Proposal
Orhei, Moldova Yizkor Book
Project Name. Translation of Orhei, Moldova Yizkor Book
Project Leader
Terry Lasky
JewishGen Yizkor Book Project Manager: Lance Ackerfeld
Project Synopsis
Orhei is an old town with evidence of Jewish residence since the early 17th Century. In 1959, former residents of the town published a 220-page yizkor book, Orhevev be-vinyana u-be-hurbara, Orgeyev Alive and Destroyed, ed. Y. Spivak. Tel Aviv: Committee of former residents of Orheyev, 1959. (in Hebrew and Yiddish). About 40 pages have been translated by volunteers and are online at http://www.jewishgen.org/Yizkor/Orgeyev/Orgeyev.html. In order to translate the remainder of the book, 180 pages in Hebrew, JewishGen requires the services of a professional translator.
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 emigres 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.
Orhei (Orheyev) is one of the oldest centers of Jewish population in Bessarabia (now known as Moldova). The earliest documented Jewish presence in Orhei was in the early 17th century. By 1897, the more than 7,000 Jews living in Orhei accounted for 60 percent of the town's population. Before the Holocaust, the Jewish presence in Orhei was still strong, with the town's 6,400 Jews comprising 42 percent of the population. Orhei's Jewish population was engaged in agriculture, including the cultivation of tobacco, grain, and orchards.
Project Description
Approximately 180 pages of Hebrew text remain to be translated and put online at http://www.jewishgen.org/Yizkor/Orgeyev/Orgeyev.html. To accomplish that JewishGen will hire 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. $8,250
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Updated 20 Sep 2009 by LA