Yes, there is a yizkor book for Kishinev, but first let me explain what a yizkor book is for those who aren't familiar with the term. Yizkor, in Hebrew, means "memorial." A “Yizkor Book” has come to refer to a book written to commemorate the victims of the holocaust who came from a particular town. Such a book typically contains a sketch of the history of the town, some biographical articles, lists of inhabitants who were deported or killed, maps and photos. A list of all known yizkor books can be found on the Web at: Yizkor Book Database (Yizkor Book Project).
The yizkor book for Kishinev is written in Hebrew and has no index or lists of personal names (see title 1. below). There is also a commentary on it, also written in Hebrew (see title 2). The only translation of it so far (as of August 2006) as one into Yiddish (see title 3).
1. The original Hebrew yizkor book for Kishinev is the following:
Yehude Kishinov, by Yitshak Korn (Tel Aviv : Hotsa'at “Avukah,” 710,1950), 264 p., 22 cm., black and white photos. (has no name list)
USHMM - Rare Memorial Books
2. The commentary on this yizkor book, also written in Hebrew, is the following:
Kishinov ha-Yehudit, `ir ve-'em be-Shabeshta `uvdot ve-ta'arikhim li-divre yemeha shel ha-`ir Kishinov bi-Besarabyah : agav bikoret `al ha-sefer FYehude Kishinov" le-Yitshak Korn / me-et M. M.Davidzon (Bet-David) (Tel-Aviv : Hotsa'at “Dapim-le-zikaron”; 711 [1950 or 1951]), 131 p. ; 18 cm.
In Hebrew. Title in English: Jewish Kishenev, city and [translation uncertain] of the city of Kishinov in Bessarabia, with a commentary on the book "Yehude Kishinov" by Yitshak Korn, by M[enahem] M[endel] Davidson. Does not contain a list of personal names.
USHMM - Rare Memorial Books
3. The Yiddish translation of “Yehude Kishinov” is the following:
Keshenev: 200 yor Yidish lebn in der hoyptshtot fun Besarabye / Yitshak Korn. [Translated] fun Hebreish: Hayim Brakazsh (Buenos Ayres : Besaraber Landsleyt-farayn in Argentine, 711, 1950) 416 p. : ill., map ; 21 cm. (Besaraber Yidn; bd. 3)
Added title page: Los Judios de Kischeneff.
Translation of “Yehude Kishinov.”
Includes bibliographical references (p.412-416)
Hundreds of yizkor books have been written, (see Yizkor Books – Library of Congress), but they are hard to access and usually are not written in English. Some have been translated, or at least partially translated, into English and many of the translations are now available through JewishGen (see Yizkor Book Translations). Over 600 original Hebrew and Yiddish versions are also available online (see NYPL Yizkor Books Online (accessed August 6, 2006).
Unfortunately, the Kishinev yizkor book is not one of those that have been translated into English, nor is the Hebrew version online yet (as of August 2006). However, there are several copies of the yizkor book for Kishinev held by institutions in the United States:
In Israel the Kishinev yizkor book is available at the following institutions
The following are also relevant yizkor books, but I have not seen them and have little information on them.
For other places where you can find yizkor books see Yizkor Book Links on JewishGen:
All vital records for Kishinev are in the Moldova National Archives in Kishinev, but we are very fortunate to have inventories of those holdings available to us online now (see below). There are currently over 600 microfilm rolls of these vital records available for you to borrow from an LDS Family History Center.
The most up-to-date inventories of the holdings of these repositories for doing Jewish genealogy were developed and are being maintained by Miriam Weiner who has visited the archives in Kishinev many times. In 1999, she published her inventories in a book called Jewish roots in Ukraine and Moldova (hereafter referred to sometimes as just "JRUM") and on her Web site, http://www.rtrfoundation.org/. Her inventories are thorough, but, by her own admission, they are not comprehensive. She notes in JRUM that “the reader should also be aware that there is material of interest to Jewish researches in virtually all of the archives in Ukraine and Moldova (see Chapters 4 and 9 [of JURM])" and "there are extensive document collections relating to the Jews of Ukraine and Moldova throughout the archives in Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia, which have not been inventoried for this book.” (JRUM, p. 2)
You can search her database at Search Database, but be sure to read first the Introduction to Eastern European Archival Database and the Frequently Asked Questions pages. Please do not write me with questions about her database. She describes how it works very well herself.
For the location of the various archives and repositories in and around Kishinev see: Towns and Repositories in Moldova (Routes to Roots Foundation, Inc.)
You will also find here the addresses, telephone and fax numbers of the repositories.
Doing the research yourself
The archive in Kishinev, Moldova, seems to have the personnel and equipment for providing reasonable service and is very cooperative. The archives has its own Kodak camera and developing equipment independent of the Mormon project. The director of the archive is ready to make microfilm copies of any material at 50 cents per frame (as of 1999). If you are going to visit the archives yourself it is a good idea to let them know in advance what the nature of your research is and what materials you might want to use, but it is not necessary to do so.They do not provide translation services so you should bring someoneto do the translation for you if you do not know the language of the materials (mostly Russian, Romanian, Ukrainian, Yiddish, and some Hebrew, Polish and Hungarian). To have an archivist do work for you you will need to pay for the service in advance in Moldovan currency.If you hire someone to do the work for you, be sure they have a notarized letter of authorization to do the research on behalf of another person (Berzoy, Jewish Roots in Ukraine and Moldavia, p. 383). In 1999, the director expressed the hope that they could soon offer research by mail, but I have not heard that that has become practice yet (as of June 2006). Bring a digital camera with you for making copies of documents. Be sure to learn how to use your camera and practice taking photos of documents in low-light situations and write down the settings, so you won't have to waste your limited time fiddling with your camera when you get to the archives.
Hiring Someone to research for you
Miriam Weiner discusses who her contacts are in Kishinev on the Credits and Acknowledgements page on her Web site for the "Routes to Roots Foundation."
Historical Maps of Moldova
The Map of Chisinau I (accessed August 2006, down as of November 13, 2006!)
This map shows 1. Màzàrache Church; 2. St. Constantin and Elena Church; 3. Armenian Church; 4. Annunciation Church; 5. St.George Church; 6. All Saints Church; 7. God's Rise Church; 8. Cathedral; 9. St. Haralampie Church; 10. Holy Gates; 11. Roman-Catholic Church; 12. St. Tiron Cathedral; 13. Chapel of Bulgarian Volunteers; 14. The Virgin's Asuep Church; 15. National History Museum; 16. St. Panteleimon Church; 17. Water Towers; 18. St. Theodora from Sihla Church; 19. Music Academy; 20. Changing in the face Cathedral; 21. City Hall; 22. Fine Arts Museum; 23. Fine Arts Institute; 24. Local lore Museum; 25. Armenian Chapel God's Rise; 26. Organ Hall; 27. Stefan The Great and Saint Monument (images not available as of Nov. 1, 2006)
The Map of Chisinau II (accessed August 2006, down as of November 13, 2006)
This map shows 1. Stefan the Great and Saint Monument; 2. Residence of the President of Moldova; 3. Parliament of Republic of Moldova; 4. FIUM (Free Independent University of Moldova); 5. Opera and Ballet Theatre; 6. National Bank; 7. Theatre for youth (Luceafarul); 8. Bus station; 9. City hall; 10. Government's House; 11. National Palace; 12. Republic Palace; 13. Medical University; 14. Cinema "Patria"; 15. Russian Dramatic Theatre "A.P. Cehov"; 16. Republican Stadium; 17. State Circus; 18. Railway Station; 19. Railwaymen Palace (images not available as of Nov. 1, 2006)
Photos of Kishinev
Multimedia (about Bessarabia)
Recommended source for historical photos of Jewish life in Kishinev.
Register and search the Catalog of Photos, but you will first have to register by creating a temporary account, which will be valid for 7 days. When you do a search, use the search terms "Kishinev". I received 57 hits for Kishinev when I searched in October of 2006. If you want to maintain your own online albums on their system, you must be an authorized user with a User Name and Password.
Or, just view the Online Albums without registering.
Recommended source for historical photos of Jewish life.
View six photos of Kishinev (August 2006) and 18 more photos of Kishinev (These photos were originally published in the book "Jewish Roots in Ukraine and Moldova" by Miriam Weiner published in 1999.)
Highly recommended for its cool factor: dynamic graphics, photos, voice recordings, music and historical and culture commentary of the life and fate of Jews from Romania -- but nothing directly about Kishinev.
This site's The Jews of Romania is a multimedia (audio and visual) presentation of the history and current state of Jewish communities in Romania. It briefly covers the history of its regions (Bukovina, Bessarabia, Moldavia, Transylvania and Wallachia), Jewish life, the holocaust, emigration, people, traditions, family life, community life, relgious life, literature and culture, and presents some related resources. The Web site has a Virtual Exhibitions page that links to other such multimedia presentations for Hungary, Arab Lands and Mexico.
[Warning: these exhibitions use flash technology, which may require that you install and enable the Macromedia Flash Player (for dynamic graphics) and Quick Time (for listening to the voice and music streams) for your browser. It also uses popup windows, so be sure you turn OFF your browser's popup blocker. The last time I tried to use it (August 2006) it would work with Internet Explorer 6 and 7 (beta), but it would not with the latest version of FireFox, which was v. 1.5.0.6 at the time.]
Where can I find information on Jewish cemeteries in Kishinev?
This is a database of names and other identifying information from cemeteries and burial records worldwide, from the earliest records to the present.
(reviewed: August 31, 2007, pm)