JewishGen: Yizkor Book Project, February update

During February, JewishGen's Yizkor Book Project added four new books:

Gherla, Romania (Szamosujvar-Iklad and surroundings)
Jedrzejow, Poland (Jews of Jedrzejow)
Lesko, Poland ( Jews of Linsk, Istrik and vicinity)
Smarhon (Smorgon), Belarus (Smorgonie, District Vilna)

Sixteen new entries have been added from the Encyclopedia of Jewish Communities in Lithuania):

Abelina, Abelinkas, Aleksandrobolis, Alkiskiai, Akunik, Alove, Alvitas, Andriejavas, Antanavas, Antazave, Antnemunis, Asminta, Aukstoji Panemune, Avanaste, Azuolu Buda, and Azventis.

Twenty existing projects have been updated:

BELARUS
Antopol

POLAND
Bedzin (Bendin)
Bilgoraj
Chelm
Czyzew-Osada (Czyzewo)
Dabrowa Gornicza (Dabrowa Gornicza)
Katowice
Kolomyya (Kolomey)
Kutno
Leczyca
Miedzyrzec Podlaski (Mezritsh), Poland
Piotrkow Trybunalski
Pultusk
Ryki
Zelechow
Zgierz

LITHUANIA
Gargzdai (Gorzd)
Skuodas

MOLDOVA
Tighina (Bendery)

Click here for the translations.

JewishGen: Adopt a ShteLinks page

Are you looking for a way to honor your ancestors and remember your ancestral shtetl?

Some ShteLinks pages were created by individuals who can no longer attend to them. These pages offer valuable resources, but what they really need is a person or persons to maintain the page and add new material - as it becomes available.

The pages have already been set up so all you need to do is to continue the process of adding material.

Pages up for adoption include:

Barysaw (Borisov), Belarus

Dolj County, Romania

Kamiensk, Poland

Krnov (Jagerndorf), Czech Republic

Lask, Poland

Rozdil (Rozdol), Ukraine

Ivano-Frankivsk (Stanislawow), Ukraine

For more information, contact Susana Leistner Bloch.

Australia: Jewish genealogy conference, March 7-9

The weather in Melbourne couldn't be better, sunny and breezy. Tracing the Tribe is blogging away and getting ready to speak at the second Australian National Conference on Jewish Genealogy, March 7-9.

The Australian Jewish News reported on the conference in a story on February 22.

The story focused on Israeli Ambassador Yuval Rotem who will also speak at the conference and describe his search for long-lost relatives in Australia.

Rotem, 50, was posted to Canberra in 2007; he spoke at the first conference in 2008, which the Australian Jewish Genealogical Society held in that city. The embassy hosted a reception for attendees at the conference.

Lionel Sharpe, secretary of the Australian Jewish Genealogical Society (Victoria) said in the story that the conference theme is "Our Jewish Roots," and that it will look at ways that genealogists - from beginners to experts - can use today's resources most effectively.

One important point that Lionel stressed is that there are so many new sites appearing and more archives are becoming accessible. Many experienced genealogists did a lot of work decades ago and couldn't find anything then, but they are not aware of the new sources.

He says that the conference will recommend that researchers start looking again, but through different glasses.

Dr. Sallyann Amdur Sack-Pikus and myself are among the international speakers.

Other speakers include:

Writer-lecturer Arnold Zable (media as a resource for finding family); researcher Krystyna Duszniak (locating relatives in Poland); journalist-filmmaker Daniela Torsh (genealogy in the Czech Republic and Austria); Holocaust researcher Jenni Buch (Belarus); and Gary Luke (Australian Jewish colonial period.

Tracing the Tribe is very excited to be here and to take part in this event.

Michigan: Create a family website, March 14

In 2009, Robert Ruskin created a ShtetLink page for Selets (Shiletz), Belarus, for his father's birthplace.

He is researching his parents' families (ORECHKIN, SHIFMAN).

Ruskin will demonstrate how participants can create a family website or ShtetLinks site for the Jewish Genealogical Society of Michigan, on Sunday, March 14.

The meeting begins at 11am, at the Holocaust Memorial Center, Farmington Hills.

A JGSMI member, Ruskin is a native Detroiter.

He's a retired radiologist and graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School in 1955. Until 1996, he was in private practice and at Sinai Hospital in Detroit. He was also an assistant professor of radiology at Wayne State University Medical School and taught a computer filmmaking class at SOAR.

When he retired, he attended the University of Michigan Film School.

Fee: JGSMI members, free; others, $5. Register in advance here.

Jamboree 2010: How did 'Roots' affect you?

Back in 1976, Alex Haley's "Roots" was published and the television mini-series aired the next year to the largest-ever audience recorded at that time.

Today, more and more genealogy shows are appearing in several countries. Many of us in the field hope that these programs will also generate another mass of people wanting to know more about their families.

The Southern California Genealogical Society is asking genealogists to comment on the aftermath of Haley's book and the television show that followed it.

Tell us about your reaction in 100 words or less. The best responses will be published in the Summer 2010 issue of the SCGS journal, The Searcher, which will be distributed to all Jamboree 2010 attendees.

The author's nephew, Chris Haley, is the Jamboree banquet keynote speaker on June 11.

Send your thoughts by April 21 to be considered for publication.

Hong Kong to Melbourne

Tracing the Tribe landed in Melbourne, Australia late in the evening on Monday, March 1.

While we are down under, posting dates and times will be local for Melbourne and Sydney. Now, it is 11am on Wednesday, March 3.

After a long flight, it was great to stretch out and get a good night's sleep at the home of Ziva and Sam Fain in Caulfield South.

It was my first flight on Cathay Pacific and very enjoyable. Although completely full, it was comfortable and the service was excellent.

The seats were the best part of this long flight. In most aircraft, the seat back reclines - generally into the face of the person sitting behind - making it very difficult for that person (the "squashee") to get up, open the table or work on a laptop. On Cathay Pacific, the seatbacks themselves do not recline, but the cushion section itself slides forward. It was quite comfortable.

Long flights are great for catching up on movies and I managed to see such recent productions as Up in the Air, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and the new Twilight sequel.

Business and First on Cathay Pacific are wonderful - wish I had managed an upgrade! Each seat becomes a flat bed, a luxurious creature comfort on long flights.

Tuesday was spent catching up on email. This morning - Wednesday - I'm trying to get posts up on Tracing the Tribe, and will also be going over to the new Holocaust museum (more on that later).

Hong Kong: The Shabbat experience

Although Tracing the Tribe is now in Melbourne, I wanted to report on my Shabbat in Hong Kong.

I attended Friday night services with Garry Stein (an old Jewish genealogy friend from Toronto) at the United Jewish Congregation (liberal). Melodies were a mix of old, new and nostalgic There were Jewish faces and Asian faces, but most of all, there were singers. This is a singing congregation.

UJC's premises were carved out of space in One Robinson Place (70 Robinson Road), which includes two tall residential towers, the multi-floored JCC and the original Ohel Leah historic synagogue.

Following services, we went up to the Sabra Coffee Shop in the JCC for Shabbat dinner. The large space was transformed into separate dining rooms for two groups. The food was excellent and the company - a real mix of individuals - even better. One Chinese woman who attended is studying ethnomusicology at Hong Kong University and focusing on Jewish music, another young man is Brazilian; there are Americans and other nationalities.

On Shabbat morning, Ohel Leah was my choice. This wonderfully restored synagogue is across the courtyard from the JCC's Garden Terrace function room. The courtyard also has a playground well-used by the young children.

As OHL is an Orthodox congregation, women sit upstairs; the mechitza is an openwork grill surrounding the three-sided balcony. The acoustics are excellent, and the Torah scrolls in their silver Sephardic cases (tik) are masterpieces. The congregation uses the ArtScroll siddur and Stone chumash.

Everyone who read or participated had beautiful voices - it was a pleasure to be part of this Shabbat service. A sit-down kiddush followed. Among the familiar faces of people I had spoken to all week wasa new one: Howard Elias, who is both the Jewish cemetery warden and Hong Kong Jewish Film Festival organizer. Tracing the Tribe bets you didn't know there was one!

Kiddush included baked salmon in a delicious sauce, Chinese cold noodles, dressed cucumber salad, tomato salad, even hummus and eggplant salad. The community's excellent challah is superb; dessert was a strudel-ly pastry. Howard said this was regular kiddush fare, adding that I should see it when there's a simcha!

Howard grew up in Toronto, was a USYer, and lived very close to my TALALAY cousins.

During the zemirot singing after the meal, visiting Rabbi Jackson - from Ireland - offered a melody for one popular song that sounded very much like the Mighty Mouse cartoon theme. I won't forget that one very soon.

Over the past week, I've received many private comments from readers who have visited Hong Kong but never knew about the Jewish community, the JCC or attended a Shabbat service.

If this destination is on your radar screen, do try to visit, attend a Shabbat service, check events and meet the community - I'm sure you'll enjoy the experience.

Don't forget the 11th Hong Kong Jewish Film Festival, set for November 13-21, 2010.

I am looking forward to my return trip March 21-25 to this diverse, welcoming and interesting community.

Australia: Oldest Jewish person turns 109

Tracing the Tribe notes the 109th birthday of the oldest Jewish person in Australia.

The Australian Jewish News reported that Mary Rothstein celebrated her birthday Sunday in a Jewish Care home for the aged in Melbourne. Among the guests were her daughter, Ruth Cavallaro, two grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Born in Russia on February 27, 1901, moved to the UK at 2, married Joe Rothstein in 1935 and migrated to Australia in 1958. She ran her own millinery business and made hats for the royal family before the move. In Australia, she worked at the famous Myer department store. She said she only lied about her age once to avoid a mandatory retirement at 65.

Rothstein can't understand why she's lived so long. "It doesn't seem possible," she told the paper.

Rosa Rein, who was the world's oldest Jewish person, died in Switzerland at 112 in early February.