In response to the question of Michael B. Griffith about political and
social conditions in Galicia:

You can find good descriptions of the social, political and religious
conditions in late 19th century and early 20th century Galicia in the
translation I have made of the book "There Once Was a Shtetl Ropczyce". The
descriptions in the book are primarily about that Shtetl but are very
characteritic of Jewish life in Galicia as a whole during those years. Most
of the book has been translated already, and can be read on the Yizkor Book
Project of the JewishGen site. You will find it at:

http://www2.jewishgen.org/yizkor/Ropczyce/Ropczyce.html

Aryeh Wanderman
Jerusalem