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Introduction

Our goal was to make the English version of Kehilat Svislots come alive by translating it as literally as possible.
We wanted to insure that the present and all future generations were able to hear the words in this book as they were spoken; to know the actual thoughts and words of those who remembered our families, and the place they called home.
The writers were not famous authors and wordsmiths skilled in the use of language.
Their concern was not the use of correct grammar, but rather, to preserve their memories of that time and that place.
You will certainly notice that, on occasion, certain ideas do not flow smoothly; there may be some incomplete thoughts, or some statements that just defy logic.
Certainly there is a frustration that comes with everyone's desire for words to flow like novels on the Best Seller List.
But balance that desire with the magic of hearing the words as they were spoken to us; think of Tevia, in Fiddler on the Roof, and you can almost hear some of these words and phrases coming from his mouth.
A particular favorite of ours is the description of Aaron Isaac in the “Teachers of Sislevitch” article: “a tall man, with a nice built front and starched white cuffs, a bib, a starched collar with cuff links and a black top hat. His pride was in his brown mustache and pointy beard.”
We can try to discern what the writer meant, that maybe he was handsome, muscular, fat, skinny, etc., etc.
But that would not be what was written, and in our opinion it would be sacrilege to try and interpret these words.
Please note that all comments in parentheses are that of the translator.

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Dedication

We humbly dedicate the translation of this book to the memory of all those who lost their lives through the senseless tragedy of the Holocaust.
We particularly remember our family members, Kaplan, Vigonsky, Rosenbloom, Lappe, and Liss, and share the sadness of loss with all those whose family or families perished.
We also dedicate this to Mr. Joe Rozenberg, a 79 year old survivor of the Lodz Ghetto, who possesses a wonderful knowledge of Jewish history and customs and a man with a genuine understanding of English, Yiddish, German, and Polish.
Joe is a perfectionist and has donated hundreds of hours of time translating the Yiddish portion of the book, going over each article countless times to insure each one was as accurate and literal as possible.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to Joe for all his help.

Translated by Sara Mages and Yocheved Klausner

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Updated 9 Jul 2010 by LA