Vol. 2, No. 2 Winter, 1995

1. Editor's Corner 2. Jewish Genealogy Seminar 3. If People Would Only Stay Put! 4. Correction to Miriam Weiner's Article 5. Judaic Studies In Cracow 6. Polish Directories 7. Pamiatki I Zabytki Kultury Zydowskiy W Polsce (Polish Book) 8. Photo Collections (Books) 9. History of Towns and Villages of the Ukrainian SSR: Oblast (Book) 10. Map Source 11. Economic Study (Propination, Etc.) 12. Jewish Family Names In Tarnobrzeg Demonstrated by Propinacja and Konsygnacya Listings 13. Research Assistance 14. Polish Translator 15. Ukrainian Translator 16. The Federation of East European Family History Societies 17. Pooling Funds for Record Reproduction Efforts 18. Austrian Archives 19. Military Records 20. Grybow (Records) 21. Stanislowow (Records) 22. Kolomyya (Photos Wanted) 23. Mielec and Tyczyn (Visit to And Cemeteries) 24. Podhajce And Ternopol (Visit To) 25. Podkamien (Visit To) 26. Dabrowice (Visit To) 27. Ulanow (Materials) 28. Sending Money to 29. Book About Bardejov 30. Censuses (Information Wanted) 31. Travel (SIG Trip Planned, Etc.) 32. Gleanings from Avotaynu The Galitzianer Vol. 2, No. 2

Vol. 2, No. 2 Winter, 1994/5

EDITOR'S CORNER

I suppose you all are wondering why I sent out that really heavy SIG Directory/Family Finder that was copied only on one side and cost so much to mail. The reason is that the man who did the job for KINKO's Copies messed up. To save them paper and the hassle of doing the job completely over, the manager and I agreed on a price that would give us a break on the extra mailing costs. I have decided that I can not continue past June 1995 to coordinate the SIG and edit our newsletter because of the demands of my full time job as a social worker. When I started the SIG, I had lots of time for my interest in genealogy, but now I barely have time for my family, much less genealogy! This June when the SIG meets in Washington at the International Seminar for Jewish Genealogy, scheduled for June 25-29, I trust that people will volunteer for the various roles that will keep the SIG going. After months of not hearing from people in , Phyllis Simon's persistence in planning a SIG trip to Poland, have paid off at last. She has done a wonderful job of pulling it all together. Additionally, she has also planned a week of travel in Ukraine just prior to the SIG trip to Poland. For those wishing to reach me by fax, my number is 301/657-3658. And, no, I am not on any bulletin boards!

JEWISH GENEALOGY SEMINAR Members of The Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies host a genealogical gathering at least annually. In 1995, the gathering is in Washington, D.C. June 25-29 and hosted by the Jewish Genealogy Society of Greater Washington. Conference planners are scheduling a meeting of our SIG. This will be the first time that we will have had an opportunity to meet since our organizing meeting in Toronto in 1993. Primary on the agenda is an election of officers and appointment of persons to handle the various functions of the

2 The Galitzianer Vol. 2, No. 2

SIG. In addition to the special access that participants have to research facilities, seminars are excellent ways of meeting people from all over the globe who share a common interest. There are speakers, panel discussions, opportunities for beginners to learn the basics, specialized interest meetings (called "birds of a feather") and informal opportunities to pick up new information and pointers. Registration information can be obtained by writing to JGSGW, P.O. Box 412, Vienna, VA 22182-0412. It is best to register early to get the best price and to ensure that a room will be available at the conference hotel.

IF PEOPLE WOULD ONLY STAY PUT! (This article was adapted by the author from a version which appeared in Vol. 2, No. 2 of Shemot.)

By David Fielker

My great grandparents, Moshe and Sophie Stieglitz, owned a timber business, an inn and a toll gate in Filipkowce, a town north of Chernovtsy. My great uncle, Culman Stieglitz, is said to have spent some time in Vienna on his way from Filipkowce to Liverpool. And, my grandmother, his sister Debora, according to family legend, left halfway through the celebration of her unwanted marriage at the age of 15 or 16 with one parcel to flee in a horse and cart to the coast. After Moshe died, the eldest son, Abraham, went to New York, while the widowed Sophie and her other children followed Debora to London. I do not know much about travel patterns of Jews in nineteenth century Europe, other than the large migrations recorded in the history books. We get an impression from movies and books about travels less further afield, the business trips, the wandering yeshivniks on foot or in carts. I have an old book, Childhood in Exile, in which Shmarya Levin describes how men often worked away from home and only saw their families a few times a year. And, how he, himself, left his home town of Swislowitz to attend school in Minsk, about 70 miles away. But, lately, my thoughts have been turning to waht travels there could have been between Filipkowce and the area around Tarnow. These thoughts have been occasioned by information filtering in from several sources. Michael Honey, member of the JGS of Great Britain, told me of Stieglitzes in his family, including Yehuda, born around 1820 in Radomysl Wielki, and Michael, born in 1854 in Tarnobrzeg, both towns near Tarnow. Then, Suzan Wynne wrote to tell me of a Stieglitz in her family: Breinsche, who married in Tarnow in 1858. By coincidence, that same week, I received several replies to a letter I had sent to Stieglitzes in the New York area, which revealed another connection to Tarnow. Now, Debora Stieglitz married my grandfather, Moshe Schneebaum, in London in 1902. Though we do not know each other before her flight from Filipkowce, it is romantic to think they did. The intriguing thing is that Moshe came from Pelnatycze near Jaroslaw, about halfway from Filipkowce to Tarnow! Unlike the Stieglitzes, all of the Schneebaums I have come across so far, with

3 The Galitzianer Vol. 2, No. 2 rare exceptions, have come from the same area. I have identified one Schneebaum family from Pruchnik, also near Jaroslaw, but, as yet, we cannot establish a relationship. When one considers the ways in which Jews adopted their surnames in the course of the nineteenth century, it is quite possible that the same name was chosen independently by different families. But, it is also possible that if I can trace back far enough, I shall find, say, taht some yeshivnik named Stielglitz travelled from Filipkowce to Tarnow and settled down there with his own family instead of returning home at the end of his studies. It does mean that one should not ignore records with the right name, but the wrong location. At least for the time being, all possibilities have to be explored.

leave space for the photos

CORRECTION TO MIRIAM WEINER'S ARTICLE

Miriam Weiner has pointed out that some editorial changes to her article in the last issue that she strongly objects to. I regret that I altered Ms. Weiner's article in a manner that she feels differs substantially from what she submitted and intended, due to excessive deletions and substitutions. She feels that I "deleted positive statements which effectively changed my article from a balanced one to a negative one." I regret any damage to Ms. Weiner's professional reputation resulting from the article that appeared in Vol. II, No. 1 of The Galitzianer. Most objectionable to her, I added two sentences which are not in Ms. Weiner's original article, but which were taken from another, uncited, source: "Graft and bribery prevail in everything you do" and "Even good hotels, now $150-200 US per night, have no hot water." Following are two paragraphs as Ms. Weiner wrote them that appeared in edited fashion in

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Vol. II, No. 1:

Another item which goes everywhere with me is a small bag, similar in size to carry-on luggage. In this bag, I carry a first-aid kit and an assortment of presents for the many helpful people I continuallly meet in my travels. These souvenirs from America, consisting of office supplies, gifts for children (dolls, crayons, toy trucks), cosmetics, watches, etc. are one method of returning the many kindnesses I receive from government officials, the local people on the street and members of the Jewish communities throughout Ukraine. Some people have asked me to do archival research which can be in as many as four locations for one town. For example, Jewish documents for Ivano-Frankovsk (Stanislawow) are located in the local ZAGS archive in the town, the Lvov Historical Archives and in two separate archives in Warsaw. It is not uncommon for me to find Jewish documents dating a particular family back into the 1700's. For example, I recently completed a research assignment for Jeanne Andelman, where I found over 700 documents on her family members from Melnitsa Podolskaya. For Emil Dickstein, (5437 Mahoning Avenue, Youngstown, OH 44515), I found more than 500 documents about his ancestors in Ozeryany, Korolovka, Skala and Borszczow. Anyone wishing to read Ms. Weiner's entire article as originally submitted may request a copy from her by writing to 136 Sandpiper Key, Secaucus, NJ 07094. Suzan Wynne, Editor

JUDAIC STUDIES IN CRACOW

Phyllis Simon submitted a description of several organizations working on preserving and understanding Jewish culture in Poland. The Research Center on Jewish History and Culture in Poland, established in 1986, is a department of the Jagellonian University. The brochure says that this department channels and expands the growing interest in Jewish history and culture in Poland through "research, publications and education." Professor Dr. Jozef A. Gierowski, historian, organizer and Director of the Research Center, is additionally the originator of the Center for Jewish Culture, an idea which drew support from many sources within Poland and from abroad. These sources combined to form the Polish-American Joint Commission, which sponsors the project. The Center for Jewish Cultures's "main tasks are to help physically preserve the Jewish heritage and to make it more accessible to all" by providing cultural events, a library, research, publications and by organizing restoration efforts. In addition, the Center for Jewish Culture arranges for heritage tours, including the SIG tour of Poland. The Center is located in the former Bene Emuna prayer house, founded in 1886, at 17 Meiselsa Street. The site, a smelter belonging to the Cracow goldsmiths guild until the seventeenth century, had fallen into complete disrepair and extensive renovations were necessary before it could be used for its new purpose. The Center for Jewish Culture, which opened in November 1993, operates under the auspices of the Judaica Foundation, an organization founded by Mark Talisman, long-time Jewish activist and communal leader from the U.S. Joachim Russek is the Foundation's Director. He plans

5 The Galitzianer Vol. 2, No. 2 to build a second facility next door to expand space for offices, guest rooms and a kosher restaurant. Sounds like things Jewish are really taking off in Cracow...recognition of this development is bittersweet in the context of how few Jews there are to enjoy the result.

BOOKS & OTHER MATERIALS

Polish Directories by Suzan Wynne

Recently, a man, who wants to remain anonymous, sent me a few pages of a 1930 Polish business directory. He was unable to tell me where the full directory is or how we might access it. The directory was organized by the vovoides of Poland. Within each vovoide, there was an alphabetical listing of towns. There were even tiny villages listed!! In addition to a listing of professionals and businesses for each town, there is a small description of the commerce of the community and something about the population as of 1930. I contacted the Polish specialist at the Library of Congress, Ron Bachman to see if the Library had the volume. It does not, but they had two other directories of interest and I have discovered a third at the University of Pittsburgh. If Jewish Genealogy Societies and Gesher can raise the money, we can have these directories microfilmed to give us better access to the information. To microfilm each directory would cost about $260. There may be less expensive options and these are being explored. One of the volumes is a 1930 phone directory for selected cities in Poland; another is a 1916 city directory for Lvov; and the volume held by the University of Pittsburgh is a 1930 directory of businesses. This latter directory appears to be for the whole country so that its usefulness is limited unless you know that a relative was in a particular business or profession. The Lvov directory was compiled by Franciszek Reichman. Pages 1-360 is an alphabetical listing of male residents. Pages 361-378 is a listing by professions and businesses, followed by a listing of all streets in Lvov with their boundaries. Libraries, archives, schools, institutions, etc. are listed last before a section of paid advertisements. I will continue to explore places like the New York Public Library and the University of Indiana, as well as Jagellonian University for additional leads to other directories.

Pamiatki i Zabytki Kultury Zydowskiy w Polsce John Pihach, a member of the East European Branch of the Manitoba Genealogical Society, has sent me some excerpts from the above named book which was written by Przemylsaw Burchard and published in 1990 in Warsawa. Completely in Polish, the 9 pages Mr. Pihach sent, discuss the condition of Jewish cemeteries and synagogues in vovoides Krosno, Przemysl and Rzeszow, three vovoides where many Western Galician towns were located.

Vovoide Krosno: Baligrod, Barwinek, Biecz, Brzozow, Bukowsko, Cisna, Dukla, Halbow, Iwonicz, Jasienica Rosielna, Jaslo, Jasliska, Korczyna, Krosno, Lesko, Lutowiska, Mrzyglod,

6 The Galitzianer Vol. 2, No. 2

Nowotaniec, Nowy Zmigrod, Ropienka, Rymanow, , Tyrawa Woloska, Ustrzyki Dolne, Wola Michowa, Zagorz.

Vovoide Przemysl: Bircza, Bobrowka, Borownica, Cieszanow, Dubiecko, Dynow, Grochowce, Jaroslaw, Jawornik Polski, Kanczuga, Kaszyce, Krasiczyn, Krzywcza, Lubaszow, Medyka, Nienadowa, Oleszyce, Pruchnik, Przemysl, Przeworsk, Radymno, Rybotycze, Siedleczka, Sieniawa, Stary Dzikow, Wielkie Oczy.

Vovoide Rzeszow: Blazowa, Czudec, Frysztak, Giedlarowa, Glink Dolny, Glogow Malopolski, Grodzisko Dolne, Kobuszowa, Lezajsk, Lancut, Mielec, Nieblyec, Ranizow, , Rzeszow, Sedziszow Malopolski, Sokolow Malopolski, Strzyzow, Tyczyn, Wielopole Skrzynskie, Wierzawice, Zolynia.

It would be great to have this material translated. If anyone would be willing to finance the translation or can arrange this for nothing, please write to me and I will send you a copy. In the meantime, if you would like a copy of the untranslated version, send me $1.50 to cover reproduction and mailing.

Photo Collections Richard Schwartzstein recently purchased a copy of Rachael Salaminder's 320 page book, The Jewish World of Yesterday, 1860-1938 which was published by Rizzoli International. The book has "fascinating photos of life in Central Europe, including Galicia...Of course, I also have enjoyed the photos of Roman Vishniac in To Give them Light (1993)."

History of Towns and Villages of the Ukrainian SSR: From the September, 1992 East European Genealogist, published by the East European Branch, Manitoba Genealogical Society, we learn that a copy of the above named book, published in Kiev in 1968, is located in the library of the Ukrainian Cultural and Educational Centre in Winnipeg. The book is entirely in Ukrainian. For additional information or to arrange to get material translated, write to the Manitoba Genealogical Centre, 420-167 Lombard Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B OT6, Canada.

Map Source Michael Buczaczer writes to say that East View Publications, 3020 Harbor Lane North, Minneapolis, MN 55447 is a source for old and new maps of Eastern Europe. They have an 800 number: 1-800-477-1005. Their regular phone number is 612/550-0961. Their E-mail address: [email protected].

Economic Study by Suzan Wynne

7 The Galitzianer Vol. 2, No. 2

Several years ago, Lorin Weisenfeld, a SIG member, brought my attention to a book by Hillel Levine, a professor of Sociology and Religion at Boston University's Center for Judaic Studies. Published in 1991 by Yale University Press, Economic Origins of Antisemitism: Poland and Its Jews in the Early Modern Period, extensively describes and analyzes Jewish economic participation in Poland. Lorin and I share common roots in several Galician towns and both of us had found that our ancestors' occupations were listed as "propinator." While researching in Poland, I had been told something about the complex meaning of this occupation, but Levine's book elaborated further on its meaning. Upon learning of Levine's work through a New York Times Op-Ed piece, Lorin wrote to him. Quoting from Levine's book, the term "Propinacja" refers to the "site and the institution of the trade in alcohol...after the small hovel that generally served as drinking room, hostel, barn, and storage room for this enterprise." Thus, the "propinator" was the proprieter of this establishment. Levine goes on to say that, "The Jewish tavern, the "kretchme" or "shenk" was found in even the smallest village in...Poland (p.9)." He then explores the economic and sociological role of this complex institution. In one of his letters to Weisenfeld, Levine says that his basic argument is that "....the manufacture of vodka saved the Polish economy, at least for the Polish gentry who were calling the shots." Because Jews could not own land, they could only gain access to grain by a complex system that was something like sharecropping in the United States' South. Once harvested, "Jews were then heavily engaged in distilling the grain, making the barrels that held the grain (kupfer) and selling the liquor at the consumer level." According to Levine (p. 9), "...in mid-eighteenth century Poland, as much as 85 percent of rural Jewry...was involved in some aspect of the manufacturing, wholesaling, or retailing of beer, mead, wine, and grain-based intoxicants like vodka." While researching my family's connection with various aspects of this industry, I found that a law passed by the Austrian government in 1910 forbade Galician Jews from selling alcoholic beverages, causing 15,000 Jews to lose their livelihoods overnight. This measure accelerated the process of Jewish emigration to other parts of Europe and North America. Levine's book, which I now own, offers a fascinating view of the economic conditions and lives of our ancestors. Levine explains, in well documented fashion, the Polish system of feudalism and the role of Jews in managing the use of the nobles' land and in collecting taxes. Georges Rosenfield, a SIG member from Neuchatel in Switzerland, is very interested in the economic life of Galician Jews and has investigated the occupations of family members. He writes:

"As for the tavern the Lermer family held in Buszkowice (a suburb in Przemysl), mother told me it had white-washed walls. The roof, after suffering from a fire, was covered by plated metal or tiles (mother wasn't sure which). The tavern stood directly at the end of a road. There a field path began that went to the River San. To cross the river to Przemysl, one had to use a boat (a ferry?)."

Orest Subtelny in Ukraine: A History, reviewed in an earlier issue, says on page 311-2, that in

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1900, only 10% of the population lived in towns and cities. In Eastern Galicia, between 40-45% of urban dwellers were Jewish. In terms of their occupations, Subtelny says:

"....In the late 19th century, their occupational profile was 15% leasholders and tavern- keepers, 35% merchants, 30% artisans and 20% miscellaneous occupations. Most Jewish traders were petty merchants, but a tiny minority was exceedlingly wealthy and influential and carried on much of the large-scale trade in Galicia."

Subtelny maintains that Jewish involvement in trade and small, capital-producing enterprises was key to Ukraine's emerging, if primitive, prewar economy. Jews dominated trade between the towns and villages. "Jewish peddlers brought modern products...to isolated villages and Jewish merchants bought up peasant crops for sale in the towns. In the towns themselves, almost all the shops and stalls in which a peasant could buy finished products, such as cloth, boots, or iron pots (which were produced by Jewish artisans), were owned by Jews. If the peasant lacked cash to buy these products, the Jewish merchant would offer credit. In short, it was the Jews who pulled the peasantry into the money economy centered in the towns."

JEWISH FAMILY NAMES IN TARNOBRZEG DEMONSTRATED BY PROPINACJA AND KONSYGNACYA LISTINGS by Michael Honey

Some historical background can help us understand the development of surnames in Tarnobrzeg. The town, located on the eastern bank of the Vistula, was called Miechocin before the town was built. Zygmunt III Waza granted the privilege to build the town on 28 May 1593. Four kilometers to the north is the village of Dzikow where the Count Tarnowski had a castle. The castle, later replaced by a chateau, was destroyed as a result of the Dzikow Confederacy to support King Stanislaw I Leszcynski in 1734. The wars which resulted between Russia and Prussia resulted in the first division of Poland in 1772. A second partition of Poland occurred in 1793 and a third partition divided Poland entirely between Prussia, Russia and Austria in 1795. After the Napoleanic wars, there was a realignment of borders again. The territory on the eastern bank of the Vistula up to and including the River San, and thus, the town of Tarnobrzeg, was then incorporated into Austria. The Austrian Kaiser Joseph II promulgated a Patent dated 23 July 1787 which ordered that all Jews must take German language forenames and family names. By a subsequent Patent, the choice of forenames was relaxed in all regions of Austria except Bohemia and . The 1787 Patent went into effect in 1788. An early record of names of Jews of Tarnobrzeg are to be found in the book Kehilat Tarnobrzeg-Dzikow Sefer Zicharon Veedut (Witness and Memorial Book Tarnobrzeg-Dzikow). Copies of this yizkor book can be found in major Jewish libraries. In 1718, the Jewish community of Tarnobrzeg/Dzikow borrowed 100 Polish Florins from the local Dominican Friar, Antoni Dembowski, to build a synagogue. On behalf of the Jewish

9 The Galitzianer Vol. 2, No. 2 community, the responsible signatories were:

Leib Aronowicz Lewek (Leib) Abramowicz Moshek (Moshe) Berkowicz Josef Zeinderowicz

A further loan of 2000 Polish Zlotys was made on 19 November 1741 by the Dominican Friar Stanislaw Lipski to the following signatories:

Pinchas Levkowicz Wolf Levkowicz

It is not clear why the gap of 23 years between the two loans, but it appears that the main building of the synagogue was built only after 1741 and the first loan was used to build a lesser portion of the building, the Bet Hamidrash (school and prayer hall), which was later incorporated into the main building. This building, which still stands, was renovated in 1967 and is now used as the town's central library. On 6 June 1993, as part of the celebration of the town's fourth centenerary, a plaque which commemorated the lost Jews of Tarnobrzeg was unveiled on the building's wall. The plaque was unveiled by His Excellency Miron Gordon, the Israel Ambassador. In 1991, the town organized a Jewish artifacts exhibition and published a journal, "Tarnobrzeskie Zeszity Historiczne" (Historical Files of Tarnobrzeg) which was devoted almost entirely to the Tarnobrzeg's Jewish history. The community of Tarnobrzeg became predominately Chassidic. It appears that the Chassidim failed to leave us a Pinkas Kehila (Community Record Book) which would provide a comprehensive view of the fabric of the Jewish community. The Central Archive of the History of the Jewish People at the Hebrew University in Givat Ram (Sprinzak Building) in Jerusalem, has microfilmed records which list license fees paid by "Propinacja", innkeepers and refiners of spirits in Tarnobrzeg. (See the article above for additional information.) There are other listing entitled, "Konsygnacya". The literal meaning of this term is "Co- Signatories" but what they were paying for is unclear. Microfilm 5806 shows the following overall account figures in Polish Zlotys for 1778 as follows:

Propinacja 6,275 Shops & Konsygnacya 3,725 Total Tarnobrzeg/Dzikow 10,000

Totals for the other villages in the area 11,195

The economic importance of the Jews to the nobility can be gauged from the figures. The Counts Tarnowski extracted fees from Jews of about 21,195 Polish Zlotys at the time when the cost of a major building, such as the Tarnobrzeg synagogue cost in the region of 3,000 Polish Zlotys.

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The Propinacja listing of 1779 is as follows. Note the Russian style patronymics.

Wolf Tyma Motko Bogaty (Rich) Itzkowicz Jankiel Motkowicz Josef Itzkowicz (from Musikowe) Leyzor Izraelowicz Icek Motzkowicz David Dawidowicz Leybush Nysynowicz Jakob Skotricki Majorowicz Wolf Strzypek Szmal (Shmuel) Leybowicz Moisek Dawidowicz Dawid Jakubowicz Zeylik Leyzerowicz Leybusz Chaimonowicz Abraham Nutowicz Chaim Bornchowicz

The following from the 1814 Konsynacya listing demonstrates the adoption of German language surnames among the Jews of Tarnobrzeg/Dzikow:

Leybusz Nusbaum Chaimka wdowa (Chaim's widow) Herszek Szalmonowicz Simcha Handler Leybusz Cwirn Herszel Cynamon Gimpel Gurfinkel Klimanowa wdowa (Kliman's widow) Susman Lorbaum Szmul Galman Wolf Ender Lewi Morgenlender Szmul Wahl Eyzik Fegier Wolf Pomeranz Dawid Eched Motka Klemer Nuta Spicer Moysesz Stainhard Leyba & Bona Forgang

The following were named in the 1822 Propinacja listing: wdowa Esterka (the widow Ester) Leybusz Hoffort wdowa Ita Cwirn Motka Klemer wdowa Pepsia Wisenfeld Dawid Kramer Dom Pansky Morowany (The Manor Estate) Lewi Morgenlender Wolf Ber Nisan & Nusen Nusbaum Leybusz Cytrin Israel Nusbaum Wolf Ende Wolf Pomerancz Wolf Erlich Josek Safir Eyzyk Fegier Judak Schnat Liba Fortgang Mila Spicer Baruch, Samuel, & Isaak Gafünkel Mosesz Staynard Samuel Greher Moysesz Stern Szloma Goldmann Leyzor Szekin

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Simcha Handler Dawid Umfang Hersz Hartmann Moyszesz Wahal Israel Hauzer Samuel Wahl Dawid Hecht Samuel Wisenfeld Motka Henich Herzek Wizenfeld Dawid Wisenfeld Motka Wisenspil

RESOURCES

Research assistance Laurence Krupnak, a SIG member, has become a valuable professional resource to several people in the SIG and has recently become a contributor to Avotaynu as well. Although he is not Jewish and does not specialize in Jewish research, he has good connections at research facilities in Poland and Ukraine and has been able to use his knowledge to good advantage. He can be reached at 1711 Corwin Drive, Silver Spring, MD 20910; Tel or Fax: 301/585-0117.

Polish translator Judith S. Langer Caplan has a colleague at the school where she teaches who knows Polish and has translated the modern Polish letters she has been receiving from AGAD.

Peter Rafalowicz 315 Atlantic Avenue #2 East Rockaway, NY 11518

Ukrainian Judith S. Langer Caplan received a letter from an archive in Kiev and was faced with a problem in translating it. After two months of struggling with it, she discovered that she had a distant cousin who now lives in Brooklyn and has a printing and translation center for Hebrew, Russian and Ukrainian. "The day I went to meet Aryeh Zurinam, he and his associate translated the Ukrainian letter I had received. In addition, a letter I had written in English was translated into Russian" and was laser-printed and ready to go.

Aryeh Zurinam Quick Print 1662 W. 3rd Street Brooklyn, NY 11223

The Federation of East European Family History Societies In a recent issue of The Galitzianer, FEEFHS was mentioned as a new organization of

12 The Galitzianer Vol. 2, No. 2 organizations which was seeking to involve Gesher Galicia as a member society. Although initially skeptical about the value of such membership, I sent them $15 and I'm glad I did. Although no other organizational member deals with Jewish material from Galicia, the several Polish and Ukrainian societies listed in the directory, may be valuable allies as we move along. For instance, we may be able to share information about such issues as pre and post war directories, censuses and tax lists. There are plans to have individuals subscribe to the newsletter, but the amount and the details are not yet finalized. The second section of the directory is a listing of professional translators, genealogists, authors and lecturers. In addition to Laurence Krupnak, who is mentioned above, the FEEFHS directory also shows the following resources:

Erwin Biskup translates Gothic German, modern German and Polish. 6614 Onyx Trail, Pollock Pines, CA 95726-9732; phone: (916) 644-1458.

Lidia Rawska translates Polish and Lithuanian. 135 Canyon Road, Apt. 1A, Salt Lake City, UT 84103-4796; phone: (801) 538-0118.

Jonathan Shea translates Polish and is a good general resource for Galicia. 8 Lyle Road, New Britain, CT 06053-2104; phone: (203) 229-8873.

Grazyna Vincunas, c/o Services, 20 Oakwood Place, Longmeadow, MA 01106- 1528; phone and Fax: (413) 567-9900.

For each, send a copy of the material and a self addressed stamped envelope for an estimate of the cost.

MAILBOX

Pooling Funds for Record Reproduction Efforts Polly Horwitz from Lake Mary, Florida has suggested that members with an interest in particular towns in Poland pool their money to persuade archival officials to microfilm or xerox the Jewish records. Jewish records are known to exist for many formerly Galician towns, but were never microfilmed for the Mormon Collection. This is in contrast to the plentiful supply of non-Jewish Polish records which are held by the Mormons. The only apparent barrier to arranging for reproduction is money and the willingness of archival officials to carry out the project. The FHL (Mormon) film project in Poland relied on Polish authorities to decide which records they would film. then did the filming and provided copies to the FHL. Despite many efforts to persuade the Poles to provide films of Jewish records from southern Poland, this has happened only for a very few towns. The other side to this issue is that some Jewish records remain in the town halls (Urzad Stanu Cywilnego) and are, therefore, not subject to control by state archival

13 The Galitzianer Vol. 2, No. 2 officials. Polly's suggestion is similar to that of Renee Steinig's discussed in the last issue regarding pooling funds to get yizkor books translated. We have much to do to facilitate access to existing material!

Austrian Archives Gershon Lauer has suggested that members consider the possibility that family members might have gone from Galicia to Vienna, as certainly many did in the 19th and 20th centuries. If that is the case, there are some resources you should be aware of. Mr. Lauer was fortunate that his paternal relatives followed this path. In fact, his paternal grandparents met and married in Vienna. Mr. Lauer noted that, "For example, the Israelitische Kultusgemeinde, Seitenstenngasse 4 1010, Vienna has an excellent (collection) of records of Galician Jews who lived there.....Similarly the Viennese Jewish cemetery (sorry I don't have its address) has a well kept system of grave documentation." Mr. Lauer also noted that Yad Vashem has microfilms of books listing the names of concentration camp victims and survivors. (Ed. Note: These books are also available at YIVO in New York, the Library of Congress in Washington and perhaps elsewhere.) The topic of Galician records that might still be in Austria was the subject of another letter from Richard Schwartzstein. His letter was following up on a tip from a cousin of Herman Lorberbaum, who met the late Rabbi Malcolm Stern on a trip to Egypt in 1988. Rabbi Stern was then under the impression that various types of Galician records were kept in Vienna to facilitate access to men for military service. While I wish that was true, it is not. Although Rabbi Stern and I had a number of discussions about this issue, he persisted in believing that such was the case. In fact, during the 1980's, several people explored this issue rather thoroughly. The result of this research is that we know that military records are housed there, but these records have been microfilmed and the Family History Library system has those films. See Vol. 1, No. 4 of The Galitzianer for more about this topic. Although records relating to the passports issued to Galician Jews who were travelling abroad and the records providing permission to emigrate from Galicia are possibly in Vienna, I am unable to provide an address for these records. Baxter's book, In Search of Your European Roots (1985) might be helpful.

Miltary Records Ada Greenblatt writes to say that the Fall 1994 issue of the Galitzianer included a typegraphical error on page 14 with respect to the Hapsburg Military Records at the FHL Library. For Film #1506283, the alphabetical index for 1916 should read: pages 1171-1343 (A-R), not 1711- 1343.

Grybow Pauline Horwitz wrote to the Civil Registry Office in Grybow and was told that Jewish births and marriages, 1820-1830 and 1860-1870 were destroyed in WWII. They do have books for 1878-1889.

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Stanislowow This city, now called Ivano-Frankovsk, was the center of a large Jewish population. Bill Feurestein wrote to the Civil Registry in the town requesting information about the marriage of Elhan Kriegel and Silke Sprechman in 1890. He received a reply which says that the "Jewish books for for towns of Ivano-Frankovsk, Tysmenitsa and the townships of Otynya and Gostov in the district of Tlumach'skyi have not survived." This is only partially true in the case of Ivano-Frankovsk since we know that some books for the town itself are in Warsaw as part of the Zabuzanski Collection (see The Galitzianer Vol. 1, No. 2 and Vol. 2, No. 1). It does appear, however, that records for all of the Tlumach district, missing altogether from the Zabuzanski Collection, may be lost. However, it may be worth writing directly to the towns of Otynya and Tlumach for additional confirmation of this, Bill.

Kolomyya Gladys Rosenzweig is interested in photos of the town, 1900-1939.

Mielec and Tyczyn Phyllis Simon sent me a copy of an article from AMIT Woman, September 1994 which was written by Micheline Ratzersdorfer about her June 1994 visit to Mielec and Tyczyn and surrounding areas. These were the towns of her parents' youths. ..."Rolling farmlands gave way to heavy woods as we neared Mielec (from Cracow), which now boasts two factories, one manufacturing helicopters and the other, small planes. Modern housing developments greeted us at the edge of town, but the center seemed unchanged from my father's descriptions with two-story, old fashioned houses. We reached my grandparents' street, where a memorial to the murdered Jew of Mielec stands on a small plot of grass." They met two elderly Poles who showed them where the grandparents' house stood and the place across the street where 600 Jews were murdered by the Germans. The site of the Jewish cemetery is now a small park "surrounded by a fence with three large Magen Davids (Stars of David)." A simple sign inside the park is all that identified the site as a cemetery. There was not a tombstone in sight. In Tyczyn, a town where, in 1923, one-third of the population had been Jewish and four of the 12 members of the town's council had been Jewish, Ratzersdorfer was to find more disappointment. Tyczyn's Jewish cemetery has been cleaned up (by Rabbi Mendel Reichberg of New York) and "a beautiful new fence surrounds its asymmetric perimeter. Approximately the area of four city blocks, it climbs up and down a hill, as everything in Tyczyn does. But there are few gravestones visible, perhaps 20 in the whole expanse. Gingerly, we made our way along the slopes, deciphering names when possible. Not one stone for me, no vestige of my family....For the first time, I understood what the total destruction of the Jewry of Eastern Europe meant." Nat Abramowitz has had translated a Polish news article dated 11 November 1993 about Rabbi Reichberg's cemetery restoration efforts. An edited version appears here:

"....Yesterday, Rabbi Reichberg arrived in Tyczyn in order to inspect the results of these

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efforts. Removal of brush was in progress at the cemetery by public works workers employed by the municipality. At the Rabbi's request, a worker, Czeslaw Dyjak of Dabrowa Tarnowska, erected a small building in the center of the cemetery, to be used as a house of worship.

The workers also succeeded in cleaning up several hidden gravestones. Rabbi Reichberg prayed for the souls of the interred......

Rabbi Reichberg, age 71, comes from Bochnia...... He manages a collection of funds among the Jewish population and has organized the work involved with restoring cemeteries in Dynow, Mielec, Dabrowa Tarnowska and Bochnia. The Rabbi also has plans for the work on cemeteries in Lancut, Sienawa and Debica.

The Jewish population began settling in Tyczyn in the 17th century. In 1939, the town was populated by about 1,000 Jews. In mid-1942, they were transported by the Germans to death camps. The cemetery was destroyed and the gravestones were used as paving for the Tyczyn market square.

The cost of the work on the cemetery to date is estimated at about 400 million zlotys."

Podhajce and Ternopol New member, Dr. A. Rozkowski, recently visited these towns and wanted to pass on some interesting information about them.

"There are no Jews left in Podhajce. I was told that one Jew came back after the war but died a few years ago. He said that after his death, the synagogue would collapse and this has happened. One corner (very thick) of the building has collapsed, but it is still standing and is used as a magazine." The Jewish cemetery of Podhajce lost about 85% of its tombstone as the Germans forced a local population to build a road from it. The cemetery is clearly visible as it is used to feed the cows. We also visited Ternopol. There are a few Jews there, but we did not meet any personally. I was told that a Jewish society, Aleph exists there. The Jewish cemetery is overgrown with weeds and a lot of tombstones are lost, but at least it has an iron fence from the main street. It is located opposite a Christian cemetery. I visited a provincial archives in Ternopol and was told that they have some Jewish documents but not those I was looking for.

Podkamien Howard Blue writes that he visited this town in 1989. There are no remains of the synagogue or the Jewish cemetery.

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Dabrowice Phyllis Simon has sent information about Frank Field, a senior health and science editor of WBCS-TV in New York City. Field took a two person crew to Poland and Ukraine for two weeks and found eyewitnesses of his relatives' deaths in the Holocaust. The resulting one hour special, "Journey of the Heart" aired in New York on September 2, 1994. Field's maternal grandmother, named Berkowitz, was from Dabrowica. An old man recognized the Berkowitz family from the photos that Field carried with him. He remembered transporting the family on his wagon, on orders of the German SS, to the next town of Berenau where he had been told they would live. But, when they arrived, the Germans ordered him to take the family to the soccer field, where they and other Jews from the region where shot. Some were buried while still alive, according to eyewitness accounts. According to an article about Field, "A Painful but Vital Pilgrimage" by Gabe Levinson in an unidentified publication, Field's mother emigrated to the U.S. from Dabrowica in 1911. Field found an interpreter in Lvov and used that city as base from which to travel to small villages in Ukraine. "Getting into Lvov was tough sledding," Field said. The airport and the actual landing field were rudimentary and there was a long wait in getting past a primitive device for checking baggage. The one good hotel in town, where most foreigners stay, is the Grand. Field characterized it as a "one-star, maybe two, hotel." Levenson said that Max Mermelstein of AJS Travel Consultants located in the Queens section of New York, conducted several missions to the shtetls around Lvov. Mermelstein, a native of Skala, said that, "There is a viable and active Jewish community of 3,000 in Lvov, with a Chassidic rabbi in residence, a synagogue, a theater group and a community center." Mermelstein recommends Melech Shochet, a man who speaks Yiddish and English, but provided no information about how to reach him. He has also used Michael Chernilevski, whose phone number is 521-388 in Lvov. Presumably, a phone number for AJS Travel Consultants can be found by calling information.

MEMBER EXCHANGE

Ulanow Richard Schwartzstein wrote to say that he has been corresponding with other SIG members with an interest in Ulanow and they have exchanged information and materials. Mr. Schwartzstein has an English translation of a book on Ulanow which deals with the Jews of the village. If you are interested, contact him. He notes that the synagogue was burned by the Germans in the Fall of 1941 and it appears that the Jewish records may have been destroyed at that point since they have not been found in any logical place.

Sending Money to Ukraine In response to inquiries about how to send money to Ukraine, Judith S. Langer Caplan says

17 The Galitzianer Vol. 2, No. 2 that according to people on the Jewish Bulletin Boards, the following appear to be the best methods. One source, who shall be unnamed has placed cash in the bindings of books or under the glue strip within the front or back covers. David Chapin (e-mail address: dchapin @er.arco.com transmitted on Jewish Genealogy from FidoNet at jewishgen @israel.nysernet. ORG) recommends the International Courier Service in Brooklyn and Western Union. However, for Western Union, Chapin says, "The person at the other end can pick up the money at the Western Union of his choice. The person does not have to have an account, but he does have to have valid identification and he has to know your phone number and the control number. Be sure that the person gets the phone and control numbers beforehand. A $200 transfer can cost $33 to send." Judi says that Ben Okner (okner @nova.umd.eduz or okner @clark.net) recommended sending money to Ukraine and Russia via VITRO Remittance Corporation in New York City. Call 1-800-822-1321 for information.

Book About Bardejov Gerald Klafter writes in regard to Moishe Miller's advice about Abraham Grussgott's book, B'Uvdan Moladity that he also found the book very useful and wants to report that of the four people mentioned in the book as survivors, he managed to find two relatives in the Chicago area. Stimulated by the notice in The Galitzianer, he traced Mr. Grussgott's last known address to 1505 E. 49th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11234; phone: (718) 241-0600.

Censuses Nelson Pollack writes to say that he only knows the surname of Rittner, not where the family came from. He feels that his "best hope is to search for them on a country or province wide basis" and wonders about the availability of the Austrian censuses, 1800-1914 or other lists such as as tax and voter records. The Galitzianer has attempted to keep members up to date with the search for the census records. Exactly where they are is still not certain, though they are probably among the records now in Lvov which are scheduled for microfilming by the Mormons sometime in the next year or so. As to tax and voting records, does anyone know about these types of records?

TRAVEL

Well, our Phyllis Simon has really done it! The trip to Poland is on! If you want to participate...or just find out more about the plans and expenses involved...write to Phyllis at 19 Earl Road, Melville, NY 11747-1313 or call her at 516\673-3568. Phyllis has been working with a combination of members and travel experts to construct a two part trip to Ukraine and Poland. The Ukrainian leg is not sponsored by the SIG, but many people, including Phyllis, are willing to risk the perils of travel there. The staff at the Judaica Foundation at the Jagellonian University is assisting with arrangments for travel and research within Poland. The plan is as follows: On August 1 or 2, those who are going to Ukraine will fly to Kiev and meet up there. Larry Krupnak has advised that it is easier to get through customs and arrive there

18 The Galitzianer Vol. 2, No. 2 than other points in Ukraine. The group will travel west, visiting towns, cities and points of interest to group members. The Polish leg of the trip will begin by August 8 in Warsaw. Participants will fan out south and west for an intensive week of travel and research. For those interested in Ukraine, keep in mind that your records are probably in Warsaw (if they are anywhere), so do not expect to find vital records in Ukrainian towns. And speaking of Phyllis: Vol. 2, No. 2 of Shemot, the publication of the JGS of Great Britain, included an article by Phyllis about her trip to Kolomyya in July 1993 to witness the unveiling of a monument to the Jews who were murdered there in the Holocaust. She made the trip because an acquaintance, Prof. Dov Noy, a new SIG member and a noted scholar from Jerusalem, was helping to organize the trip and because her paternal family came from Pistyn near Kolomyya. After the ceremony, in addition to visiting Pistyn, she travelled to other towns, including Galic, Jablanov, , Kosov, Tlumach, and Sadagora. She found very little evidence of Jewish life in those places. "A few of us attended a meeting at the Jewish Culture Club in Lvov, which was inspirational and heartwarming."

Richard Schwartzstein has recently travelled on business to South East Poland where he visited Ulanow and other towns of the Rzeszow province, including Rzeszow, Sandomierz, Nisko and Tarnobrzeg. "It was a fascinating experience, although I did not have the opportunity to do any genealogical research."

Gleanings from AVOTAYNU The Fall 1994 (Vol. X, No. 3) issue of AVOTAYNU has an intriguing article by Valery A. Dymshits. For those of you who still don't get this fine journal or who missed the fine points in the article, a brief summary follows. Dr. Dymshits is a biochemist who is also Director of the Institute for the Investigation of the Jewish Diaspora Studies at St. Petersburg's Jewish University. They have spent six years investigating Jewish monuments in 700 towns. They found 100 Jewish cemeteries and dozens of synagogues. Of note was the information that in July and August 1994, the Institute planned to visit towns in the formerly Galician towns of Bolekhov, , Busk, Pechenezhin and Yablonov. The cemetery in Tlust has already been documented and the results will be published later in 1994 by the Center for Jewish Art, Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Among those towns which have been surveyed: , Bolekhov, Borislav, Borschov, Buchach, Busk, Brody, Drogobych, Gusyatin, Javorov, Kamenka-Bugskaya, Khodorov, Kolomyya, Komarno, Kosov, , Lvov, Monastyriska, Mostiska, Peremyshlany, Podkamen, Rudki, Rozdol, Sambor, Sasov, Skole, , (Stanislowow) Ivano-Frankovsk, Stryy, Tchortchov, Ternopol, Tlouste/Tolstoye, Turka, Zhidachov, Zholkva, Zolochev. Dr. Dymshits mentioned that he is very interested in having volunteers participate in the research that they do each summer. The volunteers must be prepared to pay their own expenses. He may be contacted at POB 10, St. Petersburg, 196247, Russia. His phone is 7-812-292-2830 or 233- 5095. His fax: 7-812-268-7568. The article also mentioned that a guidebook to Jewish Ukraine, to be written in English,

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Hebrew and Russian, is scheduled for publication in May 1995. It will cover more than 130 towns. For those who wish to memorialize relatives in this book with a small donation, you may contact the Institute's Israeli representatives to make these arrangements: The Russian Jewish Heritage Center, Klal Center 74, Yaffo Street 97, Jerusalem.

The project sponsored by the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad, to survey and document Jewish cemeteries and monuments in several European countries, has turned its attention to Ukraine. Teams of researchers have begun investigating the approximately 1,000 Jewish cemeteries which may exist today. Joel Berries, Executive Director of the Commission, in a letter to AVOTAYNU published in the Fall issue, noted that, "President Leonid Kravchuk signed an agreement guaranteeing the preservation and upkeep of Jewish historical sites and cemeteries in Ukraine, a marked departure from former Soviet policy." The final report on Ukraine is due to be published at the end of 1995. Any researchers who are planning to visit Ukraine, are invited to participate in the survey. You may either contact the Jewish Preservation Committee of Ukraine in Kiev by phone or fax: 7-044-417-5276 or the U.S. Commission in Washington at telephone #: 202/254-3824 or fax: 202/254-3934. Results of earlier efforts in the Czech Republic, , Poland and Slovakia have been deposited at the Research Institute of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. They may be obtained by writing to the Commission at 1101 15th Street N.W., Suite 504, Washington, D.C.

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THE GALITZIANER C is the quarterly publication of Gesher Galicia. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without permission of the editor, Suzan Wynne, 3128 Brooklawn Terrace, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, phone: 301/657-3389. Founded in 1993, membership in the organization is $15 for U.S. & Canadian residents and $22 for all others. Bea Cohen maintains member information and coordinates the Gesher Galicia Family Finder. Send address changes and updates pertaining to surnames & towns to: Bea Cohen, 831 Brodhead Street, Easton, PA 18042-1649.

The Galitzianer c/o Wynne 3128 Brooklawn Terrace Chevy Chase, MD 20815 USA

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