KEIDAN E-LIST ARCHIVES, 1997 - Vol. 5

(September-October)

From:   Zvi Griliches                                                9/11/97 22:36
 Subject:    Names in Keidan and Krakes

To amplify my earlier post, at the risk of not being able to answer in any
detail, I have recorded the following names. They fall into three
categories;

1. Names of people who married Zivs in Keidan or Krakes whose records I
did NOT get. So the most we know about these is that a record exists for
their marriage.

2. Records of additional births, deaths or marriages which appear on the
sheet containing the Ziv reference I asked for.

3. Names of officiating Rabbis and witnesses.

Many of these records are very hard to read and I amy have garbled the
transcription.

1. Just names (marriages to Zivs):
Keidan: Krost, Levitan, Garber, Dangel, Shapro, Scheper, Stung, Yoffe,
Gotlib, Lipshitz, Kapul, Bin.

Krakes: Abramzon, Fridman

2. Vital records:
Keidan:
Marriages: 1883 Lurie-Miltz, Shayevich-Laes, Rabinovich-Shmilged
Shtund-Fein, Zilberman-Feinshtein
1872: Yablonski-Kapul, Blecher-Oguler

deaths: 1872: Gruske, Kaplan, Taub; 1888: Kupershtein, Weiner

KRAKES

births: 1854 Gruskin, 1855 Gutner, Matulish, 1862 Pashter, 1864 Gordon,
Peilak, 1894 Glik, Fein, Shevtz, 1906 Liunzik, Rabinovich.

deaths: 1857 Antagorski, 1881 Kaganovich, Toker, 1893 Novchovitch, Abela
1905 Kagan (Kahan), Vishrovich.

3. Officers:

Keidan: Rabbi David Shlapoberski, witnesses: Eliezer Taub and David Zundel
Krakes: Rabbis: Yosel Volpe, Mendel Levitan, Moshe Haim Movshovich
        Mohels: Baran, Matzkel
         Chevra Kadishe: Meir Abramzon, Yehuda Gel, Meir Eliyahu Lipshitz

That's it.

Zvi Griliches                             grilic@kuznets.harvard.edu
Dept of Economics
Harvard University                        617-495-2181
Cambridge, MA 02138                           495-7730f          

------------------------------------------------------

From:    ELGOLD1@aol.com                                        9/12/97 12:32
Subject:      Re: keidan Digest - V01 #33

Zvi:
Could you give more information (names, etc) on the Gordon birth record you
have from Krakes, 1864? The way I read your post, you actually have a copy,
rather than just the name, right?

Thanks, Eric Goldstein 

------------------------------------------------------

From:      "A.W.Cassel"                                             9/16/97 19:49
 Subject:     News items

Fellow Keidaners:

I have two pieces of news. The first is that we now number more than 50,
a milestone of sorts. The latest count shows a total of 54 members, with
at least one from every continent in the world ... quite a stunning
fact, if you think about it.

In that regard, I would urge again that anyone who has not done so post
a short introduction, with your name, location and ties to Keidan. It
would certainly be of interest, and you never know what sort of
connections may turn up from elsewhere in our "landsmanshaft".

The second piece of news is this: Ada Greenblatt, a very enterprising
and devoted genealogist from New York, has just returned from her second
visit to Keidan this year. On her first, she photographed nearly 100
stones in the old Keidan cemetery. Of the photos she sent me, I was able
to read inscriptions for some 35 or so, and I posted that information
earlier. Now Ada has made a second visit, and this time she simply went
through the cemetery with a guide (Regina Kopilevich, the wonderful
woman from Vilnius who was so helpful to me when I visited two years
ago) and recorded names and inscriptions. 

Ada and I had a running debate about our respective estimates of the
number of stones standing in the cemetery -- I thought it was about 100,
she said more -- and this time she confirmed her higher guess. According
to her latest count, there are 578 standing tombstones there, more than
either of us had imagined. On Sept. 4 she and Regina spent 9 hours in
the cemetery, taking down names, dates and other information, and she is
currently compiling this for distribution to all those interested.

We should have at least a preliminary list to post later this week. At
the same time as I make that available, I'd like to kick off a
fund-raising drive to reimburse Ada for some of her expenses. I've
already paid her for the film and developing involved in getting the
photographs; now I'd like to do more. 

As you'll recall, we last discussed the subject of money in connection
with the plan to have an Israeli scholar translate part of the Keidan
burial society records at Hebrew U. Sadly, that never panned out -- the
translator mysteriously broke off contact -- and so no funds were ever
collected. 

This time we've got some real results already in hand, and so I'd like
to go ahead and ask for donations. Ada has pegged her expenses connected
with the Keidan cemetery visit at around $500. At our level of
membership, if nearly everyone pitched in $10, we'd cover it nicely. (If
there's any excess, we can put it aside for future projects.) If anyone
willing to chip in would let me know, we can go ahead and make some
arrangement to handle the money.

Watch this space  ... 

Andy

------------------------------------------------------

From:      Diane Rabson  9/17/97 11:31
Subject:      Contributions, and saltinosis

Sholom Aleykehm--

Please count me in on the contributions to Ada Greenblatt.  She is doing
wonderful work.

Also, several months late, I am posting the saltinosis recipe that my
mother gave to me:

Bascially, one must make a good cheese kreplakh with pepper and float the
kreplakh in a sort of milk soup.  In "Love and Knishes" the author says to
bake that, but I tried it and it became very dry and weird--a milkikh pie.
(The author confessed in a letter to me that she never actually made the
dish.)  Simmer the milk soup with added sour cream, pepper, butter and
salt--all to taste--for "a while"--just to heat the whole thing through.  

My zeyde (from Kovno gubernia--never heard of saltinosis) used to cook a
variant of this; he called it 'lokshn and cream.'  Boil bowtie egg noodles
(not Italian pasta, but Jewish) and add milk, cottage cheese, sour cream,
butter and pepper.  Simmer until heated up and the flavors sort of meld.
I've made this with added yogurt (quite good), cheddar cheese (OK), tofu
(not really), and soy sauce (forget it).  [In Boulder, we add tamari/soy
sauce to everything.  Sort of the vegetarian's ketchup.]  The most
important ingredient seems to be high-grade WHOLE milk products.  As a
picky ex-New Yorker, I can't recommend any sour cream here, but Pavel's
Yogurt from California is quite delicious.

The whole concoction reminds me somewhat of milk toast which, when I
worked on the railroad in the 1970's, was used by any number of grizzled
old brakemen to help them sleep.  Indeed, my great-uncle Sol Lessen, a
conductor on the New York Central, used saltinosis to help him get to
sleep after a run to Buffalo.
  
A young Lithuanian Jew told me a couple of years ago that saltinosis means
"cold noses."

Diane M. Rabson
Boulder, CO

SEARCHING:  Lessen, Gruskin, Seidel--Keidan and ? Lithuania

------------------------------------------------------

From:  "A.W.Cassel"     9/17/97 21:44
Subject:    Re: Contributions, and saltinosis

Diane: 
Thanks very much for your offer of help, and for the saltinosis recipe
as well. For those who don't remember the origin of this discussion, I
came upon the term some years ago when I was translating one of my
grandfather's stories about growing up in Keidan. The memoir, which
concerns the holiday of Shevuos, is on the web site at: 

http://www.philly.infi.net/~awcassel/Keidan/shevuos.html

It was Diane who not only enlightened me about the derivation of
saltinosis, but also sent along an entire cookbook with the recipe.
Later, when I described it to my father, he told me he could recall
tasting something very like that as a child, even though he wasn't
familiar with the name ... 

Andy

------------------------------------------------------
From:"Gladys E. Camber" 9/19/97 3:05
Subject:        Ada Greenblatt

Andy:
     I would also be quite willing to support the effort to reimburse Ada
Greenblatt according to your proposal in the Litvaksig digest.  I wish there
were more people willing to make such an effort to preserve a heritage that
belongs to so many.  The gain is not so much to us individually, based upon
whether our family is included in Ada's records, as it is to us as a group
of Litvaks.  I would like to add my personal thanks to Ada for making the
effort with no assurance of compensation.
                                - Ken Camber

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 19 Sep 1997 20:11:27 -0400
From: "A.W.Cassel" 
Subject: Cemetery names

Thanks to everyone who's volunteered to contribute to reimburse Ada
Greenblatt for her work gathering information from the Keidan cemetery.
After some thought, I've decided that the simplest way to handle this
one project is for everyone to simply mail me their checks. I'll
consolidate and send the the money on to Ada. (If we get involved in
something more complex and long-running in the future, we might consider
opening a permanent bank account, but I don't see that as necessary
right now.)

So make your checks out to me, and mail to this address:

Andrew Cassel
8310 Tulpehocken Ave.
Elkins Park, PA 19027

------------------------------

From:  Harfein@aol.com  9/20/97 7:31
Subject:        Introduction

Hello fellow Keidaners!

   My great-grandparents, Abraham and Yetta Feinberg, lived in Keidan. Their
six children, including my grandfather Isaac Feinberg, all emigrated to
Philadelphia, where I too was born and raised. But Abraham and Yetta never
came over. I am hoping very much to find some trace of them, either from the
gravestones in the cemetary or elsewhere.

   According to family story, Abraham was a flax merchant, traveling with his
cart several times a year from Lithuania to Germany. Yetta was very tall--a
fact used to account for the unusually tall women in my generation of
Feinbergs. My grandfather Isaac was one of the first Jews to participate in
sulky-racing along the Schuykill River, which flows through Philadelphia, and
for a while kept several horses stabled in Fairmount Park;  perhaps he knew
about horses from his Keidan father with his horse-and-cart.

   There is a sort of mystery about our family--a family joke to the effect
that our name wasn't really Feinberg back in Lithuania, but 'Wiskidiski', and
that it had been changed  to sound more 'American'  (more like the earlier
wave of German Jews). I thought this was purely a joke till I  came across
someone, on another e-mail list,  with the last name 'Wisgardisky.'  She was
from Kovno.  Suddenly I thought the joke might be true and our name had been
Wisgardisky. I wrote to her and indeed, she thought she remembered being told
of relatives in Keidan. 

   The mystery will not be solved till I find some evidence of the existence
in Keidan of Abraham and Yetta Feinberg---or Wisgardisky.  

    Best wishes to all for Rosh Hashanah, Harriet Feinberg
      Cambridge, Mass. 

------------------------------------------------------

From: LKaplan399@aol.com      9/25/97 13:45
Subject:        new member intro

Hello to my fellow Keidaners and Shatters!

Joanne (Betten) Kaplan
3699 Torrey View Court
San Diego, CA 92130
e-mail: Lkaplan 399@aol.com

I am a Litvak on my father's side. His father's family, the BETTENS, came
from Shat.  My grandfather, Samuel Betten, married Annie SMITH of Keidan and
moved there before coming to the US in 1900 (accompanied by his father,
grandfather, and great-grandfather.)  Grandmother Annie's mother was a KROST
from Keidan. I was born in New York City; I know I have relatives in
Worcester, MA, Chicago, Canada and England (the last two lost due to time and
name changes) and probably South Africa (Annie's father went there and died
before he could send for his family.)

L'shanah tovah!

------------------------------------------------------

From:  lilyarsh@aztec.asu.edu (LILY YAROSH)    9/26/97 19:56
Subject:        Re: new member intro

>
>Hello to my fellow Keidaners and Shatters!
>
>Joanne (Betten) Kaplan
>3699 Torrey View Court
>San Diego, CA 92130
>e-mail: Lkaplan 399@aol.com
>
>I am a Litvak on my father's side. His father's family, the BETTENS, came
>from Shat.  
>
I am researching Bettan's from Shot.  Israel Bettan was my mother's first
cousin, also from Shot.  The family name was Gaddie.  Here is some of the
items I disccovered:

Israel Bettan was a Chaplain in the American Expeditionary Force in France
in WWI.

Israel was born on January 16, 1889, son of Moses and Anita Itta Fishman
Bettan.  He came to the U.S. with his parents when he was a child.  He
died of a heart attack at 68 years of age.  He was survived by his widow, 
Ida Goldstein Bettan and a daughter, Miss Anita Esther Bettan.  Both
have since died.

Israel had been a member of the faculty at Hebrew Union College since 1922.
He rceived a BA from the U of Cincinnati in 1910.  He was ordained by
Hebrew Union College in 1912 and in 1915 was awarded the degree of Doctor
of Divinity.

Do these names mean anything to you?

Corrinne Machover Levine
Sophie Wahrhaftig
Pauline Kaplan
Dr Wm. P. Kaplan
Budd Machover

Hoping to hear from you,

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Sat, 27 Sep 1997 10:51:27 -0400 (EDT)
From: Harveylk@aol.com
Subject: Re: keidan Digest - V01 #35

Hello Andy

I'm excited about the list of Keidan tombstones, and look forward to having a
copy.  However, what arrangements can be made for those of us who don't use
US dollars?  It's very expensive to exchange small amounts of dollars, such
as $10.00.

Best wishes for the New Year to all my fellow Keidaners, from Glasgow,
Scotland,

Harvey Kaplan

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 27 Sep 1997 22:37:53 -0400
From: "A.W.Cassel" 
Subject: Keidan cemetery list

Fellow Keidaners:

The list of inscriptions from the tombstones in the Keidan cemetery is
now available for viewing. The list is on the Keidan website in three
parts, with the first part at this URL: 

http://www.philly.infi.net/~awcassel/Keidan/tombstones/adalist1.html

Thanks again to Ada Greenblatt, whose extraordinary effort made this
information available. And thanks to all of you who have contributed
toward reimbursing Ada for her work. 

(Regarding Harvey Kaplan's question about sending foreign currency, I
have to admit I'm stumped. Perhaps someone else in our non-U.S.
contingent can offer a suggestion. At any rate, Harvey, thanks for
asking.)

Also now on the website are the archives of our group from July and
August of this year. So any new members who want to catch up on the
discussion can now do so at:

http://www.philly.infi.net/~awcassel/Keidan/email/email.html

One more item: The Sept. 26 issue of the weekly English-language version
of The Forward has a column written by a Jay M. Harris, who visited
Lithuania for the Vilna Gaon yortzait commemmoration. Harris toured a
number of cities, including Panavezys, Siauliai and Kovno, and also
writes the following:

"Later we moved on to the city of Kaidan[sic] (Kedainiai), in which the
Gaon spent his early years. Three shuls, all either abandoned or
occupied by a second-hand shmatte store add to the recurrent sense of
loss. Here, however, we confront other aspects of of what is emerging as
a complex story. First we are met by a young member of the city's
cultural society who has taken an interest in the history of the Jews
who once lived in this city, and who is working to reconstruct that
history. Second, a visit to the public library shows an exhibit
celebrating the life of one of this city's most famous sons, the Gaon of
Vilna. This was a good-faith effort to incorporate at least one aspect
of Jewish history into the larger history of Kedainiai."

If anyone has a clue about who that "young member of the city's cultural
society" might be, I'd be awfully glad to make contact with him/her...

Regards and Shana Tova to all,

Andy

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 27 Sep 1997 20:44:56 -0700
From: "bert oppenheim" 
Subject: Re: Keidan cemetery list
 
When I get an order for a book in Europe I ask that a Post Office draft in
Dollars be sent. 
This is inexpensive, but I understand that a bank draft is most expensive.

BTW Andrew, I sent a message to you the other day asking the amount of the
check that we are to send. I want to pay my share in that there are names on the stones that
are family.
 When I returned from a trip recently, I deleted a lot of messages without
reading and only read the one that had your address. There was no amount requested in that
message.

Thanks,

Bert 
------------------------------

From:   BetteJoy@aol.com        9/29/97 11:07
Subject:  Happy New Year

Dear Friends,

I was most impressed with the cemetery project produced by Ada.  Please send
address for contribution.

Best wishes for health and peace to all of you in the new year.

Betty
Betty Provizer Starkman, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
BetteJoy@aol.com

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Sat, 11 Oct 1997 23:24:52 -0400 (EDT)
From: DAKagan@aol.com
Subject: Re: Keidan cemetery list


I wonder if that "young member of the city'c cultural society" is the Chief
Architect of Keidan that my father and I ran into in June when we were
looking at the schul/shmatte store.  I think I gave you his name and address
with the other materials I forwarded.  If not let me know, and I'll look for
it.  I believe his first name was Vytutas (sp?) like the medieval Lithuanian
hero.

Also I will be happy to pass on $10, hopefully sooner than later.

     David
------------------------------

From:       DAKagan@aol.com                   10/14/97 22:00
Subject:        Re: Keidan cemetery list

A shana tova to you and yours.  I'm sorry if I sent the same message twice.
 You remind me that I probably sent you the name of the bank manager, not the
architect.  I think my father kept the card of this architect, Vytutas
Something.  I'll ask my dad if he has the card.

If I didn't relate to you this part of the trip, my father and I had just
come out of the schul/clothing warehouse, and were walking around the
building.  This fellow, who came out of a nearby house, looks at us and comes
up to us.  My dad and I probably looked like visitors.  He starts talking to
my dad in Lithuanian, I think saying how bad it is that the building is run
down, and how he would like to fix it  up, but there was no money.  I think
my father thought he was fishing for donations.  ANyway my dad took his card
which said somethihg like Municipality of Keidan Chief Architect.  

------------------------------------------------------

From:   Harveylk@aol.com             10/19/97 8:20
Subject:  re Keidan Cemetery Lists

Hello to all fellow Keidaners.

I would like to congratulate Ada on her transcription of the cemetery
 stones.  This is a wonderful facility for all of us.

I have looked through all the entries, but cannot find a single stone  from
my Fine, Kaplan or Gradman relatives, which is very disappointing.  However,
I have rationalised it thus:
-  only a portion of the original burial ground remains, the rest having been
lost through flooding or vandalism; perhaps my relatives were buried in the
other part?
- perhaps there were other cemeteries, now lost; if there were 4000 Jews in
Keidan in the last century, there must have been more burials;
-a number of stones on the list are marked as illegible - maybe my realtives
are under these stones?

Recently, Galina Baranova in Vilnius transcribed for me all the Fine and
Kaplan entries in the Keidan civil records of births, marriages and deaths. I
have 6 closely-typed pages, listing 135 events. In addition, there are
references in these  135 records to  23 other (presumably surrounding) towns.
 The range is 1822-1914.

I have sorted these into family structures, as best I can, and compared them
with the cemetery data.  Unfortunately, once again, not a single obvious
family member (although a number of family first names crop up, so maybe they
were related .

All this is extremely disappointing, and very puzzling.  My
great-grandaparents, Levi Kaplan and Leah Fine, were first cousins.  All
eleven of that generation - 2 sets of cousins - came to Scotland (some
afterwards left for the US, Canada, or South Africa). 5 of these 11 mention
Keidan specifically in later documents.  I am mystified as to why none of the
births, marriages, divorces or deaths in my family in the 19th Century in
Keidan are mentioned in the above records.

Perhaps my family came late to Keidan, and lived elsewhere pre-mid-19th
century? Perhaps they lived in a small village nearby, and mentioned Keidan
as the nearest big town? Perhaps the Pinkas in the Hebrew University might
shed some light on the family?

At the end of all this, I feel puzzled. It's as if I've been researching a
family, and then found I was adopted! (alright, not so dramatic - it's only a
town that's in question), but am I an impostor in your ranks?
 
Comments please.

Regards,

Harvey Kaplan, Glasgow, Scotland

------------------------------------------------------

From:  DNHIowa@aol.com   10/20/97 20:52
Subject:  Invitation to join LitvakSIG

Dear Harvey:

Don't give up hope.  Your ancestors may have lived in many small villages
close to Keidan.  In all of our research, most of us have found relatives in
shtetls we never would have thought of.  

<>

Have you considered putting these 135 records into a database to pool with
other Keidaners?  Ultimately, it could be made into a searchable database to
go on JewishGen or several other sources.  I'm sure that Andy Cassel would
help you if needed.

Davida Noyek Handler
Co-coordinator, LitvakSIG

Don't drop out of Keidan SIG, but please consider this your invitation to
join LitvakSIG  -  a vital, growing, dedicated group of Litvak researchers.
 Our infofile follows, with signup instructions at the end.

If we have already extended this invitation to you, please forgive the
inconvenience.  In our newly reorganized zeal (we just reactivated in June)
this sometimes happens!

LITHUANIAN SPECIAL INTERESTS GROUP  (Revised 3 October 1997)

I - Introduction

The Lithuanian Special Interest Group (LitvakSIG) will provide a forum for
the gathering and exchange of genealogical information about the Jewish
community in Lithuania. This forum is also appropriate for historical,
political, and social comments which help us better understand the lives of
ancestors who came from Lithuania.  A substantial Jewish community existed in
Lithuania since the 14th Century and by the late 15th Century Vilna was
widely known as the "Jerusalem of Lithuania."  Lithuanian Jewry has had a
very significant influence on the social and political movements during
hundreds of years, up until their near total destruction in the Shoah.  We,
the descendants of these Litvaks, feel a particular sense of responsibility
to perpetuate their memory, in the rediscovery of our "roots." 

The borders of Lithuania, both actual and as perceived by the Jewish
population, changed many times over the past few centuries.  Jewish
communities who identified themselves as Litvaks, and whose dialect and
customs differed from their Jewish neighbors, were spread throughout the
countries of Eastern Europe. Since a major focus of Jewish genealogical
interest is at the end of the 19th Century when many of our ancestors
emigrated to South Africa, western Europe and  America, most of our
participants will share interests in what were the Kovno and Vilna Guberyias
at that time.  This focus may change as participants' interests change.

II - Goals

1. To provide an internet discussion group forum for exchange of information
on Jewish Lithuanian Genealogy.  We welcome contributions from beginners to
experts, regarding genealogical issues.  We are also a forum for the
discussion of the historical, political, religious, and social issues which
affected the lives of our ancestors, which enable us to understand their
lives in the contexts of their times.  

2. To encourage and support the preservation and computerization of primary
sources of genealogical data.  Initially this process will be via the
internet discussion group.  A major goal is to develop a LitvakSIG Web site,
in association with Jewishgen and AJGS (the Association of Jewish
Genealogical Societies,) where searchable electronic databases may be
accessed.

3. Among the most frequently suggested future projects for the LitvakSIG is
the publication of a hard copy Journal or newsletter, particularly for those
without internet access, and development of Lithuanian Shtetl web pages, in
association with Jewishgen's ShtetLINKS Project.  This and other important
initiatives will require dedicated members of our group to step forward and
accept the responsibility.

III Objectives

1. We will encourage reading and publishing excerpts of  existing Frequently
Asked Questions, to improve the quality of Discussion group participation.
 Once we establish a Web page, we will provide additional FAQ's and
information files attached to our Home Page as the need arises.

2.  We will incorporate and make accessible many privately created databases
of Lithuanian interest which already exist, including the work accomplished
by the original LitvakSIG.  It is our intent to use these as a basis for
further research, and to make them searchable and coded for Daitch-Mokotoff
Soundex. Those already in place on JewishGen include:

Darbenai Vital Records (Birth, Marriage and Death Records for the period
1890-1914)

HaMagid Lithuanian Donors 1871-72 Database  (Names of 5,000 donors to Persian
famine relief, listed in this Hebrew periodical.)

HaMelitz Lithuanian and Latvian Donors Database (Names of more than 16,000
Lithuanian and Latvian charity donors, listed in this Hebrew periodical, 1893
to 1903.)

Kedainiai (Keidan) Cemetery List (Photographic record of more than 300
tombstones complete with translated captions, 

Lithuanian Medical Directories 1923-1925  (Information about 874 Jewish
medical personnel, found in two Lithuanian medical directories: 1.Lietuvos
Medicinos, Farmacijos, ir Veterinarijos personalo ir istaigu. ["Lithuanian
Doctors Pharmacists, & Veterinarians Personal & Official List - 1922-23"] and
2.Lietuvos Medicinos, Farmacijos, ir Veterinarijos personalo ir istaigu.
["Lithuanian Doctors Pharmacists, & Veterinarians Personal & Official List -
1925."]

All Lithuania Database (more than 7200 records, many including occupations.)

Mariampole Vital Records (9967 Birth, Marriage, and Death Records covering
the period 1875-1920)

3.  We will provide references and links to new and existing sources to
research materials such as Prenumerantn lists, Landsmannschaften, Yiskor
books, bibliographies of books and articles on the history of Lithuania (such
as Pinkas Hakehilot), historical maps, and photographic archives.  We will
also provide excerpts from existing materials or newly written materials on
the history of the Lithuanian Jewish community.

Links to the following web pages via JewishGen ShtetLINKS for: •Joniskelis
(Yanishkelis) •Josvainiai (Yasven) •Jurbarkas (Yurburg) •Kedainiai (Keidan)
•Kelme •Kaunas (Kovno) •Kupiskis (Kupishok) • Lazdijai (Lezdai) •Linkuva
(Linkova) •Plungyan (Plunge) •Siauliai (Shavel) •Skaudvile (Shkudvil)
•Smorgon •Vilkija (Vilki) •Vistytis (Vishtinetz) are in place, with more in
development each day.

4.  We will support existing and developing scholarship and research efforts
in Lithuania, particularly primary source work on Lithuanian Jewish records.
 We will begin by writing a comprehensive research guide to available
resource materials on Lithuania, and links to web pages of other groups who
provide excellent information and practical advice on research in Lithuania.
 The LitvakSIG will create a cadre of experienced individuals who will
integrate emerging databases for public dissemination, according to JewishGen
standards.   

5. We will assist in the translation of archival and other material which has
already been gathered but is inaccessible because it is written in old
Cyrillic (Russian) and Polish, Yiddish, Hebrew, and Lithuanian.  We will
coordinate volunteers insofar as is possible, and raise funds to create
accessible indexes of available data.  Please let the coordinators know about
your availability to translate.

6.  The Lithuanian Special Interest Group (SIG) will not serve as a family
finder. Messages to the LitvakSIG discussion group of this type would be of
limited usefulness to the majority of participants, and should more suitably
be posted on Jewishgen, or by accessing the extensive databases available
through Jewishgen such as the Jewish Genealogy Family Finder (JGFF).
  
7.  When the LitvakSIG web site is completed, data will be accessible
directly and also via  internet e-mail.  Details of this process are under
development.

8. The LitvakSIG, as defined above, appears to overlap with other existing
and planned Special Interest Groups.  We will not duplicate any efforts, nor
interfere with the activities of any other groups. We are already
coordinating our activities and will continue to welcome suggestions from
other SIGs and anticipate joint projects with them.  

An underlying reason for a larger, more inclusive LitvakSIG is to achieve the
greatest possible influence on improving access to the many Lithuanian
archives.  We believe that having fewer rather than many individual attempts
made to do this are more likely to succeed.  Our objective is for a
systematic change, which those in decision-making roles see as in their
interest, as well as ours.    

We are aware that this is a highly sensitive issue, and hope to involve and
consult with those with the most experience as we begin this process.  Our
goal is to get access to the records - the final written traces - of our
ancestors.  We do not expect that this will happen immediately, and will
avoid initiatives which might threaten our existing access, or the interests
of those who have been helpful to us, but gaining full access to archival
records in the Lithuanian State Historical Archive and the 58 regional
archives is a priority.

9.  Other SIGS, organized around Gubernyias or specific towns make sense, and
the LitvakSIG will facilitate their development and support their activities
after achieving a significant portion of these objectives and goals.  A great
deal of energy and hard work is involved in this process. Just as we do not
want to reinvent any wheels, it will be easier for town or Guberynia-based
SIGs to start after the LitvakSIG becomes fully operational.  

10. Discussion Group Etiquette: To facilitate reading of messages, please

a)  Write email the way you do a business letter - get to the point FIRST,
then put in the details.

b)  Please sign your messages with you full name and location.  Don't assume
people know where you are.  LitvakSIG is read in dozens of countries
worldwide.

c)  PLACE NAMES and FAMILY NAMES should be capitalized so they stand out;

d) Spell place names as they are in WOWW; you may add other versions or
spellings in parentheses. This will make it easier to spot a relevant
posting.

11)  Send email regarding problems you experience with the listserver or
other technical problems regarding the functionality of the listserver
DIRECTLY to the moderators of the list. You will receive a rapid response.

 We will not, however,  succeed in our primary goal of obtaining records and
providing for their translation, copying and postage, and data entry (even
with most of this being done by volunteers) without funding.  Our budget for
our first project in Lithuania which is already underway is $3000.  We sought
100 LitvakSIG members to contribute amounts of of $25 to $50  to LitvakSIG
research so that this goal could be achieved.  We will post information
regarding costs for additional data accumulation, and will seek funding from
both grant applications and our membership.  Without these levels of support,
we will not be more than a discussion group.

IV - Subscription Primer

To participate...  Go to JewishGen Home Page 

Use the WebForm link to manage your subscription to LitvakSIG

Follow the simple instructions to sign on.
If (after signing on) you wish to receive digests only, you can modify your
subscription at the same site.  

Then, send postings to:

LitvakSIG@mail.jewishgen.org (the SIG discussion group address)

For Other SIG business:

Davida Noyek Handler  
David Hoffman 
Co-coordinators, LitvakSIG


Welcome to your LitvakSIG family!

------------------------------------------------------

From: "A.W.Cassel"     10/20/97 22:42
Subject:   Re: re Keidan Cemetery Lists

Dear Harvey:

I sympathize with your frustration in not finding more definitive
connections to your family among the tombstone records. Clearly you are
right; theirs may have been the stones which were damaged or vandalized,
or those whose inscriptions are not legible. But I wouldn't conclude
therefore that you might be in the wrong community. After all, we are
dealing with the shreds of an historical record; I'm frankly always
amazed that so much has survived at all. Any remote clue that points to
my family I regard as a real blessing. As for the rest, we are all
forced to rely, to some degree or another, on half-remembered bits of
lore, conjecture and speculation. I don't see how it could really be
otherwise, given all of the attempts to blot out our ancestors from
history.

As I recall the material you sent me, you actually have quite a
substantial link to Keidan, no? For myself, I can only say that I find
it very gratifying to learn what I can about the times and the place,
knowing that my great-grandparents and beyond were a part of it ... and
being able to feel some significant probability that, going not too far
back, any of us might indeed be mishpoche. 

So chin up ... and stick around! You never know what else or who else
might turn up! 

Best to all,

Andy

------------------------------------------------------

From: Bruce Salen     10/21/97 
Subject:       Keidan Cemetery List

Is it possible to get a copy of the Keidan cemetery list?

My paternal grandfather was born in Keidan, and came here as a young boy in
the 1880's with his parents and, possibly, his two older sisters.  His older
brother had already come here, before them, with his wife, and settled in
Paterson, NJ.

I'm curious to know if any the graves of any of his ancestors -- esp. his
grandparents, for starters -- might have been located.

Thanks.

Bruce.
------------------------------------------------------

From:         RWeissJGS@aol.com             10/22/97 11:17
Subject:        Re: Keidan Cemetery List

Bruce (?)
        The Keidan gravediggers pinkas is a microfilm of about 300 pages long, the
originals badly deteriorated and hard to read. I have had hard copies made of
the first 100 pages and sent them to the Keidan SIG. They had an expert look
at it and have found that it would be a MAJOR job in translating it. I don't
know how much expense you are willing to incur in working the problem. 

Regards, 
Bob Weiss in Palo Alto
RWeissJGS@aol.com

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Wed, 29 Oct 1997 10:06:59 -0500
From: "A. Cassel" 
Subject: Fw: Kedainiai (for Mr. Rimantas Zirgulis)

Fellow Keidaners:

Today I received the following email. It raises a number of exciting ideas,
which I'd love to discuss here. Your thoughts?

Andy

----------
> From: Robertas Paulikas 
> To: A.W.Cassel 
> Subject: Re: Kedainiai (for Mr. Rimantas Zirgulis)
> Date: Wednesday, October 29, 1997 2:51 AM
>=20
> Dear Mr. Cassel,
>               thank You for Your letter and Your kind offer to share the informatio=
n
> which is available. Our museum is very interested in the history of the
> Jewish Community of Kedainiai and we are collecting different type of
> material. It is a great pity that the community which had 400 years old
> history was destroyed by nazies and their supporters. During the Soviet
> period neither Jewish, nor Lithuanian history was in the center of
> attention, and only now during the independence period we started
> collecting all the possible material about the history of these nations.
> That=92s why we have so little material and things about the Jewish
> Community of Kedainiai.
>       We have only several photos from the book "Keidan memorial " and only =
a
> few things, and fragments from the rich community history.
>       But despite all this, Kedainiai was important administrative, religious
> and cultural center of Lithuanian Jews, the second Jerusalem of
> Lithuania. That=92s why we still have rather rich remaining history: three
> synagogues and the whole territory of the old market, which was called
> the Jewish market. At present moment we feel that the attention towards
> the Jewish history and culture is much greater in Lithuania, the same
> situation is in Kedainiai too.
>       On the 14th of September, 200th aniversary of the Gaon Elijah of
> Vilnius was celebrated in Kedainiai. During this celebration, two
> memorial boards were opened on one of the 3 remaining synagogues with
> the inscription in Yiddish and Lithuanian: "At the beginning of the 18th
> century Jewish genius and religical thinker the Gaon Elijah of Vilnius
> lived and studied the Talmud in Kedainiai". A lot of guests from the
> USA, Great Britain, Israel were present in this celebration. During the
> celebration, a project of the Jewish market regeneration was presented.
> We would like to restore a complex of 2 Synagogues (17-18th centuries),
> to restore the butchers house and an arc with the sundial. All these
> things could serve for town=92s cultural purposes. We think that revival
> of the Jewish market in Kedainiai is the best memorial for the Jewish
> Community of Kedainiai. We also hope that this project will be
> interesting to the people whose family roots are in Kedainiai.
>       Thank You very much for Your offer to exchange with material related
> with the Jewish Community of Kedainiai. We are sorry that our part will
> be very small, but we will do our best. If You are interested we can
> send several photo copies and some articles from the report which was
> read in Vilnius on the 11th of September, during the 200 year aniversary
> celebration of the Gaon Elijah of Vilnius.
>
>       Sincerely,
>                       Rimantas  Zirgulis
>                       Robertas  Paulikas
------------------------------