JewishGen is pleased to report that 13,971 new records from our colleagues and partners at LitvakSIG are now searchable via the JewishGen Lithuania Collection.

This update features a unique list of Jews repressed during the first Soviet occupation of Lithuania in 1940-1941 (2,606 lines). Repressive measures, including arrests and deportations, were targeted at supposed "anti-Soviet elements." Jews were caught up in the repression in numbers approximately proportional to their population. Repression peaked with an intense deportation action from June 14-18, 1941, during which some 17,000 individuals were deported to Siberia. Commonly, when men were sent to a prison camp, their families were sent into Siberian exile at a separate location. The list of Jews who

were repressed was created by Galina Zhirikova of the Lithuanian Holocaust Museum. We are grateful to the Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum for permission to translate and publish this list. This list is included in the revision list category in search results.

Menachem Begin, who was later to become Prime Minister of Israel, was among those repressed.

Also in the revision list category, a conscription list has been added for the interwar years from Mariampole, Suwalki district (312 lines).

In the tax and voter category, tax lists have been added for 1855 and some for 1858 from various towns in Kaunas district (3,657 lines).

In the passports category, additions have been made to two collections. One is the Kaunas passport envelopes, containing supporting documentation submitted in support of applications for internal passports (2,007 lines). The other is the Obeliai questionnaires, filled out by Jews returning to Lithuania, most from the Russian interior, in the aftermath of WWI (4,845 lines). Both of these collections will have further updates in the future.

As far as vital records, the 1922-1927 birth index for Birzai (333 lines) has been added. This index is likely to include births occurring in Vabalninkas, Papile, Nemunelio Radviliskis, and Salociai, for which Birzai was the designated reporting center in those years. The index includes the full name of the child, the father's initial, the year of birth, and a pointer to the full record. The full records are protected under the 100-year privacy rule, but can be obtained from

the Lithuania State Historical Archive (LVIA) by a qualifying relative.

Other records added include Sirvintos marriages, 1873-1875 (15 records) and Paberze deaths, 1838-1853 and 1869 (196 records), correcting inadvertent omissions from prior uploads.

To search these records via JewishGen’s Lithuania Database, please follow this link:  https://www.jewishgen.org/databases/Lithuania/

All of these records are also searchable via the LitvakSIG at

https://www.litvaksig.org/search-ALD/. They will appear in the search results under the categories named above. Note that the database names displayed in the search results may not reflect the contents perfectly. For example, the passports database is called the "Lithuania Internal Passports Database" even though it now includes Obeliai questionnaires and Kaunas passport envelopes, among other things. Likewise, the Revision List database and the Tax/Voter database both encompass a variety of specific record types. 

JewishGen and LitvakSIG are independent organizations, in a strategic partnership to achieve shared goals. To learn more about the work of LitvakSIG, please click here or contact Russ Maurer, LitvakSIG’s Records Acquisition & Translation Coordinator, at vhrproject@....

Dear researchers,

Here is an update for the Bessarabia Division projects for the month of April 2021. 

See also at What's New at Bessarabia website.

Bessarabian Databases. April of 2021:

• Revision Lists, plan to upload to JewishGen in July of 2021.  We completed already 4,193 records and more records are going to be completed for towns of Kishinev, Khotin, Beltsy, Akkerman, Skulyany, see the progress.

• Upgraded the inventory of all cemeteries in Bessarabia/Moldova. See the list from the cemetery section at the website or directly here.

My gg grandfather, Ephraim Harris, was born in 1819 in Brody, Ukraine. Shortly before the UK 1841 census he came to Merthyr Tidfil, Wales. He gave that name in the census and in his naturalisation papers. The family joked that there was unlikely to be the name Harris in the Ukraine. Two of his children gave the name Riseman as a second name to their children, a habit that has continued to this day. On his grave stone it give his name as Lieb ben Ephraim. A few years ago the Mormon Church put the 1800-1830 Jewish birth records in Brody on microfiche. I went through the records and found Lieb Reisman in his birth month of August in the correct year. His father’s name was not Ephraim Reisman but Gershon Reisman. Did Jews at that time have a public name and a Hebrew name? If not, it is strange that there was another LIeb Reisman born in the same month and year as my ancestor and no trace in this time frame of another Lieb Reisman.

Diane Barnett

I lived in Mobile in the 1960’s.  Although I don’t recognize the names (they could have married) it was a very tight knit  Jewish Community.  Dauphin Street Synagogue may have records.  

Vicki Renert Peisner
researching Renert, Newman, Gelman, Korshinsky, Bernstein, Talsky in Galicia, Kiev, Ukraine, Bukovina

In Russian:

#53

Город Минск

Состоялось в городе Минске 14-го (26) октября 1886 года в 10 часов утра.  Явился Герш Тайблюм, торговец, 51-го года, житель города Минска, в присутствии свидетелей Мошки Германа, 55-и лет и Нахмана Аронзона, 41-го года, религиозных служащих, жителей города Минска и предъявили нам младенца мальчика, объявляя, что он родился в городе Минске 5-го (17) октября сего года в 5 часов утра от его законной жены Дайли, урожденной Розенберг, 42-х лет.  Младенцу этому при обрезании дано имя Мошек-Янкель.  Акт сей по прочтении ими и нами подписан за исключением неграмотных.

Гершек Тайблюм

Мошка Герман

Содержащий акты гражданского состояния       Подпись

Translated into English:

# 53

 Minsk city

 It took place in the city of Minsk on October 14 (26), 1886 at 10 in the morning. Gersh Taiblum, a merchant, 51 years old, a resident of the city of Minsk, in the presence of witnesses Moshka German, 55 years old, and Nakhman Aronzon, 41 years old, religious workers, residents of the city of Minsk, and showed us a baby boy, announcing that he was born in the city of Minsk on October 5 (17) this year at 5 o'clock in the morning from his legal wife Dailya, nee Rosenberg, 42 years old. When circumcised, this baby was given the name Moshek-Yankel. This act upon reading by them and by us was signed with the exception of the illiterate.

Gershek Taiblum

Moshka German

Containing acts of civil status Signature

In Russian:

#174

Город Ново-Минск

Состоялось в городе Ново-Минске 3-го (15) октября 1895 года в 2 часа дня.  Явился Иосиф-Хаим Суховольский, торговец, 34-х лет, житель города Ново-Минска, в присутствии свидетелей Шмуля Бергера, 61-го года и Нахмана Аронзона, 50-и лет, религиозных служащих, жителей города Ново-Минска и предъявили нам младенца мальчика, объявляя, что он родился в городе Ново-Минске 27-го сентября (9-го октября) сего года в 2 часа дня от его законной жены Естеры, урожденной Тайблюм, 34-х лет.  Младенцу этому при обрезании дано имя Арон.  Акт сей по прочтении объявляющему и свидетелям подписан за исключением неграмотных.

Шмуль Бергер

Нахман Аронзон

Содержащий акты гражданского состояния       Подпись

Translated into English:

# 174

Novo-Minsk city

It took place in the city of Novo-Minsk on October 3 (15), 1895 at 2 pm. Joseph-Khaim Sukhovolsky, a merchant, 34 years old, a resident of the city of Novo-Minsk, appeared in the presence of witnesses Shmul Berger, 61 years old and Nakhman Aronzon, 50 years old, religious workers, residents of the city of Novo-Minsk and showed us the baby boy, announcing that he was born in the city of Novo-Minsk on September 27 (October 9) this year at 2 pm from his legal wife Estera, nee Taiblum, 34 years old. This baby was given the name Aaron during circumcision. This act upon reading by the announcer and by the witnesses is signed with the exception of the illiterate.

Shmul Berger

Nachman Aronzon

Containing acts of civil status Signature

Translated by Michael Ryabinky
Boynton Beach, FL