Memorial book of Tiktin Yizkor Book

Project Synopsis

This project is being initiated in order to fund the translation of the 607 page Yizkor Book. 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 martyr list and other individual sections) already exists on JewishGen.

Jewish genealogists seeking to trace their roots to Tykocin and its region constitute the primary audience for the material. 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, Polish gentiles with an interest in the Jewish community of Tykocin or the general history of Tykocin 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. The necrologies and lists of residents are of tremendous genealogical value, as often the names of individuals who were taken to extermination camps or died in the forests are not recorded elsewhere.

Tykocin is located about 20 km northwest of Bialystok. “The Jewish population of Tykocin estimated at 2,000 people was eradicated by Nazi Germans during the Holocaust. On 25–26 August 1941 the Jewish residents of Tykocin were assembled at the market square for “relocation”, and then marched and trucked by the Nazis into the nearby Łopuchowo forest, where they were executed in waves into pits by SS Einsatzkommando Zichenau-Schroettersburg under SS-Obersturmführer Hermann Schaper. A memorial now exists outside the city for the Tykocin pogrom.”

Survivors, descendants of survivors, as well as descendants of those who emigrated from Tykocin prior to the war are known to exist in Australia, Israel, the United States, 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 pages will be translated into English by a professional translator.

Estimated Cost

A full translation is currently estimated to cost $15,000. This estimate will be revised and refined as the project progresses.