Proposal
Kremenets, Ukraine Yizkor Book

Project Name. Translation of Kremenets, Ukraine Yizkor Book

Project Leader
Ronald D. Doctor


JewishGen Yizkor Book Project Manager: Lance Ackerfeld

Project Synopsis

Kremenets is at a crossroads, a border region between Central and Eastern Europe. Sovereignty over the area has alternated among the powerful nations of the region. The town has existed since the 12th century. A significant Jewish settlement in Kremenets is documented in 1536, although Jews were present before then. Prior to the final Partition of Poland in 1792, Kremenets was part of Poland. In 1954 and 1965 former residents of Kremenets published two yizkor books, one in Israel and the other in Argentina:

Stein, Abraham Samuel. (ed.) (1954). Pinkas Kremenits (Pinkas Kremeniec: A Memorial, Sefer Zikharon). Tel Aviv, Israel: Former residents of Kremenits in Israel. One volume, 453 pp., Hebrew & Yiddish. As of April 2013, the complete translation of this yizkor book was posted at http://www.jewishgen.org/Yizkor/kremenets/kremenets.html

Lerner, P. (ed) (1965). Kremenits, Vishgorodek un Pitshayev; yisker-bukh (Memorial Book of Krzemieniec). Buenos Aires: Former residents of Kremenits and vicinity in Argentina. 468 pages. Yiddish. As of April 2013, the table of contents and several chapters of this yizkor book were posted at http://www.jewishgen.org/Yizkor/kremenets3/kremenets3.html

In addition, from 1967 through1995, the Organization of Kremenets Emigrants published a series of at least 19 booklets in Tel Aviv and distributed them to Kremenetsers worldwide through representatives in New York, Buenos Aires, and Winnipeg. The project coordinator acquired all 19. Translations of the Hebrew sections of all 19 booklets are at http://www.jewishgen.org/Yizkor/kremenets1/kremenets1.html

Key Audiences

Jewish genealogists seeking to trace their roots in this town constitute the primary audience for the material.  However, the material has the potential to be of broader interest to scholars specializing in Jewish history and society in this region.

Project Importance

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. The necrologies and lists of residents are of tremendous genealogical value, as often the names of individuals who were taken to extermination camps or shot in the forests are not recorded elsewhere. Usually written in Hebrew or Yiddish, these important books are not accessible to most users, who cannot read these languages. Thus, the translation of these books into English unlocks this information to many more researchers all over the world. The JewishGen Yizkor Book Project received the award in 2002 for outstanding contribution to Jewish genealogy by the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies.

Before Russia, Prussia, and Austria carved up Poland in three successive partitions (1772 – 1795), Kremenets was part of Poland. After the final partition, Kremenets came under Russian rule until the restoration of a sovereign Poland following World War I. As a result of the 1939 German-Russian treaty that once again divided up Poland, Kremenets became part of the Soviet Union's Ukrainian Socialist Republic, until the Nazi invasion. After World War II, Kremenets reverted to Soviet rule, as part of the Ukraine. Between 1921 and 1941, the Jewish population of Kremenets grew from 6,600 to 15,000 including 4,000 refugees. Only 14 survived the Holocaust.

Project Description

Volunteers have thus far handled most of the translation. However, a total of 615 pages remain to be translated, 310 in the Lerner yizkor book and another 305 in the booklets. In order to complete these translations expeditiously, JewishGen needs to engage a professional translator. The project coordinator will select the order in which to translate the chapters and will work closely with the translator to ensure a grammatically correct and idiomatic translation. Specific tasks the project coordinator will perform include proofreading, editing, and preparing the work for submission to the Yizkor Book Project.

Estimated Cost. $21,450

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Updated 31 Mar 2013 by LA