Lublin Kahal Divorce Register

The Kahal Book of Lublin Divorces is a rabbi’s register of the divorces granted in Lublin between April 18, 1910 and May 29, 1941. The 1582 entries represent 791 couples who came from as far away as Tel Aviv, Chicago and Buenos Aires to obtain a legal Jewish divorce (called a “get”) in Lublin, Poland. Each divorce record includes the names of the couple and their fathers’ names. It also presents the signatures of witnesses. When an officiating rabbi is entered in the records, it is always HaGaon, HaRav Elijahu Klaczkin, referred to as “ZC”L HAVD”K of Lublin”; therefore, this appears to be his book. May his memory be for blessing.

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The Lublin Kahal Divorce register has been transcribed from the original Hebrew/Yiddish and then translated into English/Polish. The dates have been converted from the Hebrew to the secular calendar to assist the researcher.

In most, but not all cases, a surname was recorded in the original register. If the researcher encounters a surname in parentheses, it indicates that the name has been extrapolated by comparing it to Lublin’s municipal marriage and divorce registers and filling in the missing names at the time that the spreadsheet was transcribed from the documents.

The Lublin Kahal Divorce register appears to include people who were murdered at the hands of the Nazis, and it’s certainly possible that all these people died in the Shoah (Holocaust). Some of these divorces were granted during the Ghetto Period and may be the last recorded evidence of their being alive.

A microfilm copy of this register resides in Jerusalem at the Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People. Special thanks are due to CAHJP director, Hadassah Assouline, for allowing us to transcribe this register. Tremendous thanks are due to Alex Guri and Adam Arnon, both of Israel, who painstakingly transcribed and translated the details of these records.

Inquiries about this register or any other questions about the Jewish Community of Lublin may be directed to the Lublin Town Leader using the form on the Lublin Town Page.