberg, Liberman, Berman, Rapaport, Ginsberg, Halpern, Eisenberg, Mandel, Markowicz, Birenbaum, Berkowicz, Frydman, Fuks, Grynbaum, Gutman, Rozenberg, Rozenblum, Rozenbaum, Wiener, Wolf, Zylberberg, Zylbersztejn, and many others.
Sometimes a search for Jewish genealogy Lodz can begin with only a name and the parents’ surnames. In many cases, even limited information - such as a surname and approximate dates - can be enough to begin the search for archival records.
If your family lived in Łódź before the Second World War, there is a good chance that archival traces of their lives still survive in the collections of the State Archives in Łódź.
Archival source
State Archives in Łódź
Applications for Identity Cards with attachments, 1929
Administrative records of residents of Łódź.
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