Przemyśl, Poland (Notes from Jerrold Landau – translator of the second round)

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Notes from Jerrold Landau – translator of the second round

It is my pleasure to see the translation of the Yizkor Book of Przemyśl reach its conclusion and reach the milestone of publication by JewishGen Press. The translation of this book took place in two phases. The first phase, in the late 1990s, was overseen by Barbara Yeager as coordinator. Barbara and her team of coordinators translated approximately half of the book. Some time after Barbara arranged for the translations to go online at JewishGen in the year 2000, the translation project stalled. Several years later, the coordination of the project was taken over by Łukasz Biedka. Łukasz lives in Warsaw, has family roots in Przemyśl, and is highly active in preserving the history of Polish Jewry. At this point, in the year 2006, I was engaged to translate the remaining portions of the book, including the Yiddish section. The translation was conducted in spurts during the course of more than a decade, with the online version being completed around the year 2018. I should note that I had the pleasure of meeting Łukasz in person during my three visits to Poland, and in the summer of 2012, Łukasz and I spent a day touring Przemyśl.

As usual when multiple translators and coordinators are involved, there will be some inconsistencies in style between various chapters. Some translators may translate more literally, and others more colloquially. Some translators may have a tendency toward Polish spellings of names and places, and others may use a more anglicized form. Some may transliterate Hebrew terms in the Ashkenazic form, and others in the modern Hebrew Sephardic form. Such variations of style should not affect the meanings and message of the text.

There are copious footnotes in this translation, and they are presented in distinctive styles, which may be confusing to the reader. There are three sets of footnotes: original footnotes, translator's footnotes, and coordinator's (or editor's footnotes). Łukasz was especially meticulous with his copious coordinator's footnotes, in which he offered his perspectives on the text based on his knowledge of Polish history. In most sections, the three sets of footnotes are separated out in three different streams. In other cases, text footnotes may be embedded in the text itself, with parentheses.

The original book has two sets of name indices, one in Hebrew and the other in Yiddish, spanning pages 537-550. Although these indices include first names and surnames, Barbara's translators rendered these indices with surnames only, and re-alphabetized them into English alphabetization. On a cursory examination close to the time of publication, I noticed a number of errors in the rendering of the names, some significant. Barbara also added in an index of names found in the pictures. A decision was made to omit these indices from the printed version of the translation. As with all of JewishGen's printed books, the print version will contain a comprehensive index of names produced by the publication effort. The original translated indices, including Barbara's index of names of pictures, will remain on the online version.

The original book contains an errata list on pages 551-553. Close to the time of publication, I collaborated with Lance Ackerfeld to ensure that any substantial (i.e. non typo) errors would be corrected in the online translation prior to being transmitted to the print version.

One addition to the original book remains in the print version: a full translation of the Przemyśl Slicha, a penitential prayer to be recited on the yahrzeit of a Przemyśl native who was murdered due to a libel. Łukasz asked me to provide a full translation of this unique Slicha, which is mentioned several times in the book, and forms a valuable addition to the annals of the Jewish history of Przemyśl.

A hearty expression of gratitude goes out to Barbara Yeager and her cadre of translations; to Łukasz Biedka, who took over the coordination effort and saw the translation project to completion; to Lance Ackerfeld and the JewishGen Yizkor Book team; and to the late Joyce Field a'h, under whose auspices this translation was started. It is my hope that this translation will serve as a valuable resource for all those who are interested in the Jewish history of Przemyśl and its region, and those interested in Eastern European Jewish history in general.

Jerrold Landau, Toronto, Canada, March 17, 2025, Adar 18, 5785.

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