Translation of
Mayn Shtetl Unghen: Poeme

Project Synopsis

Translation from Yiddish to English of the 185-page poem, by Chaim Barkan, noted Yiddish literary figure who emigrated from Ungheni to Philadelphia, PA in 1928. The book describes Ungheni's history and Jewish culture. Full text of Mayn Shtetl Unghen: Poeme is here:
https://www.yiddishbookcenter.org/collections/yiddish-books/spb-nybc206115/barkan-h-mayn-shtetl-ungen-poeme:

The following are book section titles, translated from Yiddish by the author's son, Hersh (Archie) Barkan:

• Part I: Formation of the town – A Stretch of Land; In the Yard of the Landowner; The Meeting of Some Members of the Town; Jews are Building; The Hammer and the Saw and the Iron and the Stone; The Marketplace; Jews Speaking in the Holy House; The Town Grows; Teachers; Making a Living; The Heritage; Charity; A Learned Man comes to Town
  
• Part II: The New Time; Youth; Summer; Two Generations; Jews; A Rabbi; The River; New Teachers; The Hebrew School; Three Shuls; Holidays; Jewish Heroism/Strength; Revolution; Epilogue--Destruction/Death/Annihilation; Acknowledgements.
  

Key Audiences

This translation would be of interest to descendants of the Jewish community of Ungheni who wish to understand the culture and life of their ancestral town and possibly identify lost relatives. It would also target those wanting to memorialize their ancestors, contribute to the preservation of their heritage, and provide this information for future generations.

Project Importance

Previously a small settlement on the east bank of the Prut River which borders Romania, Ungheni grew significantly in the mid-19^th century when a railroad and bridge were designed and built by the now famous Gustave Eiffel. Jews became a substantial portion of its population. Ungheni went from being part of Bessarabia in the Russian Empire, to Romanian rule between the wars, to becoming part of the Soviet Union post-WWII, and then establishing independence as Moldova - all within less than a century. Ungheni gave rise to many accomplished Jews, including: Samuel Cohen, who wrote the music that became Hatikvah; Rabbi Yehuda Lieb Fishman (Y.L. Maimon) who served for years as Ungheni's rabbi and led the pro-Zionist Chevra Achva Ungheni school, later emigrating to Palestine where he became a founder of Israel's first government, heading the Religious Affairs ministry; and I.A.L. Diamond, the Academy Award winning screenwriter of The Apartment and the Some Like It Hot.

Yizkor books like this one can be 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 often 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 lists of residents can be 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.

Project Details

As funds become available, Yiddish pages will be translated into English by a professional translator. The project coordinator will review the translation and work closely with the translators, with input from the author's son and interested family members.

Estimated Cost

A full translation is estimated by our translator to cost $3,600.

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Updated 17 Mar 2022 by LA