Memorial Books of Jewish Communities, 1943-2003 | Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust

Collection Overview

Title: Memorial Books of Jewish Communities, 1943-2003

Extent: 0.0

Forms of Material: Prewar photographs

Languages: English, Hebrew, Yiddish, French

Abstract

Memorial books of Jewish Communities that vanished in the Holocaust are also known as the Yizkor Books. They were published by the postwar Jewish associations of the descendants and survivors of the vanished in the Holocaust communities. These Jewish organizations are commonly regarded as Jewish Landsmanschaften. A memorial book dedicated to a given community is often a collective writing. Overall, such a synthetic work comprises a historical survey beginning with the time when the community was first mentioned, through its formative years and further to their prewar history, ending with the narration of the Holocaust and its aftermath. Personalia and commemorative advertisements often complement the memorial books.

Although not authored by professional historians or scholars, these volumes may serve as primary sources, especially with regard to the micro-history and family history. Largely, the majority of memorial books are written in Yiddish, however some are in Hebrew. Sometimes publications would also have an introductory article in English or Polish.

Jewish communities during in Diaspora and in Israel commenced the project on memorialization in the postwar years, continuing this work well into the 1960s and 1970s. Many of the memorial books were published in Israel, while it is not uncommon to see publications compiled and printed in North and South America, South Africa, and occasionally in European countries.

Scope and Contents of the Materials

Memorial books as narratives took primary focus on anti-Jewish upheavals. Some publication may start as early as the 17th Century, the turbulent time in Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth when the very foundation of the Republic of Nobles was at stake owing to the multiple wars with the neighboring countries and even more to the extent of the anti-Polish and anti-Jewish rebellion on the part of Ukrainian-cossacks population. Jewish pogroms of enormous scale and mass killing were common occurrences for the Right-bank Ukraine (then Poland and later the Russian Empire) in the duration of the 17^th and 18^th Centuries.

The memorial books may turn attention to another boundary situation, namely the period of the First World War and its aftermath. Given the fact of dealing with the Polish and Ukrainian Jewish communities, the very time after the First World War, that is, the period of Russian Civil War, the War for Ukrainian and Polish independence and the local borderland conflicts spurred multiple anti-Jewish atrocities, often resulted in massacres and pogroms. Not all, but a number of the memorial publications documented the pogroms in Poland and Ukraine in 1971 – 1921.

The interwar period (1918 – 1939), largely represented by merchant and religious activities as well as with notification of social and political events taking place in a given locality.

The Holocaust in a given community is documented by the testimonies, recollections and other memorialistic literature deposited by survivors. The documents of the Nazi-German agencies and postwar investigations of the Nazi-German crimes do not constitute the core of the narratives. Evidently, the authors in postwar years living in Israel or Diaspora did not have at their disposal German documents, they may have had the results of the State investigation of the Nazi-German crimes in the given territories. For the large Polish-Jewish communities the later well might have been a plausible source.

Collection Historical Note

RG-32, MEMORIAL BOOKS OF JEWISH COMMUNITIES: PINKASIM HA-KEHILOT.

Memorial books of Jewish Communities that vanished in the Holocaust, are also known as the Yizkor Books. They were brought to publication by the postwar Jewish associations of the descendent and survivors of the vanished in the Holocaust communities. These Jewish organizations are commonly regarded as Jewish Landsmanschaften. A memorial book dedicated to a given community is often a collective writing. Overall, such a synthetic work comprises a historical survey beginning with the time when the community was first mentioned, through its formative years and further to its prewar history, ending with the narration of the Holocaust and its aftermath. Personalia and commemorative advertisements often complement the memorial books.

Although not authored by professional historians or scholars, these volumes may serve as primary sources, especially with regard to the micro-history and family history. By and large, the memorial books are written in Yiddish, however some are in Hebrew. Seldom some publications would also have an introductory article in English or Polish.Jewish communities in Diaspora and in Israel commenced the project on memorialization in the postwar years, continuing this work well into the 1960s and 1970s. Many of the memorial books were published in Israel, while it is not uncommon to see publications from North and South America, South Africa, and occasionally from European countries.

RG-32.01, Memorial Book of Stryj or Seifer Stryj. This is a dual publication by Israeli and American Landsmanschaften. Published by Irgun Yotzej Stryj in Israel, 1962. The volume contains an article in English which was compiled and authored by the members of a New York Stryjer Fraternity. Text in English, 68 pages. Text in Hebrew, 260 pages. This memorial book tells the history of the Jewish community in Stryj from the mid sixteenth century to its destruction during the Holocaust. This collective work highlights topics such as institutions and associations within Stryj’s Jewish community, as well as economic, academic, social, and religious organizations. This volume also commemorates public figures and personalities that made contributions to the Jewish community.

RG-32.02, Memorial Book of Nowy Dwór or Pinkas Novy-Dvor.Edited by Aryeh Shamri and Dov First. Published by The Organizations of Former Novy-Dvor Jews in Israel, the United States, Canada, Argentina, Uruguay, and France. Printed in Tel-Aviv, 1965. Contains an abbreviated version of the memorial volume in English. Main text is in Yiddish and Hebrew. This volume was donated by the Nowy Dwor Society of Los Angeles (Rose Kleinbard, President) to the Martyrs Memorial and Museum of the Holocaust on February 21, 1982. This postwar publication is a compilation of works that describes the history of the Jewish community in Novy-Dvor, a town located in east-central Poland. This historical account spans from the community’s inception in the Middle Ages to their decline during the twentieth century. This volume highlights the community’s origin and development, religious, social, and economic life, Jewish resistance during the Second World War, life under Nazi occupation, and the destruction of Novy-Dvor Jewry during the Holocaust. Also included are pages and photographs dedicated to the memory of Novy-Dvor’s Jewish victims.

RG-32.03, Memorial Book of Krynki: Pinkas Krinki. In memory of the Jewish Community. Published in Israel in 1970. In Hebrew, 376 pages.

RG-32.04, Czenstochov a New Supplement to the Book Czenstochover Yidn. The Jews in Czestochowa. Actual town is Czestochowa, Poland. Published by the United Czenstochover Relief Committee in New York, 1958. Illustrations by Artur Szyk (Polish-Jewish book illustrator and political artist). Printed in New York. Main text in Yiddish, 304 pages. This memorial volume gives a history of the Jewish community in Czestochowa, Poland from 1700 to 1939. Included are photographs depicting Jewish daily life during the interwar years, life during Nazi-German occupation, and memorial photographs of Czestochowa Jews who perished during the Second World War.

RG-32.05, Commemoration Book: Chelm. Published by The Chelemer Landsmanschaft Society, Johannesburg, South Africa, 1954. Compiled and Edited by Meilech Bakalczuk-Felin. Index, Index of Persons, Photos, Introduction written in English 6 pages) by Chaim Leiberman. Main text in Yiddish, 732 pages. This memorial volume is a compilation of works that commemorate Jewish life in Chelm prior to and during the Second World War. Although not a complete history, this commemoration book includes narratives regarding Jewish schools, organizations, societies, and political parties that existed before the community’s ultimate destruction during the Holocaust. This publication uses documents, memoirs, eyewitness accounts of pre-war life in Chelm, and poems and photographs to memorialize the Jews of Chelm.

RG-32.06, Memorial to the Jews of Drohobych (Drohobycz), Boryslaw and Surroundings. Edited by Dr. N.M. Gelber. Published by the Association of former residents of Drohobycz, Boryslaw, and surroundings. Israel, 1959. In Yiddish. Some tables in the text are in English. 226 pages.

RG-32.07, Sepher Lida. The Book of Lida. Editors: Alexander Manor, Itzchak Ganusovitch, Aba Lando, Eliyahu Damesek. Published in Israel in 1970. Contains an introductory article and contents in English, 14 pages. Main text is in Yiddish and Hebrew, 438 pages.

RG-32.08, Lomza – in Memory of the Jewish Community. Editor Dr. Yom-Tov Lewisnski. Tel Aviv: Olei Lomza, 1952. In Hebrew, 377 pages.

RG-32.09, Lodzer Yiskor Book or The Lodz Memorial Book. Published by the United Emergency Relief Committee for the City of Łódż, New York, 1943. Printed in Paterson, N.J. Editorial Staff: Z. Zylbercweig, R. Feldon, M. S. Grossman, PH. Lassman, L. I. Leibowitz, L. Opert, M. Pincus, J. Rafsky, M. Pfeffer, G. Rafsky. S. Shely, L. Shribnick, B. Troy, Mrs. M. Troy. Text is primarily in Yiddish with small portions in English. This memorial book honors the memory of the Jewish community in Lodz, Poland that perished during the Holocaust. The publication is divided into five parts, each highlighting a particular portion of Lodz’s history. Topics include the city’s history from its establishment in 1332 to the onset of war in 1939, the destruction of the city and the establishment of the Lodz ghetto, the suffering of the Jews under Hitler’s regime, a brief history of the United Emergency Relief Committee for the City of Lodz, memorial pages and photographs dedicated to those who died during the Holocaust, and photographs of Jewish community members who served in the United States’ Army during the Second World War.

RG-32.10, Yizkor-Book Suwalki (Suwalk) and the Vicinity: Baklerowe, Wizshan, Yelinewe, Saini, Punsk, Psherosle, Filipowe, Krasnopole, Ratzk. Edited by: Berl Kahan. Published by The Suwalk & Vicinity Relief Committee, New York, 1961. Foreword in English, the text is in Yiddish, 825 pages.

RG-32.11, Góra Kalwaria Memorial Book (Megiles Ger). The New York Public Library-National Yiddish Book Center. Yizkor Book Project. New York, New York and Amherst, Massachusetts, 2003. Donated by Avner Yonai in memory of the Ytzhak and Lea family of Góra Kalwaria and their children Bearl, Shlomo, Pearl and Freindel that all perished in Treblinka in 1942.

RG-32.12, Lenin Memorial Book (Kehilat Lenin). The New York Public Library-National Yiddish Book Center. Yizkor Book Project. New York, New York and Amherst, Massachusetts, 2003. Donated by Avner Yonai as dedication to the Golub family of Lenin, Belarus. They made Aliyah in 1920.

RG-32.13, Stryj photodocuments

RG-32.14, The History of the Uprising and Victory. Edited by D. Diamanti. Donated by Mrs. Rita Tateel to the Martyrs Memorial and Museum of the Holocaust. Main text in Yiddish. This volume documents Jewish resistance and liberation during the Second World War.

RG-32.15, “Churban Lubartow” (Destruction of Lubartow). Edited by Baruch Tshubinski. Published by the Friends of Lubartow, Paris, 1947. Donated by Mrs. Rita Tateel to the Martyrs Memorial and Museum of the Holocaust. Catalog Date 11-19-84. Condition note: Pages 45 through 68 are out of the book’s binding and placed at the back of the publication. Text is in Yiddish, 118 pages. This memorial book focuses on the destruction of the Jewish community in Lubartow Poland during the Second World War. It tells of the persecution and humiliation Lubartow’s Jews suffered at the hands of Nazi-Germany, as well as provides accounts regarding those who perished during the Holocaust. This publication also includes memorial pages and photographs that document Jewish life in Lubartow.

RG-32.16, Tragedy of Lubartow. Published by the Friends of Lubartow (Les Cumis de Lubartow), Paris, 1947. Text is in Yiddish, 118 pages. This memorial volume tell the story of the tragedy that befell the Jewish community in Lubartow, Poland during the Second World War. The postwar publication uses personal testimonies and memorial pages and photographs to commemorate the Jewish population that worked and lived in Lubartow until Poland’s occupation by Nazi-Germany.

RG-32.17, Memorial Library of Jewish Communities: “Suchovola” (Suchowola). Edited by: H. Steinberg, M. Wubchuzker, Y. Levin, Y. Zevin. Published by The Encyclopedia of the Jewish Diaspora. Printed in Jerusalem, 1957. Lent by Kol Tikva Congregation, Woodland Hill. Gifted by Fima Chesnin to the Martyrs Memorial and Museum of the Holocaust. Catalog Date: 3-25-96. Volume has an introduction in English. Main text is in Hebrew and Yiddish, 615 pages. This memorial book gives a history of the Jewish community in the polish town of Suchowola during the twentieth century. It recalls Jewish social and cultural life, local industry which consisted mostly of merchants and trade, the town’s Progressive Youth movement, and life and death under Nazi occupation. Included are memorial narratives and photographs commemorating Suchowola’s Jewry.

RG-32.18, Jewish Partisans in 1941-1945. Author: Jechak Mowag (Mowogrodsky). Text is in Yiddish with one newspaper article in French. Manuscript regarding Jewish partisans during the Second World War.

RG-32.19, Sefer Zikron Khilat Dobromyl (History of the Jewish Community in Dobromil). Author: M. Goldberg. Publishing Date: 1964. Donated by Benjamin Grey to the Martyrs Memorial and Museum of the Holocaust. Text in Yiddish. This publication provides a history of the Jewish community in the Polish city of Dobromil during the twentieth century. Included are narratives regarding Jewish daily life, societies, religious traditions, education, and political organizations. This volume also depicts Jewish life under Nazi occupation and the fate of the Jewish community during the Holocaust. Memorial pages and photographs commemorate the memory of Dobromil’s Jewish community, which suffered and perished under the Nazi Regime.

RG-32.20 Sefer Laskarzew and Sobolew (Book of Laskarzew and Sobolew). Edited by: P. Gutmark (Israel), M. Wourman (Israel), Z. Koszkiewitch (Israel), L. Rozenweim (Paris), A. Szalat (Israel), I. Szalat (Paris), H. Szneider (Paris), F. Szneider (Paris). Published by the Society of Laskarzew and Sobolew in France. Publishing date unknown. Donated by Alex Schwartz (Kopf) and Family to the Martyrs Memorial and Museum of the Holocaust. Text in Yiddish, 708 pages. This postwar publication tells the history of the Jewish communities in the Polish towns of Laskarzew and Sobolew from the late eighteenth century to twentieth century. Included are narratives and photographs depicting Jewish life and commemorating those who perished during the Holocaust.

RG-32.21, Sefer Czenstochow (Book of Czestochowa). Published By Landsmanschaften of Czestochowa, 1968. Donated by Mrs. Rita Tateel (Schwartz) to the Martyrs Memorial and Museum of the Holocaust. Text is in Yiddish, 542 pages. This memorial book tells the history of the Jewish community in the Polish city of Czestochowa. Included are narratives about Jewish life before and during the Second World War. The publication also includes memorial pages and photographs of members of the Jewish community that perished during the Holocaust.

Subject/Index Terms

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Sub-Collection:

[Sub-Collection 1: RG-32.01, Memorial Book of Stryj or Seifer Stryj, 1962],
[Sub-Collection 2: RG-32.02, Memorial Book of Nowy Dwor (Pinkas Novy-Dvor), 1965],
[Sub-Collection 3: RG-32.03, Memorial Book of Krynki: Pinkas Krinki, 1970],
[Sub-Collection 4: RG-32.04, The Jews in Czestochowa, 1958],
[Sub-Collection 5: RG-32.05, Commemoration Book: Chelm, 1954],
[Sub-Collection 6: RG-32.06, Memorial to the Jews of Drohobych, Borslaw, and Surroundings, 1959],
[Sub-Collection 7: RG-32.07, The Book of Lida (Sepher Lida), 1970],
[Sub-Collection 8: RG-32.08, Lomza: In Memory of the Jewish Community, 1952],
[Sub-Collection 9: RG-32.09, The Lodz Memorial Book (Lodzer Yiskor Book), 1943],
[Sub-Collection 10: RG-32.10, Yizkor Book Suwalki (Suwalk) and the Vacinity, 1961],
[Sub-Collection 11: RG-32.11, Gora Kalwaria Memorial Book, 2003],
[Sub-Collection 12: RG-32.12, Lenin Memorial Book (Kehilat Lenin), 2003],
[Sub-Collection 13: RG-32.13, Stryj Photodocuments],
[Sub-Collection 14: RG-32.14, The History of the Uprising and Victory],
[Sub-Collection 15: RG-32.15, Destruction of Lubartow (Churban Lubartow), 1947],
[Sub-Collection 16: RG-32.16, Tragedy of Lubartow, 1947],
[Sub-Collection 17: RG-32.17, Memorial Library of Jewish Communities: Suchowola, 1957],
[Sub-Collection 18: RG-32.18, Jewish Partisans in 1941-1945],
[Sub-Collection 19: RG-32.19, History of the Jewish Community in Dobromil, 1964],
[Sub-Collection 20: RG-32.20, Book of Laskarzew and Sobolew],
[Sub-Collection 21: RG-32.21, Book of Czeztochowa, 1968],
[All]

Sub-Collection 5: RG-32.05, Commemoration Book: Chelm, 1954

RG-32.05, Commemoration Book: Chelm. Published by The Chelemer Landsmanschaft Society, Johannesburg, South Africa, 1954. Compiled and Edited by Meilech Bakalczuk-Felin. Index, Index of Persons, Photos, Introduction written in English 6 pages) by Chaim Leiberman. Main text in Yiddish, 732 pages. This memorial volume is a compilation of works that commemorate Jewish life in Chelm prior to and during the Second World War. Although not a complete history, this commemoration book includes narratives regarding Jewish schools, organizations, societies, and political parties that existed before the community’s ultimate destruction during the Holocaust. This publication uses documents, memoirs, eyewitness accounts of pre-war life in Chelm, poems and photographs to memorialize the Jews of Chelm.

Subject/Index Terms:: Literature in English Language; Literature in Yiddish language; Jewish community in Chelm, History; Jewish community in Chelm, History of the Holocaust; Documents in English language; Documents in Yiddish language; Wartime discourse in Chelm, Memorial literature; Narratives in English language; narratives in Yiddish; Postwar memorial publications in regards to the vanished Jewish communities; Jews in Poland, History; Memorial photographs depicting vanished Jewish communities; Photographs, Second World War; Wartime Europe, historic photographs, 1939 -- 1945; History of Jews in Poland; History, Jewish; History of the Holocaust, photo-documents; Holocaust, history; postwar publication; Chelm, Poland; Interwar Poland; Life under German occupation--Poland (1939-1945); Jewish social and cultural organization in interwar Poland; Jewish cultural community in Poland; Jewish cultural, philanthropic and educational activities in interwar Europe; Photographs, pre-Second World War; Mass killing of Jewish population, Second World War; Wartime atrocities and mass killing, Second World War; Ghettos, Poland; Nazi concentration camps in Poland; German-Nazi crimes in occupied countries of Europe; Jews in Nazi Europe; Prewar photographs; Chelmno (Poland: Extermination Center)

Creators:: Landsmanschaft of Chelm (Community of Survivors); Meilech Bakalczuk-Felin, editor and compiler