PRE SHOAH EUROPEAN JEWRY

Das Salomon Ludwig Steinheim-Institut erforscht die Kultur-, Religions-, Literatur- und Ereignisgeschichte der Juden im deutschen Sprachraum, wie sie sich über ein Jahrtausend in Eigenständigkeit und stetigem Bezug und Wechselspiel mit den christlichen und säkularen Mehrheiten vollzieht. Vorrangig ein Forschungsinstitut, ist es auch aufgerufen, in die Gegenwart zu vermitteln und zu intervenieren

Das Jüdische Museum Frankfurt am Main und seine Dependance Museum Judengasse am Börneplatz zeigen die historische Entwicklung und die religiöse Kultur der jüdischen Gemeinden in Frankfurt vom 12. bis zum 20. Jahrhundert. Das Wechselverhältnis zwischen Juden in Deutschland und ihrer Umwelt wird hier am lokalen Beispiel exemplarisch nachgezeichnet. Regelmäßige Wechselausstellungen in beiden Häusern vertiefen und ergänzen die Dauerausstellungen.

Jewish-Polish Heritage

Created by Mike Rosenzweig, Ph. D.

The Center for Jewish History emerged from a vision of a unique central repository for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people. The Center embodies the unique partnership of five major institutions of Jewish scholarship, history and art: The American Jewish Historical Society (at Brandeis University), the Leo Baeck Institute, American Sephardi Federation, Yeshiva University Museum, and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research The Center will serve the worldwide academic and general communities with combined holdings of approximately 100 million archival documents, a half million books, and thousands of photographs, artifacts, paintings and textiles - the largest repository documenting the Jewish experience outside of Israel.

Beth Hatefutsoth -- The Nahum Goldmann Museum of the Jewish Diaspora: is "a cultural and educational institution providing multiple avenues of personal historical identification." The museum's hope is "that by sharing the unique story of Jewish endurance, new generations may find the key to their own."The museum's Web site contains several sections, including a virtual exhibition; a section on Diaspora communities; links to related sites; visual documentation; events; music; genealogy and family names; news; and education. Beth Hatefutsoth is "truly, in every sense of the word, a museum of the Jewish people."

On-line Gedenkbuch: Serving as an on-line Gedenkbuch (Memorial Book), this FTP site offers many resources, including transliterations from selected Yizkor books; lists of Jewish cemeteries; lists of Holocaust victims; a list of major research centers on the Holocaust; and information on Jewish genealogy. Individuals interested in Jewish genealogy might also want to access the Jewish Genealogy Home Page of the Dallas Jewish Historical Society (hosted by the Dallas Virtual Jewish Community) and JewishGen: The Home of Jewish Genealogy.

On-line Databases

-- Humanities Computing Initiative at TAU: Provided as a service by the Humanities Computing Initiative at Tel Aviv University, this Web site currently includes the following on-line databases: Studies in Zionism Bibliography (Journal of Israeli History); Igrot Ahad Ha-Am (over 3,000 letters in Hebrew by Ahad Ha-Am [Asher Ginzberg]); and, a Bibliography of the History of Polish Jewry.

Institute of Microfilmed Hebrew Manuscripts: Located in the Jewish National and University Library, the Institute of Microfilmed Hebrew Manuscripts (IMHM) in Jerusalem, "has undertaken the task of collecting microfilm copies of all Hebrew manuscripts extant in public and private collections. Over 60,000 reels, representing more than 90% of known Hebrew manuscripts, are available for the use of scholars and interested laymen. The IMHM . . . offers scholars a unique facility to study, compare and collate Hebrew manuscripts found in distant locations on different continents. All the vast printed resources of Hebraica and Judaica are available in the same building. Adjoining the IMHM are the Department of Manuscripts of the JNUL, housing 10,000 original MSS, and the Hebrew Palaeography Project, which is conducting research on the codicology and palaeography of medieval dated Hebrew MSS."

Shtetl -- Yiddish Language and Culture: Created and maintained by Iosif Vaisman, this Web site is "[o]rganized as locations in a shtetl, a small Eastern European Jewish town" and provides "[l]inks to information about Yiddish language and culture." The sections include a library; synagogue; school; memorial; post office; station; art center; and, kitchen.

Zabludow Memorial Web Page: Created and maintained by Tilford Bartman, this Web site is a memorial to the Jews of Zabludow, Poland (which is approximately fifteen kilometers from Bialystok). Mr. Bartman's father was born in Zabludow, as was his father's parents. Many of Mr. Bartman's relatives who remained in Zabludow were murdered during in the Holocaust.

Vinnitsa Region Jewish Community: This presentation provides basic information about the Vinnitsa Region Jewish Community (VRJC) in the Podolia region of Ukraine. The VRJC has several functions, including supporting the elderly and sick Jews of the region; creating and implementing educational programs; revitalizing Yiddish language and culture; and, preserving the region's Jewish historical artifacts, sites, and monuments. The Web page also provides information about the VRJC's ongoing needs, and how interested individuals may help.

Jewish Heritage Society (Moscow): The Jewish Heritage Society is "an independent scholarly institution for the development and coordination of research in history and culture of the Jewish people in the Russian Empire and the USSR, and documenting the Jewish historical legacy. The Society's interests embrace a wide range of academic scholarship in the field of Jewish studies."

Beyond the Pale -- The History of Jews in Russia: Available in English and Russian, this site features the following sections: Introduction; The Middle Ages; The Development of Modern Antisemitism; Jews in the Russian Empire; Jews in the Soviet Union; Nazism and the Holocaust; Jews in the Soviet Union: 1941 to Present; and Epilogue: Democracy and Minority Rights.

Judaica in Russia: Available in English and Russian, this Web site is the site of The Institute for Jewish Studies in the Commonwealth of Independent States (under the direction of Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz). It includes a guest book, information on joining the institute's club, and links to other Jewish Web sites.

Jewish Community of Kishinev: Providing much information about the Jewish community of Kishinev, Moldova ("a community of renaissance . . . with an eye to the future"), this site includes sections on Jewish Identity: Holidays and Simchas; Humanitarian Aid; Education; Jewish Moldova at a Glance; Kishinev Jewish Community: How to Help; Moldova International; and, the Kishinev Community Newspaper:

Kishinev, Moldova . . . Most of us draw a blank. The name is not connected to any image that comes readily to mind -- it's just another geographical spot in that conglomerate of vague old-new nations awkwardly tagged, "The Former Soviet Union."

For others, the name Kishinev has sinister connotations, recalling grim photos of piles of bodies -- Jewish victims of the terrible pogroms which were perpetrated there at the turn of the century.

Today, these tragic scenes have happily given way to scenes of joy -- scenes of a vibrant, spirited Jewish life. After decades of war, destruction and oppression, the Jewish community of Kishinev is experiencing a renaissance, unprecedented in modern times. Jewish life in Kishinev and its neighboring towns is once again alive and well. . . .

The Workmen's Circle/Arbeter Ring: This Web site provides information about The Workmen's Circle/Arbeter Ring, which is "dedicated to fostering Jewish identity and participation in Jewish life, among its members, through Jewish, especially Yiddish, culture and education, friendship, mutual aid, and the pursuit of social and economic justice." One of the main goals of the organization is "to preserve the unique beauty of Jewish and Yiddish culture so that our rich legacy does not disappear into the 'melting pot' of America. As a result, The Workmen's Circle/Arbeter Ring is the chief -- the preeminent -- advocate of Yiddish cultural activity."

Yiddish Research Network: This Web pages provides a description of the Yiddish Research Network (YRN), founded and run by graduate students at the University of Texas at Austin; Ohio State University; and, the Freie Universität Berlin. The Network seeks "the participation of researchers from all fields who are interested in topics dealing with Yiddish language, linguistics, literature, and culture."

Requiem -- The Song of the Murdered Jewish People: This Web page provides information about Zlata Razdolina's orchestral work, Requiem: The Song of the Murdered Jewish People, based on the poem by Itzhak (Yitzhak) Katzenelson. "May this elegy and Requiem bear witness to the millions of Jews murdered at the hands of the Nazis, and be an eternal warning to the generations born after the Holocaust."