Genealogy Jungle

13/04/2026

Ahead of the eve of Yom HaShoah, Israel's Holocaust Remembrance Day, I am resharing a research that I recently published - one that deals with one of the most significant and complex figures in the history of the Jewish people in the 20th century: Rudolf Vrba.

Many people of Hungarian Jewish descent who live today - literally - live thanks to his bravery, without knowing it.

Vrba is known to many as one of the few Jews who managed to escape from Auschwitz-Birkenau, and who revealed to the free world, together with Alfred Wetzler, in real time, the horrors that were taking place there.

This information has led to an international pressure that eventually stopped the deportation trains from Hungary and saved about 200,000 Jews.

Thanks to their courage and heroism, entire generations of descendants owe them their lives - sometimes without even realizing it.

Nevertheless, for many years, authority figures within the fields of historical research questioned the details of his story, and his credibility stood for a lengthy, scrutiny and contradictory debate that never ceased throughout his life.

But who was the man behind the story?

Despite many books, movies, research and biographies - one essential aspect slipped away from the history books and was not addressed properly.
In a new research I published on my blog "Mattan Segev-Frank's Genealogy Jungle", based on genealogical and historical sources, I complete the picture: the personal and family background from which Vrba emerged.

It's an attempt to understand not only what he did - but where he came from.

It's also a reminder that history is made up of countless personal stories, and that an accurate genealogical breakdown can change the way we understand key characters and their impact on our lives to this day.

The post is available in English, Hebrew, and Slovak.

To read:
https://www.genealogyjungle.com/he/post/מידע-חדש-על-משפחתו-של-רודולף-ורבה

אנו - מוזיאון העם היהודי Yad Vashem: World Holocaust Center, Jerusalem Ghetto Fighters' House בית לוחמי הגטאות Památník Terezín / Terezín Memorial Auschwitz Memorial / Muzeum Auschwitz Beit Theresienstadt Ynet יהדות The Times of Israel The Jerusalem Post SNM - Múzeum židovskej kultúry המרכז לחקר התפוצות ע"ש גולדשטיין-גורן החברה ההיסטורית הישראלית Haaretz הארץ Múzeum holokaustu v Seredi United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Toronto Holocaust Museum Arolsen Archives Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center European Holocaust Research Infrastructure The Wiener Holocaust Library Dokumentationsarchiv des österreichischen Widerstandes

תגליות חדשות על משפחתו של רודולף ורבה חושפות פרטים שנשכחו על הוריו, האחים למחצה וגורלם במלחמה של בני משפחתו של אחד מגיבורי השואה הידועים ביותר שברח מאושוויץ. בהתבסס ...

26/03/2026

On the 20th anniversary of Rudolf Vrba’s death, Matt S. Frank's new findings reveal the family story history left behind.

Tomorrow marks 20 years since the passing of Rudolf Vrba - the man who escaped Auschwitz with Alfred Wetzler and helped alert the world to the reality of the extermination camps.

His story has been told many times, but part of it has remained in the shadows. Till now...

In new research I am publishing today, I reconstruct the story of Vrba’s family - his parents, his half-siblings, and the fragmented world from which he emerged. These are people who were largely absent from the historical narrative, and in some cases, nearly forgotten.

Using genealogical methods and archival sources, I was able to trace their names, movements, and fates - and to place Vrba’s early life in a much fuller human context.

This is not only a story about one man, but about the family behind him - and about what it means to remember fully.

As we approach both the 20th anniversary of his passing (27 March) and the 82nd anniversary of the escape from Auschwitz (7 April), I invite you to read and share.

🔗 Read the full post (in English, Hebrew and Slovak):

New research reveals overlooked details about the parents, half-siblings, and wartime fate of the family of one of the best-known Auschwitz escapees. Based on archival and genealogical sources, this post reconstructs family ties, corrects elements of the received story, and commemorates relatives wh...

17/03/2026

For the past few months, Genealogy Jungle has been unusually quiet.

No new posts, no archival discoveries, no genealogical rabbit holes.

Several readers wrote to ask if everything was okay. The short answer is yes, but something big has been happening behind the scenes.

Last Rosh Hashanah together with a group of friends, we founded the Association for Central European Jewish History and Genealogy, and since then I’ve been working intensely on building the organization and organizing our first international conference in Vienna.

In this new blog post I share:
• why the blog suddenly went silent
• how the new association came to life
• a followup on my research on the Jewish community of Palárikovo
• and how Jewish genealogy in Central Europe sometimes turns into unexpected family reunions

If you are interested in Jewish genealogy, Central European Jewish history, or tracing family roots in Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Bohemia, Galicia and beyond, I think you may enjoy this story, and the conference Parallel Paths, Shared Past: Jewish History and Genealogy in Central Europe .

And hopefully we will also meet in Vienna this May.

Read the full post here:

Why Genealogy Jungle went temporarily silent and how it led to a new international conference on the Jewish history and genealogy of Central Europe in Vienna. Discover research, stories, and networking for anyone tracing Jewish family history in Central Europe.

21/02/2026

If you're interested in Central European Jewish Heritage - this conference is where you'll want to be between 4-6 May 2026 :-)

Schedule of events for the 2026 Parallel Paths, Shared Past Conference presented by the Central European Jewish History of Genealogy

13/01/2026

I'm proud to share the talk I gave to members of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain, introducing the Association for Central European Jewish History and Genealogy and the international conference we are organizing together with the CEU Jewish Studies Program.

This talk was followed with an hour of Q&A. It was great to see how much of an interest there is in our themes, and a few of the JGSGB's members have already joined the CEJHG as well!

26/12/2025

My last blog post for 2025 is a continuation of the Grünwald family's journey through Jewish history - from Moravia to Bulgaria, from Vienna to Haifa, New York, Montevideo, Ibiza and beyond.

The second part of the story of the Moravian Grünwald family reveals a branch of descendants of Rabbi Meir Eisenstadt, known as the "Panim Meirot" or Maharam ASH, and includes the Chief Rabbi of Bulgaria, lost records, personal tragedies, the Holocaust, and descendants scattered all over the world, some of whom are completely unaware of their family's incredible story.

Read and subscribe to my website to get future posts!

A moving journey through Jewish history - from Moravia to Bulgaria, from Vienna to Haifa, New York, and beyond. A Chief Rabbi, lost records, Holocaust tragedy, and descendants spread across continents—some unaware of their incredible heritage. Read Part 2 of the Grünwald family story and uncover ...

23/12/2025

Did you know that one of Vienna’s most beloved Christmas traditions was introduced by a Jewish woman?

🎄 Baroness F***y von Arnstein (born Franziska Vögele Itzig in Berlin in 1758) brought the Christmas tree tradition - rooted in old German and Nordic pagan winter customs - from Berlin to Vienna.

After marrying the Viennese banker Nathan Adam von Arnstein, she moved to Vienna and became one of the most influential Jewish salonnières in the city’s elite society. Through her famous cultural salon and social leadership, the Christmas tree tradition took hold in her new city. Vienna, a place renowned for its elegance and love of beauty, embraced it wholeheartedly - and today it’s celebrated around the world for its magical Christmas atmosphere. This year, Vienna’s Rathaus Christmas Market was even voted the most beautiful in the world. 🎄✨

Jewish history is full of stories like this: moments where Jewish lives shaped culture, heritage, and memory in ways many people never realized - deeply intertwined with European culture in surprising and fascinating ways. ✨

The attached photos show christmas trees in Vienna’s Rathaus and Schönbrunn Christmas markets, from outside the famous Café Landtmann, and one from the Austrian hospice in Jerusalem, Israel, and a portrait of Baroness F***y von Arnstein.
If you love discovering unexpected connections, forgotten heritage, and the people who shaped history.

Follow for more fascinating stories, research insights, and amazing family discoveries, and explore your roots with Mattan Segev-Frank's Genealogy Jungle!

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate!

22/12/2025

Two of my friends and partners in the foundation of the Association for Central European Jewish History and Genealogy were featured yesterday on the Ö1 Radio program “Menschenbilder” (in German).

Historian and author Marie-Theres Arnbom, and genealogist, author, and owner of Wilhelm Jungmann und Neffe, Georg Gaugusch.

If you understand German - feel free to listen and enjoy the program and get to know these wonderful people that I'm proud to be a friend of.

Our German speaking followers are invited to enjoy the radio program “Menschenbilder” which was broadcasted yesterday on Ö1, about two of the Co-Founders of the Association for Central European Jewish History and Genealogy: Our Deputy Chairperson, historian and author Marie-Theres Arnbom, and her husband, our Treasurer, genealogist, author, and owner of Jungmann und Neffe, Georg Gaugusch.

Feel free to listen, and tell us what you think!

https://oe1.orf.at/player/20251221/816942/1766322303000

21/12/2025

הצטרפו להמשך המסע הגנאלוגי שלי אחר השושלת העשירה של צאצאי הרב מאיר אייזנשטאדט (הידוע גם בכינוי "פנים מאירות"), בפוסט חדש בבלוג שלי, בו אני חושף ענף של צאצאים ממוראביה - משפחת גרינוואלד. דרך מחקר ששילב הסתמכות על מקורות ספרותיים, איתור חומרים ארכיוניים וחשיפת קשרים היסטוריים, צאצאים חיים שלא היו מודעים לייחוס המעניין שלהם (או לקרבה המשפחתית בינינו) חוברו לעץ המשפחה העצום של צאצאי הפנים מאירות.

הפוסט זמין בעברית, באנגלית ובסלובקית באתר שלי.

#מחקרגנאלוגי #היסטוריהיהודית #גנאלוגיה

פוסט זה ממשיך את המחקר שלי המתחקה אחר צאצאיו של הרב מאיר אייזנשטאדט, ה"פנים מאירות". באמצעות רישומים ארכיוניים ומקורות ספרותיים ורבניים, אני חושף את משפחת גרינוואלד, ...

21/12/2025

Explore the fascinating continuation of my genealogical journey, where I delve into the rich lineage of Rabbi Meir Eisenstadt (also known as the 'Panim Meirot'), tracing the Moravian roots of the renowned Grünwald family. Through careful archival digging and revealing historical connections, forgotten lives now shine anew in the tapestry of Jewish heritage.

The post is available in English, Hebrew, and Slovak on my website.

Click to uncover the intricate details! 📜


https://www.genealogyjungle.com/post/the-gr%C3%BCnwald-family-a-czech-branch-of-the-descendants-of-rabbi-meir-eisenstadt-the-panim-meirot

Magyar Zsidó Múzeum és Levéltár - Hungarian Jewish Museum and Archives
Jüdisches Museum Wien
Židovské muzeum v Praze - Jewish Museum in Prague
Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust
SNM - Múzeum židovskej kultúry
אנו - מוזיאון העם היהודי

This post continues my family research tracing the descendants of Rabbi Meir Eisenstadt, the “Panim Meirot.” Using archival records and classic rabbinic sources, I uncover Grünwald family, a Moravian branch of his lineage, clarify names, dates, and family links, and reconnect forgotten lives to...

13/11/2025

Please don't forget!

Submissions to the Association for Central European Jewish History and Genealogy's international conference "Parallel Paths, Shared Past: Jewish History and Genealogy in Central Europe" are open till Saturday 15 November (including).

https://cejhg.org/en/call-for-papers-cejhg/

09/11/2025

Tonight marks the 87th anniversary of *Kristallnacht* — or, as it is called in Austria, the “November Pogrom.”
On the night of November 9–10, 1938, a massive coordinated attack against Jews took place across the Third Reich — in Germany, Austria, and the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia. The perpetrators were members of the SA and SS, Hi**er Youth, and ordinary citizens, while the authorities stood by and allowed the violence to unfold unchecked.

The name *Kristallnacht* (“Night of Broken Glass”) refers to the shards of glass that covered the streets after the windows of Jewish synagogues, homes, and shops were smashed and trampled. More than 1,400 synagogues and prayer halls were destroyed or set on fire. Over 7,000 Jewish-owned businesses were looted and vandalized. 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and sent to concentration camps. Early reports spoke of 91 Jews murdered, but modern research suggests the true number was far higher.

Tonight I’m sharing with you an image of one of the synagogues destroyed that night — the Leopoldsädtertempel was Vienna’s largest synagogue, located on Tempelgasse Street in the city’s second district. It could seat 2,500 worshippers.
Today, that street is grey and lifeless; it’s hard to imagine that one of Europe’s most magnificent Jewish landmarks once stood there. In that synagogue, hundreds and thousands of Jews were married — native Austrians as well as immigrants from across Central and Eastern Europe.

After the war, there was no one left to fight for its reconstruction. A third of Austrian Jews were murdered in the Holocaust. A third fled. A third “disappeared.” The survivors who remained were few, frightened, and broken. Who could have demanded to rebuild it then?

That’s why the image I’m sharing here is the result of a collaborative project between myself מתן שגב פרנק together with my talented friend Maya created using three different AI systems and detailed manual editing in attempt to revive a world that was erased, and to show you a glimpse of the beauty that was destroyed.