My cousin Bob Berg has just returned >from a trip to The Ukraine and filed
these reports of interest - I have posted to the Zolotonosha KehilaLink and
Janette Silverman has posted to the various town pages. You may access them
at the following URLs:

Zolotonosha
http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/zolotonosha/Zolotonosha%20report_jg.pdf

or alternately
http://www.jewishgen.org/Ukraine/PTM_Article.asp?id=3D101


Kremenchuk

http://www.jewishgen.org/Ukraine/PTM_Article.asp?id=3D102

Kiev
http://www.jewishgen.org/Ukraine/PTM_Article.asp?id=3D103


Gary Pokrassa JGID#70858
Researching POKRASSA, DREISHPOON, BOGO, BOGUSLAVSKY, KIANSKY, FEINBERG,
FAYNBERG, POLER, EISENBERG, BERG, ROSENGARTEN, SHRON, SOLOVEITCHIK, MESH,
GOTTESFELD, HYAMS

My cousin Bob Berg has just returned >from a trip to The Ukraine and filed
these reports of interest - I have posted to the Zolotonosha KehilaLink and
Janette Silverman has posted to the various town pages. You may access them
at the following URLs:

Zolotonosha
http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/zolotonosha/Zolotonosha%20report_jg.pdf

or alternately
http://www.jewishgen.org/Ukraine/PTM_Article.asp?id=3D101


Kremenchuk

http://www.jewishgen.org/Ukraine/PTM_Article.asp?id=3D102

Kiev
http://www.jewishgen.org/Ukraine/PTM_Article.asp?id=3D103


Gary Pokrassa JGID#70858
Researching POKRASSA, DREISHPOON, BOGO, BOGUSLAVSKY, KIANSKY, FEINBERG,
FAYNBERG, POLER, EISENBERG, BERG, ROSENGARTEN, SHRON, SOLOVEITCHIK, MESH,
GOTTESFELD, HYAMS

The 35th IAJGS International Conference is nearly here! Visit
www.iajgs2015.org to see all the exciting details and to register,
if you haven't yet done so.

Take a glimpse at the full Conference program by going to
www.iajgs2015.org, selecting **Program**, and then choosing
**Detailed Program** >from the dropdown menu. Check out the
Conference's impressive array of lecturers, luncheons, breakfasts,
workshops and tours -- a genealogist's dream!

Take advantage of the magic of Jerusalem and Israel by attending
the wonderful Pre-Conference Shabbaton and "Exploration Sunday"
prior to the Conference opening.

Rabbi Israel Meir Lau, Opening Session Keynote speaker, will
share his moving plea to continue to tell the story of the Shoah,
striving to document our family's past as an inspiration for the
next generations to come. Dick Eastman, genealogy's renowned
blogger, will address our closing banquet.

SIG luncheons and other SIG meetings will be held each day, as
will "Breakfast with Experts." Workshops will offer valuable
opportunities and information on a range of topics that are sure
to be of interest.

Don't miss the new and distinctive Conference component "Rendezvous
with an Expert." We are offering 30-minute one-on-one sessions for
those researchers that face a "brick wall" in their family research.
To overcome the specific obstacle, we will match an expert in a
relevant genealogical field to share his know-how with the
researcher in need. The opportunity of a lifetime!

To arrange for consultation with an expert, Conference participants
should contact Dr. Eli Brauner at elib8@bezeqint.net

Plus--our Resource Room will feature three important databases never
before available at an IAJGS Conference. Yad Vashem, Beit Hatefuzot
(Museum of the Jewish People) and the Jewish National Fund (Keren
Kayemeth LeIsrael - KKL) will offer resources that do not appear on
their websites. (Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael - KKL) will offer its
database of Books of Honor and Golden Books. For more information on
the KKL database of honor, see
http://www.kkl.org.il/eng/people-and-environment/donate/kkl-jnf-books-for-honor/
[http://tinyurl.com/pqc3weu --Mod.]

Come join us in the matchless city of Jerusalem for the momentous,
exciting 35th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy.
Enjoy new and renewed friendships, and a rich appreciation of the land,
its resources and its people. For full Convention details:
www.iajgs2015.org.

Michael Goldstein, Chairman
chairman@iajgs2015.org
35th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy
Jerusalem 6- 10 July 2015
www.iajgs2015.org

The 35th IAJGS International Conference is nearly here! Visit
www.iajgs2015.org to see all the exciting details and to register,
if you haven't yet done so.

Take a glimpse at the full Conference program by going to
www.iajgs2015.org, selecting **Program**, and then choosing
**Detailed Program** >from the dropdown menu. Check out the
Conference's impressive array of lecturers, luncheons, breakfasts,
workshops and tours -- a genealogist's dream!

Take advantage of the magic of Jerusalem and Israel by attending
the wonderful Pre-Conference Shabbaton and "Exploration Sunday"
prior to the Conference opening.

Rabbi Israel Meir Lau, Opening Session Keynote speaker, will
share his moving plea to continue to tell the story of the Shoah,
striving to document our family's past as an inspiration for the
next generations to come. Dick Eastman, genealogy's renowned
blogger, will address our closing banquet.

SIG luncheons and other SIG meetings will be held each day, as
will "Breakfast with Experts." Workshops will offer valuable
opportunities and information on a range of topics that are sure
to be of interest.

Don't miss the new and distinctive Conference component "Rendezvous
with an Expert." We are offering 30-minute one-on-one sessions for
those researchers that face a "brick wall" in their family research.
To overcome the specific obstacle, we will match an expert in a
relevant genealogical field to share his know-how with the
researcher in need. The opportunity of a lifetime!

To arrange for consultation with an expert, Conference participants
should contact Dr. Eli Brauner at elib8@bezeqint.net

Plus--our Resource Room will feature three important databases never
before available at an IAJGS Conference. Yad Vashem, Beit Hatefuzot
(Museum of the Jewish People) and the Jewish National Fund (Keren
Kayemeth LeIsrael - KKL) will offer resources that do not appear on
their websites. (Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael - KKL) will offer its
database of Books of Honor and Golden Books. For more information on
the KKL database of honor, see
http://www.kkl.org.il/eng/people-and-environment/donate/kkl-jnf-books-for-honor/
[http://tinyurl.com/pqc3weu --Mod.]

Come join us in the matchless city of Jerusalem for the momentous,
exciting 35th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy.
Enjoy new and renewed friendships, and a rich appreciation of the land,
its resources and its people. For full Convention details:
www.iajgs2015.org.

Michael Goldstein, Chairman
chairman@iajgs2015.org
35th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy
Jerusalem 6- 10 July 2015
www.iajgs2015.org

Hi everybody,

I want to let you know that the Kiliya (now Ukraine) cemetery project was
completed, and we have sent to JOWBR 314 records with 295 photos. Thanks a
lot to the Project Leader Ariel Parkansky who did a lot with his group of
translators.
The records will be available for everyone's use in the summer of this
year. Also 241 photos for Unknown graves are now displayed at Bessarabia SIG
website. Go to Jewish Cemeteries section. There are might be a few
writings which some of you could decipher. If so, please send information
to Ariel Parkansky (ariel_parkansky@yahoo.com ).

Here is what is going on with other projects:

Izmail (now in Ukraine) - photographed and indexed - waiting for "second"
reading to complete.

Tiraspol (Dalnee) (former Kherson gubernia). Project Leader: Inna Vayner -
trying to retake a number of photos, but that might be hard to do.

Brichani Cemetery, I am coordinating the project. All "Russian"
inscriptions are translated, and about 25% of Hebrew are done. If anyone
could help with Hebrew, it will speed up the project.

Rybnitsa (New) cemetery. Photographing is done, first reading is done.
Waiting for the "second" reading.

Rybnitsa (Old) cemetery, the photographing is in progress.

Lipkani Cemetery - work is onhold... need a project leader/coordinator with
Hebrew, and a number of Hebrew translators

Kishinev Main Jewish Cemetery. Project Leader -Terry Lasky! We started to
receive photos of the graves. Probably we will receive more in late fall.

Rezina - two Jewish Cemeteries - the photographing is going to start in May,
2015

Leovo, we have a Project Leader Gary Khusidman, who is now working on a
number of other cemeteries. Need to collect initial donations to get an
agreement with the photographer. Please make your donation and who promised
donations please make them to Bessarabia/Moldova Cemetery Project.

Markuleshty cemetery. We received initial donations and hopefully will
start project in the fall of this year.

Grigoriopol Cemetery (former Kherson guberbia). Also received initial
donations and will start project soon.

Kamenka Cemetery (former Podol gubernia)

Several smaller cemeteries around Kishinev: Yaloveny, Lapushna, Nisporeny,
Strasheni (with 50-200 graves will be photographed this year).

I also want to ask you to make donations for the existing projects. We need
to index and photograph ALL 70 cemeteries in Bessarabia / Moldova! We can
only do it with your help.
You can see the list of Project you can donate to at Bessarabia SIG /
Donate. Many small cemeteries are included into Bessarabia/Moldova Cemetery
project. For $100 or more you will receive the whole list of people buried
in that cemetery, and also any photos (might be several) we have for a
particular grave.

If you want to sponsor any other Jewish Cemeteries in Bessarabia (there are
total of 70+ cemeteries), please let me know.

All the best,
Yefim Kogan
Bessarabia SIG Coordinator
Researching KOGAN, SPIVAK, KHAYMOVICH, SRULEVICH, LEVIT in Kaushany,
Bendery, Tarutino, Akkerman, Kiliya - all in Bessarabia, KHAIMOVICH in
Galatz, Romania, KOGAN in Dubossary, Moldova, SRULEVICH in Shanghai, China

Hi everybody,

I want to let you know that the Kiliya (now Ukraine) cemetery project was
completed, and we have sent to JOWBR 314 records with 295 photos. Thanks a
lot to the Project Leader Ariel Parkansky who did a lot with his group of
translators.
The records will be available for everyone's use in the summer of this
year. Also 241 photos for Unknown graves are now displayed at Bessarabia SIG
website. Go to Jewish Cemeteries section. There are might be a few
writings which some of you could decipher. If so, please send information
to Ariel Parkansky (ariel_parkansky@yahoo.com ).

Here is what is going on with other projects:

Izmail (now in Ukraine) - photographed and indexed - waiting for "second"
reading to complete.

Tiraspol (Dalnee) (former Kherson gubernia). Project Leader: Inna Vayner -
trying to retake a number of photos, but that might be hard to do.

Brichani Cemetery, I am coordinating the project. All "Russian"
inscriptions are translated, and about 25% of Hebrew are done. If anyone
could help with Hebrew, it will speed up the project.

Rybnitsa (New) cemetery. Photographing is done, first reading is done.
Waiting for the "second" reading.

Rybnitsa (Old) cemetery, the photographing is in progress.

Lipkani Cemetery - work is onhold... need a project leader/coordinator with
Hebrew, and a number of Hebrew translators

Kishinev Main Jewish Cemetery. Project Leader -Terry Lasky! We started to
receive photos of the graves. Probably we will receive more in late fall.

Rezina - two Jewish Cemeteries - the photographing is going to start in May,
2015

Leovo, we have a Project Leader Gary Khusidman, who is now working on a
number of other cemeteries. Need to collect initial donations to get an
agreement with the photographer. Please make your donation and who promised
donations please make them to Bessarabia/Moldova Cemetery Project.

Markuleshty cemetery. We received initial donations and hopefully will
start project in the fall of this year.

Grigoriopol Cemetery (former Kherson guberbia). Also received initial
donations and will start project soon.

Kamenka Cemetery (former Podol gubernia)

Several smaller cemeteries around Kishinev: Yaloveny, Lapushna, Nisporeny,
Strasheni (with 50-200 graves will be photographed this year).

I also want to ask you to make donations for the existing projects. We need
to index and photograph ALL 70 cemeteries in Bessarabia / Moldova! We can
only do it with your help.
You can see the list of Project you can donate to at Bessarabia SIG /
Donate. Many small cemeteries are included into Bessarabia/Moldova Cemetery
project. For $100 or more you will receive the whole list of people buried
in that cemetery, and also any photos (might be several) we have for a
particular grave.

If you want to sponsor any other Jewish Cemeteries in Bessarabia (there are
total of 70+ cemeteries), please let me know.

All the best,
Yefim Kogan
Bessarabia SIG Coordinator
Researching KOGAN, SPIVAK, KHAYMOVICH, SRULEVICH, LEVIT in Kaushany,
Bendery, Tarutino, Akkerman, Kiliya - all in Bessarabia, KHAIMOVICH in
Galatz, Romania, KOGAN in Dubossary, Moldova, SRULEVICH in Shanghai, China

Subject: Thanks re: Kovno Architecture
From: Miriam Nadel <mhnadel@alum.mit.edu>
Date: Thu, 14 May 2015 12:52:24 +0000 (UTC)
X-Message-Number: 1

I am reasonably sure the house I am looking for no longer exists,=20
or, at least, that there aren't photos on-line of it. But I have=20
several useful leads to pursue. It appears my timing may be good=20
as there has been a recent resurgence of interest in architecture=20
of the interwar period because of the recent EU Heritage declaration.=20

There has been at least one book on that subject published in the=20
past year or so and I am going to see if I can track down a copy =20
via the Lithuanian embassy here.

Miriam Nadel

KTU Institute of Architecture and Construction
Architekturos ir statybos institutas (Kauno technologijos
universitetas)
Tunelio g. 60, LT-44405 Kaunas
http://www.asi.lt (the web page is under the reconstruction)
Director dr. Egidijus Blazevecius
Telefonas (8~37) 45 13 51
Faksas (8~37) 45 13 55
Elektroninis pastas asi@asi.lt

This now must be the Institute of Architecture and Construction
(Architekturos ir statybos institutas), belonging to Kaunas Technological
University . It is a research institute, was founded in 1956, and they
have a large archive and collection of various maps and plans. Of course,
no such institute existed in 1925 - it is just that Anyksciai plan is for
1925, and this plan must have been found in the collection of this
institute.

The address of the Institute is Tunelio str. 60, LT-44405 Kaunas,
tel. 45 13 51, fax 45 13 55, e-mail asi@asi.lt

Howard Margol

Subject: Thanks re: Kovno Architecture
From: Miriam Nadel <mhnadel@alum.mit.edu>
Date: Thu, 14 May 2015 12:52:24 +0000 (UTC)
X-Message-Number: 1

I am reasonably sure the house I am looking for no longer exists,=20
or, at least, that there aren't photos on-line of it. But I have=20
several useful leads to pursue. It appears my timing may be good=20
as there has been a recent resurgence of interest in architecture=20
of the interwar period because of the recent EU Heritage declaration.=20

There has been at least one book on that subject published in the=20
past year or so and I am going to see if I can track down a copy =20
via the Lithuanian embassy here.

Miriam Nadel

KTU Institute of Architecture and Construction
Architekturos ir statybos institutas (Kauno technologijos
universitetas)
Tunelio g. 60, LT-44405 Kaunas
http://www.asi.lt (the web page is under the reconstruction)
Director dr. Egidijus Blazevecius
Telefonas (8~37) 45 13 51
Faksas (8~37) 45 13 55
Elektroninis pastas asi@asi.lt

This now must be the Institute of Architecture and Construction
(Architekturos ir statybos institutas), belonging to Kaunas Technological
University . It is a research institute, was founded in 1956, and they
have a large archive and collection of various maps and plans. Of course,
no such institute existed in 1925 - it is just that Anyksciai plan is for
1925, and this plan must have been found in the collection of this
institute.

The address of the Institute is Tunelio str. 60, LT-44405 Kaunas,
tel. 45 13 51, fax 45 13 55, e-mail asi@asi.lt

Howard Margol

My paternal grandfather was a Polish Jew who escaped to Russia during World
War II, where in mid-1941 he apparently volunteered to fight with the Red
Army against the Germans and, according to the family story, was killed in
one of the first battles. My father was only a young boy of five or six at
the time and simply never knew anything much about his father. (My father,
who himself passed away years ago, also lost his mother at a young age, so
there really was no one to ask.)

I have been trying unsuccessfully for years to find out anything I can about
my grandfather's time in Russia and in particular exactly where and when he
was killed. I have searched every relevant website that I have been able to
find -- in some cases quite agonizingly, using virtual keyboards and online
translations, because they are only searchable in Russian, which is not a
language I speak -- but have found nothing. (Some the sites I searched are
listed below for anyone else who might be interested.) I am told that if I
write to the Russian Defense Ministry to ask for information, I need to know
his rank/unit/place of service, none of which I know. I do not even know if
he actually fought as a soldier, or was in some kind of support role, such
as a driver.

My grandfather's name was Abram Itzhak BULWAR, born in Lodz Feb. 18, 1900,
son of Szmul Aron and Estera Hinda. He may have done military service in
Poland as a young man as it was compulsory, but I don't know and am trying
to research that now. By trade he was a tailor, who was 41 years old in
1941.

I would welcome any assistance or tips on how to find out something,
anything, about my grandfather's misadventures and death in Russia.

Thanking you,
Miriam Bulwar David-Hay,
Raanana, Israel.

Sites I have searched: I have of course scoured JewishGen, JRI-Poland, Yad
Vashem, the U.S. Holocaust Museum, Fold3, Ancestry and FamilySearch. In
addition, some other websites I have searched include:

OBD, the Russian Defense Ministry site, which lists over a million fallen
Red Army soldiers:
http://www.obd-memorial.ru/html/index.html

Alexander Zaslavsky's Book of Electronic Memory, which lists more than
100,000 fallen Jewish Red Army soldiers:
http://jmemory.org/

Benjamin Meirchak's partial list of Jewish military casualties in WWII:
http://www.zchor.org/meirtchak/volume5.htm

The Pobediteli website, which provides a multimedia history of the Eastern
Front and lists over a million surviving (in 2005) WWII Red Army veterans:
http://english.pobediteli.ru/

The Israeli Museum of the Jewish Soldier in World War II, which lists
soldiers and partisans who fought for the Allies:
http://www.jwmww2.org/show_item.asp?levelId=65021

The Martyrology list of Jewish soldiers killed in the Siege of Leningrad:
http://nameandglory.spb.ru/

The Kresy Siberia Virtual Museum, which lists people deported or persecuted
in the pre-war eastern borderlands of Poland, but also contains complete
listings of Polish military unit personnel:
http://kresy-siberia.org/won/?page_id=3&;lang=en

The Toldot website listing people buried in Jewish cemeteries in Russia:
http://toldot.ru/urava/cemetery/?show_result=1&;country=165&city=%D0%90%D1%80
%D0%B7%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%B0%D1%81&cemetery=2

And assorted lists and partial lists >from Marilyn Robinson's JewishGem blog:
http://yourjewishgem.blogspot.co.il/

My paternal grandfather was a Polish Jew who escaped to Russia during World
War II, where in mid-1941 he apparently volunteered to fight with the Red
Army against the Germans and, according to the family story, was killed in
one of the first battles. My father was only a young boy of five or six at
the time and simply never knew anything much about his father. (My father,
who himself passed away years ago, also lost his mother at a young age, so
there really was no one to ask.)

I have been trying unsuccessfully for years to find out anything I can about
my grandfather's time in Russia and in particular exactly where and when he
was killed. I have searched every relevant website that I have been able to
find -- in some cases quite agonizingly, using virtual keyboards and online
translations, because they are only searchable in Russian, which is not a
language I speak -- but have found nothing. (Some the sites I searched are
listed below for anyone else who might be interested.) I am told that if I
write to the Russian Defense Ministry to ask for information, I need to know
his rank/unit/place of service, none of which I know. I do not even know if
he actually fought as a soldier, or was in some kind of support role, such
as a driver.

My grandfather's name was Abram Itzhak BULWAR, born in Lodz Feb. 18, 1900,
son of Szmul Aron and Estera Hinda. He may have done military service in
Poland as a young man as it was compulsory, but I don't know and am trying
to research that now. By trade he was a tailor, who was 41 years old in
1941.

I would welcome any assistance or tips on how to find out something,
anything, about my grandfather's misadventures and death in Russia.

Thanking you,
Miriam Bulwar David-Hay,
Raanana, Israel.

Sites I have searched: I have of course scoured JewishGen, JRI-Poland, Yad
Vashem, the U.S. Holocaust Museum, Fold3, Ancestry and FamilySearch. In
addition, some other websites I have searched include:

OBD, the Russian Defense Ministry site, which lists over a million fallen
Red Army soldiers:
http://www.obd-memorial.ru/html/index.html

Alexander Zaslavsky's Book of Electronic Memory, which lists more than
100,000 fallen Jewish Red Army soldiers:
http://jmemory.org/

Benjamin Meirchak's partial list of Jewish military casualties in WWII:
http://www.zchor.org/meirtchak/volume5.htm

The Pobediteli website, which provides a multimedia history of the Eastern
Front and lists over a million surviving (in 2005) WWII Red Army veterans:
http://english.pobediteli.ru/

The Israeli Museum of the Jewish Soldier in World War II, which lists
soldiers and partisans who fought for the Allies:
http://www.jwmww2.org/show_item.asp?levelId=65021

The Martyrology list of Jewish soldiers killed in the Siege of Leningrad:
http://nameandglory.spb.ru/

The Kresy Siberia Virtual Museum, which lists people deported or persecuted
in the pre-war eastern borderlands of Poland, but also contains complete
listings of Polish military unit personnel:
http://kresy-siberia.org/won/?page_id=3&;lang=en

The Toldot website listing people buried in Jewish cemeteries in Russia:
http://toldot.ru/urava/cemetery/?show_result=1&;country=165&city=%D0%90%D1%80
%D0%B7%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%B0%D1%81&cemetery=2

And assorted lists and partial lists >from Marilyn Robinson's JewishGem blog:
http://yourjewishgem.blogspot.co.il/

Has anyone out there had any success in obtaining old military conscription
records >from the Polish State Archives, especially the Lodz branch?

I learned, >from a Lodz Book of Residents entry, that my great-grandfather
did compulsory military service >from 1898, when he was 21, until 1903. I
know that the Lodz PSA holds the military records for that period (and for
later ones too), but when I wrote to the archives to ask if I could order
the record, they responded that they couldn't search the old military books
and couldn't fulfill such requests.

As well as obtaining my great-grandfather's record, I'm also interested in
discovering whether either of my two grandfathers was conscripted. Both were

from Lodz. One grandfather was 21 in 1921, and the other was 21 in 1932.

If someone has managed to obtain such records, I'd welcome any tips on how
to succeed. Your assistance would be much appreciated.

Miriam Bulwar David-Hay,
Raanana, Israel.

Has anyone out there had any success in obtaining old military conscription
records >from the Polish State Archives, especially the Lodz branch?

I learned, >from a Lodz Book of Residents entry, that my great-grandfather
did compulsory military service >from 1898, when he was 21, until 1903. I
know that the Lodz PSA holds the military records for that period (and for
later ones too), but when I wrote to the archives to ask if I could order
the record, they responded that they couldn't search the old military books
and couldn't fulfill such requests.

As well as obtaining my great-grandfather's record, I'm also interested in
discovering whether either of my two grandfathers was conscripted. Both were

from Lodz. One grandfather was 21 in 1921, and the other was 21 in 1932.

If someone has managed to obtain such records, I'd welcome any tips on how
to succeed. Your assistance would be much appreciated.

Miriam Bulwar David-Hay,
Raanana, Israel.

Without prior notification to the public by the Maine Data, Research, and
Vital Statistics Records Office, the Maine State Archives posted a notice to
their website stating, that effective May 1, 2015 vital records notices
dating >from 1892 to the present day are no longer available at the Maine
State Archives. The records dating >from 1892 - 1922 that were previously
held at the Archives, have now been digitally scanned and allowing the Vital
Records office to issue these documents. As of May 1, 2015 the Maine Data
Research and Vital Statistics at the Vital Records office will issue ALL
vital records >from 1892 to present day. Copies of non-certified documents
prior to 1892 will still be issued by the Maine State Archives. To read the
notice see: http://www.maine.gov/sos/arc/research/vitalrec.html

from a communication >from the State Library they also indicated that have

agreed to restrict access to their delayed vital records microfilms from
1937 to 1955, and ask for the same evidence that anyone walking into a town
office or the Office of Vital Records would request: reasonable proof that
the person is related, or has a researcher ID card.

This is a "Catch 22" as the legislation enacted 4 years ago, Chapter 58, LD
258, which established embargo dates for birth, marriage, and death records
requires the state to develop a process for genealogists to obtain a
researcher card which would permit genealogists to avoid the embargo dates.
The embargo dates established in 2011 are: births 75 years; marriages and
registered domestic partnerships are 50 years; and deaths 25 years >from date
of the event. The Maine Office of Vital Records has not yet finalized their
proposed regulations, nor have they yet posted a notice of proposed
rule-making for the public to address the state's proposal. Until the state
has finalized the regulations there will not be any researcher card for
genealogists, as the proposed regulations address access to that care --it
does not establish a price.

IAJGS has been working with the Maine Genealogical Society since 2010, first
with the legislation and since then, participating as a stakeholder with the
Office of Vital Records on the development of regulations. The Records
Preservation and Access Committee (RPAC) of which IAJGS is a sponsoring
member is also a stakeholder and both IAJGS and RPAC have continued to
submit concerns with the various drafts of the proposed regulations. In
early January 2015, all stakeholders were advised there would be no further
communication permitted between the stakeholders and staff on the proposed
regulations as they were now submitted to the Attorney General's Office for
review prior to going to formal notice of proposed rule-making. It is almost
five months and nothing further has yet been received. In addition to
concerns that the proposed regulation will require the embargo dates for
vital records to also cover indices, and statutory language stating "shall"
have been changed to "may", the January packet included a "Code of Ethics"
which genealogists would be required to follow. The stakeholders had not
seen this language previously-although we had discussed some of the concepts
to be included. When IAJGS learns more about the status of the proposed
regulations and access to records it will be posted on this announcement
list.

Jan Meisels Allen
Chairperson, IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee

Without prior notification to the public by the Maine Data, Research, and
Vital Statistics Records Office, the Maine State Archives posted a notice to
their website stating, that effective May 1, 2015 vital records notices
dating >from 1892 to the present day are no longer available at the Maine
State Archives. The records dating >from 1892 - 1922 that were previously
held at the Archives, have now been digitally scanned and allowing the Vital
Records office to issue these documents. As of May 1, 2015 the Maine Data
Research and Vital Statistics at the Vital Records office will issue ALL
vital records >from 1892 to present day. Copies of non-certified documents
prior to 1892 will still be issued by the Maine State Archives. To read the
notice see: http://www.maine.gov/sos/arc/research/vitalrec.html

from a communication >from the State Library they also indicated that have

agreed to restrict access to their delayed vital records microfilms from
1937 to 1955, and ask for the same evidence that anyone walking into a town
office or the Office of Vital Records would request: reasonable proof that
the person is related, or has a researcher ID card.

This is a "Catch 22" as the legislation enacted 4 years ago, Chapter 58, LD
258, which established embargo dates for birth, marriage, and death records
requires the state to develop a process for genealogists to obtain a
researcher card which would permit genealogists to avoid the embargo dates.
The embargo dates established in 2011 are: births 75 years; marriages and
registered domestic partnerships are 50 years; and deaths 25 years >from date
of the event. The Maine Office of Vital Records has not yet finalized their
proposed regulations, nor have they yet posted a notice of proposed
rule-making for the public to address the state's proposal. Until the state
has finalized the regulations there will not be any researcher card for
genealogists, as the proposed regulations address access to that care --it
does not establish a price.

IAJGS has been working with the Maine Genealogical Society since 2010, first
with the legislation and since then, participating as a stakeholder with the
Office of Vital Records on the development of regulations. The Records
Preservation and Access Committee (RPAC) of which IAJGS is a sponsoring
member is also a stakeholder and both IAJGS and RPAC have continued to
submit concerns with the various drafts of the proposed regulations. In
early January 2015, all stakeholders were advised there would be no further
communication permitted between the stakeholders and staff on the proposed
regulations as they were now submitted to the Attorney General's Office for
review prior to going to formal notice of proposed rule-making. It is almost
five months and nothing further has yet been received. In addition to
concerns that the proposed regulation will require the embargo dates for
vital records to also cover indices, and statutory language stating "shall"
have been changed to "may", the January packet included a "Code of Ethics"
which genealogists would be required to follow. The stakeholders had not
seen this language previously-although we had discussed some of the concepts
to be included. When IAJGS learns more about the status of the proposed
regulations and access to records it will be posted on this announcement
list.

Jan Meisels Allen
Chairperson, IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee

My paternal grandfather was a Polish Jew who escaped to Russia during World
War II, where in mid-1941 he apparently volunteered to fight with the Red
Army against the Germans and, according to the family story, was killed in
one of the first battles. My father was only a young boy of five or six at
the time and simply never knew anything much about his father. (My father,
who himself passed away years ago, also lost his mother at a young age, so
there really was no one to ask.)

I have been trying unsuccessfully for years to find out anything I can about
my grandfather's time in Russia and in particular exactly where and when he
was killed. I have searched every relevant website that I have been able to
find -- in some cases quite agonizingly, using virtual keyboards and online
translations, because they are only searchable in Russian, which is not a
language I speak -- but have found nothing. (Some the sites I searched are
listed below for anyone else who might be interested.) I am told that if I
write to the Russian Defense Ministry to ask for information, I need to know
his rank/unit/place of service, none of which I know. I do not even know if
he actually fought as a soldier, or was in some kind of support role, such
as a driver.

My grandfather's name was Abram Itzhak BULWAR, born in Lodz Feb. 18, 1900,
son of Szmul Aron and Estera Hinda. He may have done military service in
Poland as a young man as it was compulsory, but I don't know and am trying
to research that now. By trade he was a tailor, who was 41 years old in
1941.

I would welcome any assistance or tips on how to find out something,
anything, about my grandfather's misadventures and death in Russia.

Thanking you,
Miriam Bulwar David-Hay,
Raanana, Israel.

Sites I have searched: I have of course scoured JewishGen, JRI-Poland,
Yad Vashem, the U.S. Holocaust Museum, Fold3, Ancestry and FamilySearch.
In addition, some other websites I have searched include:

OBD, the Russian Defense Ministry site, which lists over a million fallen
Red Army soldiers:
http://www.obd-memorial.ru/html/index.html

Alexander Zaslavsky's Book of Electronic Memory, which lists more than
100,000 fallen Jewish Red Army soldiers:
http://jmemory.org/

Benjamin Meirchak's partial list of Jewish military casualties in WWII:
http://www.zchor.org/meirtchak/volume5.htm

The Pobediteli website, which provides a multimedia history of the Eastern
Front and lists over a million surviving (in 2005) WWII Red Army veterans:
http://english.pobediteli.ru/

The Israeli Museum of the Jewish Soldier in World War II, which lists
soldiers and partisans who fought for the Allies:
http://www.jwmww2.org/show_item.asp?levelId=65021

The Martyrology list of Jewish soldiers killed in the Siege of Leningrad:
http://nameandglory.spb.ru/

The Kresy Siberia Virtual Museum, which lists people deported or persecuted
in the pre-war eastern borderlands of Poland, but also contains complete
listings of Polish military unit personnel:
http://kresy-siberia.org/won/?page_id=3&;lang=en

The Toldot website listing people buried in Jewish cemeteries in Russia:
http://toldot.ru/urava/cemetery/?show_result=1&;country=165&city=%D0%90%D1%80
%D0%B7%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%B0%D1%81&cemetery=2

And assorted lists and partial lists >from Marilyn Robinson's JewishGem blog:
http://yourjewishgem.blogspot.co.il/

My paternal grandfather was a Polish Jew who escaped to Russia during World
War II, where in mid-1941 he apparently volunteered to fight with the Red
Army against the Germans and, according to the family story, was killed in
one of the first battles. My father was only a young boy of five or six at
the time and simply never knew anything much about his father. (My father,
who himself passed away years ago, also lost his mother at a young age, so
there really was no one to ask.)

I have been trying unsuccessfully for years to find out anything I can about
my grandfather's time in Russia and in particular exactly where and when he
was killed. I have searched every relevant website that I have been able to
find -- in some cases quite agonizingly, using virtual keyboards and online
translations, because they are only searchable in Russian, which is not a
language I speak -- but have found nothing. (Some the sites I searched are
listed below for anyone else who might be interested.) I am told that if I
write to the Russian Defense Ministry to ask for information, I need to know
his rank/unit/place of service, none of which I know. I do not even know if
he actually fought as a soldier, or was in some kind of support role, such
as a driver.

My grandfather's name was Abram Itzhak BULWAR, born in Lodz Feb. 18, 1900,
son of Szmul Aron and Estera Hinda. He may have done military service in
Poland as a young man as it was compulsory, but I don't know and am trying
to research that now. By trade he was a tailor, who was 41 years old in
1941.

I would welcome any assistance or tips on how to find out something,
anything, about my grandfather's misadventures and death in Russia.

Thanking you,
Miriam Bulwar David-Hay,
Raanana, Israel.

Sites I have searched: I have of course scoured JewishGen, JRI-Poland,
Yad Vashem, the U.S. Holocaust Museum, Fold3, Ancestry and FamilySearch.
In addition, some other websites I have searched include:

OBD, the Russian Defense Ministry site, which lists over a million fallen
Red Army soldiers:
http://www.obd-memorial.ru/html/index.html

Alexander Zaslavsky's Book of Electronic Memory, which lists more than
100,000 fallen Jewish Red Army soldiers:
http://jmemory.org/

Benjamin Meirchak's partial list of Jewish military casualties in WWII:
http://www.zchor.org/meirtchak/volume5.htm

The Pobediteli website, which provides a multimedia history of the Eastern
Front and lists over a million surviving (in 2005) WWII Red Army veterans:
http://english.pobediteli.ru/

The Israeli Museum of the Jewish Soldier in World War II, which lists
soldiers and partisans who fought for the Allies:
http://www.jwmww2.org/show_item.asp?levelId=65021

The Martyrology list of Jewish soldiers killed in the Siege of Leningrad:
http://nameandglory.spb.ru/

The Kresy Siberia Virtual Museum, which lists people deported or persecuted
in the pre-war eastern borderlands of Poland, but also contains complete
listings of Polish military unit personnel:
http://kresy-siberia.org/won/?page_id=3&;lang=en

The Toldot website listing people buried in Jewish cemeteries in Russia:
http://toldot.ru/urava/cemetery/?show_result=1&;country=165&city=%D0%90%D1%80
%D0%B7%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%B0%D1%81&cemetery=2

And assorted lists and partial lists >from Marilyn Robinson's JewishGem blog:
http://yourjewishgem.blogspot.co.il/

Has anyone out there had any success in obtaining old military conscription
records >from the Polish State Archives, especially the Lodz branch?

I learned, >from a Lodz Book of Residents entry, that my great-grandfather
did compulsory military service >from 1898, when he was 21, until 1903. I
know that the Lodz PSA holds the military records for that period (and for
later ones too), but when I wrote to the archives to ask if I could order
the record, they responded that they couldn't search the old military books
and couldn't fulfill such requests.

As well as obtaining my great-grandfather's record, I'm also interested in
discovering whether either of my two grandfathers was conscripted. Both were

from Lodz. One grandfather was 21 in 1921, and the other was 21 in 1932.

If someone has managed to obtain such records, I'd welcome any tips on how
to succeed. Your assistance would be much appreciated.

Miriam Bulwar David-Hay,
Raanana, Israel.

Has anyone out there had any success in obtaining old military conscription
records >from the Polish State Archives, especially the Lodz branch?

I learned, >from a Lodz Book of Residents entry, that my great-grandfather
did compulsory military service >from 1898, when he was 21, until 1903. I
know that the Lodz PSA holds the military records for that period (and for
later ones too), but when I wrote to the archives to ask if I could order
the record, they responded that they couldn't search the old military books
and couldn't fulfill such requests.

As well as obtaining my great-grandfather's record, I'm also interested in
discovering whether either of my two grandfathers was conscripted. Both were

from Lodz. One grandfather was 21 in 1921, and the other was 21 in 1932.

If someone has managed to obtain such records, I'd welcome any tips on how
to succeed. Your assistance would be much appreciated.

Miriam Bulwar David-Hay,
Raanana, Israel.

Moderator Notes:
1. Attention all new GerSIG members - This "thank you" illustrates
why all new subscribers should send the suggested "INTRO" Email
message to our list.

2. Mr. Bodenheimer - We appreciate your "thank you" note.
Please note the following: Technical limitations of our list system
cause certain accent marks and other characters to be garbled in the
messages that as received by our subscribers. Avoid using the umlaut
and any other accented characters in email to our list.
Example- Change Lowenstein (o umlaut) to Loewenstein. For clarity, you
can include both versions but avoid a spelling with two dots over the o.

Long URLs like your dropbox address can also be garbled by the list
system. We urge you to use JewishGen's free ViewMate service. To
shorten long URLs use TinyURL http://tinyurl.com/ =========>

I first want to thank everyone who e-mailed me after my INTRO to this
group. Wow, what a response!

The first puzzle piece, which may answer a few of the questions posed
to me is this 1812/1815 Waibstadt Surname List. I desperately need
this docuement translated word-for-word into English. Please help!
This is all five (5) Jewish familes of Waibstadt >from that time
period. Yes, a very small town.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/azna87tly23q2kn/circa%201812-1815%20Waibstadt%20N=
ame%20Adoption%20LIst.png?dl=3D0 [Moderator note: http://tinyurl.com/m3nud5e]

Thank you all again,

-Dan Bodenheimer dan@saint.org

I tried to start translating but my translation (below) is probably filled
with mistakes and gaps:
------------------------------------------------------------------
V 1/24 Waibstadt

1. _________ - ______ Marx born December 1735
_______ born July 1753
______ born May 1774, ______ born December 1788 (_______)

2. _________ Salomon - _______ _______ born August 1756 _____
________ born April 1767
Salomon born December 1790, ______ born January 1792

3. Seligmann Baruch- Seligmann Bodenheimer, born 5 July 1768 ____
____________
Isaak born Dec 1799, _____ born Dec 1800, ______ born April
1801, ________ born Feb 1810

4. Jakob Baruch - Jakob Bodenheimer, born 9 Sept 1772 _____
_____ 12 Sept 1791
Baruch's widow (______); widow born 5 Jan 1743

5. Aaron's widow - Aaron Bodenheimer. widow born 6 March 1775
Edel born March 1805, R=C3=B6sle born April 1808, Baruch born 12
July 1811, and Itzig born July 1813

Moderator Notes:
1. Attention all new GerSIG members - This "thank you" illustrates
why all new subscribers should send the suggested "INTRO" Email
message to our list.

2. Mr. Bodenheimer - We appreciate your "thank you" note.
Please note the following: Technical limitations of our list system
cause certain accent marks and other characters to be garbled in the
messages that as received by our subscribers. Avoid using the umlaut
and any other accented characters in email to our list.
Example- Change Lowenstein (o umlaut) to Loewenstein. For clarity, you
can include both versions but avoid a spelling with two dots over the o.

Long URLs like your dropbox address can also be garbled by the list
system. We urge you to use JewishGen's free ViewMate service. To
shorten long URLs use TinyURL http://tinyurl.com/ =========>

I first want to thank everyone who e-mailed me after my INTRO to this
group. Wow, what a response!

The first puzzle piece, which may answer a few of the questions posed
to me is this 1812/1815 Waibstadt Surname List. I desperately need
this docuement translated word-for-word into English. Please help!
This is all five (5) Jewish familes of Waibstadt >from that time
period. Yes, a very small town.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/azna87tly23q2kn/circa%201812-1815%20Waibstadt%20N=
ame%20Adoption%20LIst.png?dl=3D0 [Moderator note: http://tinyurl.com/m3nud5e]

Thank you all again,

-Dan Bodenheimer dan@saint.org

I tried to start translating but my translation (below) is probably filled
with mistakes and gaps:
------------------------------------------------------------------
V 1/24 Waibstadt

1. _________ - ______ Marx born December 1735
_______ born July 1753
______ born May 1774, ______ born December 1788 (_______)

2. _________ Salomon - _______ _______ born August 1756 _____
________ born April 1767
Salomon born December 1790, ______ born January 1792

3. Seligmann Baruch- Seligmann Bodenheimer, born 5 July 1768 ____
____________
Isaak born Dec 1799, _____ born Dec 1800, ______ born April
1801, ________ born Feb 1810

4. Jakob Baruch - Jakob Bodenheimer, born 9 Sept 1772 _____
_____ 12 Sept 1791
Baruch's widow (______); widow born 5 Jan 1743

5. Aaron's widow - Aaron Bodenheimer. widow born 6 March 1775
Edel born March 1805, R=C3=B6sle born April 1808, Baruch born 12
July 1811, and Itzig born July 1813