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Translation of
Yizkor Book For Skalat

(Skalat, Ukraine)

 

Project Leader: Janet R. Perlmutter Schwartz
JewishGen Liason/Advisor: Lance Ackerfeld

Project Synopsis

This project is being initiated to fund the translation of Skalat: Kovetz Zikaron Le-Kehila She-Harva Ba-Shoa, edited by H. Bronstein, from Hebrew to English.

Jews first settled in Skalat in the 16th century. Over the next four centuries, Skalat alternately belonged to Poland, the Austrian Empire, and the Russians/Soviets, before the Germans took over in 1941. At the beginning of the 20th century, there was a mass migration of Jews from Skalat to America, due to poverty, hunger, and anti-Semitism. In 1939, however, Jewish life still flourished in Skalat, with a population of more than 4,000 Jews out of a total population of about 7,000 (which included Poles and Ukrainians). While the older generation of Jews was mostly Hassidic, the younger generation was more secular, politically oriented, and Zionist. The Jews lived *mostly* in the center or town, having been businessmen, craftsmen and traders. By July of 1941, the town was occupied by the Germans/Nazis, who began to murder the Jews with the help of the locals. Read the testimonies in this book to learn more.

Key Audiences

Jewish genealogists seeking to trace their roots to Skalat. However, the material has the potential to be of broader appeal to scholars interested in the region or specializing in Jewish history and society.

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 WWII 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 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. Usually written in Hebrew and/or Yiddish, these books are not accessible to a wider audience. The translation will unlock this information for many more researchers all over the world. This project will result in the creation of a primary English language source of information for anyone doing research on the town and its Jewish community.

Project Description

Table of Contents and Name Index have already been translated into English and published on line by JewishGen Yizkor Book Project. Janet Perlmutter Schwartz will assist with coordinating the funding and has already selected a translator. She will submit the final translation for approval and for posting on the Jewish Gen website.

Estimated Cost

A full translation is currently estimated at $1,600.

 


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