Yiddish Center: Audio books in Yiddish

The Yiddish Book Center and the Jewish Public Library of Montreal produced the audiobook Kinder-yorn (Childhood Years) as part of Y.Y. Trunk's seven-volume Poylen (Poland: Memories and Images).

The work is considered one of the most important memoirs of Jewish Polish life. The author began the work two days after he arrived in the US in March 1941.

According to the Yiddish Book Center, "He knew that Europe’s Jews were facing an unimaginable disaster, and his book has been called a 'portable literary gravestone for a destroyed community.'"

Two Fellows of the Yiddish Book Center have returned with an additional 200 Yiddish audio books on tape. They will be digitized and made available for free online.

Poyln has also been translated into English and published by the Polish-Jewish Heritage Foundation of Canada.

For those who can read Yiddish, click here . Sample the audio book here.

Newark NJ: Jewish Chronicle searchable online

Tracing the Tribe's TALALAY family became variously TOLLIN, TALLIN, TOLL, TAYLOR and FEINSTEIN.

The TOLLIN and TALLIN families settled in Newark, New Jersey (two brothers). Another TOLLIN branch was in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1899, and in Boston a few years later. TAYLOR went to Cleveland, and four TALALAI brothers went from Mogilev to Baku to Philadelphia where they took their sister's husband's name of FEINSTEIN and have been lost since.

A new online resource is the Jewish Chronicle of Newark NJ, which can be accessed at GenealogyBank.

The records include all sorts of social events ("hatch, match and dispatch"), community events, news of immigrant associations, local and international issues and much more.

GenealogyBank is for-fee, but the free search will produce small bits of the articles, usually enough to learn if it is relevant for your purposes.

Tracing the Tribe believes that all for-fee sites should offer free searching with snippets of the results. Learning what a site offers is the first step in deciding whether or not to allocate funds for that subscription!

A quick search showed that there were more than 6,000 mentions of TOLLIN, a few of TALLIN. Many of the first variant were from long before my great-grandfather Aron Peretz Talalai arrived there in 1905, but the ones from that time are very interesting, with many relevant results. The paper was published from 1921 until 1943, covering a major portion of the time that my family lived in that city.

GenealogyBank's resources cover newspapers in many states, and Tracing the Tribe found known family mentions in Massachusetts, Pennsyvania and Delaware publications.

Intrigued by anything with a Springfield origin, I found very detailed information on Max Tollin (Mendl Talalai), the first Jewish builder in the town, who constructed the first two homes for the aging, the Kodimoh synagogue and its cemetery. His children were also seen in many results.

In Newark, we saw results for the Mohliver Benevolent Society - Mohliver referring to Mogilev, Belarus - founded by friends and cousins of my great-grandfather, Aron Peretz Talalai TOLLIN.

Not to be outdone, the TOLLIN records in Philadelphia and Delaware were also quite detailed.

Long ago, when I was attempting to track down Mogilev-origin Tollins, I thought I was on the right track with Aron Tollin. However, he told me they were really Tolchinsky. The family's petition for a name change was one of the records in the results, confirming his story.

Where else can you access this paper? The Newark Public Library also has copies, as does the Jewish Historical Society of MetroWest. There is also some information on the Jewish Chronicle ot Chronicling America: Historical American Newspapers.

For more information, click here for a recent NJ Jewish News story about the archive.

Since GenealogyBank is free to search, what are you waiting for? In fact, there is now a discounted subscription  offer available now.

Wexler Oral History Project goes to camp!

Some of Tracing the Tribe's best summers were at camp. The memories last a lifetime.

Even those who only spent long weekends or a week here or there at various youth organization activities went home imbued with a sense of camaraderie, new knowledge and singing essential songs together.

The National Yiddish Book Center offers an interesting look at Jewish summer camps. There are videos of oral history interviews, links to the full interview texts and to the Wexler Oral History Project.

Summer camps, then and now, play an important role in identity for American Jews. Various studies of camps - such as one on the Conservative movement's Ramah system of camps - indicate that children who attend Jewish summer camps develop a much stronger identity with their heritage and also are more likely to become leaders in their communities and to maintain a more Jewish lifestyle.

According to the Yiddish Book Center's link:
Among the camps mentioned:

• The Sholem Aleichem Folks Institute, known for its commitment to Yiddish literature, founded Boiberik in 1923.
• Camp Kinderland was founded and was eventually associated with the Ordn Shuln with communist leanings. (The photo above left is of Kinderland)
• The Workmen's Circle founded their socialist summer camp, Kinder Ring.
• The Farband, Labor Zionists, created Kinderwelt around the same time.
• Camp Hemshekh was the Bund's summer camp, founded in 1959 by Holocaust survivors.

Kinderland and Kinder Ring still exist but in different locations.

As everyone who has ever attended a Jewish summer camp knows, each was its own world with its own family. Shared experiences with social values, fun, Jewish culture, shows, plays, camp songs and Shabbat ceremonies all contributed to "family" life. And everyone thought that their camp was the best of all of them.

The Wexler Oral History Project interviewed campers of diverse ages about their summer experiences, including friendships, memories, values and loves.

See the videos at the link above, visit the full texts of these and more at the project's digital archive here.

Learn more here on the Wexler Oral History Project.

When it came to choosing a camp for your children, there were a number of factors to weigh: language, socio-political views, location, and cost. Many New York Yiddishist organizations created summer camps to help people get out of "The Big City" for the summer.

Family reunion contest: Winners named

When you read about contests, what do you do? Do you think you'll never win and forget about it?

What if the grand prize is a free family reunion?

For one lucky winner, her entry means she will soon meet with a cousin from Denmark, while two runners-up also received recognition for connections to family in South Africa and Norway.

MyHeritage.com and Family Tree Magazine partnered for the free family reunion contest in June.

Winners were recently named in a post on the Family Tree Magazine blog.

Patricia Skubis was the grand prize winner of the free family reunion. Her long-lost Danish relative Tage will travel to the United States so they can meet in person for the first time.

She will also receive a year-long VIP membership to Family Tree Magazine and a three-year Premium-Plus subscription with MyHeritage.com.

Skubis' Danish family immigrated to the US in 1888, while another branch had settled in Australia in 1873. Skubis made contact nearly three decades ago with someone from the down-under branch, but they couldn't find the connection.

 However, that was then, and today we have the power of technology.

There will be more detailed coverage in a future issue of the magazine, but here's some of it.

In March 2011, a Danish family researching THYGESEN posted information on MyHeritage.com and Skubis received a Smart Match notice. She wasn't sure about it because the parents' names were the same, but not the children. She asked for more details and was then able to confirm the match.

I went online to the Danish Church Records [on the Danish archives’ website] and found Tyge Jørgensen’s children between Neils Madsen Thygesen, born in 1794, and my great-great-grandfather Martin, born in 1805. What a great surprise I received when I found that the next son after Neils was Peder Andersen Thygesen, the great-great-grandfather of Alison Rogers.

Tage and I are fourth cousins once removed. Our great-great-grandfathers, along with Alison’s, were brothers.

Runners-up were Linda Mehlinger and Pam Ingermanson, who will each receive a digital subscription to Family Tree Magazine and a three-year Premium-plus subscription on MyHeritage.com. Read some details at the link above about a Zulu warrior pulling five schoolgirls in a rickshaw and Norwegians in Idaho and Ohio.

According to Diane Haddad of Family Tree Magazine:

Thank you to everyone who entered this contest. Both our team at Family Tree Magazine and our contest partners MyHeritage.com were touched by your stories of reconnecting with family, and we're impressed by your diligent research. You’re truly an inspiration to your fellow family historians!

The next time you read about a family reunion contest, what will YOU do?

Southern California: "Genealogy in the Round," July 17

"Genealogy in the round: Share your successes, failures, artifacts and brick walls" is the theme of the next meeting of the Jewish Genealogical Society of the Conejo Valley and Ventura County (JGSCV), on Sunday, July 17.

The meeting begins at 1.30pm. JGSCV meetings are co-sponsored by, and located at Temple Adat Elohim, 2420 E. Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks. Meetings are free.

Come and share a genealogical success, failure, brick wall, or genealogical artifact!

This is YOUR meeting—We all learn from one another—take this opportunity to share your genealogical story—success or failure, ask questions about your brick walls, and more!

Each presenter will have 5-10 minutes to share, depending on the final number of presenters.

To participate in the program, contact JGSCV president Jan Meisels Allen.

For more information or to present at the meeting, contact Jan Meisels Allen.

New Mexico: Learning the ropes

Our family has made several major moves over our history.

I'm not only talking about the move from 14th-century Spain which brought the TALALAY to Mogilev, Belarus. Or the move that took my direct branch from Belarus to the US. Major moves have also included Teheran, Miami, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Tel Aviv - and this most recent one to New Mexico.

In each new place, I felt it was important to immediately get involved, to begin to find a place in the life of the community, to find an outlet for personal interests. Of course, for more than 20 years, genealogy has been a major interest.

Today, I met with New Mexico Jewish Federation executive director Sam Sokolove, New Mexico Jewish Historical Society president Dorothy Amsden, Rabbi Min Kantrowitz. The meetings were good, providing excellent possibilities for future involvement.

And it was a reunion of sorts with Dorothy, whom I first met years ago at the last international Jewish genealogy conference hosted by the JGS of Greater Washington, in DC.

On another note, I was happy to converse - in Farsi - with the head of an Iranian Bahai family who settled here about a decade ago.

Some readers have asked privately about the recent lack of graphics in Tracing the Tribe posts. While my graphics files survived the smashing of my poor PC - and most were on flashdrives in any case - it takes take time to add those, and I'm trying to get back to speed providing information first and foremost.

The graphics will soon begin to appear once again for readers' visual enjoyment.

I truly appreciate the kind wishes - public and private - of readers and friends concerning our move to the Land of Enchantment, and wish everyone an illuminating Festival of Lights.

Enjoy your latkes (with applesauce, sour cream or "naked," straight from the frying pan), sugfaniot (have a chocoate-filled one for me!), or whatever your culinary traditions prescribe for this holiday.

Tell your family stories once again as your family lights the hanukiah, and remember the generations of your families as they did the same thing for centuries in all parts of the world.

With best wishes and appreciation for your continued support,
Schelly

Arizona: Jewish centenary, time capsule contest

The Tucson Jewish community will hold its centennial celebration and time-capsule opening on October 24.

The Centennial Exhibit opened in mid-August and will run through December 23. Below see a 1914 postcard of the first synagogue in Arizona, termed by the card's publisher (Kressge) the "Jewish Church." The synagogue is now the Jewish History Museum, the only one in Arizona.

In conjunction with the celebration is the Jewish History Museum's "Be a Part of History" contest.

On exhibit: The history of the Southwest Jewish Pioneers ~ 1860 to present day • Photos taken by Jewish Pioneer Leo Goldschmidt ~ 1870-1890 • Photos and historic newsletter from early Temple Emanu-El • Red White and Blue Dress worn on July 4, 1876 • Statehood Dress worn February 14, 1912 • The Life Cycle Journal of Rabbi Marcus Breger, Anshei Israel • Holocaust Surviving Torah • Southern Arizona Holocaust Survivors Memorial Quilt.

Readers can enter to win their own personal time capsule and to participate in the removal of the original century-old capsule from the building's cornerstone.

The day starts at noon with a live music street festival from Klezmer and everything else!

At 2pm, the cornerstone placed by Jewish pioneers in the foundation of Arizona's historic first synagogue building will be opened.

Following the opening of the old capsule, the new 2010 capsule will be placed and sealed until the 2110 bicentennial event. Five winners will have a chance to win a personal time capsule and help remove the old one. The new capsule will be returned to the winner's descendants in 2110.

Readers can also become a part of the first synagogue and the only Jewish History Museum in Arizona. by having your name and message engraved on a 12-inch x 12-inch granite stone to be permanently installed in the Centennial Courtyard of the museum.

They'd also like you to tell them what should be placed in the new capsule. All suggested items will be submitted to the Museum Board for consideration.

The Jewish History Museum is housed in the oldest synagogue building in Arizona. Built in 1910 it was the home of Temple Emanu-El from 1910 to 1949. Saved from the wrecking ball in 1999, the historic structure has been completely restored and today is the home of the only Jewish History Museum in the Southwest.

For more information on the event and exhibit, click the museum link above.

The Jews of southern Arizona began gathering in the 1880s. In 1884, the Hebrew Ladies Benevolent Society was formed. Twenty years later, they took up the challenge to aise funds for a permanent synagogue. Jewish settlers in other communities, such as Globe, Bisbee and Nogales also contributed.

On June 20, 1910, the grand lodge of Arizona Masons laid the Temple’s cornerstone. The first services were held on Rosh HaShanah, October 3, 1910. Built before Arizona achieved statehood, the synagogue served as an important center of Jewish community for the entire Southwest US. Temple Emanu-El grew significantly and moved from Stone Avenue in September 1949. Over the years, the original building was used for other purposes.

In 1982, the Temple reclaimed its roots at a ceremony sponsored by the Tucson-Pima County Historical Commission, the Arizona Heritage Center, and the southern Arizona chapter of the Arizona Jewish Historical Society.

Genealogy In Time: 20 tips to good genblogging

An interesting article over at GenealogyInTime listed 20 tips on what makes a good genealogy blog.

Blogs are the cornerstone of any online community. Some genealogy blogs are excellent, others are very good and some need work. In the interest of improving the quality of dialog in the genealogy community, GenealogyInTime™ has made a list of what we think makes a good genealogy blog.

The list can also be applied to all types of blogs - and their readers - not just geneablogs.

Do you think Tracing the Tribe meets these items?

As a journalist, many are second nature.

As a Jewish genealogist, I believe it is important to provide content pointing to many diverse resources and subjects because Jewish genealogy is multi-disciplinary. It covers Jewish history, secular history, sociology, anthropology, books, events, films, databases, new online resources, little-known communities, languages, DNA, Ashkenazim, Sephardim, Mizrahim, food traditions and a long list of other essential information, including news stories impacting what and how we research our families and locations of interest.

Read the full descriptions of each tip here.

1. Quality of Writing
2. Original Content
3. Distinctive Voice
4. See a Need, Fill a Need
5. Use Proper Headlines
6. Regular Updates
7. Avoid Filler Material
8. Quality over Quantity
9. Stay on Topic
10. Set a Consistent Pace
11. Use More than Just Words
12. Mix it Up
13. Criticism is cheap
14. No Copying
15. Provide Proper Attribution
16. Attribution is Not the Same as Approval
17. Disclose All Payments
18. Share Good Sources
19. Share Your Success
20. Inspire Others

Does Tracing the Tribe: The Jewish Genealogy Blog meet these points? I'd like to hear from readers.

Russians ordered to return Jewish library

A US judge ordered the Russian government to return a Jewish library, according to the World Jewish Congress website.

A federal judge in Washington, DC issued a ruling against the Russian government for its refusal to return a library of historic books and documents to the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. Seized by the Nazis, the library was transferred by the Soviet Red Army to the Russian State Military Archive.

The order was filed July 30 and published August 4.

Justice Royce Lamberth told the Russian government to surrender the complete collection of religious books, manuscripts, documents and other items to either the US Embassy in Moscow, or to Chabad representatives.

He ordered the defendants to assist and authorize the transfer of the collection and to provide the necessary security and authorization to insure prompt and safe transportation of the collection to a destination chosen by the plaintiffs.

“This victory is a triumph for justice for the Jewish people and others who abhor the Nazi and Soviet exploitation of victims of genocide, and the unlawful and immoral suppression of religious faith by the current Russian government,” said Seth Gerber, one of the lawyers representing Chabad.

Last year, lawyers for the Russian government argued that US judges had no authority to tell Russia how to handle the matter.

Under the US Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, a sovereign nation is not immune to lawsuits in cases where property is taken in violation of international law. Lamberth found that the religious group had established its claim to the material.

During the 1990s, as documented in court papers, Russian President Boris Yeltsin told US Secretary of State James Baker that the Russian government would return the library to Chabad-Lubavitch.

Read more here.

Israel: Two census databases now available

Researchers of families living in Eretz Israel during 1915 and 1922 have additional resources available to all.

Now on the Israel Genealogical Society website, the following two databases were originally in Hebrew. The names have been transliterated into English to assist linguistically-challenged family historians. Search parameters include exact, starts with, contains or ends with, surname and/or first name.

Here's information on the 1915 Census of Tel Aviv:

In the historical archives of Tel-Aviv there is a 1915 census of the first Hebrew city. Tel-Aviv was under the Ottoman regime at that time. It has not yet been discovered who planned this census nor for what purpose. The census was conducted 6 years after the lottery of plots among the members of the "Ahuzat Beit Association" on April 11, 1909. This is considered the official date of the founding of Tel-Aviv.

The census included the following information on the residents: family and first name, occupation, source of income, mother tongue, number of persons residing at the residence, address, and if the person was an actual resident of Tel-Aviv. In addition the census includes information on the condition of the residence: number of rooms, "bath" room, rent paid for the apartment and the name of the owner. If the rooms were shared with other people, their names are mentioned. There are a number of people listed with no residential information.

In 1915, the population of Tel-Aviv was 2,679. They spoke nine different languages, with about half of them speaking Hebrew and Yiddish. ... [click on the link above to read more]

A search for STEIN in the 1915 Tel Aviv database:

Click on the first name and learn the following details:

The 1922 British Mandate Census - covering Petah Tikva & Tel Aviv-Jaffa - is about 20% of the Jewish population of Eretz Israel at that time. The IGS says that, to the best of their knowledge, this is all that remains of the original census.

In 1922, the British undertook the first census of the mandate. At that time, the population stood at 752,048 individuals, including 589,177 Muslims, 83,790 Jews, 71,464 Christians and 7,617 persons belonging to other groups. At the moment, we have only the list of Petah Tikva and Tel Aviv-Jaffa residents.

Here's a sample search for HORO (Horowitz, Horovitz, Horodish, etc.). The first image is part of the list of hits:

The next image is a partial capture of what a researcher will see when clicking on the second name in that list:

The municipal archives of Tel Aviv-Jaffa and Petah Tikvah made the materials available to the IGS.

Note: Although the 1915 Tel Aviv census says "for members only," it is in fact open to all.