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Was it common for Jews to abandon their identities post WWII?

Hi everyone, non-jewish person here. My dad’s family is (was?) Jewish. In 1941 they somehow made their way from Yugoslavia (Vojvodina, specifically), to Germany, and then to the United States. When they arrived in the US it seems like they made the decision to no longer practice Judaism. My dad didn’t grow up with any sort of Jewish identity and needless to say, neither did I. My grandfather has passed away and my grandmother, if she knows anything, will not even acknowledge the subject. A few years ago I did hire a Serbian-based genealogist to help me find out information. He was able to find birth records but explained that a lot of the synagogues were destroyed during the war. The information he did find was located inside a church (he explained that some churches agreed to hold/hide Jewish records to keep them from being destroyed).

I’m wondering if this is a common thing? I know it was common for immigrants to Anglicize their names and try to assimilate into American culture, but I’m just very curious if it was common to abandon your complete cultural background? I understand there might also be some kind of trauma reaction involved in such a decision. I have gone so far as to attempt to contact distant relatives who immigrated to Argentina at the same time, but have unfortunately had no luck.

Although I desperately seek them, I’ve given up on finding answers at this point. I’m trying to gain understanding. I was hoping this community might be able to offer some insight.

submitted by /u/RuddhaBuddha
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Source: Reditt