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(Bukowina)
See also Romania Page

In German (Austrian) = Buchenland
In Romanian                 = Buchowina
In Polish                        = Bukowina
In Ukrainian                  = Bukovyna (transliterated)
 

Bucovina (Bukovina, Bukowina) in English this translates to Beech Wood or "Land Of The Beech Trees" - is located in northeastern Romania and is a region that is also located in southwestern Ukraine. Buk in Polish (and Ukrainian means beach tree.  It lies on the Polish-Moldavian border.

Bucovina (Bukowina) is an area located in the eastern Carpathian mountains.  Until 1769, the area was ruled by the Ottoman Turks when it was then taken over by Russia. In 1775, it formed a part of Galicia until 1849 when it became a separate province of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until the end of WWI.  It was a province of Romania from 1917 to 1944. 

Bukovina was once located in Galicia.  It was separated from Galicia by the Cheremosh river.  According to a knowledgeable source, there are no Bukovina records in the Romania Archives, but rather there are some in the Ukraine Archives.  This statement was challenged by Bruce Reisch in an e-mail to me of 10/23/01 in which he states "In my experience, the records to be found in Romania are much more complete than those in the  Chernivetskaya oblast.'  'All of the Suceava Judetel Jewish records prior to approx. 1890 are to be found in the regional archive in Suceava.'  'The post ca. 1890 records are in the local town halls.'  'The records for Radauti at both locations are amazingly complete.'  'Birth and death records are available post - 1857 but marriage records are much more spotty.'  The Chernivetska Oblast archives do not appear to hold any information prior to about 1840.  Prior to 1849, Bukovina was administered jointly with Galicia.  A possible location for records might be the Kyiv Historical Archives or the Ukrainian National Archives in Kyiv.

Before WWI, the area was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and became known as Bukovina when it was taken from the Turks in 1775..  The capital city is Chernovitz (Chiernovce, Czernowitz, Cernauti)   

Both Galicia (which was part of Poland before Poland was partitioned in the late 18th century) and Bukovina were in the Austro-Hungarian empire and from 1786 to 1849, Bukovina was administered as part of the province of Galicia.  In 1910, Bukowina had a total population of 801,364 with 12.86 percent Jewish.

After WW II, the northern portion became a part of the USSR while the southern area was part of Romania. Today, the northeast is in Romania and the southwest is in the Ukraine.  ShtetLinks offers photos and more searchable information
http://www.shtetlinks.jewishgen.org/suceava/suceava.htm 

When searching for a specific town in Bukovina, using JewishGen www.jewishgen.org ,
look in all three countries: Ukraine, Romania and Moldavia. For further information about Bukovina, subscribe to the Bukovina Mailing List by sending an e-mail to listproc@gpfn.sk.ca with the following message subscribe bukovina-gen (your first name) (your last name)

Bucovina (region), Romania/Ukraine - Handbook prepared under the direction of the Historical Section of the British Foreign Office, 1919; Geschichte Der Juden in Der Bukowina (History of the Jews in the Bukovina) http://www.jewishgen.org/Yizkor/Bukowinabook/bukowina.html 

Bukovina Society of America - maps and a lot of good information
www.bukovinasociety.org/

Bukovina costumes, dance and music
http://condor.depaul.edu/~rrotenbe/aeer/v20n2/Cash.pdf

Region in Romania -
http://motlc.wiesenthal.com/text/x04/xr0472.html

http://www.jewishgen.org/romsig/

(See also my Romania Web Page for additional information)

  Books

"Bukowina: History of the Jews in the Bukowina", Volume 2: Czernowitz, Ukrainian (Chernivtsi)
http://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/translations.html

"Der Geschichte der Juden in der Bukowina" - authored by Hugo Gold.  There are two volumes: Band I and Band II, published in 1958 in German.  There does not appear to be an English version.  This book mentions these towns: Sadagora, Suczawa, Radautz, Wiznitz, Sereth, Kimpolung, Aschkoutz, Storozynetz, Gurahumora, Bojan, Dorna-Vatra, Unter-Stanestie, Uscie-Putila, Banila, Ob. Stanestie, Zastawna, Ispas, and Rohozna.

General  
Bukovina Genealogical
Information

There is an excellent map site at
http://user.aol.com/LJensen/bukomaps.html  Links to information on Bukovina and its capital, Chernovitz as well as Radauti/Radautz, Gura Humorului and the Romanian Jewish Genealogy SIG http://www.shtetlinks.jewishgen.org/sadgura/sadgura.html 

There is a Bukovina-Gen list - To subscribe, send a message to listproc@lists.gpfn.sk.ca with NO subject header and NO signature file, saying only: subscribe bukovina-gen yourfirstname yourlast name where, of course, yourfirstname and your lastname is your real first and last name.

Database of more than 250 graduates from the years 1885 - 1896 of the Ober-Gymnasium (secondary school) in Radautz, Bucowina (now Radauti, Romania) -
http://mypage.bluewin.ch/bukowina/StudRad.html  
In addition to the year of birth, the profession and town of residence in 1897is given for each graduate.  Webmaster is Peter ElSpare bau

Banilow - "Geschichte der Juden in der Bukowina"  http://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/Bukowinabook/bukowina.html 

Botosani - located today in Romania

Bucovina (Region), Romania/Ukraine - Handbook prepared under the direction of the Historical Section of the British Foreign Office - 1919; "Geschichte Der Juden in Der Bukowina" (History of the Jews in the Bucovina) http://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/translations.html

Chernivtsi (German Czernowitz) The capital city.  The LDS has no Jewish records.

Lots of good information including links to other sites, Notable Czernowitzers, Family Finder, Address Finder, Street Name translator, Photos, maps, trip reports and more are available at
http://czernowitz.ehpes.com/menu.html

Czernowitz-List:
http://czernowitz.ehpes.com

http://www.shtetlinks.jewishgen.org/sadgura/czernlistserv.html

Another database for Czernowitz Ober-Gymnasium is currently in progress.
www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/Bukowinabook/buk2_179.html

Czernowitz - The purpose of the site is to provide a collection point for
materials (stories, histories, photographs, lists, maps, links, etc.) that are of interest to list members and other researchers concerned with genealogy and the history of the Jewish community in the Czernowitz area. The Czernowitz-L Discussion Group
czernowitz.ehpes.com

The Chernivetska Oblast archives do not appear to hold any information prior to about 1840.  Prior to 1849, Bukovina was administered jointly with Galicia.  Possibly, records may be held in the L'viv Historical Archives rather than the Kyiv Historical Archives or the Ukrainian National Archives in Kyiv.  Diana Peltz is the Director of the L'viv Historical Archives.

"The Choral Society Hasamir in Czernowitz," Geschichte der Juden in der Bukowina, vol. II, pp. 179-180.

History and much more
http://www.dizzyweb.cv.ua/

Gazetteer - World-Wide
www.fallingrain.com/world/index.html

Gura Humorului Jewish Community - the aim of these pages is to provide a photographic record and to provide the burial records of the Gura Humorului Jewish cemetery (Romania), and others records from the Jewish community of that town, for the benefit of those genealogists who live some distance away and for the decedents of Gura Humorului Jewish community
http://humora.tripod.com/

Jewish Bucovina - a rich source of information, namely bibliographies and synopses.
http://www.jewishbukovina.org/ 

Kitsman - "Geschichte der Juden in der Bukowina"  http://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/Bukowinabook/bukowina.html 

Leszkowka [Laskowka, Laskovka], Austria.   LDS Film 897093 includes the Austro-Hungarian Empire Postal Gazetteer for 1910. A very useful book for finding towns with post offices.

This also has a cross reference to alternate names for towns. The preferred name  was Laszkowka. Alternate names were: Laschkowka (o with acute accent) Laskiwca (with inverted carat on s, Czech spelling?) Laszkiwka (L with a slash, Polish spelling?)   The directory suggests rail access via the Luzan - Zaleszczyki line, or road from Kotzmann. The area was known as Kotzman (one n!). From a posting by Harry Dodsworth   af877@freenet.carleton.ca 1/24/03

Maps    

Art Source International offers a large selection of antique maps, prints and globes - Art Source International

Maps of Russia and the FSU (Former Soviet Union)  Republics - be prepared to stay online for quite some time, if you want to see one of the largest collections of different types of maps.  This site is fabulous and offers a huge variety of maps that include such titles as Bucovina Maps; Ukraine Maps and Distances; Ex-USSR map; Maps of Europe in different eras; Russian Far East Maps; Belarus Maps; Ukraine Maps; Kazakhstan Maps:  Georgia Maps; Tajikistan Maps; Crimea Maps; Uzbekistan Maps; Azerbaijan Maps; Kyrgyzstan Maps; Moldova Maps; Turkmenistan Maps; Armenia Maps; Caucuses Region Maps; Baltic States Maps including Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia; and more at
http://users.aimnet.com/~ksyrah/ekskurs/maps.html

Nizhniye Stanovtsy - "Geschichte der Juden in der Bukowina"  http://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/Bukowinabook/bukowina.html 

Radauti - There is still a Radauti organization in Israel, along with several
other groups associated with towns in Bukovina.  The Weltverbandes der Bukowiner Juden has developed a web site with complete contact information.  Here is the starting page:
http://www.bukovinajewsworldunion.org

Here you will find the list of  contacts for various towns, including Radauti:
http://www.bukovinajewsworldunion.org/English/6Communities
/Addres.Buk.html

The group from Radauti is called "The Organization of Former
Residents of Radautz-Bukovina in Israel".  They continue to send aid
twice a year to the few needy Jews still remaining in Radauti and in
the surrounding area.  Bruce Reisch bir1@NYSAES.CORNELL.EDU 
radautz.html

Database of more than 250 graduates from the years 1885 - 1896 of the Ober-Gymnasium (secondary school) in Radautz, Bukowina (now Radauti, Romania) http://mypage.bluewin.ch/bukowina/StudRad.html  
In addition to the year of birth, the profession and town of residence in 1897 is given for each graduate.  Webmaster is Peter Elbau

Another site for Radautz is http://www.shtetlinks.jewishgen.org/radauti/radautz.html 

Sadgura - now located in Ukraine, but formerly in Bukowina. Memoirs on the Sadgura ShtetLinks web site recalling life in Sadgura (Bukovina) and Chotin (Ukraine) in the early 1900s.  Jack (Yankel) Becker tells the story of his early years in this 1974 oral history - interview with his daughter, Elizabeth  becker.html Also sadgura.html

Nick Martin 4accord@bendnet.com is translating some key reference works concerning this shtetl; the relevant chapter from Pinkas Hakehillot, and the chapter from Hugo Gold's 1962, "Geschichte der Juden in der Bukowina" is translating some key reference works concerning this shtetl; the relevant chapter from Pinkas Hakehillot, and the chapter from Hugo Gold's 1962, "Geschichte der Juden in der Bukowina"

http://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/Bukowinabook/buk2_108b.html

Please let me know if there is a favorite link of yours that is not included in my site and I will be happy to add it to Jewish Web Index

 more to come ...