Belarus: A trip to Gorodok

Long ago, a long-lost Talalay left Gorodok and went to Philadelphia. He and his family promptly became "lost" to the rest of the family and we have not found any trace of them since.

However, if Gorodok is your shtetl of interest, there is a great travel story with photographs on My Shtetl, a Russian and English site, sponsored by the Israel-Belarus International Culture Center of Vitebsk. It does focus on the restoration of the town's Jewish cemetery.

There's an excellent map of the Vitebsk region, and a list of the shtetls with links:

Vitebsk • Albrehtovo • Babinovichi • Babynichi • Baran • Bayevo • Begoml • Beloye • Beshenkovichi • Bigosovo • Bocheikovo • Bogushevsk • Bolbasovo • Borkovichi • Borovuha • Braslav • Bychiha • Chashniki • Chereya • Disna • Dobromysli • Dokshitsy • Druisk • Drutsk • Druya • Dubrovno • Dunilovichi • Dvorishe • Germanovichi • Glubokoye • Golubichi • Gomel • Gorodok • Ikazn • Iody • Kamen • Kohanovo • Kolyshki • Kopys • Koziany • Krasnoluki • Krasnopolie • Kublichi • Latygolichi • Lepel • Liady • Liozno • Lukoml • Luzhki • Lyntupy • Matiyevo • Miory • Новый Погост• Obol • Oboltsy • Opsa • Orehovsk • Orsha • Osintorf • Ostrovno • Osveya • Parafianovo • Plissa • Podsvilye • Polotsk • Postavy • Prozorki • Rossony • Senno • Sharkovshina • Shumilino • Sirotino • Slavnoye • Slobodka • Smolyany • Surazh • Svecha • Tolochin • Trudy • Ulla • Ushachi • Verhnedvinsk • Vetrino • Vidzy • Volkolata • Volyntsy • Voronichi • Vorontsevichi • Yanovichi• Yezerishe • Yuhovichi • Zhary •

Click on the English version link above for more information.

The site is requesting that those with roots in the region share information, photographs and memories:

Requests everyone, who was born, lived, worked or visited Belarus and remembers the pre-war Jewish settlements of the country, to contact us.

We request you to share your memories and photographs. They are priceless for everyone, who thinks about the future of their children and grandchildren. They are priceless for our nation.

We are ready to send you a list of questions, which we would like you to answer. We are ready to record your memories on audio or video.

You can e-mail them to us (scanned in the original size, 300 dpi, in JPG format).

The travel article can be found here.