[Page 89 - Hebrew]

A Note on Transliteration:

As editor of the Zuromin Memorial Book, I am indebted to Fay Bussgang for permission to use the introductory notes that she prepared for the necrology in the Brzeziny, Poland Memorial Book. Her notes, reprinted below, lucidly describe some of the decisions that must be made and the difficulties encountered in transliterating names from yizkor book necrologies. Her knowledge of Polish is invaluable in helping to provide a pronunciation guide.

Any transliteration or other errors in the list of Zuromin martyrs are entirely my own, and I apologize for them in advance.

Sandra Krisch
January 2007

From the Brezizny Yizkor Book, with kind permission of Fay Bussgang:

“Transliterating names and surnames from one language to another is a difficult task and, in the case of Jews from Poland, the names have gone through several language changes over time – Yiddish, Polish, Russian, Hebrew, and English. It is difficult to ascertain which is the “right” spelling, if one exists. The names here have been spelled, in so far as possible, as they most probably were in prewar Poland. This was done in order to make it easier for researchers to trace their ancestors back to Poland and find official records there. The translator and editor apologize in advance for any errors.

The original list in the book was in alphabetic order according to the Yiddish/Hebrew alphabet. The list is now in alphabetic order in English, which may pose certain problems. For instance, the first Hebrew letter – Aleph – may be transliterated “A,” “E,” or “O,” depending on the vowel sign and the letters around it. Therefore, in searching the list, one should look through all possible sections to avoid missing any relevant names.

Other tips: 1) the “ben” in a name means “son of” while “bas” means “daughter of,” 2)Names ending in “cki” or “ski” are spelled “cka” and “ska” for women, 3) Aids to difficult pronunciation are given in brackets, 4) Sometimes names are listed more than once, as it is difficult to know whether they are duplicates or not.

When searching for names, keep in mind that the same name has different forms. Diminutives in Yiddish are expressed by adding “el” or “le/la,” while diminutives in Polish ar expressed by adding “ek/ka,” or “cia/sia.” Lajb/Lajbus/Lewek are all the same name as are Jankiel/Jankief/Jakob and Wolf/Wolek/Wowe/Welwel. In addition, Hebrew equivalents of Yiddish names may be used interchangeably, such as Dov-Ber, Cwi [Tsvi]-Hersz, and Arye-Lajb.

Since diacritical marks were not used in the compilation of this list, the same letter in English may have more than one pronunciation. Below is a key to help in understanding the Polish spelling.”

Polish	In English sounds most like
a	“ah.” If the “a” originally had a “tail,” the sound would be a nasal “oh,” or possibly “on/om.”
e	“eh.” If the “e” originally had a “tail,” the sound would be a nasal “eh,” or possibly “en/em.”
i	“ee” as in feet.
o	“o” as in bought. If it originally had a slash over it, the sound would be “oo” as in boot.
y	short “i” as in sit.
c	“ts” as in eats.
ci	soft “ch” as in cheese.
cz	“ch” as in church.
dz	“ds” as in suds.
dzi	“dgy” as in edgy.
h/ch	aspirated “h” as in Helen, not as harsh as “ch” in “chai.”
j	“y” as in year.
l	If it originally had a slash through it, it would sound like “w” in wood.
rz	“zh” as “si” in vision.
rz	“sh” if it follows unaspirated consonant such as “k” or “p.” “Prz” = “psh” as in Pshaw!
s/si	If it had a slash over “s” or was followed by “i,” soft “sh” as in she.
sz	“sh” as in shop.
w	“v” as in van.
z	If it had a dot over it originally, “zh” as the “si” in vision [same as “rz”].
z/zi	If it had a slash over “z” or was followed by “i,” a softer “zh” as the “sh” in cashmere.

There was a beautiful custom in the synagogue of Zuromin: sharing yellowed, antiquated lists containing the names of deceased who had no survivors to remember their names.

Oh God, full of mercy, Who dwells on high, grant proper rest beneath the wings of the Divine Presence – in the lofty spheres of the holy and pure who shine like the glow of the firmament – to the souls of the holy ones.

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Updated 29 Feb 2008 by LA