Translation of
Sefer zikaron kehilat Wolomin

Project Synopsis

This project is being initiated in order to fund the translation of the 600 page Yizkor Book. Originally published in Hebrew and Yiddish in 19571 in Tel Aviv, the editor is listed as editor is Shimon Kantz. The goal is to eventually provide a complete translation of this book to JewishGen. JewishGen currently only has a translation of the title page, table of contents and a “List of Martyrs”.

Key Audiences

Jewish genealogists who have ancestors from Wolomin will be interested in possibly learning the fate of cousins who never emigrated. The project will also be of interest to those studying Wolomin, Poland, which remains a small town about 20 km east of Warsaw, the capital of Poland and near the railway to Bialystok.

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.

According to Wikipedia, Wołomin was first mentioned in chronicles from the 15th century. It remained a small village in central Masovia without much significance. Since 19th century, and especially after the foundation of the railway in 1862, Wołomin became a summer holiday destination for Warsaw citizens. The Wołomin glassworks were founded in the beginning of the 20th century.

Wołomin was declared a town in 1919 after the return of Poland's sovereignty. In the interbellum Wołomin retained its status as a multinational town with a large Jewish population which approached 50%.

During World War II the Jews of Wołomin were forced into a ghetto set up by Nazi German administration on 15 November 1940, along the railway line between the streets of Kobyłka, Wspólna, Wiejska, Glinka and Cementowa. The ghetto inmates numbered about 2,700 people including Jews expelled from other locations. The Jedenrat was established in the building at 17 Nałkowskiego Street. Deportations aboard Holocaust trains to Treblinka began on 19 August 1942. The ghetto was liquidated on 6 October 1942. A few hundred people (416-620 according to different sources) were shot in the ghetto, including many elderly and sick people.

As funds become available, Yiddish pages will be translated into English by a professional translator. Eventually, Hebrew pages will also be translated. The book is small enough to be translated from beginning to end at an orderly pace, without pause. The project coordinator will review the translation and work closely with the translators.

Estimated Cost

A full translation is currently estimated to cost $2,500. This may change and can be adjusted over time if necessary and if translation is more burdensome than expected.