Ozerna, Ukraine Yizkor Book

Proposal
Ozerna, Ukraine Yizkor Book

Project Name. Translation of Community of Ozerna /Jezierna Yizkor Book

Project Leaders
Talila Charap-Friedman
Suri Edell-Greenberg

JewishGen Yizkor Book Project Manager: Lance Ackerfeld

Project Synopsis

The objective of the project is to provide English and Hebrew translations of the Memorial Book of Jezierna to the public, via JewishGen. The book was written mainly in Yiddish with some Hebrew articles.

This fund is being initiated in order to pay for both Hebrew and English translations of the 354-page book.

The Jezierna Yizkor Book was published in Haifa, Israel in 1971 by a Committee of Former Residents of Jezierna in Israel, with J. Sigelman as Editor. Scanned images of the Yizkor Book, in its original languages, can be viewed and copied online at the website of the New York Public Library. http://yizkor.nypl.org/index.php?id=1289

Translations of the Table of Contents, Necrology and several chapters are available on the JewishGen website. http://www.jewishgen.org//Yizkor/ozerna/Ozerna.html

Key Audiences

Researchers of Jewish shtetl life in Europe as well as genealogists seeking their roots in Jezierna constitute audiences for the material. The descendants of families who lived in the town constitute another important audience. The translated material will facilitate the building of personal and emotional connections between present and future generations with their ancestors.

Project Importance

There is little information available to the English and Hebrew-speaking worlds regarding Ozerna and its Jewish community.

The town's geographic location is N 49°38' E 25°20'. It is situated in eastern Galicia on the railway line from Lvov to Tarnopol, on the shore of Lake Vosushka.

As a result of numerous wars in the area the town's name changed depending on which country ruled the territory. It was variously named Jezierna, Ozernaya, Ozernyany and Ozerna. It was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Ruthenian Republic, Poland, Soviet Union and is now in Ukraine.

Jewish emigrees, mainly from western Austria, began to settle there before 1700, working as tradesmen and farmers. Over the years the difficult living conditions and many pogroms decimated the Jewish populations in the region. By the end of the 19th century young Jewish residents began to seek their fortunes elsewhere. They emigrated to more prosperous European cities or abroad to Palestine, North and South America and England. According to a 1900 census, Jews constituted 20% of the 5843 residents of Jezierna. The fierce fighting and devastation during WW1 caused many families to leave Jezierna, never to return.

During the Second World War the Jews were persecuted and killed by the armies of both sides of the conflict. In August 1943 the Nazis deported the remaining Jews of Jezierna to the Belzec death camp.

Our generation is obligated to preserve and perpetuate the memories of our ancestors and pass on the history and traditions of our forefathers to our grandchildren.

After translation into languages understood by our generation, the Memorial Book of Jezierna will become a significant addition to the larger story of the Jewish People.

Project Description

This project is intended to result in the translation of the Jezierna Yizkor Book into Hebrew and English. The Project Coordinators will determine the order in which to translate the text and will work closely with the translators to ensure a grammatically correct and idiomatic translation. Qualified volunteers will be recruited to translate some sections of the book. Professional translators will be hired for complex Yiddish and Hebrew chapters.

The Project Coordinators will undertake to proofread, edit, and prepare the work for submission to the Yizkor Book Project. The resulting translations will be posted, as they are completed, on the Ozerna/Jezierna Yizkor Book site at JewishGen.

Estimated Cost

The projected cost for this project is in the range of US $9,500. JewishGen will be responsible for paying the translators. Donations to the fund will be tax-deductible for US tax-payers.