Books of Residence as a genelaogical resource are described
in great detail in three articles in the Fall issue of
AVOTAYNU which will be in the mail this week. As noted in
one article in the issue, "the permanent place of residence
is the place where a particular person belongs, where he
considers himself as residing even if living in a different
locality. The concept is similar to the modern concept of
nationality, citizenship in a particular country no matter
where one is living." Polish books of residence include for
each person: name, names of parents, date and place of
birth, marital status, official place of residence, means of
support, religion, social status and previous residence.
Austrian records include: given and family names, current
address, position or occupation, place and country of birth,
age, religion, single or married or widowed, names and ages
of spouse and children. How to use these registers and how
to access them are described in the AVOTAYNU articles.

Jewish genealogical research in Florida, Belarus, Moldova
and Ukraine are some of the other topics covered in the Fall
issue of AVOTAYNU. Titles of yet other articles include:
Report on Brilling Collection in Frankfurt; The Russian
National Census of 1897; Can Jewish Genealogists
Successfully Research 18th-Century Poland?; Some Belarus
Records in Vilnius Archives; New Ukrainian Jewish Records at
the Family History Library; Selected Translation of Name
Lists and Revisions >from the Dnepropetrovsk Archives;
History Book Illuminates Jewish Life in Poland; Tips on
Translating Entries >from Slownik Geograficzny; New Resources
at the Diaspora Research Institute; Major London Record
Offices for 2001 Conference; Yes, Lobby for Open Access to
Archives--But Why Not in the U.S. Too?; Project Brings
Genealogy into the Jewish Schools of Toronto; Holocaust-era
Asset Registers as a Source of Genealogical Information;
Braude Beginnings.

Gary Mokotoff, Publisher
AVOTAYNU

Books of Residence as a genelaogical resource are described
in great detail in three articles in the Fall issue of
AVOTAYNU which will be in the mail this week. As noted in
one article in the issue, "the permanent place of residence
is the place where a particular person belongs, where he
considers himself as residing even if living in a different
locality. The concept is similar to the modern concept of
nationality, citizenship in a particular country no matter
where one is living." Polish books of residence include for
each person: name, names of parents, date and place of
birth, marital status, official place of residence, means of
support, religion, social status and previous residence.
Austrian records include: given and family names, current
address, position or occupation, place and country of birth,
age, religion, single or married or widowed, names and ages
of spouse and children. How to use these registers and how
to access them are described in the AVOTAYNU articles.

Jewish genealogical research in Florida, Belarus, Moldova
and Ukraine are some of the other topics covered in the Fall
issue of AVOTAYNU. Titles of yet other articles include:
Report on Brilling Collection in Frankfurt; The Russian
National Census of 1897; Can Jewish Genealogists
Successfully Research 18th-Century Poland?; Some Belarus
Records in Vilnius Archives; New Ukrainian Jewish Records at
the Family History Library; Selected Translation of Name
Lists and Revisions >from the Dnepropetrovsk Archives;
History Book Illuminates Jewish Life in Poland; Tips on
Translating Entries >from Slownik Geograficzny; New Resources
at the Diaspora Research Institute; Major London Record
Offices for 2001 Conference; Yes, Lobby for Open Access to
Archives--But Why Not in the U.S. Too?; Project Brings
Genealogy into the Jewish Schools of Toronto; Holocaust-era
Asset Registers as a Source of Genealogical Information;
Braude Beginnings.

Gary Mokotoff, Publisher
AVOTAYNU

The Jewish Genealogy Society of Los Angeles (JGSLA) presents a program on:
Five Generations in Shanghai: The Jewish Communities of China.
The speaker is Ester Benjamen Shifren, artist, musician and writer.

Ms. Shifren was born in China to a family that had flourished in Shanghai
for five generations. They were interned by the Japanese in WWII and in the
Communist era, were forced to relocate to Hong Kong. After immigrating to
Israel, Ester moved to South Africa and later, to Los Angeles. Ms. Shifren
has spoken to numerous groups about the history of the Jewish community in
China.

Jews came to China over the centuries to trade and to escape the upheavals
in other parts of the world. This lecture will discuss the Kaifeng Jews,
who came along the Silk Road as traders in the 8th and 9th Centuries; the
mostly Sephardic families who came >from India to Iraq and established
business empires in Shanghai in the 19th Century; the Russian Jews, who
came to China to escape the Bolshevik Revolution in the early 20th
Century; and finally, the refugees >from Nazi Germany who found sanctuary
in Shanghai when all other doors were closed.

Event Date & Time: Monday, November 20, 2000 7:30-9:30 PM
Location: Skirball Cultural Center, Haas Conference Center
2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90049

Fee: none: Non-members welcome

For more information on the JGSLA visit our website at:
http:www.JGSLA.org

Jan Meisels Allen
Publicity Chairperson, JGSLA
Agoura Hills, CA

The Jewish Genealogy Society of Los Angeles (JGSLA) presents a program on:
Five Generations in Shanghai: The Jewish Communities of China.
The speaker is Ester Benjamen Shifren, artist, musician and writer.

Ms. Shifren was born in China to a family that had flourished in Shanghai
for five generations. They were interned by the Japanese in WWII and in the
Communist era, were forced to relocate to Hong Kong. After immigrating to
Israel, Ester moved to South Africa and later, to Los Angeles. Ms. Shifren
has spoken to numerous groups about the history of the Jewish community in
China.

Jews came to China over the centuries to trade and to escape the upheavals
in other parts of the world. This lecture will discuss the Kaifeng Jews,
who came along the Silk Road as traders in the 8th and 9th Centuries; the
mostly Sephardic families who came >from India to Iraq and established
business empires in Shanghai in the 19th Century; the Russian Jews, who
came to China to escape the Bolshevik Revolution in the early 20th
Century; and finally, the refugees >from Nazi Germany who found sanctuary
in Shanghai when all other doors were closed.

Event Date & Time: Monday, November 20, 2000 7:30-9:30 PM
Location: Skirball Cultural Center, Haas Conference Center
2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90049

Fee: none: Non-members welcome

For more information on the JGSLA visit our website at:
http:www.JGSLA.org

Jan Meisels Allen
Publicity Chairperson, JGSLA
Agoura Hills, CA

The Jewish Family Research Association (JFRA) invites all
Genners to attend what will surely be a most interesting
presentation.

We are pleased to welcome Dr. Benyamin Lukin.

For more information, contact either
Aviva Neeman <aneeman@netvision.net.il>,
or myself <dardasht@barak-online.net>.

DATE: Sunday, November 12, 2000
TIME: Forum: 6:45 pm, Lecture (Hebrew) 7:30 pm
PLACE: Matnas Neve Eliezer, 6 Sheshet HaYamim St., Tel Aviv.
ADMISSION: JFRA members, NIS 10; others, NIS 15.

SPEAKER: DR. BENYAMIN LUKIN
Archivist-historian and Russian Department head,
Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People,
Jerusalem
TOPIC: "Searches for roots of Belarussian Jews in historical
documentation kept at the Central Archives for the history
of the Jewish People."
He will also show slides of his recent trip to Belarus.

Born in 1951 in now-St. Petersburg, he emigrated to Israel
in 1990, after studying Jewish history and ethnology at the
Jewish History Seminar/Jewish University, Leningrad. Later, he
studied Jewish Art Documenting, Center for Jewish Art, at Hebrew
University, Jerusalem.

A researcher, lecturer and academic supervisor at
the Jewish History Seminar, he participated in and organized
trips to former shtetls in the Ukraine, Belarus and
Moldova and continues to make such research trips in connection
with his work and research. Additionally, he has researched and
written articles for Russian encyclopedias, historical
commissions and other projects.

A partial publication list: Jewish history in the Leningrad
Archives, Jewish scholarly life in Leningrad in the mid-1920s,
discovering and documentation of Jewish art in Eastern
Europe, the Jewish Cemetery of St. Petersburg, Israeli archives
with material on Russian Jewish History and more.

Co-curator of the Israel Museum exhibit "Back to the Shtetl,"
and its accompanying slideshow, he participated in a film on
Jewish folk culture for Israel Educational Television, and
is managing editor/co-author of the Historical Guide series, "100
Shtetls of the Ukraine," Vol. 1-1997, Supplement-1998 and Vol.
2-2000.

Schelly Talalay Dardashti
Tel Aviv
dardasht@barak-online.net

The Jewish Family Research Association (JFRA) invites all
Genners to attend what will surely be a most interesting
presentation.

We are pleased to welcome Dr. Benyamin Lukin.

For more information, contact either
Aviva Neeman <aneeman@netvision.net.il>,
or myself <dardasht@barak-online.net>.

DATE: Sunday, November 12, 2000
TIME: Forum: 6:45 pm, Lecture (Hebrew) 7:30 pm
PLACE: Matnas Neve Eliezer, 6 Sheshet HaYamim St., Tel Aviv.
ADMISSION: JFRA members, NIS 10; others, NIS 15.

SPEAKER: DR. BENYAMIN LUKIN
Archivist-historian and Russian Department head,
Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People,
Jerusalem
TOPIC: "Searches for roots of Belarussian Jews in historical
documentation kept at the Central Archives for the history
of the Jewish People."
He will also show slides of his recent trip to Belarus.

Born in 1951 in now-St. Petersburg, he emigrated to Israel
in 1990, after studying Jewish history and ethnology at the
Jewish History Seminar/Jewish University, Leningrad. Later, he
studied Jewish Art Documenting, Center for Jewish Art, at Hebrew
University, Jerusalem.

A researcher, lecturer and academic supervisor at
the Jewish History Seminar, he participated in and organized
trips to former shtetls in the Ukraine, Belarus and
Moldova and continues to make such research trips in connection
with his work and research. Additionally, he has researched and
written articles for Russian encyclopedias, historical
commissions and other projects.

A partial publication list: Jewish history in the Leningrad
Archives, Jewish scholarly life in Leningrad in the mid-1920s,
discovering and documentation of Jewish art in Eastern
Europe, the Jewish Cemetery of St. Petersburg, Israeli archives
with material on Russian Jewish History and more.

Co-curator of the Israel Museum exhibit "Back to the Shtetl,"
and its accompanying slideshow, he participated in a film on
Jewish folk culture for Israel Educational Television, and
is managing editor/co-author of the Historical Guide series, "100
Shtetls of the Ukraine," Vol. 1-1997, Supplement-1998 and Vol.
2-2000.

Schelly Talalay Dardashti
Tel Aviv
dardasht@barak-online.net

In a message dated 11/6/00 10:01:12 PM Pacific Standard Time,
Dave SANDLER writes:

<< have you checked the tax census records for Polonnoye 1858 >>

Thanks for the answer. Where can I find that tax record? Can I assume
that your SANDLER's are the ones listed for Polonnoye? Have you seen
the photos and travel document I donated to the Polonnoye SIG web page?

Stu

In a message dated 11/6/00 10:01:12 PM Pacific Standard Time,
Dave SANDLER writes:

<< have you checked the tax census records for Polonnoye 1858 >>

Thanks for the answer. Where can I find that tax record? Can I assume
that your SANDLER's are the ones listed for Polonnoye? Have you seen
the photos and travel document I donated to the Polonnoye SIG web page?

Stu

In a message dated 11/6/00 8:11:42 AM, Ron Doctor writes:

<<Several months ago there was some good discussion of transliteration from
Yiddish to English. I don't recall that any conclusions were reached, and
now that my Kremenets translation team is working, I'm faced with some
transliteration problems.

Our Yizkor Books each have two sections, one in Hebrew and one in Yiddish.
We are trying to follow the YIVO transliteration scheme for Yiddish, but it
looks like some deviations may be advisable. I'd like your views on these:>>

***I have faced similar problems in the transliterations I have done. I too=20
have consciously deviated >from the published standards to better reflect=20
current American usage, fully aware that three brothers could come to these=20
shores and end up with three different versions of their common surname. A=20
case in point is a citizenship document I possess for an aunt where her name=
=20
(Lifschitz) was spelled three different ways by relatives who witnessed tha=20
document. By the way, the following are my personal opinions based on my ear=
=20
for languages and they are all arguable.***

<<1. Double consonants. The YIVO Guide on JewishGen says don't use double
consonants. So, do we standardize on "Yidish" or go with common usage,
"Yiddish"? In names, do we transliterate aleph-tet-yud-nun-gimel-resh as
"Etinger", Etingr", "Ettinger", or "Ettingr"? The same questions arise for
Hebrew transliteration.>>

With respect to double consonants, I will double them when:
pronounciation of the name becomes more precise or less ambiguous by the=
=20
doubling of the letter;
doubling of the letter corresponds to a unique letter or accented letter=
=20
in another language;
doubling of a letter conforms better with common English or American=20
useage.
For example my name "Weiss" is pronounced with a hard "s" so I double the=20
letter even though there is only one "samakh". Otherwise, with a single "s"=20
one would be tempted to pronounce it with a soft "s" such as in the word=20
"wise". My wife's mother's maiden name was Plis'ner in Europe, with an=20
accented "s" in Polish. Relatives here in the U.S. spell their names Plisner=
=20
(ignoring the accent, but changing the pronounciation), Plissner (doubling=20
the "s" to indicate that it is an accented letter) or Plishner/Pleshner=20
(indicating the actual pronounciation of the accented letter). I would favor=
=20
one of the latter two versions. And in your illustrative case I would prefer=
=20
Ettinger as being the most common American spelling. Note that even in the=20
Yiddish (common usage) the "ayin" is an optional letter, and sometimes the=20
same word is spelled with and without. Common American usage would put it in=
=20
to aid in pronouncing the last syllable as "ger" or "er" rather than "gr=97"=
.


<<2. Do we apply common usage (whatever that is) to names, or do we use the
YIVO transliteration scheme? For example, in the name
tet-yud-yud-tet-shin-resh, is the double-yud transliterated to "ey", "ay",
or "ei"? Should the name be written "Teytsher", "Taytsher", or "Teitsher"?
Should the final "e" be dropped, "Teytshr" as recommended in the JewishGen
Yiddish transliteration Infofile?>>

***I love this question. First, let me say that I prefer "Teitsher" or even=20
"Teicher". Some of my preferences are dependent on what the language being=20
translated >from are. If we were coming >from a Russian-language record to=20
English, then the "ey" and "ay" might be appropriate, since they allow goin=
g=20
back >from the English to the unique Russian letter with less ambiguity. But=20
in the case you give, where we are coming directly >from Yiddish to English=20
without the intervening Russian, I would prefer "ei". Also, since Yiddish=20
does not have a single letter with the "ch" sound (as in church), the sound=20
is constructed with a "tet" and a "shin". English uses "ch" for this sound.=20
Note that I use "ch" SOLELY for this sound, and NEVER for the gutteral "khet=
"=20
or "khaf". And as for the inclusion of the final "e" see my comments for ite=
m=20
1.***

<<3. How do we transliterate "het"? Should it be "kh" (re YIVO) or "ch"? Is=20=
it
different in Hebrew and in Yiddish? Example, is "het-yud-yud-shlos mem",
Khaym, Kheym, Khaim, Chaym, Cheym, or Chaim?>>

***I always use "kh". There will never, then, be a confusion between the "ch=
"=20
and the "kh" sounds. Now we get into some controversy. There is a grammatica=
l=20
difference between "khet" and "khaf", but that resides in the realm of the=20
semanticists. In common usage their pronounciation is so similar that=20
distinctions in transliteration of names may not be productive. We don't=20
commonly have an "h" with a subdot on computer keyboards. It is interesting=20
that my preferred spelling of the name above is not on your menu of choices,=
=20
e.i.: "Khayim" in spite of my stated preference in 2.***

<<4. Is the initial "het." transliterated to Ch., C., Kh., or K.?>>

***Always "Kh", never "Ch".***

<<5. Should a final yud in a name be transliterated as "i" or "y". Should a
"vet" be transliterated as "v" or "w". For example, is the name
"tet-vet-resh-samekh-kof-yud" Hebrew or Yiddish? Is the name Twersky,
Twerski, Tversky, or Tverski?>>
=20
***A general rule I have adopted, which is honored many times in its=20
breaking, is that a "double-vav" is transliterated >from Yiddish as a "w" and=
=20
a "single-vav" as a "v". An example is my surname "vav-vav-yud-yud-samakh"=20
which we spell Weiss (illustrating three of my rules of preference above). W=
e=20
run into trouble, however when this same name is transliterated into Hebrew,=
=20
as was done when my daughter made "aliyah", and Weiss became =20
"vav-yud-yud-samakh". Looking up the name "vav-vav-yud-yud-samakh" in the=20
Israeli telephone book we are sent to "vav-yud-yud-samakh". So rules differ=
=20
between Hebrew and Yiddish. One of my most common exceptions is in=20
transliterating "vav-vav-ayin-lamed-vav-vav-ayin-lamed". I can't bring mysel=
f=20
to write "Welwel" and always use "Velvel" instead. As for a final "i" or "y"=
=20
I am guided by where the record was made. Generally if in Poland I use "i"=20
and if in Russia I use "y" or "iy".***

<<6. How would you transliterate the name, ayin-kof-yud-vet-aleph
zayin-yud-gimel-resh. One of my translators presented it as Akiva Zeiger.
But if I stick to the "rules", it looks like Ekiva Ziger (or Zigr). Or,
another name, resh-vav-zayin-nun-tet-lamed. Is this Rosenthal, Rozental, or
Ruzntal?>>

***We must pick the correct rules to stick to. Hebrew names (usually=20
Biblical, and more recently modern Hebrew) do not take Yiddish rules of=20
transliteration. They are usually spelled in their Hebrew form and must be=20
transliterated using rules of Hebrew transliteration. Therefore the Biblical=
=20
name "yud-ayin-kuf-vet" is clearly "Yaakov" and not "Yeko" which we might ge=
t=20
by using the Yiddish rules. By the same token "ayin-kof-yud-vet-aleph" would=
=20
be "Akiva". I would transliterate the illustrious Rabbi's name as "Zeiger",=20
"Zaiger" or "Ziger" depending on whether the vowel under the aleph is a=20
"tzayray", "patakh" or a "khirik", and run out to see what spelling is=20
commonly used by his biographers. My preference for the other name is=20
"Rozental".***

<<If these questions have been answered previously, or if somehow, I have
missed some set of Yizkor Book Project standards that answer these
questions, I apologize. I have looked at various "interpretations" of the
YIVO standards and still these questions arise.>>

***I am currently in Israel bonding with a new grandson, so I do not have=20
references available to me, but I'd like to point you to a LitvakSIG=20
databese, The Kovne Cemetery Database, which has, in its introduction, some=20
more comments I wrote on transliteration "rules". Well, we haven't resolved=20
anything, but I hope my comments are useful to you, even if you don't agree=20
with them. One more comment. I have, at home, an interesting chart I found i=
n=20
a "learn Russian" book which summarizes the THREE different "standards" for=20
transliterating >from Russian to English. If I remember correctly, they are=20
the Library of Congress, the Literary, and the Cartographers standards. I=20
prefer the last for our application.***

Bob Weiss, usually in Northridge, CA, currently in Bat Yam, Israel.
RWeissJGS@aol.com

In a message dated 11/6/00 8:11:42 AM, Ron Doctor writes:

<<Several months ago there was some good discussion of transliteration from
Yiddish to English. I don't recall that any conclusions were reached, and
now that my Kremenets translation team is working, I'm faced with some
transliteration problems.

Our Yizkor Books each have two sections, one in Hebrew and one in Yiddish.
We are trying to follow the YIVO transliteration scheme for Yiddish, but it
looks like some deviations may be advisable. I'd like your views on these:>>

***I have faced similar problems in the transliterations I have done. I too=20
have consciously deviated >from the published standards to better reflect=20
current American usage, fully aware that three brothers could come to these=20
shores and end up with three different versions of their common surname. A=20
case in point is a citizenship document I possess for an aunt where her name=
=20
(Lifschitz) was spelled three different ways by relatives who witnessed tha=20
document. By the way, the following are my personal opinions based on my ear=
=20
for languages and they are all arguable.***

<<1. Double consonants. The YIVO Guide on JewishGen says don't use double
consonants. So, do we standardize on "Yidish" or go with common usage,
"Yiddish"? In names, do we transliterate aleph-tet-yud-nun-gimel-resh as
"Etinger", Etingr", "Ettinger", or "Ettingr"? The same questions arise for
Hebrew transliteration.>>

With respect to double consonants, I will double them when:
pronounciation of the name becomes more precise or less ambiguous by the=
=20
doubling of the letter;
doubling of the letter corresponds to a unique letter or accented letter=
=20
in another language;
doubling of a letter conforms better with common English or American=20
useage.
For example my name "Weiss" is pronounced with a hard "s" so I double the=20
letter even though there is only one "samakh". Otherwise, with a single "s"=20
one would be tempted to pronounce it with a soft "s" such as in the word=20
"wise". My wife's mother's maiden name was Plis'ner in Europe, with an=20
accented "s" in Polish. Relatives here in the U.S. spell their names Plisner=
=20
(ignoring the accent, but changing the pronounciation), Plissner (doubling=20
the "s" to indicate that it is an accented letter) or Plishner/Pleshner=20
(indicating the actual pronounciation of the accented letter). I would favor=
=20
one of the latter two versions. And in your illustrative case I would prefer=
=20
Ettinger as being the most common American spelling. Note that even in the=20
Yiddish (common usage) the "ayin" is an optional letter, and sometimes the=20
same word is spelled with and without. Common American usage would put it in=
=20
to aid in pronouncing the last syllable as "ger" or "er" rather than "gr=97"=
.


<<2. Do we apply common usage (whatever that is) to names, or do we use the
YIVO transliteration scheme? For example, in the name
tet-yud-yud-tet-shin-resh, is the double-yud transliterated to "ey", "ay",
or "ei"? Should the name be written "Teytsher", "Taytsher", or "Teitsher"?
Should the final "e" be dropped, "Teytshr" as recommended in the JewishGen
Yiddish transliteration Infofile?>>

***I love this question. First, let me say that I prefer "Teitsher" or even=20
"Teicher". Some of my preferences are dependent on what the language being=20
translated >from are. If we were coming >from a Russian-language record to=20
English, then the "ey" and "ay" might be appropriate, since they allow goin=
g=20
back >from the English to the unique Russian letter with less ambiguity. But=20
in the case you give, where we are coming directly >from Yiddish to English=20
without the intervening Russian, I would prefer "ei". Also, since Yiddish=20
does not have a single letter with the "ch" sound (as in church), the sound=20
is constructed with a "tet" and a "shin". English uses "ch" for this sound.=20
Note that I use "ch" SOLELY for this sound, and NEVER for the gutteral "khet=
"=20
or "khaf". And as for the inclusion of the final "e" see my comments for ite=
m=20
1.***

<<3. How do we transliterate "het"? Should it be "kh" (re YIVO) or "ch"? Is=20=
it
different in Hebrew and in Yiddish? Example, is "het-yud-yud-shlos mem",
Khaym, Kheym, Khaim, Chaym, Cheym, or Chaim?>>

***I always use "kh". There will never, then, be a confusion between the "ch=
"=20
and the "kh" sounds. Now we get into some controversy. There is a grammatica=
l=20
difference between "khet" and "khaf", but that resides in the realm of the=20
semanticists. In common usage their pronounciation is so similar that=20
distinctions in transliteration of names may not be productive. We don't=20
commonly have an "h" with a subdot on computer keyboards. It is interesting=20
that my preferred spelling of the name above is not on your menu of choices,=
=20
e.i.: "Khayim" in spite of my stated preference in 2.***

<<4. Is the initial "het." transliterated to Ch., C., Kh., or K.?>>

***Always "Kh", never "Ch".***

<<5. Should a final yud in a name be transliterated as "i" or "y". Should a
"vet" be transliterated as "v" or "w". For example, is the name
"tet-vet-resh-samekh-kof-yud" Hebrew or Yiddish? Is the name Twersky,
Twerski, Tversky, or Tverski?>>
=20
***A general rule I have adopted, which is honored many times in its=20
breaking, is that a "double-vav" is transliterated >from Yiddish as a "w" and=
=20
a "single-vav" as a "v". An example is my surname "vav-vav-yud-yud-samakh"=20
which we spell Weiss (illustrating three of my rules of preference above). W=
e=20
run into trouble, however when this same name is transliterated into Hebrew,=
=20
as was done when my daughter made "aliyah", and Weiss became =20
"vav-yud-yud-samakh". Looking up the name "vav-vav-yud-yud-samakh" in the=20
Israeli telephone book we are sent to "vav-yud-yud-samakh". So rules differ=
=20
between Hebrew and Yiddish. One of my most common exceptions is in=20
transliterating "vav-vav-ayin-lamed-vav-vav-ayin-lamed". I can't bring mysel=
f=20
to write "Welwel" and always use "Velvel" instead. As for a final "i" or "y"=
=20
I am guided by where the record was made. Generally if in Poland I use "i"=20
and if in Russia I use "y" or "iy".***

<<6. How would you transliterate the name, ayin-kof-yud-vet-aleph
zayin-yud-gimel-resh. One of my translators presented it as Akiva Zeiger.
But if I stick to the "rules", it looks like Ekiva Ziger (or Zigr). Or,
another name, resh-vav-zayin-nun-tet-lamed. Is this Rosenthal, Rozental, or
Ruzntal?>>

***We must pick the correct rules to stick to. Hebrew names (usually=20
Biblical, and more recently modern Hebrew) do not take Yiddish rules of=20
transliteration. They are usually spelled in their Hebrew form and must be=20
transliterated using rules of Hebrew transliteration. Therefore the Biblical=
=20
name "yud-ayin-kuf-vet" is clearly "Yaakov" and not "Yeko" which we might ge=
t=20
by using the Yiddish rules. By the same token "ayin-kof-yud-vet-aleph" would=
=20
be "Akiva". I would transliterate the illustrious Rabbi's name as "Zeiger",=20
"Zaiger" or "Ziger" depending on whether the vowel under the aleph is a=20
"tzayray", "patakh" or a "khirik", and run out to see what spelling is=20
commonly used by his biographers. My preference for the other name is=20
"Rozental".***

<<If these questions have been answered previously, or if somehow, I have
missed some set of Yizkor Book Project standards that answer these
questions, I apologize. I have looked at various "interpretations" of the
YIVO standards and still these questions arise.>>

***I am currently in Israel bonding with a new grandson, so I do not have=20
references available to me, but I'd like to point you to a LitvakSIG=20
databese, The Kovne Cemetery Database, which has, in its introduction, some=20
more comments I wrote on transliteration "rules". Well, we haven't resolved=20
anything, but I hope my comments are useful to you, even if you don't agree=20
with them. One more comment. I have, at home, an interesting chart I found i=
n=20
a "learn Russian" book which summarizes the THREE different "standards" for=20
transliterating >from Russian to English. If I remember correctly, they are=20
the Library of Congress, the Literary, and the Cartographers standards. I=20
prefer the last for our application.***

Bob Weiss, usually in Northridge, CA, currently in Bat Yam, Israel.
RWeissJGS@aol.com

The following message is being posted to the Belarus SIG at the request
of JewishGen. Here is a new tool for all our SIG members as well as all
Jewish genealogists. Once you upload one our your Belarus related
images, just post a message to the SIG discussion group and reference
the ViewMate url along with the ID number of your image.

Dave

Subject: ANNOUNCING - ViewMate, Please repost to your SIG
From: <koosh@att.net>
Date: Sun, 5 Nov 2000 02:09:39 -0500
X-Message-Number: 1

---begin---

Advance your research with ViewMate!

Do you have a need for analysis or translations of book titles, letters
or gravestone photos? Do you have questions about old family photos,
maps or book pages? ViewMate is JewishGen's newest tool, designed to
supplement the written query, and help you to solve graphic riddles.
Here is an example of how it works. Follow along now with Jack, our
demonstrator.


Jack finds an unidentified family photo with an inscription on the back,
written in what appears to be Hebrew script.

He scans it on his home PC system, creating a graphic file.

Then he goes to the ViewMate (VM) website. Using the easy upload
feature,
he uploads his graphic file to VM. Jack soon receives an e-mail
confirmation with a file number.

He then posts a notice to the JewishGen Discussion Group (or SIG of his
choice) stating that he has uploaded a photo to VM. He requests someone
knowledgeable in Hebrew to visit the VM website, view his graphic
(File No. X) and translate it for him.

An eager reader will be quick to provide feedback. Eager reader responds
with translation. Riddle solved. Jack adds new info to his tree.


Its as easy as 1-2-3.
1- Scan on your home PC system.
2- Upload to ViewMate.
3- Request feedback.

You are invited to visit us today to make use of this newest JewishGen
tool. The site has FAQ and full instructions.

ViewMate website: http://www.jewishgen.org/viewmate

Original concept: Bernard I. Kouchel
Programmer: Josef A. Herz
Webmaster: Josef A. Herz


--
David M. Fox
fox@erols.com
Arnold, MD USA
Belarus SIG Coordinator
http://www.jewishgen.org/belarus

The following message is being posted to the Belarus SIG at the request
of JewishGen. Here is a new tool for all our SIG members as well as all
Jewish genealogists. Once you upload one our your Belarus related
images, just post a message to the SIG discussion group and reference
the ViewMate url along with the ID number of your image.

Dave

Subject: ANNOUNCING - ViewMate, Please repost to your SIG
From: <koosh@att.net>
Date: Sun, 5 Nov 2000 02:09:39 -0500
X-Message-Number: 1

---begin---

Advance your research with ViewMate!

Do you have a need for analysis or translations of book titles, letters
or gravestone photos? Do you have questions about old family photos,
maps or book pages? ViewMate is JewishGen's newest tool, designed to
supplement the written query, and help you to solve graphic riddles.
Here is an example of how it works. Follow along now with Jack, our
demonstrator.


Jack finds an unidentified family photo with an inscription on the back,
written in what appears to be Hebrew script.

He scans it on his home PC system, creating a graphic file.

Then he goes to the ViewMate (VM) website. Using the easy upload
feature,
he uploads his graphic file to VM. Jack soon receives an e-mail
confirmation with a file number.

He then posts a notice to the JewishGen Discussion Group (or SIG of his
choice) stating that he has uploaded a photo to VM. He requests someone
knowledgeable in Hebrew to visit the VM website, view his graphic
(File No. X) and translate it for him.

An eager reader will be quick to provide feedback. Eager reader responds
with translation. Riddle solved. Jack adds new info to his tree.


Its as easy as 1-2-3.
1- Scan on your home PC system.
2- Upload to ViewMate.
3- Request feedback.

You are invited to visit us today to make use of this newest JewishGen
tool. The site has FAQ and full instructions.

ViewMate website: http://www.jewishgen.org/viewmate

Original concept: Bernard I. Kouchel
Programmer: Josef A. Herz
Webmaster: Josef A. Herz


--
David M. Fox
fox@erols.com
Arnold, MD USA
Belarus SIG Coordinator
http://www.jewishgen.org/belarus

This is my attempt to translate the laws that existed in 19th century Russia
that regulated (or try to regulate) Jewish life in the Empire. These
regulations are written in old archaic and official Russian language. The
tsar wrote about himself as We, Us, etc.

The Jewish Committee was established to create a system of regulations of
Jewish life in the Russian Empire in the beginning of the tsar Aleksandr I's
reign (1801-1825). One needs to remember that until just recently Jews were
banned >from all of Russia, and it was only with Russia obtaining part of
Poland (including Belarus, West Ukraine, Lithuania, etc.), did the the
Russian Empire get a Jewish population. Russia was going to produce a kind of
legislature would regulate everyday life of Russian Crown Jewish subjects.

Liberally minded friends of the young tsar, Count Victor Kochubey and Prince
Adam Chartorizhsky, lead the committee. The regulations they produced was
more progressive than the existing temporary Russian regulations >from the
times of previous tsar Pavel I. However it was far >from the idea of
emancipation and even this was later replaced by more harsh regulations.
=========================================

The tsar's introduction to the regulations.

=========================================

December 9, 1804

Regulation on Settlement of Jews

Exact given to the Senate. Because of multiple complaints to Us and to the
Governing Senate incoming on different abuses and troubles that harmed
agriculture and industry of the population that occur in those Gubernias
where Jews live, We considered necessary by the Decree to the Governing
Senate given in the 9th day of November 1802, organize a special Committee to
examine related matter and determine means to correct present regulation of
Jews.

The Committee collected all data related to this matter, and considering
different ideas about the settlement of Jews that already existed, present to
Us the newly written regulation for them, with an explanation in the special
report of the reasons it is based upon.
After review of the regulation, We found the principle implemented by the
Committee very just and all articles of the regulation reflected moderation
and care about the genuine welfare of Jews, as well as based on benefits to
native residents of the Gubernias, where those people have permission to
live.

Approving the regulation, We forward it to the Governing Senate along with
the report for exact fulfillment of all instructions it contains.

====================================

I will translate gradually by pieces this legislation and other through the
beginning of 20 c.

With appreciation to Edward Rosenbaum for the help,
Vitaly Charny
Birmingham, AL

Hi,

I am trying to find out if there are any vital records, tax records or
anyhing available for the town of Smorgon, Belarus prior to 1940. Which
State archives might have the records, and has anyone been successful in
obtaining the records.
Thanks,
Dave Pitchon

This is my attempt to translate the laws that existed in 19th century Russia
that regulated (or try to regulate) Jewish life in the Empire. These
regulations are written in old archaic and official Russian language. The
tsar wrote about himself as We, Us, etc.

The Jewish Committee was established to create a system of regulations of
Jewish life in the Russian Empire in the beginning of the tsar Aleksandr I's
reign (1801-1825). One needs to remember that until just recently Jews were
banned >from all of Russia, and it was only with Russia obtaining part of
Poland (including Belarus, West Ukraine, Lithuania, etc.), did the the
Russian Empire get a Jewish population. Russia was going to produce a kind of
legislature would regulate everyday life of Russian Crown Jewish subjects.

Liberally minded friends of the young tsar, Count Victor Kochubey and Prince
Adam Chartorizhsky, lead the committee. The regulations they produced was
more progressive than the existing temporary Russian regulations >from the
times of previous tsar Pavel I. However it was far >from the idea of
emancipation and even this was later replaced by more harsh regulations.
=========================================

The tsar's introduction to the regulations.

=========================================

December 9, 1804

Regulation on Settlement of Jews

Exact given to the Senate. Because of multiple complaints to Us and to the
Governing Senate incoming on different abuses and troubles that harmed
agriculture and industry of the population that occur in those Gubernias
where Jews live, We considered necessary by the Decree to the Governing
Senate given in the 9th day of November 1802, organize a special Committee to
examine related matter and determine means to correct present regulation of
Jews.

The Committee collected all data related to this matter, and considering
different ideas about the settlement of Jews that already existed, present to
Us the newly written regulation for them, with an explanation in the special
report of the reasons it is based upon.
After review of the regulation, We found the principle implemented by the
Committee very just and all articles of the regulation reflected moderation
and care about the genuine welfare of Jews, as well as based on benefits to
native residents of the Gubernias, where those people have permission to
live.

Approving the regulation, We forward it to the Governing Senate along with
the report for exact fulfillment of all instructions it contains.

====================================

I will translate gradually by pieces this legislation and other through the
beginning of 20 c.

With appreciation to Edward Rosenbaum for the help,
Vitaly Charny
Birmingham, AL

Hi,

I am trying to find out if there are any vital records, tax records or
anyhing available for the town of Smorgon, Belarus prior to 1940. Which
State archives might have the records, and has anyone been successful in
obtaining the records.
Thanks,
Dave Pitchon

For those researchers whose ancestry can be traced back to the Tarnopol area
of East Galicia (currently in Western Ukraine), the AGAD Archives Project has
just added a Tarnopol Surname List to its website.

To access this list go to the JRI-Poland website at <
http://www.jewishgen.org/JRI-PL/>, click on "Contents of the database,"
scroll down to Tarnopol, and in the box, highlight "PSA Surnames." The list
will then pop up.

Our fantastic contributors have provided about 1/3 of the funds needed to

complete the indexing of the vital records for the 13 towns in the AGAD
Tarnopol Area. But, we still have a long way to go. You can help us succeed
with a contribution. Please access the Contributions page at
<http://www.jewishgen.org/JRI-PL/visa.htm> and be sure to identify to which
Town you wish your contribution to be credited.

More Tarnopol Birth indices and Kozowa Birth indices will be added to the
JRI-Poland database in the near future. Keep tuned for the announcements.

Mark Halpern
AGAD Tarnopol Area Coordinator
JRI-Poland

For those researchers whose ancestry can be traced back to the Tarnopol area
of East Galicia (currently in Western Ukraine), the AGAD Archives Project has
just added a Tarnopol Surname List to its website.

To access this list go to the JRI-Poland website at <
http://www.jewishgen.org/JRI-PL/>, click on "Contents of the database,"
scroll down to Tarnopol, and in the box, highlight "PSA Surnames." The list
will then pop up.

Our fantastic contributors have provided about 1/3 of the funds needed to

complete the indexing of the vital records for the 13 towns in the AGAD
Tarnopol Area. But, we still have a long way to go. You can help us succeed
with a contribution. Please access the Contributions page at
<http://www.jewishgen.org/JRI-PL/visa.htm> and be sure to identify to which
Town you wish your contribution to be credited.

More Tarnopol Birth indices and Kozowa Birth indices will be added to the
JRI-Poland database in the near future. Keep tuned for the announcements.

Mark Halpern
AGAD Tarnopol Area Coordinator
JRI-Poland

A fast program generating GedCom-files to HTML-files
is The Dynamic Family Tree compiler

You can find it, see an example and download it from:

http://www.linktop.demon.co.uk/dftcom2

Best regards

Elsebeth Paikin, Copenhagen, Denmark
Coordinator & Webmaster of
JewishGen Denmark SIG
http://www.jewishgen.org/denmark
mailto:elsebeth@paikin.dk

To all who helped me with translating VM0034 on Viewmate, Thankyou! It
is great how everyone is so eager to help one another. I appreciate it.

Eric Freiman-Polli
Boston, MA
jfreiman@ma.ultranet.com

Researching:
FREIMAN, KRONZ (Vladimir Volynskiy, Ukraine); GITERMAN, FLEISHMAN,CHITE
(Tuchin, Ukraine); GOLDBERG,COHEN (Vladivostok, Russia); BERS,
KARK,REBE(Kovno Gubernia, Lithuania)