Jewish Records Indexing - Poland
	The searchable database of indices to 19th century Jewish vital records from current and former territories of Poland. More thanrecords fromPolish towns now indexed and available. More added every month.

The JRI-Poland Shtetl CO-OP Initiative
scroll down to see if work on your Shtetl is underway
or how you can start a Shtetl CO-OP
Read our "Step-by-Step Guide for the Shtetl CO-OP Coordinator."
Read the information about the Toronto Photocopy Service for Shtetl CO-OPs.
Read our helpful indexing techniques.
Make your town's records Shtetl CO-OP ready.

JRI-Poland has undertaken the massive task of indexing the Jewish vital records of Poland in the LDS (Mormon) microfilms. To date, more than 1.2 million Russian and Polish language records from 260 towns have been indexed, principally by volunteers from many different countries. Some of the difficult Russian (Cyrillic script) entries have been transliterated by professionals whose work has been funded by contributions from individuals and groups of Jewish genealogists with family roots in Poland.

The invaluable contribution of the JRI-Poland database for Jewish family research, evidenced by the numerous testimonies of our fellow genealogists, prompted the JRI-Poland board to seek ways to expedite the work of the project. As a result, in late 1997, JRI-Poland launched the Shtetl CO-OP initiative.

Shtetl CO-OPs consist of groups of volunteers with a common interest in an ancestral town. Under the leadership of a project coordinator, each JRI- Poland Shtetl CO-OP team will copy the index pages in the LDS films for their town(s) and enter these indices into an Excel or Lotus file. The standard format (template) and instruction guide is available from JRI-Poland. The completed file will reviewed by the project's transliteration coordinator and then uploaded to the JRI-Poland database.

The Shtetl CO-OP concept is an outgrowth of our own experience and a reflection of the success of the JewishGen ShtetLinks project which emphasizes the value of cooperative research and sharing. This team approach is particularly invaluable for those cities and towns which had large Jewish populations and for which there are many microfilms.

The initial Shtetl CO-OPs were formed for the indexing and/or data entry of the LDS microfilms of the Warsaw and Bialystok Jewish vital records. These projects are being led by Barbara Khait, and Sonia and David Hoffman respectively, and are being done with the invaluable contributions and cooperation of the DOROT, the Douglas E. Goldman Jewish Genealogy Centre of Beth Hatefutsoth, Tel Aviv.

Refer to the following summary of Shtetl CO-OPs with contacts. Also see: "Starting a Shtetl CO-OP to index the records for other towns for the JRI-Poland database"

Summary of all current Shtetl CO-OP Initiatives
Contact the co-ordinator to learn the status or to offer your assistance.
Read our "Step-by-Step Guide for the Shtetl CO-OP Coordinator."
Read about the Toronto Photocopy Service for Shtetl CO-OPs.
View some of the Shtetl CO-OP leaders who attended the International Conference on Jewish Genealogy in SLC, Utah, July 2000.

Shtetl	Province	Coordinator	Address
Annopol	Lublin	Jim Feldman	Newton, MA
Bedzin	Katowice	Jeff Cymbler	Rego Park, NY
Belchatów	Lodz	Roni Liebowitz	Scarsdale, NY
Biala Podlaska	Lublin	Stephen Krefman and Mila Begun	Paw Paw, MI and New York, NY
Bialystok	Bialystok	Sonia and David Hoffman	Los Angeles, CA
Bielawy	Lodz	Sheila Salo	Cheverly, MD
Biezun	Warszawa	Ron Geller	Cypress, CA
Bobrowniki	Warszawa	Nolan Altman	Oceanside, NY
Bodzentyn	Kielce	Reuben Baumal	Toronto, Canada
Bolimow	Lodz	Gilbert Hendlisz	Brussels, Belgium
Bresc Kujawski	Poznan	Rieke Nash	Lane Cove, Australia
Brzeznica	Lodz	Gloria Berkenstat Freund	New York, NY
Bychawa	Lublin	Ester Csaky	Melbourne, Australia
Bytom	Katowice	Henry Graupner	Toronto, Canada
Chelm	Lublin	Please contact Hadassah Lipsius
Chorzele	Warszawa	Jim Hazlett	Marblehead, MA
Ciechanow	Warszawa	Stan Zeidenberg	Toronto, Ont. Canada
Czemierniki	Lublin	Mila Begun	New York, NY
Czersk	Warszawa	Reserved	Please contact Hadassah Lipsius for further information
Czerwinsk	Warszawa	Larry Blum	Port Richey, FL
Czestochowa	Katowice	Michael Chen	Herzliya, Israel
Czyzewo-Osada	Bialystok	Gary Palgon	Atlanta, GA
Drobin	Warszawa	Barnett Mitzman and Richard Stark	Brooklyn, NY and New Jersey
Dubienka	Lublin	Sherill Pociecha	Wroclaw, Poland
Dzialoszyn	Lodz	Marcos Frid	San Carlos, CA
Frampol	Lublin	Yoav Kliger	Pardes Hana, Israel
Glowno	Lodz	Ada Holtzman	Tel Aviv, Israel
Glusk	Lublin	Robinn Magid	Kensington, CA
Golub-Drobzyn	Bydgoszcz	Sandra Greenberg	Denver, CO
Gora Kalwaria	Warszawa	Reserved	Please contact Hadassah Lipsius for further information
Grajewo	Bialystok	Reserved	Please contact Hadassah Lipsius for further information
Grodzisk Mazoweicki	Warszawa	Gary Palgon	Atlanta, GA
Grojec	Warszawa	Reserved	Please contact Hadassah Lipsius for further information
Hrubieszów	Lublin	Barry Megdal	Northridge, CA
Ilza	Kielce	Carolynne Veffer	Toronto, Canada / Hong Kong
Irena	Warszawa	Nolan Altman	Oceanside, NY
Izbica Kujawska	Poznan	Rieke Nash and Bernard Freedman	Lane Cove, Australia
Izbica (Lubelski)	Lublin	Marc Ber	Fairlawn, NJ
Jablonka Koscielna	Bialystok	Reserved	Please contact Hadassah Lipsius for further information
Jablonka Swierszczew	Bialystok	Reserved	Please contact Hadassah Lipsius for further information
Josefow nad Wisla	Lublin	Sol Zatz	Brooklyn, NY
Kalisz notes	Poznan	Sue Fifer	Middlesex, England
Kaluszyn	Warszawa	Linda Shabat	Hayward, CA
Karczew	Warszawa	Naidia Woolf	San Francisco, CA
Kazimierz Dolny	Lublin	Norm Katz	Norfolk, VA
Kepno	Poznan	Basil Samuels	London, England
Klimontów	Kielce	Yechezkel Anis	Jerusalem, Israel
Klobuck	Katowice	Gloria Berkenstat Freund	New York, NY
Kolo	Poznan	Kirsten Gradel	Nyborg, Denmark
Komorow	Lublin	David Trost	Toronto, Canada
Konin	Poznan	Madeleine Okladek	New York, NY
Konskie	Kielce	Gideon Carmi	Kibbutz Machanaim, Israel
Konstantynow Lodzki	Lodz	Morris Wirth	Baltimore, MD
Kosow	Warszawa	Judy Baston	San Francisco, CA
Kraków	Kraków	Judie Ostroff-Goldstein	Syosset, NY
Krasniczyn	Lublin	Robinn Magid	Kensington, CA
Krasnik	Lublin	Sol Zatz	Brooklyn, NY
Kremenets	Volhynia, Ukraine	Ron D. Doctor and Sherre Roth	Portland, OR and Palo Alto, CA
Kromolow	Katowice	Ruth Wilnai	Palo Alto, CA
Kurów	Lublin	Jonathon Mark Newman	Leeds, England
Kutno	Lodz	Dick Goldman	Baltimore, MD
Lodz	Lodz	Morris Wirth	Baltimore, MD
Lomazy	Lublin	Jay Feinberg	Deerfield, IL
Losice	Warszawa	Gert Rogers	Toronto, Canada
Lowicz	Lodz	anonymous volunteer	JRI-Poland
Lozdzjie	Suwalki	Lillian Faffer	New York, NY
Lublin	Lublin	Robinn Magid	Kensington, CA
Lukow	Lublin	Shirley Rosen	Beer Sheva, Israel
Lutomiersk	Lodz	Marcos Frid	San Carlos, CA
Markuszow	Lublin	Barry Weiss	Boulder, CO
Michow Lubartowski	Lublin	Robinn Magid	Kensington, CA
Minsk Mazowiecka	Warszawa	Linda Shabat	Hayward, CA
Mlawa	Warszawa	Harriet Brown	Madison, WI
Mordy	Warszawa	Gert Rogers	Toronto, Canada
Miedzyrzec Podlaski	Lublin	Mila Begun and Stephen Krefman	New York, NY and Paw Paw, MI
Mogielnica	Warszawa	Leah Jordan Bisel and Morris Wirth	W. Bloomfield, MI and Baltimore, MD
Mszczonow	Warszawa	Aron Meron-Michowski	Alfe Menashe, Israel
Nysa	Opole	Ellen Lowe	Granada Hills, CA
Nowogrod	Bialystok	Reserved	Please contact Hadassah Lipsius for further information
Opoczno	Kielce	Debra Kay
Ozarów	Kielce	Suzanne S. Waxman	Santa Rosa, CA
Pajeczno	Lodz	Gloria Berkenstat Freund	New York, NY
Piaseczno	Warszawa	Reserved	Please contact Hadassah Lipsius for further information
Pinczow	Kielce	Michael Chen	Herzliya, Israel
Piotrków Trybunalski	Lodz	Marla Waltman Daschko	Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Plock	Warszawa	Ada Holtzman	Tel Aviv, Israel
Przybysew	Kielce	Reserved	Please contact Hadassah Lipsius for further information
Pulawy	Lublin	Norm Katz	Norfolk, VA
Pszczyna	Katowice	Marian Krzyzowski	Ann Arbor, MI
Raciaz	Warszawa	Flora Gursky	Great Falls, VA
Radzilow	Bialystok	Jose Gutstein	Miami, FL
Radomsko	Lodz	Gloria Berkenstat Freund	New York, NY
Radzyn Podlaski	Lublin	Judith Silver and Yaakov Goldwasser	London, UK and Gesher Haziv, Israel
Rojgród	Bialystok	Reserved	Please contact Hadassah Lipsius for further information
Rozprza	Lodz	Leah Jordan Bisel and Gideon Carmi	W. Bloomfield, MI and Kibbutz Machanaim, Israel
Sereje	Bialystok	Teresa Galloway	Ithaca, NY
Siedlce	Warszawa	Brian Braun	Champaign, IL
Skierniewice	Lodz	Aron Meron-Michowski	Alfe Menashe, Israel
Skulsk	Poznan	Madeleine Okladek	New York, NY
Slawatycze	Lublin	Henry Gitelman	Montreal, Canada
Sluzewo	Bydgoszcz	Rieke Nash	Lane Cove, Australia
Smoszewo	Warszawa	Larry Blum	Port Richey, FL
Sniadow	Bialystok	Reserved	Please contact Hadassah Lipsius for further information
Sobkow	Kielce	Warren Blatt	Waltham, MA
Sochocin	Warszawa	Larry Blum	Port Richey, FL
Sokolow Podlaski	Warszawa	Anne Fendrich	Denver, CO
Staszów	Kielce	Jean-Pierre Stroweis	Jerusalem, Israel
Stawiszyn	Poznan	Sue Fifer	Middlesex, England
Szadek	Lodz	Morris Wirth	Baltimore, MD
Szczebrzeszyn	Lublin	Perry Eisman	New Yor, NY
Szczuczyn	Bialystok	Les Amer	Los Angeles, CA
Tarnów	Kraków	Howard Fink	Acton, MA
Tomaszów Mazowiecki	Lodz	Hadassah Lipsius	Kew Gardens Hills, NY
Tarczyn	Warszawa	Reserved	Please contact Hadassah Lipsius for further information
Tuszyn	Lodz	Leah Jordan Bisel	W. Bloomfield, MI
Tykocin	Bialystok	Richard Hoffman and Mark Halpern	Santa Clarita, CA and and West Conshohocken, PA
Warka	Warszawa	Nathalie Wajzer-Klein	Rechovot, Israel
Warszawa	Warszawa	Hadassah Lipsius	Kew Gardens Hills, NY
Warta	Lodz	Madeleine Okladek	New York, NY
Wasosz	Bialystok	Reserved	Please contact Hadassah Lipsius for further information
Wielun	Lodz	Marcos Frid	San Carlos, CA
Wieniawa	Lublin	Robinn Magid	Kensington, CA
Wierzbica	Kielce	Lowell Ackerman	Scottsdale, AZ
Wilczyn	Poznan	Madeleine Okladek	New York, NY
Wizna	Bialystok	Jose Gutstein	Miami, FL
Wloclawek	Bydgoszcz	Rieke Nash	Lane Cove, Australia
Wolbrom	Kraków	Robert Heyman	Canberra, Australia
Wysockie Mazowiecki	Bialystok	Reserved	Please contact Hadassah Lipsius for further information
Wyszogród	Warszawa	Stuart Richler	Montreal, Canada
Zakroczym	Warszawa	Steve Rosenberg	Or Yehuda, Israel
Zambrów	Bialystok	Reserved	Please contact Hadassah Lipsius for further information
Zamosc	Lublin	Sheila Grossnass	London, England
Zarnowiec	Krakow	Michael Tobias	Glasgow, Scotland
Zdunska Wola	Lodz	H. Daniel Wagner	Rehovot, Israel
Zgierz	Lodz	Joe Ross	Bala Cynwyd, PA
Zolkiewka	Lublin	Kirsten Gradel	Nyborg, Denmark
Zuromin	Warszawa	Catherine Youngren	Vancouver, BC
Zychlin	Lodz	Sheila Salo	Cheverly, MD

Starting a Shtetl CO-OP to index the records for other towns:

JewishGenners wanting easy access to the indices of vital records for their towns are being urged to form their own Shtetl CO-OPs. JRI-Poland will provide the procedures for photocopying, transliteration where necessary, and data entry. Here's how to get your Shtetl CO-OP underway:

Start by identifying other researchers with a common interest in the town (the JewishGen Family Finder lists these researchers), agree on a project leader or - better still - don't wait for someone else to accept the responsibility, you take the initiative (sound familiar!) and get your Shtetl CO-OP going.... this week!

JRI-Poland is extending a special incentive to those who accept the responsibility of becoming Shtetl CO-OP project leaders. By agreeing to coordinate the entire effort to index all their town's records in the LDS microfilms, these volunteers will be granted official access to the resulting database of indices to these records. This offer will be extended to towns which have only been partially indexed. To view a list of the towns/records already on the JRI-Poland database, click the "database contents" button on the JRI-Poland website.

To register your interest in being a Shtetl CO-OP project leader for your town, contact: Hadassah Lipsius at: kesher@lipsiusgroup.com

For more information on JRI-Poland, please see the website Home Page at http://www.jewishgen.org/jri-pl.

Other major initiatives underway

Zareby Koscielne (Zaromb) Initiative

Through unusual circumstances, the Jewish Historical Institute, Warsaw, has come into possession of the Jewish birth, marriage and death registers for Zareby Koscielne for the years 1808 - 1809 and 1840 to 1939! Using these and other years in the LDS microfilms (1810 - 1839), JRI-Poland has created a complete searchable index of the vital records from 1808 to 1939. This is unparalled in Jewish vital records research for any Polish town. Almost 10,000 records for this town are now available through the JRI-Poland search engine.

Because of marriages between families in surrounding towns and shtetels, the Zareby Koscielne vital records will have references to SURNAMES from Zambrow, Ostrow Maz., Nur, Brok, Kosov, Czyzew, Ciechanowiec, Przasnysz, and other former Lomza Gubernia locations.

The Zareby Koscielne Shtetl CO-OP project was led by Morris Spector of Hamden, For further information, contact Morris:

Morris Spector
Zareby Koscielne Project Coordinator
P.O. Box 6132
Hamden, CT 06517
203-288-2816
203-281-0316 (fax)
MSpector@aol.com

Wyszków Jewish Vital Records and Cemetery Monument Project

For further information on this initiative, follow this link.

Kielce-Radom Project:

Volunteers in the Kielce-Radom SIG are working on extracts of records of additional towns; a list may be viewed on the K-R SIG website. When completed, the indices to these extracts will be added to JRI-Poland database.

For more information on becoming a Shtetl CO-OP leader, please contact Shtetl CO-OP and Transliteration Co-ordinator, Hadassah Lipsius.