IN THIS ISSUE.. .

MEMORIES OF OZAROW by Hillel Adler 3

FROM THE KIELCE ARCHIVES CATALOG translated from the Polish 8

ANOMALIES IN THE POLISH VITAL RECORDS by Lauren B. Eisenberg Davis 1 1 interest Qr DUJ> MEMORIES OF LAGOV byJ.B. Salsberg 1 7 . A CONVERSATION WITH THE RADOM ARCHIVES DIRECTO R by Lowell Ackerman 2 1

JEWISH VITAL RECORDS IN THE RADOM ARCHIVES by Warren Blatt 2 4

SURNAMES FROM EASTERN y^utumn KIELCE GUBERNIA compiled by Alexander Beider 2 5

NEWS and NOTES 3 3 Letters and information from our members

EXTRACT DATA IN THIS ISSUE .... 40 Opatow Marriages, 1855-1862 4 1 Przytyk Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1826-1830 5 3 p|efce *mtf

... but first a word from your coordinator As this final issue of the year went to press, we blew out the candle commemorating our first year of existence with the wish that our second year will bring us to new heights of achievement. In putting together these four quarterly Journals we have increased our own knowledge, not only about Jewish genealogy, but of postal rates, printing costs, computer idiosyncrasies, copyrights and an endless number of other subjects involved in bringing you this publication. W e crawled into existence last January, and close " ISS N Np. 1092-8006 :©lffl7; af f inafcttlfiBs issue the year having brought you a total of 236 pages of detailed vital information, research instructions, first-hand reports, indexes of published parterly bjr the ; thousands of Jewish names from Kielce and Radom gubemias, translations of important published works, and papers and tracts written especially for our members and subscribers. The Kielce-Radom SIG Journal has been selected to appear in many highly regarded libraries and research centers throughout the jtjodyff tacfividuÉsiMterest^ï in world, attesting to its acceptance as an extremely useful tool for ^wsb genealogicalTra^rd i from - genealogists and historians studying our region of . Bïekësiid Radoîa, two gubergas to Here is a list of some of these institutions: Bar Dan Univ., Israel Brandeis Univ. Columbus Jewish Hist Soc. Cornell Univ. Harvard College Holocaust Center of No. Calif . JHS of Stamford Jewish Public Library, Montreal Kelzer Benev. Soc. of NY IDS Fam-History library, Salt Lake City library of Congress Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies Urn'v. of Denver Univ. of Pennsylvania Simon Wiesenthal Center State Library of Victoria, Australia. Jewish National and Hebrew Univ. library, Israel Yad Vashem, Israel .. . an d many Jewish Genealogical Societies This issue again contains innovations, including an interview with the director of the Polish State Archives in Radom containing important information about researching those archives, two articles remembering the towns of Ozarôw and Lagôw, a research tract mar about anomalies in Polish records, additional Jewish surnames provided by Alexander Beider, and 25 pages of vital extracts from V requests for inteimaticai,4ues,---' LDS microfilm records of Opatôw and Przytyk, plus news and notes 3, etc. should te from our members.. For the first time you will find our Family Finder of surnames being researched by K-R SIG members, together with the towns they were from, and the names and addresses of the researchers. Remember, the K-R SIG is a contributory organization that exists primarily through the sharing of research and contributions made by its members. Ther e is much work to be done. W e need your help. Contac t us. Finally, a reminder: It is time to renew your membership in the K-R SIG in order to continue receiving the Journal for another year. All 199 7 subscriptions end with this issue. W e are enclosing a e K-R SIG Include renewal order form with this issue, and suggest you return it as aJÎ quàrteify publications fitf the - quckly as possible to avoid a small increase that goes into effect on December 1,1997. Autumn 1997 Kielce-Radom SIG Journal

MEMORIES OF OZAROW, a Little Jewish Town that Was

by Hillel Adler translated from the French by William Fraiberg

William Fraiberg has translated Memories of Ozarow, a Little Jewish Town that Was, a book of reminiscence about the native village of a Holocaust survivor, which is scheduled for publication in October 1997. The book covers geography, history, customs, occupations, family, marriages, religion, emigration and the war. Bill has graciously allowed us to print an excerpt in the Kielce- Radom Specia l Interest Grou p Journal. Address all inquiries to: Ozarow Press, 5380 Bourret Avenue, Montreal, Québec H3X1J2

Copyright © 1994 Hillel Adler for original French version published as Mémoires d'une ville juive éteinte, Ozarow. Copyright © 1997 Succession of Hillel Adler and William Fraiberg for English version. All rights reserved. French version printed in February 1994 by SAGIM, 77181 Courtry, France. Dépôt légal, Bibliothèque nationale de France, February 1994, Bibliothèque nationale du Québec and the National Library of Canada, 3rd trimester 1997.

Published by William Fraiberg with the financial assistance of Congregation Anshei Ozerojf of Montreal. Book designed and typeset by William Fraiberg. Printed by Éditions Marquis Ltée., Montmagny, Québec. ISBN 0-9681248-0-1

GEOGRAPHY

Geographic Setting Of Ozarow to with all of the weight of the cargo they carried. The snow and cold would make your teeth chatter. Ozarow is located in the southeast of Poland, 1 5 kilometres from the Vistula. It is about eighty kilometres The traditional carts were transformed into horse- from Kielce and Radom; to the northeast lies the city of drawn sleds with jingling bells to trace their passage. Radam, and 200 kilometres to the north is , the The favourit e amusemen t o f the childre n wa s to fl y capital. Th e region include s woode d an d cultivate d down from the top of Zawiechost Roa d or that of the terrain, and picturesque small hills that extend to the narrow road leading to the station in their little sleighs. mountain "Swietokrzyska", the Holy Cross. They would also go skating on skates they fashioned for themselves. The region has a continental climate. In summer the day s ar e clea r an d sunny , an d th e night s cool . In spring the snow covering the roofs would melt, Thunderstorms an d lightenin g ofte n preced e shor t giving rise to cascades of water; green returned to the rainfalls and the rainbows mat herald good weather. The fields and the gardens would bud anew. temperature ranges between 1 8 degrees and 35 degrees Celsius. Central Polan d wa s on e o f th e region s i n th e country where until the Second World War the Jewish With autumn and the festival of Succoth come the population was the most implanted. It represented on rains. During this period people lay in provisions for the average betwee n a hal f an d tw o thirds o f th e loca l winter. Winte r comes in December. The days are much population, except in the big cities. shorter an d the col d is at its fiercest, often reachin g minus twenty-five degrees. The Vistula freezes over and Ozarow itself is surrounde d b y other town s and at certain spots the horses and their sleds were able cross villages of varying size within a radius of around twenty Kielce-Radom SIG Journal Autumn 1997

Mer Baltiqu e

Map of Poland drawn by the author showing its pre-war boundaries and location o/Ozarow kilometres, lik e Ostrowiec-Swietokrzyski , Cmielow , would ge t ou r frui t an d vegetable s directl y fro m th e Opatow, Sandomierz, Zawiechost and Taxlow. It is one farmers and we ate a lot of potatoes. Many families could of the crossroads of central Poland and the north-south afford to eat meat only once a week. and east-west bus routes. Five kilometres to the south is Jasice, the railway station. Close by Ozarow there were Most o f th e dwelling s wer e old , fragil e an d many hamlets with t