Translation of
A Memorial to the Jewish community of Dubno, Wolyn

Project Synopsis

This project is being initiated in order to fund the translation of the 752 column Yizkor book: “Dubno; sefer zikaron” – “A Memorial to the Jewish community of Dubno, Wolyn”. The book was edited by Y. Adini and published 1966 in Tel Aviv, Israel. The goal is to eventually provide a complete translation of this book to JewishGen. A translation of some portions of the book (table of contents, a necrology list and a few individual sections) already exists on JewishGen. The book is partly in Hebrew, partly in Yiddish and contains many photographs.

Key Audiences

Jewish genealogists seeking to trace their roots to Dubno and its region constitute the primary audience for the material. There are around 270 researchers currently registered in the JewishGen Family Finder seeking families in Dubno. However, the material has the potential to be of broader appeal to scholars interested in the region or specializing in Jewish history and society.  In particular, as has been the case with other such books, Ukranian gentiles with an interest in the Jewish community of Dubno or the general history of Dubno will likely take interest in the book

Yizkor books are unique sources of information on once vibrant towns, primarily in central and Eastern Europe, whose Jewish populations were destroyed in the Holocaust. Written after World War II by émigrés and Holocaust survivors, Yizkor books contain narratives of the history of the town, details of daily life, religious and political figures and movements, religious and secular education, and gripping stories of the major intellectual and Zionist movements of the 20th century. They also contain first-hand accounts of the events of the Holocaust related to the specific town. The necrologies and lists of residents are of tremendous genealogical value, as often the names of individuals who were taken to extermination camps, murdered in mass executions, or died in the forests are not recorded elsewhere.

Dubno is located in Ukraine less than 400 km west of the capital, Kiev. The largest nearby city is Lviv, only 150 km southwest of Dubno. Before World War 1, the town was part of the Russian Empire. After World War I, it became part of the newly created independent Poland. Dubno was invaded by the Soviet Union in 1939 and by Germany in 1941. At the time of Nazi invasion on June 25, about 12000 Jews lived in Dubno. During July and August of 1941, about 1000 Jews were shot on the fields. The Dubno ghetto was created on April 2, 1942 and existed until October 23. During this time most of the remaining Jews were murdered in a series of actions. In total, only around 300 Jews survived the Dubno Ghetto. Some were hidden by non-Jewish families, some had false papers, and some were hiding in the fields and the forest.

Survivors, descendants of survivors, as well as descendants of those who emigrated from Dubno prior to the war are known to exist in Israel, the United States, Argentina, Sweden and other countries. This Yizkor Book is a major source for documented history of the town and its Jewish population, and will result in the creation of a primary English language source of information for anyone doing research on the town and its Jewish community.

As funds become available, Hebrew and Yiddish pages will be translated into English by a professional translator.

The project coordinator will select the order in which the chapters will be translated and will work closely with the translator to ensure a grammatically correct and idiomatic translation. Those donating funds to the project will be given the opportunity to select the chapters of interest for priority in translation. Photos from the Yizkor Book will be paired with captions and translations wherever possible.

Estimated Cost

A full translation is currently estimated to cost $16,000. This estimate will be revised and refined as the project progresses.