Translation of the
Jezierzany Yizkor Book

Project Synopsis

This project is being initiated to fund the remainder of the translation of the 498 page Yizkor Book of Jezierzany. In 1959, it was published in Hebrew and Yiddish in Jerusalem. The editor is listed as M. A. Tenenblatt, Jerusalem. The goal is to provide a complete translation of this book for Jewishgen. JewishGen currently has English translations of the following: Table of Contents; some sections concerning Institutions and Economy; Necrology of the Martyrs from Ozeryany and Environs; several other sections related to the Holocaust; and a letter by a former resident. Approximately 430 pages still need to be translated.

Key Audiences

Jewish genealogists and other desendants of Jezierzany residents are interested in learning about their ancestral home and the lives and fate of relatives who never emigrated.

Yizkor books are unique sources of information about 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 movements in 20th century Europe 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.

Jezierzany served as a closeknit and caring Jewish community for its residents. According to the Encyclopedia of Jewish Communities edited by Danuta Dabrowska, Abraham Wein, and Aharon Weiss, “The Jewish settlement of the town started in the 19th century... From 1890 to WWI, Jews were the majority of the inhabitants. The first Zionist organization in Jezierzany, Agudath Zion, was started in the beginning of the 1900's. It had a library and offered classes in Hebrew and literature. Two more Zionist organizations were established, the Labor Zionist organization and the Hope of Zion. Hope of Zion had a theater group and in 1923 built a small kibbutz to train people for eventual immmigration to Palestine... By 1931, 300 residents belonged to four different Zionist organizations in this one small town of Jezierzany. Between the two World Wars, these Zionist organizations ran a secular Hebrew Day School with drama and music classes and provided a library that contained more than 2,000 books.

“On July 8, 1941, an Hungarian regiment entered Jezierzany. During the months of July and August 1941, Jezierzany became a stopover for many Jews fleeing other towns and cities. The Jezierzany Jewish community did its best to feed and clothe them before sending them on their way to Borszczow, the main city of the district.

“In October of 1942, the remaining Jews in Jezierzany were moved to other towns such as Borszczow and Tluste. In the fall of 1945, the last remaining Jews from Jezierzany who were then living in Borszczow went to Poland. In 1946 they went further west to displaced persons camps in Austria and Germany. From there, they immigrated to the US or wherever they had relatives or could find a new home. No Jews have ever returned to Jezierzany.

More and more descendants of the Jezierzany Jewish community are finally discovering their roots and want to learn more about the rich history of their ancestors, including their courage and generosity toward others in need.

As funds become available, Hebrew sections will be translated into English by a professional translator. Eventually, the section containing Yiddish will also be translated.

Estimated Cost

$11,000 - $12,000