There was no country of Poland between partition, around 1800, and the
end of WWI. So many people put 'Russia' or said 'Russia' on documents
and in records-that was the country they came from. The Russian Empire
covered a lot of territory-including most of what is today Ukraine,
Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, much of the Balkans, and Poland.

You will see 'Russia' on records, as well as Russia/Poland and Polish
Russia and other variations as well.

Sally Bruckheimer

There was no country of Poland between partition, around 1800, and the
end of WWI. So many people put 'Russia' or said 'Russia' on documents
and in records-that was the country they came from. The Russian Empire
covered a lot of territory-including most of what is today Ukraine,
Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, much of the Balkans, and Poland.

You will see 'Russia' on records, as well as Russia/Poland and Polish
Russia and other variations as well.

Sally Bruckheimer

from time to time, it makes sense for LitvakSIG to remind

all the readers of our list about the relationship between
you -- the Litvak researchers -- and the All Lithuania
Database (ALD), which has Internet-searchable translations of
nearly 400,000 records of our ancestors >from the Lithuanian Archives.

Acquisition and translation of records in the ALD is funded entirely
by researchers who contribute to LitvakSIG's various Uyezd (or District)
Research Groups.

Those researchers who make qualifying contributions to
a Research Group receive Excel files of the translations for that group in
advance of the material's submission to the All Lithuania Database.

In recent months there were a number of discussions among the
LitvakSIG board of directors and the District Research Coordinators as to
how best to continue to fund the acquisition and translation of records from
the various Lithuanian archives.

Keeping in mind the need to balance access to information and the incentive
to contribute the funds that make it possible to continue this project, we
discussed a number of options.

Last year, LitvakSIG's Board and District Coordinators decided that only
those records that have been distributed to Research Group contributors more
than one year previously will be added to the ALD. (We recognize that no
new data has been added to the ALD since June, 2002. We are working to
ready a large group of records and hope to have them incorporated in the
database shortly.)

The "one year" policy allows those who have made possible this
extraordinary effort to have the exclusive use of the data for an
appropriate period of time. To those of you who can't wait a year, there is
an easy solution. All you have to do is to send a contribution of at least
$100 to the district of your choice and thus receive all of the records from
all of the towns within that district.

Since the IAJGS conference in Washington, LitvakSIG's Board and Research
Groups Coordinators have also been discussing and evaluating another issue
relating to the Research Groups, one that was raised at the LitvakSIG
meeting last year.

There was discussion at that meeting about the possibility of a "volume
discount" for contributors which would enable those donating
an amount that was less than the total of the qualifying contributions
to all uyezds to get the Excel files for all uyezds.

There are several reasons why the Board and Uyezd Coordinators feel that
it would be impractical for LitvakSIG to institute such a volume discount.

First, it would be impossible to apportion the funds effectively and fairly
to the various uyezds, which have widely varying financial needs and levels
of record accessibility.

Second, with Lithuania approaching membership in the European Union and
use of the Euro, we expect that our costs for acquisition of records will
rise, and it will probably be necessary for us to raise the qualifying amount
per uyezd group rather than to work with a lesser amount.

Therefore, while we appreciated the discussion of the issue in Washington,
and we did consider the matter thoroughly, it is not possible to institute
such a change.

To find the list of active LitvakSIG Research Groups and
their Coordinators, go to http://www.jewishgen.org/litvak/research.htm

To find out which Uyezd (District) your town is in, go to the
Shtetl/Uyezd/Gubernia Table at
http://www.jewishgen.org/litvak/sug.htm

One last item - some of you are confused about the District Research
Groups, the Vital Records Project and the LitvakSIG dues. They are all
separate items and require separate contributions.

The District Research Groups acquire the revision lists, tax lists, voter
lists, draft lists, etc. and are organized along uyezd or district lines.
The Vital Records Project is being conducted on a town-by-town basis,
because not all of the towns or all of the districts have birth, death or
marriage records that have survived. The $36 is for the annual LitvakSIG
dues (January-December).

Your check for a District Research Group should have the name of the uyezd
indicated in the memo field. Your check for Vital Records should have the
name of the shtetl in the memo field. The $36 for dues will be obvious and
needs no such identification. All checks may be sent to:

LITVAKSIG, INC.
Dept. 77-9253
Chicago, Illinois 60678-9253

or, if you prefer to pay by credit card, you will find
the form at

http://www.jewishgen.org/litvak/donor.htm

Contribution forms may be faxed to 661/299-9198.

If you have any questions about this policy, please don't hesitate to
contact me.

Happy Ancestor Hunting!

Carol Coplin Baker
District Research Groups Coordinator
carolcbaker@comcast.net

from time to time, it makes sense for LitvakSIG to remind

all the readers of our list about the relationship between
you -- the Litvak researchers -- and the All Lithuania
Database (ALD), which has Internet-searchable translations of
nearly 400,000 records of our ancestors >from the Lithuanian Archives.

Acquisition and translation of records in the ALD is funded entirely
by researchers who contribute to LitvakSIG's various Uyezd (or District)
Research Groups.

Those researchers who make qualifying contributions to
a Research Group receive Excel files of the translations for that group in
advance of the material's submission to the All Lithuania Database.

In recent months there were a number of discussions among the
LitvakSIG board of directors and the District Research Coordinators as to
how best to continue to fund the acquisition and translation of records from
the various Lithuanian archives.

Keeping in mind the need to balance access to information and the incentive
to contribute the funds that make it possible to continue this project, we
discussed a number of options.

Last year, LitvakSIG's Board and District Coordinators decided that only
those records that have been distributed to Research Group contributors more
than one year previously will be added to the ALD. (We recognize that no
new data has been added to the ALD since June, 2002. We are working to
ready a large group of records and hope to have them incorporated in the
database shortly.)

The "one year" policy allows those who have made possible this
extraordinary effort to have the exclusive use of the data for an
appropriate period of time. To those of you who can't wait a year, there is
an easy solution. All you have to do is to send a contribution of at least
$100 to the district of your choice and thus receive all of the records from
all of the towns within that district.

Since the IAJGS conference in Washington, LitvakSIG's Board and Research
Groups Coordinators have also been discussing and evaluating another issue
relating to the Research Groups, one that was raised at the LitvakSIG
meeting last year.

There was discussion at that meeting about the possibility of a "volume
discount" for contributors which would enable those donating
an amount that was less than the total of the qualifying contributions
to all uyezds to get the Excel files for all uyezds.

There are several reasons why the Board and Uyezd Coordinators feel that
it would be impractical for LitvakSIG to institute such a volume discount.

First, it would be impossible to apportion the funds effectively and fairly
to the various uyezds, which have widely varying financial needs and levels
of record accessibility.

Second, with Lithuania approaching membership in the European Union and
use of the Euro, we expect that our costs for acquisition of records will
rise, and it will probably be necessary for us to raise the qualifying amount
per uyezd group rather than to work with a lesser amount.

Therefore, while we appreciated the discussion of the issue in Washington,
and we did consider the matter thoroughly, it is not possible to institute
such a change.

To find the list of active LitvakSIG Research Groups and
their Coordinators, go to http://www.jewishgen.org/litvak/research.htm

To find out which Uyezd (District) your town is in, go to the
Shtetl/Uyezd/Gubernia Table at
http://www.jewishgen.org/litvak/sug.htm

One last item - some of you are confused about the District Research
Groups, the Vital Records Project and the LitvakSIG dues. They are all
separate items and require separate contributions.

The District Research Groups acquire the revision lists, tax lists, voter
lists, draft lists, etc. and are organized along uyezd or district lines.
The Vital Records Project is being conducted on a town-by-town basis,
because not all of the towns or all of the districts have birth, death or
marriage records that have survived. The $36 is for the annual LitvakSIG
dues (January-December).

Your check for a District Research Group should have the name of the uyezd
indicated in the memo field. Your check for Vital Records should have the
name of the shtetl in the memo field. The $36 for dues will be obvious and
needs no such identification. All checks may be sent to:

LITVAKSIG, INC.
Dept. 77-9253
Chicago, Illinois 60678-9253

or, if you prefer to pay by credit card, you will find
the form at

http://www.jewishgen.org/litvak/donor.htm

Contribution forms may be faxed to 661/299-9198.

If you have any questions about this policy, please don't hesitate to
contact me.

Happy Ancestor Hunting!

Carol Coplin Baker
District Research Groups Coordinator
carolcbaker@comcast.net

Dear Rob and group,
Just for fun I input my maternal grandmother's birth name and lo and
behold, there was my mother's first cousin with the correct birth and death
dates, place of birth, and husband's name in the Latter Day Saints. She is
now a Mormon.
Where do I go >from here?
Ida Selavan Schwarcz
Arad, Israel

Dear Rob and group,
Just for fun I input my maternal grandmother's birth name and lo and
behold, there was my mother's first cousin with the correct birth and death
dates, place of birth, and husband's name in the Latter Day Saints. She is
now a Mormon.
Where do I go >from here?
Ida Selavan Schwarcz
Arad, Israel

A recent message sent to the H-JUDAIC group announces the establishment of an
Historic Hebrew Newspaper website at:

http://jnul.huji.ac.il/dl/newspapers/

This is the "gift" of David and Fela Shapell Project of the Jewish National
and University Library.

The first stage is now completed and comprises:


Halevanon (1863-1886) 770 issues, approx. 7,200 pages.
Hamagid (1856-1903) 2265 issues, approx. 19,500 pages.
Havazelet (1863-1911) 1857 issues, approx. 14,200 pages.

The project will eventually include other titles of the Hebrew Press of the
19th and earl 20th century. It is expected that private collectors and other
institutions will fill in missing issues.

The site is entirely in Hebrew so you would need a special "Java TIFF" view,
which can be downloaded automatically into your browser the first time you
attmept to view an image. Your browser also has to be set for Java enablement.

Please don't ask me to explain the above technical stuff. I am baffled by it
and can't read Hebrew anyway! If you can read Hebrew and understand the
instructions given at the site you will be able to zoom in, adjust brightness and
make print-outs of your selections.


Naomi Fatouros (nee FELDMAN)
Bloomington, Indiana
NFatouros@aol.com
BELKOWSKY and BIELKOWSKY, Odessa,St. Petersburg, Berdichev;ROTHSTEIN,
Kremenchug; FELDMAN, Pinsk;
SCHUTZ, RETTIG, WAHL, Shcherets;
LEVY, WEIL, Mulhouse; SAS or SASS,Podwolochisk; RAPOPORT, Tarnopol,
Podwolochisk, Berdichev; BEHAM, Salok and Kharkov;
WOLPIANSKY, Ostryna.

HI,
Can someone who knows Helsinki well or lives in Helsinki
please email me as I am looking for information.

thank you
Ann Wine
Sydney, Australia


Searching for:
WAJNBAUM, WEINBAUM , HERSZKOWICZ, STRAUSZ,
CHARKOWSKI ORZECH, KALISTEN (Lodz, Stopnica, Nowy Korczyn)
SZTERN (Przysucha), ZEIDNER (Kazimierz Dolny,)
ORZECH , SZTERN (Israel)

A question >from a relative about a marriage in New Orleans evoked many
helpful responses. We did not thank each person individually so we are
thanking you all. What a group!
Ida and Joseph

Dr. Joseph M. Schwarcz
Dr. Ida Selavan Schwarcz

A recent message sent to the H-JUDAIC group announces the establishment of an
Historic Hebrew Newspaper website at:

http://jnul.huji.ac.il/dl/newspapers/

This is the "gift" of David and Fela Shapell Project of the Jewish National
and University Library.

The first stage is now completed and comprises:


Halevanon (1863-1886) 770 issues, approx. 7,200 pages.
Hamagid (1856-1903) 2265 issues, approx. 19,500 pages.
Havazelet (1863-1911) 1857 issues, approx. 14,200 pages.

The project will eventually include other titles of the Hebrew Press of the
19th and earl 20th century. It is expected that private collectors and other
institutions will fill in missing issues.

The site is entirely in Hebrew so you would need a special "Java TIFF" view,
which can be downloaded automatically into your browser the first time you
attmept to view an image. Your browser also has to be set for Java enablement.

Please don't ask me to explain the above technical stuff. I am baffled by it
and can't read Hebrew anyway! If you can read Hebrew and understand the
instructions given at the site you will be able to zoom in, adjust brightness and
make print-outs of your selections.


Naomi Fatouros (nee FELDMAN)
Bloomington, Indiana
NFatouros@aol.com
BELKOWSKY and BIELKOWSKY, Odessa,St. Petersburg, Berdichev;ROTHSTEIN,
Kremenchug; FELDMAN, Pinsk;
SCHUTZ, RETTIG, WAHL, Shcherets;
LEVY, WEIL, Mulhouse; SAS or SASS,Podwolochisk; RAPOPORT, Tarnopol,
Podwolochisk, Berdichev; BEHAM, Salok and Kharkov;
WOLPIANSKY, Ostryna.

HI,
Can someone who knows Helsinki well or lives in Helsinki
please email me as I am looking for information.

thank you
Ann Wine
Sydney, Australia


Searching for:
WAJNBAUM, WEINBAUM , HERSZKOWICZ, STRAUSZ,
CHARKOWSKI ORZECH, KALISTEN (Lodz, Stopnica, Nowy Korczyn)
SZTERN (Przysucha), ZEIDNER (Kazimierz Dolny,)
ORZECH , SZTERN (Israel)

A question >from a relative about a marriage in New Orleans evoked many
helpful responses. We did not thank each person individually so we are
thanking you all. What a group!
Ida and Joseph

Dr. Joseph M. Schwarcz
Dr. Ida Selavan Schwarcz

Dear Genners,
Could anyone help me with the ancestry of the Rabinovitz aspect of the late
Chief Rabbi Louis Rabinowitz of Johannesburg, please?

Could anyone put me in contact with one of his children?

Thank you

Ros Romem
Jerusalem


MODERATOR NOTE: You may also want to join the The Rabbinic Genealogy
Special Interest Group (SIG) which is a forum for those interested in
rabbinic genealogy or researching rabbinic ancestry within any geographic
area or time period, and post your message to the Rabbinic Discussion
Group.
You can find out more at: http://www.jewishgen.org/Rabbinic/

Dear Genners,
Could anyone help me with the ancestry of the Rabinovitz aspect of the late
Chief Rabbi Louis Rabinowitz of Johannesburg, please?

Could anyone put me in contact with one of his children?

Thank you

Ros Romem
Jerusalem


MODERATOR NOTE: You may also want to join the The Rabbinic Genealogy
Special Interest Group (SIG) which is a forum for those interested in
rabbinic genealogy or researching rabbinic ancestry within any geographic
area or time period, and post your message to the Rabbinic Discussion
Group.
You can find out more at: http://www.jewishgen.org/Rabbinic/

BS"D
Dear Group,
I am interested in getting together a group of people who have families
coming >from Mezibuz. Are there enough people here?
I don't see anything on Mesibuz (or however it is spelled).
The best I could do was to case Jgens family finder and pull out a bunch
of families that descend >from Mezibuz. When Yad Vashem was open, I
pulled out a bunch of Isirovs and Isarovs >from Mesibuz, but besides some
nice pics >from breslov.com and a cemetery listing of 200 names that
someone was kind enough to send me, there is really nothing!

I think it is possible to get a cemetery preservation group interested in
fixing the cemetery.
But, we need people, a webpage or site, the works!!

Many people descending >from Mesibuz were talmidim of the Holy Baal Shem
Tov or Talmidim of His Talmidim. So we are talking about quite a few
thousand and more families that most probably have a connection to this
holy little town!

All the best,
Raanan Isseroff
Brooklyn, USA
raanan1@juno.com

MODERATOR'S NOTE: Please reply privately.

BS"D
Dear Group,
I am interested in getting together a group of people who have families
coming >from Mezibuz. Are there enough people here?
I don't see anything on Mesibuz (or however it is spelled).
The best I could do was to case Jgens family finder and pull out a bunch
of families that descend >from Mezibuz. When Yad Vashem was open, I
pulled out a bunch of Isirovs and Isarovs >from Mesibuz, but besides some
nice pics >from breslov.com and a cemetery listing of 200 names that
someone was kind enough to send me, there is really nothing!

I think it is possible to get a cemetery preservation group interested in
fixing the cemetery.
But, we need people, a webpage or site, the works!!

Many people descending >from Mesibuz were talmidim of the Holy Baal Shem
Tov or Talmidim of His Talmidim. So we are talking about quite a few
thousand and more families that most probably have a connection to this
holy little town!

All the best,
Raanan Isseroff
Brooklyn, USA
raanan1@juno.com

MODERATOR'S NOTE: Please reply privately.

To H-SIG members!
A good dictionary on the Net:
http://consulting.medios.fi/dictionary/
Try it, it is very useful!
Stephen

Perhaps you will have more luck researching under the present day name. The
current name of Vag Besztercze is Povazska Bystrica.

Gabi


Gabriela Svatos
Richmond Hill, Ontario
E-mail: gsvatos@hotmail.com
Business E-mail: bookstore@agawa.com
Business URL: www.abe.com/home/GSVATOS

To H-SIG members!
A good dictionary on the Net:
http://consulting.medios.fi/dictionary/
Try it, it is very useful!
Stephen

Perhaps you will have more luck researching under the present day name. The
current name of Vag Besztercze is Povazska Bystrica.

Gabi


Gabriela Svatos
Richmond Hill, Ontario
E-mail: gsvatos@hotmail.com
Business E-mail: bookstore@agawa.com
Business URL: www.abe.com/home/GSVATOS