In order to facilitate the acquisition of substantially greater
amounts of data for the JewishGen Worldwide Burial Records Project
(JOWBR), JewishGen has embarked on a totally new approach. Together
with the Yad LeZehava Holocaust Research Institute (YZI} of Kedumim,
Israel we are pleased to announce the first JOWBR Cooperative Data
Acquisition Project.

YZI is a highly professional major research group involved in the
supervision of numerous cemetery projects in Eastern Europe. With
this project in Poland as a pilot, JewishGen plans to expand the
approach by partnering with other groups of similar stature and
reputation.

This new initiative will enable our partner organizations to
communicate with the JewishGen constituency via our mailing lists and
the JewishGen-erosity program in order to raise the necessary funds
for designated sites. As soon as the funds are raised and the sites
restored, the final phase will be the photographing of the matzevot,
thus providing JOWBR the data which in many cases is the only
surviving record of our families. Once the inscriptions have been
translated into English according to the JOWBR protocol, the
translations and the photographs will be incorporated into the JOWBR
searchable database.

We believe this initiative is a win/win situation for JewishGenners
and the groups with which we partner. The groups gain heightened
visibility and the ability to raise funds for their projects >from the
interested constituency within JewishGen. JewishGenners will
benefit >from additional burial data on JOWBR. Each partner group
will be responsible for complying with all legal, religious,
preservation, and local requirements for performing any work in a
cemetery.

The success of these efforts will depend on JewishGenners making
generous donations. We all know that the rescue of tombstones in
eastern and central Europe is an immediate concern. Vandalism,
weather, lack of maintenance, and destruction over time by invaders
have left many cemeteries in dire condition.

To see the list of locations, the cost break-down, and the amount of
funds required just click on the town listed in the JewishGen-erosity
site at
http://www.jewishgen.org/JewishGen-erosity/v_projectslist.asp?project_cat=32
and
http://www.jewishgen.org/JewishGen-erosity/projectdesc/JOWBR_YZI.htm.

We must act now to support efforts that will result in creating an
index to the information on the tombstones in order to preserve this
major part of our history for future generations.

Joyce Field
JewishGen VP, Data Acquisition