About This Project
The goal is to translate into English the remainder of this 438-page memorial book. Nearly all the Yiddish text was translated by a volunteer, Roslyn Sherman Greenberg, z"l. Some Hebrew sections have been completed thanks to donations from individuals who sponsored passages of particular interest.
The remaining untranslated Yiddish totals approximately ¾ of a page, while the remaining Hebrew totals approximately 173 pages. Completed translations are published online at jewishgen.org/yizkor/lida/.
Historical Significance
Given the deep reluctance of former Communist regimes to engage honestly with Holocaust history — despite the early efforts of the Soviet Extraordinary Commission — these memorial books will become increasingly important as eyewitnesses pass away. They preserve both a record of the Holocaust and the texture of pre-war Jewish life that official Soviet sources often obscured or undercounted.
The list of victims compiled by the Soviet Extraordinary Commission for Lida differs markedly from that in Sefer Lida. Surnames known to be most common from Revision Lists are underrepresented in the Soviet tally, while the Sefer Lida list is more complete. The Soviet count also numbers fewer victims than corresponding lists for neighboring villages with considerably smaller Jewish populations — a discrepancy that reflects the uneven commitment of individual Commission members to this essential documentation work.
Project Details
As funds become available, sections will be translated in the order they appear in the book by a professional translator.
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