New Memorial (Yizkor) Books-in-Print Capture Jewish Life in Pre-War Europe

    NEW YORK, NY, November 02, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The on-line Jewish genealogical web site (JewishGen.org) has just released the 50th book in the series of Yizkor and Holocaust Books-in-Print. Yizkor books are memorial books, mainly published in the 1950s and 1960s in Israel and the United States, recounting pre-World War II life in Jewish towns (shtetls) across predominantly Eastern Europe.

These Yizkor books have articles written by survivors and former residents that recount the towns' Jewish life, including: town history, Rabbis, Jewish communal life, economy, luminaries and famous people, first-hand/eyewitness accounts and personal memories and reminisces. The destruction and liquidation of the Jewish towns by the Nazis and gentile neighbors (such as in Jedwabne, Poland) are typically covered.

"There are over 2,000 Yizkor books," said Lance Ackerfeld, Yizkor Book Project Manager. Ackerfeld commented that the Yizkor books, while important source material about the Holocaust, have been inaccessible to most researchers, because the articles in the Yizkor books were written in the languages of the Holocaust survivors--Yiddish and Hebrew--and the memorial books, printed in small quantities, are scattered in libraries throughout the world.

Joel Alpert, coordinator of the Yizkor-Books-In-Print project indicated that the printed titles were selected from the 106 translated (into English) Yizkor and Holocaust books available on the website (http://www.jewishgen.org/Yizkor/). Many other Yizkor books are currently being translated, added Alpert, and the intent is to continue adding titles to the print series.

The project is volunteer-driven, with individuals whose families originated from the shtetl contributing financial support for translating the Yizkor books, added Alpert.

The books, available at reasonable cost, can be purchased from Amazon.com or from
http://www.jewishgen.org/Yizkor/ybip.html; there is special discounted pricing on this web site for purchase of 5 or more books in any combination.

About Jewish Gen
JewishGen, a non-profit organization affiliated with the Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, was founded in 1987 as a bulletin board with only 150 users who were interested in Jewish genealogy. Primarily driven by volunteers, there are over 700 active volunteers throughout the world who actively contribute to our ever growing collection of databases, resources and search tools. Currently, JewishGen hosts more than 20 million records, and provides a myriad of resources and search tools designed to assist those researching their Jewish ancestry.

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