On Monday, 2/19/07, I'll be mailing off an application to the Red Cross' International Tracing Service to see if they have any records.
This week I found a listing at the Albert Eintstein Archive of a correspondence between Fr. Emil Komora and Albert Einstein in 1940. Fr. Komora is listed as my father's legal guardian on his intake form at Boy's Town, near Omaha. The AEA archivist who responded to my query indicated no relevant information, but I am trying to see if I can get any background info about Fr. Komora or any refugee organizations he worked with. The archivist I emailed wrote back on 2/19 that there is no relevant information of any kind in the correspondence in question—another dead end.
Here's a picture of the Children's Center at Prien, where my father was turned over to UNRRA custody:
There was another DP Children's Center nearby at Kloster Indersdorf, which I will also try to research. This photo came from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum's online photo archives. I'll post an article on the IRO Children's Center at Prien when I get more information about it.
7 comments:
Fr. Emil Komora was pastor of St. Joseph of the Holy Family Church, 125th Street and Morningside Avenue, NYC, from 1930s-1960s.
Thanks much! Do you have any information on his role in bringing displaced orphans to the US during and after WW2? When my father entered high school, Msgr. Komora was still listed as his legal guardian.
Hoping to make contact. I was in BAd Aibling 1947 - 1951 as well as Prien on the Lake. Would like to share my history and find others. Have had contact with case workers, houseparents, United Nations Gentleman and Red Cross as well as other people there.. bojko@bluecrab.org.
Hi Paul,
Thank you very much for your comment. I haven't done much with this project lately as I've hit some dead ends and lack of time to scratch out further leads. Anything you'd like to contribute would be welcome. Feel free also to contact me directly.
Cheers,
Max
hi
if you want any information on kloster indersdorf, contact Anne Andlauer here http://remember.org/unite/indersdorf.html
Rt. Rev. Msgr. Emil N. Komora was the Executive Director of the Catholic Committee for Refugees - National Catholic Welfare Conference based in New York City which handled the immigration of "orphan" children to the USA in the post WWII era.
I'm come across mention of Fr. Komora a number of times, and as you've mentioned, he was a major point person in bringing displaced children (not all of whom, it turned out, were orphans). A search on Google shows a number of passing mentions of him, but no biographical data or histories about his work and the work of his organization. Are there any resources available online that give more details?
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