Translation of
Sefer Zikaron Dawidgrodek

Project Name

Sefer Zikaron Dawidgrodek = Memorial Book of David-Horodok. Edited by Itzhak Zeldin-Eden, Yosef Lipshitz, and Yakov Moor. Written by former residents of David-Horodok in Israel and the diaspora. Published in Tel Aviv, 1957. 487 pages. Languages: Hebrew and Yiddish.

Project Synopsis

This project is being initiated to translate the Hebrew sections of the Yizkor book that have not already been translated. The entire Yiddish portion of the Yizkor book was translated by Dr. Norman Helman (z”l) and published as the David Horodoker Memorial Book in 1981. Some of the Yiddish sections of the book are repeated in Hebrew. The translations appearing in the David Horodoker Memorial Book will be inserted into the relevant places in the Sefer Zikaron Dawidgrodek translation along with the original page numbers. After the translation of the entire Yizkor book has been completed, it will be available on the JewishGen website and on the David-Horodoker Organization's website. JewishGen Press will publish a hardcover edition of the translation. The David Horodoker Memorial Book is currently available on the JewishGen website (https://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/Davyd-Haradok/Davyd-Haradok.html). The table of contents and the necrology from the Sefer Zikaron Dawidgrodek are also available on the JewishGen website (https://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/David-Gorodek/David-Gorodek.html). Both the original Yizkor book and the translation are included in the New York Public Library's digital collection of Yizkor books. David-Horodok is in present-day Belarus.

Key Audiences

This translation would be of interest to the English-speaking descendants of the Jewish community of David-Horodok who want to memorialize their ancestors, to contribute to the preservation of their heritage, and to make this information accessible for future generations. The original David-Horodok landsmanshaft founded in Detroit in the 1910s is still in existence as the David-Horodoker Organization. Over 600 households currently belong to this active organization. There is a dynamic Facebook community page named the Descendants of David-Horodok with over 1,300 followers. The translation would also be of interest to genealogists as well as to researchers of the Holocaust and of David-Horodok's Jewish history and culture.

Project Importance

Sefer Zikaron Dawidgrodek is a typical example of a Yizkor book commemorating a Jewish community that was destroyed during the Holocaust. It was published in Israel with the support of the David-Horodok Women's Organization of Detroit and the David-Horodok Organization of New York. The Yizkor book contains important information about the history and Jewish life of David-Horodok with detailed maps, photographs, and a necrology. For genealogists, a translation will allow the discovery of names and biographical details that might not be available anywhere else. Researchers will be able to study David-Horodok's vibrant Jewish community as it existed before the Holocaust as well as document the destruction of the Jewish population. Translating the entire Sefer Zikaron Dawidgrodek will allow the English-speaking descendants of David-Horodok to learn more about the history and Jewish life of the town and to honor the memory of their ancestors and landsmen who perished during the Holocaust.

Project Details

This project will produce an English-language translation of the Sefer Zikaron Dawidgrodek. As funds become available, Hebrew sections will be translated by a professional translator. The translation will be completed in accordance with the guidelines of the JewishGen Yizkor Book Project with JewishGen as the fiscal agent, although fundraising will be done independently by the David-Horodoker Organization. The Project Coordinator will work closely with the David-Horodoker Organization to ensure that funds are transferred to JewishGen as needed. Also, the Project Coordinator will work closely with the translator to ensure that high quality work is done and that the project is completed in a timely manner.

Estimated Cost

The translation is estimated to cost $11,800 based on 236 pages at $50 per page. This estimated cost may change and will be adjusted if needed.

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Updated 7 Jul 2022 by LA