Yizkor Book Database

Database Description

Our information has been consolidated into a master bibliographic database. This database attempts to list all Yizkor Books known to exist, as well as many other books written about particular shtetlekh. The database currently contains the titles of over 1,000 books.

When you search for a particular town or region in the database, you will receive following information:

A description of Yizkor Books for that location.
Libraries with those books.
Links to any translations that may exist on the Yizkor Book Project's web site.

Many shtetlekh (or small towns) that do not have individual Yizkor Books are covered by national or regional books, which are listed under the name or the country or region. Regional books are particularly important for Latvia and Lithuania. Other regions in the database include: Baden-Wurttemberg, Bavaria, Bessarabia, Crimea, Galicia, Hesse, Karpatalja, Maramures, Polesie, Salaj, Silesia, Transylvania, and Volhynia (Wolyn).

Library Holdings

We are in the process of collecting Yizkor Book call numbers from libraries and archives with significant Yizkor Book collections. Although this component of the database is by no means complete, it currently includes call numbers from the following libraries:

California
    Los Angeles - Hebrew Union College
    Los Angeles - Simon Wiesenthal Center/Yeshiva University Library
    Los Angeles - UCLA Research Library
    Los Angeles - University of Judaism
    San Francisco - Holocaust Center of Northern California
Florida
    Gainesville - Price Library of Judaica, University of Florida
Massachusetts
    Boston - Boston Public Library
    Brookline - Hebrew College
    Cambridge - Harvard University Library
    Waltham - Brandeis University Library
Maryland
    Baltimore - Joseph Meyerhoff Library
Michigan
    Ann Arbor - Univ. of Michigan Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library
New York
    New York - American Jewish Historical Society
    New York - Bund Archives (collection at YIVO)
    New York - Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion Library
    New York - Jewish Theological Seminary Library
    New York - New York Public Library, Jewish Division
    New York - Yeshiva University Library
    New York - YIVO Institute for Jewish Research Library
Oregon
    Portland - Congregation Neveh Shalom Great Britain
    Cambridge - Cambridge University Library
    Finchley - JGS of Great Britain, Finchley Synagogue
    London - University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies
    London - Weinser Library
Israel
    Ramat-Gan - Bar-Ilan University
    Tel Aviv - Ahad Haam Library
    Tel Aviv - Hitachdut Yotzei Polin
    Tel Aviv - Moadon Ha'Bund
    Tel Aviv - Rambam Library

Additional libraries, which are not included in the Database, our listed in our InfoFile, Libraries with Yizkor Books.

Types of Searches

You have a choice of three different types of searches:

Town - Daitch-Mokotoff Soundex will find towns (or regions) that sound similar to the name you enter, according to the Daitch-Mokotoff Soundex system. (For example, "Lvov", "Lebow", and "Lubawa" will all be found if you request the D-M Soundex search of "Lvov"). This type of search will also check the database for former or alternative names. (For example, a search for "Stanislawow" will find "Ivano-Frankivsk.")
Town - Exact Spelling will find towns (or regions) in the database with the exact spelling that you enter. As with the previous method, this type of search will also check for database for alternative names.
Global Text Search will search for text in all fields in the database. For example, searching for the name "Kagen" will find all books written by anyone named Kagen, all books with publishers containing the name Kagen, and all books with a contact person named Kagen.

Yizkor Book Project JewishGen Home Page

Yizkor Book Project Manager, Avraham Groll
Michael Tobias, Database Search Engine Designer