European Jewish Galicia

The Jewish-occupied region in Europe, known as Galicia, had been under Austrian, Polish and Soviet rule over the centuries.

Galicia is generally the eastern half of the former Austrian province of Galacia (Galizien). This eastern portion was predominately Jewish, while the western part was more Polish.

During the Austrian period (1772-1918) it was known as East Galicia (Ost-Galizien, Skhidna Halychyna and Galicja Wschodnia).

The term Galicia and Galacia is often interchanged. For purposes on this web site, the spelling for Galicia is for the European pronounciaton and Galacia for the Spanish locale.

The Galacia region in Spain shares a similar name. The only connection may be that the decendants of Spanish Galacia renamed their new homeland in the Austria-region as Galicia.

Included on this page are collections of links that are relevant to tourism and genealogy in Galicia. Resources courtesy of Robert Zucker, a Galician descendent.

Galicia Genealogy

• JewishGen: Gesher Galicia:
  http://www.jewishgen.org/GALICIA/
  Gesher Galicia is the SIG for those with Jewish roots in the former Austrian province of Galicia, Europe. Find databases, links and resources for Jewish-Galician genealogists.
• Galicizien On Line: http://www.galizien-online.de/
  Index of the 19th Century and early 20th Century Jewish vital records of 88 towns and villages in the former Austrian Province of Galicia, Europe.
• JRI Poland Search Database: http://www.jewishgen.org/jri-pl/jriplweb.htm results by Russian Gubernia and Galician Wojewodztwa. JRI-Polish Vital Records Archive
• Burial Societies in the New York Metro Area http://www.jgsny.org/searchcity.htm

History of Galicia and historical records online

• Galicia Revolution 1848: http://www.ohio.edu/chastain/dh/galacia.htm
  The Galicia Revolution was influenced by the outbreak of the revolution in Vienna on March 13, 1848. By Jolanta T. Pekacz.
• Germany Attacks- Under Soviet Rule: Galicia: http://home.att.net/~hbedelstein/Page1.html
  German troops attacked Poland on September 1, 1939

Polish Galicia

• Vital Records in Poland: http://www.jewishgen.org/infofiles/polandv.html
  Records for 1908 and before as well as 1909 and after from JewishGen. History of Vital Records in Poland.
• JRI Poland Search Database: http://www.jewishgen.org/jri-pl/jriplweb.htm
  results by Russian Gubernia and Galician Wojewodztwa. JRI-Polish Vital Records Archive

Galizien

• Willkommen auf Veit's Galizien-On German Genealogy: http://www.galizien-online.de/
  with database from Galizien-Online

Lviv (Lemberg)

• Lviv State University Lviviska Polytechnica. PolyNet

Bolechow, Austria

Bolechow (in German and Polish), ("Bolekhov" in Yiddish), ("Bolekhiv" in Ukranian), (other spellings: Boletrov, Bolihov, Bolechov) is southeast of Lemberg (L'viv), a mecca for Jews in the area. Several books references to Bolechow, Lemberg and Galicia are found below. Lattitude/Longitude: 49°04´/23°52´

From the Bolechow: Name Authority file from Library of Congress on Bolechow:

• Bolekhiv (Ukraine)
• Bolechow (Ukraine)
• Bolekhov (Ukraine)
• Bolekhiv (Ukraine)
• Bolechow (Ukraine)
• nne Bolekhov (Ukraine)
• NUCMC data from Jewish Historical Society of Maryland (Baltimore) for Laufer, S. Papers, 1908-1978 (Bolechow; in Galicia area of Ukraine)
• Ukraina [MAP] 1992: (Bolekhiv)
• Ukr. rad. entsykl.: v. 1, p. 519 (Bolekhiv, town in Ivano-Frankivska oblast; known since 14th cent.) BGN gaz., USSR: (Bolekhov. popl.: 49p0s 04 N., 23p0s 52 E.) Col. Lip. gazeteer, 1976 (Bolekhov, Ukraine)

Traveling to Bolechov:

• Mendelsohn's Travel Report http://bolechow.ajmendelsohn.com/
• A Cyber-Memorial to the pre-WWII Jewish Communities of my Ancestors http://www.shtetlinks.jewishgen.org/stanislawow/gen/index.htm

History and Research:

Jewish History in Galicia and Bukovina. Photographs of Bolechow were made by Dr. Vladimir Levin in August 2009, during the expedition to the Ivano-Frankivsk region. http://www.jewishgalicia.net/Gallery/Bolechow.aspx

• Bolechow Jewish Heritage Society is an online resource for Bolechow family and friends, and for those interested in preserving the heritage of pre-war eastern Poland (Galicia). Web site covers history, genealogy, travel information and resource research links: http://www.bolechow.org/
• Bolechow Home Page from jewishgen.org with photo gallery and travel log. http://www.shtetlinks.jewishgen.org/Bolekhov/index.htm
• The Jewish Cemetary in Bolechow. Photos of headstones: http://www.jewishgalicia.net/Gallery/Cemetery%20in%20Bolechow.aspx
• The Great Synagogue in Bolechow. The Great Synagogue in Bolechow was apparently built in the 17th century and heavely rebuilt at the end of the 19th century. In the 1950s, the building was converted into a workers' club. Since the 1990s, it stands abandoned and delapidating. Photos: http://www.jewishgalicia.net/Gallery/Synagogue%20in%20Bolechow.aspx
• Gesher Galicia – The Special Interest Group for Galicia - A membership group for the area from Jewishgen.org: http://www.jewishgen.org/Galicia/
• The Bolechow Jewish Heritage Project Blog: http://bhmp.wordpress.com/
• The All Galicia Database: http://search.geshergalicia.org/
• JewishGen Index on Bolechow: http://www2.jewishgen.org/jri-pl/town/bolechow.htm
• JewishGen Family Finder: http://www.jewishgen.org/jgff/jgffweb.asp

Bolechov Research Summary from jewishgen.org. Photos, map, research and related links: http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/Bolekhov/index.htm

http://www.shtetlinks.jewishgen.org/Bolekhov/res_sum.html

History of the Jews in Bolechov at the end of the 18th Century

Holocaust Museum Memorial Book Collection

Surnames of residents of Bolechow and Galicia, (FEEHS database)

Warsaw Voice: buses made in Bolechow 1/14/96

Deportations to Belzec with mention of Bolechow

Cemetary Project of JewishGen listing and description of Bolekhov

Bolechov Jewish Cemetaries http://www.shtetlinks.jewishgen.org/Bolekhov/cemetary-1.htm

Smon Wisenthal Center Info on Belochov: http://motlc.learningcenter.wiesenthal.org/text/x03/xm0397.html

A Krakow Zucker Family Tree: http://www.ics.uci.edu/~dan/genealogy/Krakow/Families/Zucker.html

Yizkor Books on Bolechow

Yizkor: Memorial book of the martyrs of Bolechow, Bolekhov (Bolechów), Ukraine. 49°04' / 23°52'. Translation of Sefer ha-zikaron le-kedoshei Bolechow. Edited by: Y. Eshel. Published by the Association of Former Residents of Bolechow in Israel, 1957: http://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/bolekhov/bolekhov.html

Yizkor Books in the Holocaust Center of Northern California
"S. ha-Z. le-kedoshei Bolechow" (Memorial book of the Martyrs of B.) (1957, 352 pp) [H,Y], Y. Eshel, Ed., (: Assn Former Residents of Bolechow in Israel) [Bolihov*]

UCLA Library Eastern European Yizkor Books

"Bolekov Yizkor Book" from JewishGen

Memorial book of the martyrs of Bolechow Bolekhov (Bolechów), Ukraine, Translation of Sefer ha-zikaron le-kedoshei Bolechow. Edited by: Y. Eshel. Published by the Association of Former Residents of Bolechow in Israel, 1957

Bolekhov Yizkor Book
AccuFind has 7 authoritative references to Bolechow (7/96)

The Miriam Weiner Roads to Roots Fondation database http://www.rtrfoundation.org/

Books on Bolechow:

Shneor Ph bus ben Mena hem, of Bolechow. [1749 Name in Contributed MARC from Library Corporation]

 

The manuscript version of the memoirs of Dov Ber Birkenthal (Ber of Bolechow [i.e. Bolechow]). Geller, Joseph, [Ottawa] : National Library of Canada = Bibliotheque nationale du Canada, 1991. ISBN 0-315-63557-6, Canadian Call # Mic.F. TH-63557

 

"The Memoirs of Ber of Bolechow," (1723-1805), translated from the original Hebrew MS with an introduction, notes and a map by M. Vishnitzer (Mark Wischnitzer). (Arno Press, A new York Times Company, New York, 1973) The Jewish People: History, Religion, Literature. Reprinted from a copy in The Hebrew Union College Library. Originally printed from Oxford University Press, 1922. ISBN: 0-405-052520-9 (Jews of Ukraine)

 

Also, a chapter by J.G. Kohl, in his book titled "Austria: Vienna, Prague, Hungary, Bohemia, Styria, Moravia, Bukovina and the Miitary Frontier," (London, Chapman & Hall, 1843, DB25 K79) provides a vivd travelouge through Galicia, using the road between Stanislavov and Stry, through Bolechow (he uses the terms: Balekhov, Boletrov)

Books on Bolechow from amazon.com

Bolekhiv, Ukraine

The Ivano-Frankivsk region is situated in the southwest of Ukraine on the border of two natural geographical areas: East-European Plain and Ukrainian Carpathian. The region borders on the Lviv, Ternopil, Chernivtsi and Zacarpattia regions, Republic of Romania. From Ivano-Frankivsk Facts and Figures: http://www.ukrainebiz.com/Articles/IvanoFacts.htm

Encylopedia of Ukraine: Bolekhiv http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/mapsDisplay.asp?linkpath=IV-4z.jpg&varName=Bolekhiv&varLeft=38&varTop=93&Obl=Ivano-Frankivske

Ukraine GenWeb: Ivano-Frankivs'ka Oblast Church and Civil Records locations: http://www.rootsweb.com/~ukrwgw/ivano/ivanorecords.htm