About This Project
his project is being initiated in order to fund the translation of the over 300 page Yizkor book of Khotin/ Hotin, Ukraine. Descendants of Khotin and other Jewish genealogists who have ancestors in Khotin and Bessarabia will be interested in learning more of the community, traditions, and lost relatives. This project will also be of interest to non-Jewish residents of Khotin that are learning and researching the history of the Jewish Community of Khotin, Ukraine.
Historical Significance
Khotin is a city in Chernivtsi Oblast of western Ukraine. It is south-west of Kamianets-Podilskyi. Khotin, is first chronicled in 1001, and is located on the right (southwestern) bank of the Dniester River, and is part of the historical region of Bessarabia. An important architectural landmark within the city is the Khotin Fortress, constructed in the 13-15th centuries. During some of it's history, the city was part of the principality of Moldavia. Jewish merchants traveling from Constantinople to Lvov in the 15th and 16th centuries used to pass through Khotin, then an important customs station on the Polish-Moldavian border on the commercial route between Turkey and Poland. Jewish merchants from Poland used to visit Khotin for the fairs held there, evidence which dates from 1541.
The residence of Jews in Khotin is first mentioned in documents in 1741. There were 340 Jewish families in 1808. After this time the community grew as a result of the large Jewish immigration into the region. In 1897 the community totaled 9227 which was over 50% of the population. A Jewish government school was established in 1847, and a private school for girls was opened in 1857. In the first half of the 19th century, Isaiah Schorr, one of the most important rabbis in Bessarabia, officiated in Khotin. Later, Grand Rabbi Israel Twersky served the community of Khotin.
Project Details
As the funds become available, the Hebrew and Yiddish pages will be translated into English according to importance, by a professional translator. The project coordinator will review the translation and work closely with the translators. The project coordinator with solicit funds from family members, friends, genealogists, descendants of Khotin, Ukraine, and others interested in the history of this area.
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