and the Hebrew Language See also my'Language' page
The Wailing Wall -
Jerusalem
Prior to the Jewish Zionists settlement in
Israel, it was known as the Old Yishuv and was centered in four
cities: Hebron, Tiberius, Safed and Jerusalem. It has been
estimated that the combined population was about 25,000 mostly of Sephardi
Jews expelled from Spain in 1492, and Ashkenazi Jews who
began to arrive beginning at the end of the 18th century.
Israel's population rose in the year 2001 to an estimated 6.7 million people, according to Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics. Of these, 5.4 million are Jews and 1.3 million are Arabs. The present population consists of many who were born in other countries. Third generation Israelis make up 29% of its citizens with Ashkenazim in the majority - 41%, primarily because of the large immigration from the former Soviet Union; Sephardim, 16 percent. Over 78,000 Ethiopian Jews have been transported to Israel. Over 45% of the adult Ethiopian Jews now living in Israel are unemployed. Three million people have immigrated to Israel since 1948. Israel will become the world's biggest Jewish community in the year 2006, a recent study by the Jewish People Policy Planning Institute announced. Further, by 2020, only 46 percent of Jews will have been born in Israel or chosen to move there, up from the present figure of around 40 percent.
"Israel's recent
census data, (according to an article in the August/September 2006 issue
of Hadassah Magazine) states that the country's population passed 7
million -- 7,026,000 to be exact - an almost nine-fold increase since
the founding of the state. Seventy-six percent of the population
is Jewish. Twenty percent is Christian or Arab Muslim and the remainder
are immigrants or foreign workers without religious classifications."
The
Tel-Aviv area, including Givatayim, Ramat Gan, Bat Yam and Bnei Brak has 2,621 people per square mile, the highest concentration in the country. However,
Jerusalem is the larges city with a population of 670,000 with less than a third of that being Arabs.
In 1991 alone, 15,000 Jews were airlifted out of the
Ethiopian capitol of Addis Ababa. You can read more about Ethiopian Jews at my 'South Africa'page.
Country
Emigrants
Former U.S.S.R
907,200
Morocco
167,400
Romania
125,800
Poland
83,300
Iraq
76,800
North America
69,500
Ethiopia
56,300
Iran
51,600
Algeria/Tunisia
42,300
Yemen
37,000
Other Countries
340,500
Source: Newsweek Magazine April 1, 2002, Page 38
Israel holds a wealth of information available to the Jewish genealogical researcher. The breadth of the material available is enormous and even the casual visitor is overwhelmed. The information is varied and includes a register of documents pertaining to the Jews of Barcelona in the 13th century to historical originals from Morocco, Greece and Poland that share space with records from Russia and Chile ... and even New York.
More and more, records are being computer processed and in the near future, many of the lost records will be available to the hundreds of thousands of Jews who are searching so reverently for a trace of their relatives. These sites could be the medina for many. Interesting for all!
This is the Table of Contents site where you will find links to Israel information by category: To 1881 which includes "The Pale of Settlement and the pogroms of1881 in Russia"; 1882 to 1903; 1904-1914; 1915-1918; 1919-1921
Barbra Streisand Sings
Hatikvah and Talks to Golda Meir...Golda Meir
died later that year in 1978. So she didn't get to live to 90.I
This is on the You Tube site. Meir
Most books, CDs, etc. can be ordered through my link to Amazon.com
by clicking here > Jewish Genealogy
"A Guide to Jewish Genealogical Research in Israel" - authored by Sallyann Amdur Sack -
Buy
from Amazon.com
"The Chase is the Game: The Journeys of an American-Israeli Pioneer" - authored by Saadia Gelb. Gelb rose to international prominence as the founder of Habonim, the Labor Zionist youth group and went on to become a key figure in the shaping of the State of Israel. Not that it makes much difference, but Saadia's late sister, Vivian and I went to school together and their father was one of my Hebrew teachers back in Minneapolis. The book was published by M. Dworkin and Co./Jewish Contemporary Classics, Inc. and is a 219 page paperback. $16.95
"History Of The Jews And Israel" -
authored by Saul Silas Fathi who has condensed 4,000 years of history
into this 76 page book. Available at my link to Amazon.com
"Treasures of Jewish Galicia from the Museum of Ethnography and Crafts in L'viv, Ukraine", a catalog of the exhibit at Beth Ha'tefutsorth in 1994-5. Edited by Sarah Harel Hoshen, the catalog was published in soft cover in 1996.
Book Resources
Most books, CDs, etc. can be ordered through my link to Amazon.com
by clicking here >
Jewish Genealogy
"Histoire des Juifs d'Anatolie" -
authored by Abraham Galante and published first in 1907 and republished
in 1939, offers a list of Jewish communities
Rubin Mass Ltd. - is an exporter of all books and periodicals published in Israel. They have published more than 1,500 books, and are distributors of books and periodicals for several academic and governmental institutions. They also distribute the publications of Yad Vashem - the Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority and the maps and guides of Carta's - the Israel Map and Publishing Company. E-mail rmass@inter.net.il http://www.id-knowledge.com/mas/index.htm Please mention my name and email address should you purchase any books from this company. I would appreciate it very much.
Click on map to enlarge
Map of Israel from Haaretz www.Haaretz.com Scroll down to view map
General Israeli Genealogy Information
Global Gazetteer is a great web site. It is a directory of 2,880,532 of the world's cities and towns, sorted by country and linked to a map for each town. A tab separated list is available for each country. www.calle.com/world/
History of the Middle East - this is not a comprehensive history, but it is a factual presentation that provides a brief summary for those who don't have the time to go into the deeper details of the conflict. History in a Nutshell & Imagine were created by Udi Ohana www.conceptwizard.com Scroll down to the bottom of the page
Alumni Reunions - HNOH (Hebrew National Orphan Home) has a page devoted to Jewish Orphanages in the US - There are extensive lists of links too.
www.hnoh.com
Andres Forces - Jewish soldiers who were in Iraq during 1942-43. Information about and between members of this group and the Jews of Iraq who befriended them is at
http://www.babylonjewry.org.il/index.html
Anti-Semitism – although politics rarely enter into a genealogy discussion, or onto my web site, The Pipeline of Hatred, like those that have preceded it and other material of interest, can be accessed from this info page, at:
http://www.conceptwizard.com/info.html
Archives
Archives - Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People - in Jerusalem
http://sites.huji.ac.il/archives/ Telephone: 972 2 6584258, 972 2 6584259 and 972 2 6584261
Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People (Telephone: 972-2 658 4258, 972-2 658 4259 and 972-2 658 4261) - has an excellent collections of Jewish records from Poland, Germany and much more in the nearby Sprinzak buildings
http://sites.huji.ac.il/archives/
Jewish National and University Library - located at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem is forming a new facility, the International Institute of Jewish Genealogy. The genealogists working on this in this international research center will be working cooperatively with existing facilities such as JewishGen, Yad Vashem, the Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People and the New York-based Center for Jewish History.
http://jnul.huji.ac.il/
World Zionist Organization - The Central Zionist Archives - official repository of the Zionist Movement, the CZA is the largest Jewish Archives in the world holding over 80 million documents, a large photo collection and unique collections of printed material, maps, stamps and posters; in Jerusalem
http://www.wzo.org.il/cza/
Aleppo - located in Nachlaot, one
of the oldest synagogues - Ades Synagogue was founded by Jews from
Syria. It is located on the corner of Beersheba and Shilo streets,
just off Bezalel. An article about the synagogue was published in The
American Jewish World on December 16, 2006 and was written by Gavriel
Fiske of the Jerusalem Post.
Atlit - a British military camp located six miles south of
Haifa, where they held tens of thousands of illegal immigrants in the 1940s. As the illegals entered the camp, which was surrounded by a triple fence of barbed wire, and armed guards in watchtowers, the men were sent to one side and the women to the other. They were then sprayed with DDT and told to undress and enter the showers. Terrified, they were certain they had escaped death in Europe only to find it in Palestine. A database containing the names and photos of the illegal immigrants and those who helped bring them is open to the public from Sunday through Thursday 9 to 5. Friday and holiday evenings 9 to 1 and Saturday and Holidays from 10 to 3. English tours are available by appointment 984 1980.
Babylonian Jewish Heritage Center, 83 Mordechai Ben Porat Avenue, Or Yehuda, Israel. Dr. Zvi Yehuda, director of the Babylonian Jewish Heritage Center; Mr. Mordechai Ben Porat, Chairman of the Babylonian Jewish Heritage Center Email:
babylon@babylonjewry.org.il
http://www.babylonjewry.org.il/
Beth Ha'tefutsorth Museum Shop - offers Jewish GenealogySoftware, ExhibitionCatalogues/Books and more on-line http://www.bh.org.il/shop.htm
Bureau of Missing Persons, The Jewish Agency PO Box 92, Jerusalem, Israel. Contact: Ms. Batya Undershatz HaSochnoot HaYehudi P O Box 92 Jerusalem, Israel Telephone: +2 6202652 Fax: +2 6202893
The KKL list contains the names of missing persons from the World War II period whose property Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) administers http://www.claimsinfo.org/article.asp?article_id=344
Caesarea,
pictured above, was built by King Herod the Great in the first century BC
Cemeteries -
JOWBR Cemetery Inventory for Israel
and you will find almost 60,800 burial records from 12 cemeteries, including
close to 52,000 burials in Petach Tikvah. The entries are all in English.
The database is searchable at
http://www.jewishgen.org/databases/Cemetery/
Census of Ottoman Controlled Eretz Yisrael of 1839 CE (Montefiore) for the following cities:
Acre Haifa Hebron Jaffa Jerusalem Nebulous Safed Shefaram Tiberius Sidon (now in Lebanon) http://sephardichouse.org/
"Does anyone have access to this Montefiore census of the Jews in Jerusalem of 1916?"
"First I would suggest to read the excellent article by Attorney Shmuel Shamir that was published in Sharsheret Hadorot (Quarterly of the Israel genealogical Society), Vol.. 18, 1, Feb. 2004. This article entitled "Censuses in Eretz Israel: End of the 19th Century-20th century" is so basic and important that the editor has decided to put it on the IGS website."
http://www.isragen.org.il/NROS/BIB/SHD/Shamir/18-1-ShamirCens-editE.pdf
"As you'll read it there was no census in 1916 but in 1915. Then Eretz Israel was still under the Ottoman rule, the census is in Osmanli script (very close to Arabic). All the Ottoman material the various censuses and the Nefous books are kept at the Israel State Archives. From a posting by Mathilde Tagger Israel Genealogical Society"
www.isragen.org.il
The censuses of Erets Yisrael Jewish
population ordered by Sir Moses Montefiore have been conducted in the
following years: 1839, 1849, 1855, 1866 and 1875. There was no
census in the 18th century.
The censuses are
handwritten. The originals are kept at the British Museum in
London. The Jewish National and University Library (JNUL) has
microfilmed copies. They are part of the collection of the
Institute for Microfilmed Manuscripts of the JNUL, where anyone can look
at them.
In 1989, the
first census, that of 1839, has been deciphered and published in a book
form by the Shazar Institute in Jerusalem. The book is in Hebrew
and its text exactly follows the original. That is to say that one
has to read it from page 1 till its end in order to find a person.
Mathilde Tagger,
a member of the Israel Genealogical Society, has translated to English
and indexed nearly half of the 1839 census, the part dealing with the
Sephardic population of Erets Yisrael. It is posted at:
http://www.sephardicstudies.org/
Scroll down till you find the chapter on the "Holy Land". The index is
arranged alphabetically, town by town.
Translating of the 1922-3 census of Tel Aviv from Hebrew to English is in
the works. If you are interested in volunteering please contact rosef@post.tau.ac.il
The Central Zionist Archives is the official historical archives of the World Zionist Organization, the Jewish Agency, the Jewish National Fund, Keren Hayesod and the World Jewish Congress. It also holds the personal papers of individuals involved in the Zionist movement or active in Palestine/Israel.
http://www.wzo.org.il/cza/
Chevra Kadisha - located in Jerusalem. There are at least two: one for the Litvaks (Lithuanian Jews aka Chevra Kadisha of the Prushim on Rechov Pines) Telephone: +972-2-538-4144 and one for the Galitzianers (Chasidim) The vast majority of Litvaks used the General
Chevra Kadish of the Ashkenazi Community; the Perushim (the name used to describe the students of the Gaon of Vilna who settled in Eretz Yisrael in the beginning of the 19th century). It was founded in 1856 and a good portion of the records are computerized. Contact at the later Society is Natan Torem, an Englishman. List of Chevra Kadisha Societies in Israel in English
http://www.isragen.org.il/ROS/ARCHIVES/Hevra%20Kadish.html
The Hevrot Kadish of Jerusalem are divided along ethnic lines and a list follows:
Habad - Ein Ya'akov 13, Phone 627 3498
Hevre Kadisha of the Hasidim - Mahabit 17, Phone 538 4518
Hevre Kadisha of the Iraqi Community - Sha'arey Zedek 1, Phone 625 2842
Hevre Kadisha of the Kurdish Community - Beit Ya'akov 11, Phone 623 4797
Hevre Kadisha of the Moroccan Community - Mesilsat Yesharim 1, Phone 625 5504
Hevre Kadisha of the Persian Community - David Yellin 38, Phone 538 4589
United Hevre Kadisha of the Sefardic & Oriental Communities, Havatzelet 12A, Phones 625 4371, 622 1073; Fax 623 1827
Counselor Records Database - U.S. Dept of State, Jerusalem, Jaffa and Haifa Consular Post Records Database includes more than 9,000 entries, and was compiled from U.S. National Archives RG 84 (Record Group) Foreign Service Post Records of the U.S. Department of State for Consular Posts: Jerusalem (1857-1935), Jaffa (1867-1917), and Haifa (1872-1917) http://www.jewishgen.org/databases/group84.htm
Credit Records - Israelis' credit histories will be recorded for the first time as of August, 2004. All Israelis will begin building a credit history. Until the Credit Law was passed, it was considered a violation of privacy to provide credit records, though top banks collected and used their clients' credit history.
Death Certificates - "Israeli death certificates do not include place of burial, however all burials require a permit from the Ministry of Health and they include that information. I inquired recently about the availability of old burial permits and was informed that the law (Archives Law, 5745, 1985, paragraphs 11.15 and 11.20) requires that the District Health Office hold death notices for fifteen years and burial permits for ten years."
This does not preclude the possibility that they may have older records and in fact, they forwarded my specific request for a 1960s document to the appropriate district office."
A burial permit has space for the following information: serial number, name, address, birth date, gender, death date, religion, cause of death, place of burial, informing physician, investigator (I assume this is only for special cases - IP). The form is in Hebrew and Arabic." From a posting by Israel Pickholtz on JewishGen 3-23-2002
Ministry of Interior Department of Population Administration P O Box 2420 Jerusalem 91023 Israel
The Dinur Center for Research in Jewish History The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mount Scopus Jerusalem, Israel 91905 Tel. 972-2-5881894 Tel. 972-2-5881592 Fax. 972-2-5883894 Email -dinur@h2.hum.huji.ac.il
Diana Sommer, Director of the Douglas E. Goldman Jewish Genealogy Center stated that the name DOROT has been removed from the official name of the Center and that the official name is now 'The Douglas E. Goldman Jewish Genealogy Center'.
There is a charge to receive information from the database of the Douglas E. Goldman Genealogy Center which holds the Freud genealogy (and many others). Their website says, "The price for each search (up to four family names) is US $5.00, 5.50 or NIS 22.00".
Ein Harod is located in Emeq Yizre'el (Valley of Jezreel) and was established about 80 years ago as part of the Kibbutz Me'uhad ("United Kibbutz") movement. About 1952, there was a split in the Kibbutz Me'uhad movement, and the original Ein Harod stayed in Me'uhad, but some of its members split off and established another Ein Harod as part of the Ihud Kibbutzim movement.
The main Kibbutz Ein Harod used to be a large and thriving community, involved in both agriculture and manufacturing. There was/is a steel works and a beehive factory (in 1970) but unknown about situation today.)
(ESCA) English Speakers Club of Ashdod - an informal, socially related group of olim and old-timers from around the world who live in Ashdod
(ESRA) English Speaking Residents Association. ESRA is a group of volunteers in Israel who help those needing help, when and where help is needed -- and who themselves grow and have fun with the experience. The Genealogy in Israel site should be of value as should the many links this site offers.
Their aim is to assist the absorption of immigrants from distressed countries and to help the functioning of special-needs groups on personal and community levels in the fields of employment, education, health and subsistence, according to need. Links to Holocaust, Israel, and Judaic-oriented sites http://www.esra.org.il
ETSI - Sephardi Genealogical and Historical Society - The purpose of "ETSI" is to help people interested in Jewish Genealogical and Historical Research in the Sephardi World. "ETSI's" field of study covers the Ottoman Empire (Turkey, Greece, Palestine, Syria, Libya, Egypt); North Africa (Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia); Spain, Portugal, Italy and Gibraltar. The study of every Sephardi community or family who lived in other regions is equally within the society's aim. http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/1321 or email laurphil@wanadoo.fr
Galilean Stone Structure - the University of Pittsburgh house the Israel Heritage Classroom that is modeled after the Galilee dwelling. You can take a visual tour at http://www.pitt.edu/~natrooms/
Gaza - the following copy of an e-mail was sent to me by an old friend of mine and I thought it to be of interest: From: Beth El Synagogue, Minneapolis (St. Louis Park) MN ETorah List [mailto: BE-MPLS-ETORAH@USCJ.ORG] On Behalf Of Alexander Davis Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2004 6:04 PM To: BE-MPLS-ETORAH@USCJ.ORG Subject: eTorah Aug. 5, 2004 19 Av 5764
Shalom Haverim, I was intrigued by Bertinoro’s travel journal and so decided to do a little more research on the history of the Jewish presence in Gaza. We hear a lot about Gaza in the news these days. PM Ariel Sharon, of course, is trying to pull Jewish settlements out of the Gaza strip. He is supported by a majority of Israelis but not by his own party nor by a vocal (violent?) segment of the Israeli population.
Probably if I had thought about it, I would have guessed that the Jewish presence in Gaza goes back many centuries. But listening to the current news, my thoughts never seem to stretch much before 1967.
For many, Gaza does not hold the same place in our hearts as Jerusalem. Still, it has a history of Jewish settlement for almost 2000 years. Exploring its ancient Jewish population is interesting. As you will see, it is a history with many ups and downs.
The following is not meant to be a political statement for or against removing the settlements. Instead my point is simply the following: whether or not you agree with the Sharon government, knowing the rich history of the area should rightly make the idea of uprooting Jewish settlements quite painful.
Here is what I found: In the 13th century BCE, Gaza was under Egyptian rule. A few hundred years later, at the time of the Israelite conquest, it was allotted to the Israelite’s tribe of Judah but remained in the possession of the Canaanites. In the 12th century BCE it was occupied by the Philistines. (It was there that the story of Samson and Delilah takes place according to the Bible.) Later Gaza was taken over by the Persians, by Alexander the Great, the Maccabees, and by the Romans under whom it flourished.
Technically, Gaza is outside of the boundaries of the Holy Land according to Jewish law. Nevertheless, Jews have lived in Gaza since the Talmudic period (200-500 CE). Evidence of its sizeable Jewish population was uncovered in the 1960s by archaeologists who discovered synagogues, elaborate mosaic floors and a relief with Hebrew and Greek inscriptions.
Gaza was eventually conquered by the Byzantines but in 635 it was taken over by the Arabs. Under Arab rule, Jewish life flourished. Rabbi Moses, one of the masoretes (who put the punctuation in the Torah) was among the city’s famous inhabitants. The Jewish community continued in Gaza until the 12th century when it was wiped out by the Crusaders. In the 14th century (when Bertinoro visited), there were 60 families living there. In the 16-17th centuries, under Ottoman rule, Jewish life again flourished in Gaza. We know of a yeshiva and have writings of some of its well-known rabbis. Israel Najara, for example, was the chief rabbi of Gaza. He is the author of many popular Shabbat songs such as Ya Ribbon.
In the 17th century, Gaza was a center of Shabbatai Zevi’s messianic movement. It was briefly conquered by Napoleon in 1799. But by the 19th century, Gaza city was in decline. Jews living there were mostly in the barley business. They traded with Bedouins for barley which they then exported to Europe for beer breweries.
In WWI, Gaza was a Turkish stronghold. After fierce battles, it was taken by the British. The last Jews left Gaza in 1929 as a result of anti-Jewish riots. Jews began returning to Gaza after the 1967 war.
Unfortunately, in the near future, there is little hope of gathering more hard evidence about the early history of Jewish life in Gaza. Black and white pictures of the mosaics may be all that remain of the ancient synagogue…
Rabbi Alexander Davis Beth El Synagogue 5224 West 26th Street St. Louis Park, MN 55416
Geography - I came across an interesting site for Rehav Rubin who is the Chairman of the Department of Geography at the Hebrew University. I was impressed with his credentials! I have no idea whether he would consider responding to any questions you might have about the geography of Israel, but if you have a moment, look at his site and drool. http://atar.mscc.huji.ac.il/~geo/personal/rubin/cv=bunni.htm
Ghetto Fighter's House Museum, Mr. Yossi Shavit, Archives Director at this address: Beit Lohamei Haghetaot D.N. Western Galilee, 25220 Israel, just outside of Nahariya in the north of Israel. The kibbutz was founded by Ghetto fighters and partisans from Poland and Lithuania. e-mail Yshavit@gfh.org.il Phone: 972- (0)4-995 8080 Fax: 972- (0)4-995 8007 e-mail Mr. Simcha Stein, Director Simstein@gfh.org.il Web site: http://www.gfh.org.il/ This site has a wonderful archive and well worth studying its contents.
Hadar Hacarmel (Haifa)- once had large German Jewish populations.
Hadram'ut Jews - a group of Jews who had lived north of Yemen. They left for Israel via Yemen and were considered nomadic Jews. David Goldman davic@pop.erols.com commented about these Jews on 3/8/2000 on JewishGen.
Haifa -
(Caifa appears on Ottoman Turkish postal markings along with Caiffa and
Haiffa) an ancient fishing village and now a major city of Israel's north - home to 268,000 Jews, Christians, Muslims and Druze. There is an excellent article by Esther Hecht in the February 2003 issue of Hadassah Magazine.
http://hadassah.com/
In 1907 "Caifa" was a fishing port town with a rather important
Templar's colony; Palestine was part of the Ottoman Empire. In 1912 there were only 1,400 Jews, but under the British Mandate,
Haifa grew rapidly and had 130,000 resident just before the War of Independence in 1948. Haifa is also the home of Technion - Israel's first university established in 1924. It has 13,000 students in 19 facilities.
www.technion.ac.il/english/index.html
In July 1947, the Exodus 1947 steamed into Haifa port with 4,515 Jewish refugees on board. The British refused to let them disembark, and the ensuing fight left three dead and 28 wounded. The British then deported the refugees, who ended up in an internment camp. Professor
Meier Schwarz, head of the Exodus Survivors Convention Committee, which
is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the landing of the Exodus, has
located some 1,800 of the approximately 4,500 original passengers.
anyone with information about an Exodus passenger or crew member should
contact Museum curator Genya Markon at 202 488 6108 or
gmarkon@ushmm.org You can see a series of photos on this subject at the Haifa City Museum
www.haifamuseums.org.il
Clandestine Immigration and Naval Museum 204 Allenby Road English tours by appointment (853-6249)
Hartuv - on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the first agricultural settlement on the Judean Hills -- the settlement which was destroyed in the War of Independence, a small booklet ("Zichronnot Hartuv") was published and translated into English. It is a description of the 'before' and 'after' of this kibbutz and can be obtained from The Afikomen Company, 1503 East Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD 21231 bookthingbaltimore@hotmail.com
If you want to read Ivrit (Hebrew) text on your web browser, download free fonts together with an easy installation explanation, provided by Brijnet (British Jewish Network) http://www.brijnet.org/ivrit/webheb.htm
DoroTree "The Jewish Family Tree" software by Zvi Wolicki
Hebrew Lettering - A source to give you the ability to read Hebrew letters without translating them is available for a free download http://www.sabra.net
Hebrew Genealogy Forum - 'Family Roots' is a genealogy forum (in Hebrew) that is not related to any association/organization and deals with all aspects of Jewish genealogy. The Forum is free-to-use and the subjects discussed in it are not moderated The Forum includes a: Table with all the surnames researched by its members; a Gallery for translation and recognizing requests; Links to sites mentioned and Articles originally written and translated. This is a place to talk about genealogy research, ask questions, help others, share your success or failures and meet other people of like interest http://www.tapuz.co.il/tapuzforum/main/forumpage.asp?id=325
" Regarding research at Hebrew U. in Jerusalem: There are several reading rooms on the second floor. The Judaica reading room has on hand a number of worthwhile books. As you enter the room, go through the turnstile and turn right following the counter. At the end of the counter, before it turns to the right, on your left are encyclopedias. These include Otzar Harabanim and Morei Galicia."
"If you go to far end of the room, after the encyclopedias, there is a staircase that takes you to a second half floor. At the top of the stairs, on the right is a genealogy section. Included here are "The Golden Chain" (second, revised edition), Eleph Margoluot (On the Margolit family), Toldot Mishpachat Ginzburg (of little value to anyone not from Lithuania) and Eliyahu's Branches." "In all there are thousands of books in this reading room."
"For the remainder of Hebrew U.' s vast collection, you can order books to read in the reading room. You must specify which reading room, but most likely the most convenient one will be the Judaica reading room. The catalogue is only accessible by computer, online or at the library." The website is
http://ram1.huji.ac.il/ALEPH/eng/NNL/NNL//SCAN
"Click on browse and you get the page to begin searching for books. Books written in Hebrew must be searched in Hebrew, so if you don't have Hebrew capability on your computer, you'll have to wait until you get to the library. Otherwise, it's a good idea to have the call numbers when you get there. That way you can fill out the form request. It can take an hour or two until the books are sent to the reading room. As you enter the library, instead of going straight to the staircase that leads up to the reading rooms, go to the right and then left into what was once the catalogue room. At the end of the room are computers (that can handle Hebrew, English and Russian) and a help desk with the request forms. Ask where you give them in, as it will be easier than my trying to explain that you put them in a slot in a desk elsewhere in the room." From a posting by Nachum Tuchman, Tekoa, Israel
Hebron - Jewish Community web site -
In 1929, the British soldier forced the evacuation of the Jews, who only
returned to the city in 1980. The Cave of the Patriarchs or Ma'arat
HaMachpela is the spiritual center of the ancient city of Hebron
and the second holiest site in Judaism after the Temple Mount in
Jerusalem. http://www.hebron.org.il/
"In a message
dated 8/23/2006 3:37:23 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, Tom Klein
(jewishgen@ecologicaltech.com)
cites my posting:
According to the Encyc. Jud., A Jewish community is mentioned in Nablus
as
far back as 1522; its fortunes varied throughout the 18th and 19th
centuries.
It completely abandoned the city shortly after 1900.
==After
World War I, Jews again tried to live there. The town suffered severe
damage in the 1927 earthquake and was largely destroyed. Nablus
was a center
of Muslim fanaticism and the 1929 Arab riots ended the attempts of
Jewish
settlers."
"and disputes it by writing: < The 1913 (pre-British Mandate) Jewish
Encyclopedia article on "modern Hebron" (available online at
http://tinyurl.com/mle6k
paints a completely different picture.
< According to the article, the Jewish community of Hebron had,
at that time, 4 synagogues, 4 batei midrash, 3 yeshivot, and 5 talmud
torahs, located both inside and outside the "ghetto" (i.e. Jewish
quarter of the old city). and of course, it was divided between
Sephardic and Ashkenazic communities, including separate chief rabbis.
< it makes no mention of the place being "abandoned shortly after
1900".
==Indeed not. This is absolutely true of Hebron. To quote from
my own book, "The Time of the Burning Sun: Six Days of War, Twelve
Weeks of Hope," p 183, (you can check it out at
Amazon.com by
"looking inside the book"):
<< . . .there were 1500 pious Jews in Hebron in 1890. Thirty
Jewish families returned after the 1929 massacre, but they left again
during the 1936 Arab riots. "Only one Jew, Yakov Ezra, remained,
ostensibly to manage a cheese factory, secretly to act as the
Hagannah's eyes and ears . . . In 1947, even Yakov Ezra left." >> [I
own the copyright; JewishGen may print this]
==I made a mistake saying in an earlier response on this topic that
Yakov Ezra was a member of the Bavli Kabalistic Ben-Eliahu family; in
truth, one ofhis female relatives married into the Ben-Eliahu family.
==Nablus is approx 60 miles north of Jerusalem; Hebron
is approx 18 miles ssw by s of Jerusalem. Historically, they are
light years apart. From a posting by Michael Bernet
MBernet@aol.com
History In A Nutshell - a dramatic view of the history of Israel since the Balfour Declaration and to date. Beautifully done by Udi Ohana
www.conceptwizard.com/conflict.html
Homeward Bound - an interactive experience through the Central Zionist Archives. The pages correspond with the Student Department's course "Blueprint of a Nation: A Survey of Modern Zionism". You can register for the course and use the lectures as a guide or the button bar at the bottom of the screen will take you to different categories or to different places of possible interest. You can search the database from the years 1881 to 1921. I suggest you look at the Table of Contents first, though I found the 'Immigration & Settlement' hyperlink of great interest http://www.iea.org.il/blueprint/
International Tracing Service (ITS) Arolsen, Germany, holds records that include data on murdered, missing, displaced, emigrated and survived Jews throughout Europe. The lists, compiled by the Red Cross, using Nazi documentation, includes: Names; Birthdate and place, next of kin, Death date and cause of Death, Grave location, and more.
Israel at the Crossroads - historical background of the Israeli-Arab (Palestinian) conflict, including maps, photos, images and music http://masada2000.org/
The web site for the society is at http://www.isragen.org.il The site offers links to Yizkor Books and publications and bills itself as the 'Gateway to Genealogical Resources in Israel'
An Inventory of Yizkor Books at "Ah'ad Ha'am Library, Tel Aviv,
is available online at
http://www.isragen.org.il/yiz/AhadHaam_books.htm
The Negev Branch contact is: Martha Lev-Zion
martha@bgumail.bgu.ac.ilor Shirley Rosen Telephone: 6422589
The Tel Aviv Branch contact is: Eitan Shilo eitanshilo@att.global.net
Israel GenWeb Project - Genealogy for the State of Israel, Jewish Genealogy resources for the State of Israel www.rootsweb.com/~isrwgw/
Israel Independence -
Israel by the
Numbers on the Eve of its 58th Year of
Independence
160 -
The number of countries with which Israel has
established diplomatic ties. That includes
Muslim countries such as Egypt, Jordan,
Mauritania and Qatar. [1]
12,877 square miles --
Israel's total land mass - slightly less than
that of New Jersey.[2]
8,368,272 square miles --
The land mass of the 21 Arab countries
surrounding countries, along with
the Palestinian Authority-controlled areas
including Gaza and parts of the West Bank. [3]
1/16th of 1% -- Israel's
land mass compared to its Arab neighbors. [4]
6 -- The number of defensive
wars Israel has fought for its survival. [5]
12,708 - The number of Israeli
soldiers who died in those battles to keep their
country independent. [6]
That breaks down to:
The War of Independence (1948): 6,373
(from pre-state days until July 1949)
The Sinai Campaign of 1956: 231
The Six-Day War (June 1967):
776
The War of Attrition (1968-70):
1,424
The Yom Kippur War (October 1973): 2,688
Operation Peace for Galilee (1982):
1,216 [7]
9,000 -- The number of
settlers evacuated from Gaza during the 2005
disengagement.[8]
138 -- The number of Israeli
soldiers who have been killed in the line of
duty since from May 2005-May 2006.[9]
0 -- The number of times
Israel has plotted the destruction of another
country. (Israel launched a pre-emptive strike
in 1967 after the armies of Egypt, Jordan and
Syria amassed on her borders in a bid to wipe
out Israel). [10]
2 -- The number of times
Israel has given up land - a total of
38,343 square miles -- for peace. That
includes the Sinai, 37,820 square miles
[11]; the Gaza Strip, 223 square
miles; and the West Bank, 300
square miles. [12]
90,000 -- The possible
number of Israeli settlers that Israeli Interim
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert may evacuate from the
West Bank. [13]
1,113 -- The number of
Israelis who have been killed since Sept. 2000
by Palestinian violence and terrorist attacks.
That includes 778
civilians and 335 security forces.
[14]
48,000 -- The equivalent
number of deaths in the United States.
7,676 -- The number of
Israelis who have been injured in Palestinian
violence and terrorist attacks (5,373 civilians and 2,303 security forces ). [15]
17 -- The number of women
who serve in Israel's Knesset (Parliament). [16]
10 -- The number of Arabs
who serve as serve as representatives in
Israel's democratically elected Knesset
(Parliament). A member of the Druze community [17] also
serves in the Knesset, in the ruling Kadima
party. One of the Arab representatives is a
member of the Labor Party. [18]
Israel's History of Peace
1948: Israel accepts the United Nation's plan
for a Jewish state and an Arab state
1967: In exchange for peace, Israel offers to
exchange land held during the Six Day War
1979: Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli
Prime Minister Menachem Begin sign historic Camp
David Peace Accords
1993: Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin signs the
historic Oslo Accords with Yasser Arafat
1994: A peace treaty is signed between Israel
and Jordan. This resulted in a just and lasting
peace.
2000: Israel makes an offer to create a
Palestinian independent state- an offer Arafat
rejects.
2003: After a wave of terror targeted at Israeli
citizens, including women and children, Israelis
continue to make peace offers.
2005: Israel's disengagement initiative removed
Jewish communities to give Palestinians land and
control. It also removed almost 9,000 Jewish
citizens and businesses from the Gaza Strip. It
is a powerful and dramatic symbol of Israel's
willingness to make painful sacrifices for
peace. [19]
7,026,000 -- Israel's
population. Of those, 5.44 million
are Jews and almost 1.39 million are Arabs, who make up
20% of the population. [20]
306,000 -- The number of
non-Jewish immigrants living in Israel, who
comprise 4% of the population. [21]
21,000 -- The number of
immigrants that arrived in Israel in the last
year, some in search of a better life, others
fleeing growing anti-Semitism and anti-Semitic
attacks. That includes 9,300
from Russia and other former Soviet republics;
3,700 from Ethiopia;
2,500 from France; and 2,000
from the United States.
[22]
3 -- The number of years men
must serve in the military after they turn
18. They are required to perform reserve duty
several weeks a year until the age of 51. [23]
21 -- The number of months
women must serve in the military after they turn
18. [24] Religious
women may opt for the country's national service
program. [25]
At least 30 -- The number of
countries and regions from which Israel's
residents hail.[26]
$123.7 billion -- Israel's
Gross Domestic Product for 2005. [27]
More than 240 million -- The
number of trees have been planted in Israel
since 1901, making it the only country in the
world to enter the 21st century with a net gain
in the numbers of trees. [28]
[12] "Window to Withdrawal: AIPAC's Guide to
Israel's Disengagement," AIPAC,
http://www.aipac.org/disengagement/byTheNumbers.htm
"General Info. and Statistics: Settlements in
the Gaza Strip," Israel Defense Forces Web site,
Aug. 14, 2005
The Israel Project is an international
non-profit organization devoted to educating the
press and the public about Israel while
promoting security, freedom and peace. The
Israel Project provides journalists, leaders and
opinion-makers accurate information about
Israel.
Board of
Advisors: Senator Evan Bayh (IN), Senator Saxby
Chambliss (GA), Senator Norm Coleman (MN),
Senator Ben Nelson (NE), Senator Rick Santorum
(PA), Senator Arlen Specter (PA), Senator Ron
Wyden (OR), Congressman Rob Andrews (NJ),
Congresswoman Shelley Berkley (NV), Congressman
Tom Davis (VA), Congressman Eliot Engel (NY),
Congressman Frank Pallone (NJ), Congressman Jon
Porter (NV), Congressman Jim Saxton (NJ),
Congressman Brad Sherman (CA), Congressman Joe
Wilson (SC), Actor and Director Ron Silver
Israel National Library - located in Jerusalem, has a book entitled "Chelkat Michokek" by Rabbi Brisk. His book lists the inscriptions of all the tombstones that were on the Mount ofOlives cemetery during his lifetime. http://jnul.huji.ac.il/
Israel State Archives - much material is available here in the Prime Minister's Office including Citizenship papers and photos during the British Mandate. You must notify the office before your arrival and they will have the material ready for you. You will be asked for identification and a letter granting you permission because of security being very strict.
Israeli Phone Directory - on-line by BEZEK (Israeli Telecomm Co.) This is a very fast search engine and can even do reverse searches, but you need to be able to read Hebrew. http://www.144.bezek.com/
JDC - They have a microfilm made from registration cards of people seeking help during World War II through Joint offices in Munich, Vienna and Barcelona. This comprises some 80,000 names with family details. After the war, the Joint had a location office in Istanbul which tried to locate refugees and lost families. These records are also available. And finally, there is a list of survivors, which, alas, does not have a search engine. This list is arranged according to location, and then by family names arranged alphabetically. The JDC lists include additional information that is not available at Yad Vashem. archives@jdc.org.il
Jerusalem - the capital and largest city of Israel. Its status as capital has been claimed by Israel since 1949. The city's eastern half lies in the contested West Bank. Jerusalem has 680,000 residents: its population grew by 1.7% during 2002.
Jerusalem Cemetery - Until 1948, there was only one main cemetery, Mount of Olives. It was under Jordanian rule from 1948 & 1967. A road was built right through the cemetery and they used the tombstones for the paving base. The cemetery, actually has been used from before the reign of King David ... more than 3,000 years ago. Since there are 5 or 6 different Chevra Kadisha who bury on the mountain, a search could prove to be difficult. http://www.kadisha.biz/
Jerusalem Post / Palestine Post
- The Palestine Post
is a Jewish historical newspaper that was published in Palestine/Israel
during the years 1932-1950 in English.
http://jic.tau.ac.il/moreshet/palestineEn.asp
Jerusalem Report - bills itself as the Jewish world's leading news magazine is on-line at http://www.jrep.com/ offers excellent book review and an archive service
Jewish Brigade - the only all-Jewish fighting unit, composed of 5,000 men from then Palestine and England. "It seems that the terms "Palestine Brigade" and "Jewish Brigade" have been used interchangeably, not only on the Internet but also in books." http://www.rafweb.org/GrpO3.htm#PB
The Palestine Brigade was formed in 1917 to control all Royal Flying Corps training units west of Suez.
Zion Mule Corps and the Palestine Regiment of WW I. There is a great deal of literature and a museum. The Museum is near to Netanya. Three is also a memorial book (not very complete) which lists all the soldiers and their military numbers. Beit Hagdudim Museum Moshav Avichayil 42910 Israel
The first all Jewish battalion was formed in 1915. It was responsible for transport as part of the preparation for the attack on Gallipoli.
The Jewish Brigade was also known as the "Zion Mule Corps", whose commander was Joseph Trumpledor. It was also known as the "Judean Battalions" and the "Palestine Jewish Legion". Jewish Brigade of WW II Israel War Veterans League 11 Manne Street Tel-Aviv, 61161, Israel
"The Jewish Legion" - authored by Zeev Jabotinsky has a Hebrew title of "Megilat ha-Gedud: sipur ha-gedudim ha-Ivriyim be-milhemet ha-olam ha-rishonah". It is out of print.
A film, "In Our Own Hands: The Hidden Story of the Jewish Brigade in World War II" is a 90 minute documentary about these volunteers is being shown on various PBS TV stations. The film makers gathered testimony from more than 40 surviving Jewish Brigade soldiers. Copies of this riveting documentary is available from the producer: Chuck Olin Associates, (312) 822 9552
Jewish Colonial Trust - "I have been aware for some time that shares in the upcoming state of Palestine (now Israel) were offered for sale many years ago, and that many Jews in Europe and many other countries around the world purchased these shares in the first third of the 20th century, for three reasons: 1. As a good investment, 2. To export their money to a safe haven, or 3. As Zionists, to show their support for Hertzl's new country-to-be -- Palestine.
So I searched for and found the web site and an on-line data base of Jewish Colonial Trust shareholders. This Trust, based on an old company established about 100 years ago, still exists today. The Trust is searching for the original shareholders or their valid descendants in order for these people to receive a cash settlement. I have searched the data base and found a number of relatives or persons of whom I know, and perhaps you will be able to do this too. Read on.
The Jewish Colonial Trust Ltd was the parent company of the Anglo Palestine Bank, the predecessor of Bank Leumi of Israel. It was founded in 1899 by Theodore Hertzl to serve as a financial instrument for the Zionist Movement.
Early in the 20th century, the company issued approximately 250,000 shares at par value one pound Sterling. The company's activities in the diplomatic field focused on the purchase from the Ottoman Government of the right to settle in the Land of Israel, and in the financial field, to grant credit for the establishment of Zionist activities in the Land of Israel. The company established a number of subsidiaries which subsequently became well known, including the Anglo-Palestine Bank which later evolved into today's Bank Leumi of Israel.
In the 1950s the company's activities were transferred to an Israeli corporation, The Jewish Colonial Trust Ltd., and most of its share rights were converted into interests in the Israeli company.
Share holders or their descendants are entitled to contact the company and to receive a cash settlement or other benefit. The web site http://www.jct.co.il/contact.html has a form which can be filled in and sent via e-mail to the company to make such a claim.
The home page where you can search for the names of relatives and find other information is at http://www.jct.co.il/shareholders.asp I do recommend that you visit this page and search for your ancestors.
The search name you use should be either the exact name of which you are aware, or the first syllable or two if you are uncertain of the exact spelling -- their search engine finds the exact text which you submit, but also finds other names which continue on with extensions of your text for the name, e.g., Ester and Esterson. Their search engine allows you to search for either an exact surname, forename, or city of residence, or some combination of these three items of information, or to input the first part of a person's name or city name in order to get variations of what you are looking for, and/or to get around a lack of knowledge of exactly how the name was spelled in the data base (no Soundex).
The data base would also be useful for those seeking to collect a large number of the residents of a given European country (or non-European country, for that matter) or city, for genealogical purposes. The company can be contacted at:
JCT - Jewish Colonial Trust, Ltd. 17 Kaplan Street