After many years of devoted service to LitvakSIG, Carol Coplin Baker is
stepping down as Research Groups Coordinator. There are no words that
can express how much Carol has accomplished since 1998. Without her -
the LitvakSIG "All Lithuania" Database (ALD) would not be what it is
today. Carol will remain on the Board as Secretary, advisor and valued
friend, and will continue to coordinate the Siauliai District. Thanks
Carol. It's good to know that you're not gone.

Our new Research Groups Coordinator will be Olga Zabludoff -
ozabludoff@verizon.net. Olga comes to us with a great deal of expertise
and experience in publishing, writing, and personal genealogical
research. She will continue in her post as the Kedainiai coordinator for
the Vital Records Indexing Project. Assisting Olga in the Research
Groups Project will be Jose Gutstein, best known for his shtetl WebPages
for both Polish and Lithuanian towns. In private life Jose is an
attorney.

Joel Ratner - who is doing such a splendid job as Vital Records Project
Manager has resigned as Coordinator for the Vilnius District - and we
are pleased to announce that Eden Joachim has stepped in to supervise
this huge district.

The current LitvakSIG District Coordinators are:

Disna: Batya Olson batya@netsynthesis.com

Kaunas: Ada Green ada.green@att.net

Lida: Judy Baston jrbaston@aol.com

Panevezys: Michael Witkin michael@witkin.org

Sialuiai: Carol Coplin Baker carolcbaker@comcast.net

Telsiai: Deena Berton deenaome@camcom.com

Trakai: Robyn Blum trekrobyn@comcast.net

Ukmerge: Richard Winer rawiner@mediaone.net

Vilnius: Eden Joachim esjoachim@optonline.net

We have two openings for District Coordinators - Raseiniai and Zarasai.
Please consider volunteering for either of these important positions.

Also - if you have not yet joined a District Research Group - this is a
great time to do so. Please contact your various hardworking District
Coordinators to volunteer your help in any way possible. Find out how
they can use you and how you can be a part of this important ongoing
project. This is a team effort and it's our wonderful volunteers who
make it all work.

Davida Noyek Handler
President, LitvakSIG

Dear LitvakSiggers,

In March, when I posted notice that the Documentary Channel would be
airing our documentary "My Grandfather's House" early last month, I was
not aware that, in fact, the Documentary Channel would be playing our
film many more times. For those with access to EchoStar's Dish Network,
we are pleased to tell you, the documentary is being aired many times
(and will do so repeatedly over the next two years, until the end of
2007). The Documentary Channel is DISH Channel 197.
For example, this week it airs Wednesday, April 5th at 12 noon until
1:15 p.m.
Also, on Friday, April 7th at 3:45 p.m. until 5 p.m.
The Documentary Channel lists its schedules on its website.
www.documentarychannel.com-----and hit Schedule. Often they only program
a few days in advance, so you may need to check >from time to time.
My Grandfather's House follows this filmmaker (Eileen Douglas) in
her determined search to find the house her grandfather lived in, and
fled, in 1911, in Kovno, Lithuania, to escape conscription in the Tsar's
Army. Scenes of Kovno are prominent in the second section.
Thanks for watching! Eileen Douglas

P.S. And, for those interested in a screening event or DVD or video,
please respond to me privately, and we will happily connect you with
Cinema Guild, our distributor.

After many years of devoted service to LitvakSIG, Carol Coplin Baker is
stepping down as Research Groups Coordinator. There are no words that
can express how much Carol has accomplished since 1998. Without her -
the LitvakSIG "All Lithuania" Database (ALD) would not be what it is
today. Carol will remain on the Board as Secretary, advisor and valued
friend, and will continue to coordinate the Siauliai District. Thanks
Carol. It's good to know that you're not gone.

Our new Research Groups Coordinator will be Olga Zabludoff -
ozabludoff@verizon.net. Olga comes to us with a great deal of expertise
and experience in publishing, writing, and personal genealogical
research. She will continue in her post as the Kedainiai coordinator for
the Vital Records Indexing Project. Assisting Olga in the Research
Groups Project will be Jose Gutstein, best known for his shtetl WebPages
for both Polish and Lithuanian towns. In private life Jose is an
attorney.

Joel Ratner - who is doing such a splendid job as Vital Records Project
Manager has resigned as Coordinator for the Vilnius District - and we
are pleased to announce that Eden Joachim has stepped in to supervise
this huge district.

The current LitvakSIG District Coordinators are:

Disna: Batya Olson batya@netsynthesis.com

Kaunas: Ada Green ada.green@att.net

Lida: Judy Baston jrbaston@aol.com

Panevezys: Michael Witkin michael@witkin.org

Sialuiai: Carol Coplin Baker carolcbaker@comcast.net

Telsiai: Deena Berton deenaome@camcom.com

Trakai: Robyn Blum trekrobyn@comcast.net

Ukmerge: Richard Winer rawiner@mediaone.net

Vilnius: Eden Joachim esjoachim@optonline.net

We have two openings for District Coordinators - Raseiniai and Zarasai.
Please consider volunteering for either of these important positions.

Also - if you have not yet joined a District Research Group - this is a
great time to do so. Please contact your various hardworking District
Coordinators to volunteer your help in any way possible. Find out how
they can use you and how you can be a part of this important ongoing
project. This is a team effort and it's our wonderful volunteers who
make it all work.

Davida Noyek Handler
President, LitvakSIG

Dear LitvakSiggers,

In March, when I posted notice that the Documentary Channel would be
airing our documentary "My Grandfather's House" early last month, I was
not aware that, in fact, the Documentary Channel would be playing our
film many more times. For those with access to EchoStar's Dish Network,
we are pleased to tell you, the documentary is being aired many times
(and will do so repeatedly over the next two years, until the end of
2007). The Documentary Channel is DISH Channel 197.
For example, this week it airs Wednesday, April 5th at 12 noon until
1:15 p.m.
Also, on Friday, April 7th at 3:45 p.m. until 5 p.m.
The Documentary Channel lists its schedules on its website.
www.documentarychannel.com-----and hit Schedule. Often they only program
a few days in advance, so you may need to check >from time to time.
My Grandfather's House follows this filmmaker (Eileen Douglas) in
her determined search to find the house her grandfather lived in, and
fled, in 1911, in Kovno, Lithuania, to escape conscription in the Tsar's
Army. Scenes of Kovno are prominent in the second section.
Thanks for watching! Eileen Douglas

P.S. And, for those interested in a screening event or DVD or video,
please respond to me privately, and we will happily connect you with
Cinema Guild, our distributor.

For interested researchers:

Thomson Gale is offering everyone FREE access to their diverse databases at
http://www.AccessMyLibrary.com for the entire month of April.

Two of the databases most useful to genealogists are:

1. Times Digital Archive which includes the digitzed "Times of London"
(England) >from 1785 - 1985. You can search by keyword, date, article type,
etc., download and print these articles.

The direct link to this database is:

http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itw/infomark/0/1/1/purl=rc6_TTDA?sw_aep=nlw2006

and

2. "Testaments to the Holocaust" which contains documents >from the world’s
oldest Holocaust museum established by Alfred Wiener in London. The
collection offers fully searchable personal accounts of life in Nazi
Germany, along with photographs, propaganda materials such as school text
books, limited circulation publications and rare serials showing Jewish life
in Germany >from 1933 to after the war. (Many items are in German only.)

direct link:

http://www.tlemea.com/testaments/index.htm

You can also access the entire library collection at:
http://www.AccessMyLibrary.com, click on "Other," and then click on the
category that interests you. The one of greatest interest to genealogists
would be: "History, Biography, Literature," and >from there you can scroll
down to the exact one you want.

Some of the others are:

Gale Virtual Reference Library (with Xreferplus)
InfoTrac Religion & Philosophy
History, Biography and Literature
Biography and Genealogy Master Index
Biography Resource Center
History Resource Center - U.S.
History Resource Center - World
Times Literary Supplement

A great opportunity for genealogical researchers. Enjoy!

Pamela Weisberger
Santa Monica, CA
pweisberger@hotmail.com

MODERATOR NOTE: The direct URL given for the Times Digital Archive is
for subscribers only. Go through the home page for April free access.

For interested researchers:

Thomson Gale is offering everyone FREE access to their diverse databases at
http://www.AccessMyLibrary.com for the entire month of April.

Two of the databases most useful to genealogists are:

1. Times Digital Archive which includes the digitzed "Times of London"
(England) >from 1785 - 1985. You can search by keyword, date, article type,
etc., download and print these articles.

The direct link to this database is:

http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itw/infomark/0/1/1/purl=rc6_TTDA?sw_aep=nlw2006

and

2. "Testaments to the Holocaust" which contains documents >from the world’s
oldest Holocaust museum established by Alfred Wiener in London. The
collection offers fully searchable personal accounts of life in Nazi
Germany, along with photographs, propaganda materials such as school text
books, limited circulation publications and rare serials showing Jewish life
in Germany >from 1933 to after the war. (Many items are in German only.)

direct link:

http://www.tlemea.com/testaments/index.htm

You can also access the entire library collection at:
http://www.AccessMyLibrary.com, click on "Other," and then click on the
category that interests you. The one of greatest interest to genealogists
would be: "History, Biography, Literature," and >from there you can scroll
down to the exact one you want.

Some of the others are:

Gale Virtual Reference Library (with Xreferplus)
InfoTrac Religion & Philosophy
History, Biography and Literature
Biography and Genealogy Master Index
Biography Resource Center
History Resource Center - U.S.
History Resource Center - World
Times Literary Supplement

A great opportunity for genealogical researchers. Enjoy!

Pamela Weisberger
Santa Monica, CA
pweisberger@hotmail.com

MODERATOR NOTE: The direct URL given for the Times Digital Archive is
for subscribers only. Go through the home page for April free access.

Dear Friends,
Is there anybody out there who may have BEHR ancestors living in the
Schenectady area of NY state between 1850 and 1900?
Any information would be most helpful. [MOD NOTE: Schenectady is near Albany,
the NY state capitol.]

Phil Urlwin-Smith. Chobham UK. smithpl.pmprops@btinternet.com

Dear Friends,
Is there anybody out there who may have BEHR ancestors living in the
Schenectady area of NY state between 1850 and 1900?
Any information would be most helpful. [MOD NOTE: Schenectady is near Albany,
the NY state capitol.]

Phil Urlwin-Smith. Chobham UK. smithpl.pmprops@btinternet.com

Dear Steve,
In the Southern areas of the German-speaking countries (e.g. Bavaria and
Austria) "Sepp" is the familiar form of the **male** given name "Josef",
I have not heard that it would be used for a female person. with kind regards,

Fritz Neubauer, North Germany <fritz.neubauer@uni-bielefeld.de>

Dear Steve,
In the Southern areas of the German-speaking countries (e.g. Bavaria and
Austria) "Sepp" is the familiar form of the **male** given name "Josef",
I have not heard that it would be used for a female person. with kind regards,

Fritz Neubauer, North Germany <fritz.neubauer@uni-bielefeld.de>

In a message dated 4/2/2006 sorlen@email.arizona.edu writes:

"Does anyone know the female given name "Sepp"?"........

==Sepp or Seppel, is a German man's given or nick-name derived >from Joseph.
I recall that someone mentioned in Jewishgen recently a female form, Seppe, I
think or Seppa, derived >from Josepha, the female equivalent of Joseph.

They are not specifically Jewish forms of the names but were certainly used
among Jews. My father's cousin, Josef, born Nuernberg ca 1885, was known as
Seppel; he moved to the UK in 1934.

Michael Bernet, New York MBernet@aol.com

In a message dated 4/2/2006 sorlen@email.arizona.edu writes:

"Does anyone know the female given name "Sepp"?"........

==Sepp or Seppel, is a German man's given or nick-name derived >from Joseph.
I recall that someone mentioned in Jewishgen recently a female form, Seppe, I
think or Seppa, derived >from Josepha, the female equivalent of Joseph.

They are not specifically Jewish forms of the names but were certainly used
among Jews. My father's cousin, Josef, born Nuernberg ca 1885, was known as
Seppel; he moved to the UK in 1934.

Michael Bernet, New York MBernet@aol.com

Steve Orlen wrote: "Does anyone know the female given name "Sepp"?
And its derivation? The woman who bore it was born in Germany circa 1880s.
It's possible it was a nickname?" =======>

The given name "Sepp" was a German secular nickname for the German secular
name "Jozef", and both of these names were widely used by male Jews
throughout German speaking areas of Europe. However, the name was used for
Jewish *males* only, and not for females, at least not with statistically-
significant frequencies. It is possible that it was used for non-Jewish females.

The rabbis of German-speaking regions in Europe did a statistical analysis
of the use by Jews of German secular names, and found about 500 of them
that were widely used -- including Jozef and its nickname Sepp for
males. However, they did not mention the use of Sepp for a female Jew, so
if its use for females by Jews did occur, it was not frequent.

I have not myself seen this name used by females in German-speaking lands.

These two names can be seen on the Given Names Data Base for Germany, on
the JewishGen web site (search for Sepp using Global Text Search):

< http://www.jewishgen.org/databases/GivenNames/ >

Professor G. L. Esterson, Ra'anana, Israel jerry@vms.huji.ac.il

Steve Orlen wrote: "Does anyone know the female given name "Sepp"?
And its derivation? The woman who bore it was born in Germany circa 1880s.
It's possible it was a nickname?" =======>

The given name "Sepp" was a German secular nickname for the German secular
name "Jozef", and both of these names were widely used by male Jews
throughout German speaking areas of Europe. However, the name was used for
Jewish *males* only, and not for females, at least not with statistically-
significant frequencies. It is possible that it was used for non-Jewish females.

The rabbis of German-speaking regions in Europe did a statistical analysis
of the use by Jews of German secular names, and found about 500 of them
that were widely used -- including Jozef and its nickname Sepp for
males. However, they did not mention the use of Sepp for a female Jew, so
if its use for females by Jews did occur, it was not frequent.

I have not myself seen this name used by females in German-speaking lands.

These two names can be seen on the Given Names Data Base for Germany, on
the JewishGen web site (search for Sepp using Global Text Search):

< http://www.jewishgen.org/databases/GivenNames/ >

Professor G. L. Esterson, Ra'anana, Israel jerry@vms.huji.ac.il

ROM-Sig and JewishGen need some good Romanian
translators who are willing to work on a Romanian
Yizkor book >from Iasi. You must be able to devote time
to this project so that we can get this book on
JewishGen as soon as possible.

If you are interested in helping to translate this
Iasi Yizkor book please contact Terry Lasky, project
coordinator, at talasky@comcast.net.

Bob Wascou
ROM-SIG Resource Coordinator

ROM-Sig and JewishGen need some good Romanian
translators who are willing to work on a Romanian
Yizkor book >from Iasi. You must be able to devote time
to this project so that we can get this book on
JewishGen as soon as possible.

If you are interested in helping to translate this
Iasi Yizkor book please contact Terry Lasky, project
coordinator, at talasky@comcast.net.

Bob Wascou
ROM-SIG Resource Coordinator

The Wichita Eagle has an interesting article about BONDI; a Jewish freedom
fighter and abolitionist who fought alongside John Brown during Kansas'
territorial years. For those who are researching the BONDI family (who
emigrated >from Vienna to the US about 1848), and those who are just plain
interested, here is the link:

http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/state/14248731.htm

Regards,

Linda Silverman Shefler
Cary, NC
linsilv@nc.rr.com

The Wichita Eagle has an interesting article about BONDI; a Jewish freedom
fighter and abolitionist who fought alongside John Brown during Kansas'
territorial years. For those who are researching the BONDI family (who
emigrated >from Vienna to the US about 1848), and those who are just plain
interested, here is the link:

http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/state/14248731.htm

Regards,

Linda Silverman Shefler
Cary, NC
linsilv@nc.rr.com

JewishGen ID:169578

Hi:

I have been tracing my dad’s history records for the past twelve years,
in that time I have accrued a great deal of documented information that
I did not have when I had started. I note this so that the good people
who wish to assist me in my long hard search will not need to go thru what
I have already found .

What I can not locate is my dad Nathan SPOLANSKY’S ships manifest into
Ellis Island, New York City 1904-1905 at age 19.Listed as a carpenter.
(Jewish name Nucum?)

Do have his first and second naturalization papers that includes his
Certificate dated 1912.
A copy of his marriage license dated 1915
His WWl draft card 1918
His two sons birth certificate’s they have serviced in WWll
A copy of his 1920 and 1930 New York Census
His second wife’s Marriage 1925 Certificate
His death certificate 1955 New York. He is interred LI Wellwood cemitery

Again thanks
Sincerely Mart
Martin Spolansky

JewishGen ID:169578

Hi:

I have been tracing my dad’s history records for the past twelve years,
in that time I have accrued a great deal of documented information that
I did not have when I had started. I note this so that the good people
who wish to assist me in my long hard search will not need to go thru what
I have already found .

What I can not locate is my dad Nathan SPOLANSKY’S ships manifest into
Ellis Island, New York City 1904-1905 at age 19.Listed as a carpenter.
(Jewish name Nucum?)

Do have his first and second naturalization papers that includes his
Certificate dated 1912.
A copy of his marriage license dated 1915
His WWl draft card 1918
His two sons birth certificate’s they have serviced in WWll
A copy of his 1920 and 1930 New York Census
His second wife’s Marriage 1925 Certificate
His death certificate 1955 New York. He is interred LI Wellwood cemitery

Again thanks
Sincerely Mart
Martin Spolansky