The document summarizes the agenda for the 5th annual meeting of BIALYGEN, a genealogical organization focused on researching family history in Bialystok, Poland. The meeting took place in Chicago in August 2008 and included discussions of recent translations of historical works about the Bialystok ghetto and projects to index records like death notices and business directories to aid family history research in the Bialystok area.

1. BIALYGEN SIG FIFTH ANNUAL MEETING CHICAGO CONFERENCE AUGUST 18, 2008 http://www.jewishgen.org/bialygen/index.htm

2. BIALYGEN MEETING AGENDA 65 th Anniversary of the Liquidation of the Ghetto Book: The Stories Our Parents Found Too Hard To Tell What is BialyGen? Pinkos Bialystok Bialystoker Center Yahrzeit Cards Grodno Gubernia Business Directories Other BialyGen Research Projects Discussion

3. 65 th Anniversary of the Liquidation of the Bialystok Ghetto Today, Monday, August 18, 2008, the commemoration ceremony for the 65 th anniversary of the start of the liquidation of the Bialystok Ghetto is culminating in a reception hosted by the Mayor of Bialystok at the Branicki Palace Guest House. The liquidation started at 2 AM on Monday, August 16, 1943 and the bold martyrs of the Resistance held out until September 16.

4. 65 th Anniversary of the Liquidation of the Bialystok Ghetto We now have a first-hand account in English. This book is an English translation of Der Umkum Fun BialystokerYid’ntum (The Annihilation of Bialystoker Jewry) written by survivor Rafael Rajzner.

5. Let me read : “At 2 am on Monday August 16, 1943, Jews living by the ghetto fence awoke to the frightening sound of large numbers of hobnailed boots marching toward them… Close to 40,000 Jews ran through the dark streets in a state of confusion… “ At 3 am several hundred fully armed Nazi killers entered the ghetto. “ At 5 am more news spread through the ghetto. Engineer Barasz ( head of Judenrart ) had been told, that the Bialystokers and their machinery would be moved to Lublin. They would continue working there… Aassembly points were on (five) Streets and in the yard of the Judenrat building. From these checkpoints everyone would be marched to the railway station. Anyone who stayed behind in the prohibited area would be shot dead on sight. The situation was now clear. The ghetto was to be liquidated… “ At 3 Chmielna Street, one of the resistance fighters addressed the crowd. ‘ Be warned! You are not being sent to Lublin to work. You are being sent to Treblinka to be gassed! If you allow this to happen, you will share the same bitter and disastrous fate as the rest of European Jewry. Our only chance is to set fire to our houses and all our possessions. Leave noting behind for the enemy. Grab your weapons and try to break out of the ghetto. Try to join our partisan brothers in the woods. ’ “ By 8 am, Cielpa, Fabryczna, Nowogrodzka, Chmielna, and Gorna Streets were all ablaze…”

6. “ At 6:40 am on Tuesday August 17, 1943, more than 800 Nazis rode inrto the ghetto… At 7 am those still at the Judenrat building organised themselves into killer squads of ten men, each one with its own leader… “ The killer squads marched up and down the streets. “ Only the 10,000 Jews who hid away can understand the living hell they endured. Different killer squads searched every building, every hour, every day… In our hideout the Cukier family, father, mother, son, and daughter-in-law, all poisoned themselves. “ The Nazis had technology on their side. They had listening devices and sniffer dogs. On the second day they used them to extract 2000 Jews from hideouts… At 6 pm the Nazis left the ghetto.

7. Translated Yizkor Book Available Those were passages from this book, named by Harry Lew, who oversaw a group of 22 righteous volunteer translators in making this account available to those of us who do not read Yiddish.

8. Obtaining a Copy Price is $33 (Aus) plus postage. The following postage prices apply: Australia add $7; Asia Pacific add $14; USA, Canada, Israel add $16; Rest of World add $19 To order go to http:// www.abebooks.com , enter “Rajzner, Rafael and Lew, Henry R.” in the author’s box, click on “Find Book,” locate the book, and pay by credit card. The above listed prices are in Australian Dollars. You will be billed in your currency at prevailing rates. In US, the delivered cost will be about $46 US. Books are sent by Airmail and should arrive within two weeks.

9. BIALYGEN AREA

10. BIALYGEN AREA GRODNO GUBERNIA

11. 51 2255 5319 NW 26 1,235 Knyszyn 6 2329 5235 SSE 62 621 Kleszczele 24 2302 5323 NNW 32 1,306 Jasionowka 12 2314 5328 N 45 1,027 Janow (Sokolski) 24 2354 5301 ESE 52 588 Jalowka 2 2335 5244 SE 56 41 Hajnowka 20 2244 5235 SSW 62 16 Grodzisk 21 2340 5306 E 35 1,508 Grodek 41 2245 5329 NW 45 1,135 Goniadz 27 2239 5224 SSW 88 687 Drohiczyn 13 2321 5340 N 62 1,218 Dabrowa (Bialostocka) 0 2325 5247 SE 45 22 Czyze 0 2321 5231 SSE 75 25 Czeremcha 82 2231 5240 SSW 69 1,649 Ciechanowiec 11 2259 5309 W 13 450 Choroszcz 59 2251 5244 S 69 2,165 Bransk 1 2255 5239 WSW 18 ? Bokiny 17 2303 5239 S 56 725 Bocki 96 2312 5246 S 45 2,392 Bielsk Podlaski 1799 2309 5308 0 39,602 Bialystok 3 2349 5241 SE 69 80 Bialowieza JGFF Researchers Coordinates Direction KM Pre-War Population Town Name Distance from Bialystok POLISH TOWNS FORMERLY IN GRODNO GUBERNIA #1

12. 54 2321 5301 ESE 19 1,817 Zabludow 13 2313 5312 NNE 13 950 Wasilkow 97 2247 5312 W 26 1,461 Tykocin 27 2241 5320 WNW 45 1,401 Trzcianne / Trestina 0 2322 5328 N 45 ? Troscianka 0 2257 5257 SSW 26 120 Suraz 5 2321 5313 NE 19 390 Suprasl 60 2306 5335 N 56 1,262 Suchowola 74 2330 5325 NNE 45 2,821 Sokolka 96 2253 5227 S 82 3,718 Siemiatycze 13 2327 5334 NNE 56 455 Sidra 22 2320 5242 SSE 50 1,167 Orla 0 2310 5229 S 75 38 Nurzec ? 2333 5338 NNE 62 402 Nowy Dwor 5 2309 5218 S 94 149 Niemirow 25 2345 5250 ESE 50 758 Narewka (Mala) 6 2331 5255 ESE 38 419 Narew 15 2308 5231 S 75 648 Milejczyce 10 2303 5220 S 94 233 Mielnik 10 2336 5302 ESE 32 887 Michalowo / Nezbodka 0 2258 5248 S 45 14 Malesze 0 2252 5303 WSW 21 ? Lupianka Stara 20 2252 5259 SW 26 623 Lapy 17 2339 5331 NNE 56 450 Kuznica 77 2347 5316 NE 45 3,495 Krynki 16 2306 5327 N 35 265 Korycin JGFF Researchers Coordinates Direction KM Pre-War Population Town Name Distance from Bialystok POLISH TOWNS FORMERLY IN GRODNO GUBERNIA #2

13. PINKOS BIALYSTOK (THE CHRONICLE OF BIALYSTOK) Basic Material for the History of the Jews in Bialystok till the Period after First World War VOLUME I and II by A.S. HERSHBERG Published 1949/1950 New York City Hershberg was an academic researcher who perished in the Bialystok Ghetto. His manuscript was sent to a son in New York before the War

14. Pinkos Bialystok JewishGen Yizkor Book Project Translate Jewish history of Bialystok from Yiddish to English A great resource for family historians Cost estimated at $18,600 (contributions to date are $2400) Translate section by section two sections translated and more in the pipeline each section costs from $20 to $340 Volume I & II Names Index Completed Volume I Town Index being transliterated Please Contribute – see JewishGen Yizkor Book Project http://www.jewishgen.org/Yizkor/Bialystok/Bialystok.html You can designate your contribution to a section of the book based on the Names Index or subjects in the Table of Contents contact Mark Halpern at bialystoker@comcast.net

15. PINKOS BIALYSTOK Volume I Index of People (Surnames) Pages 465-477

17. BIALYSTOKER CENTER NEW YORK INDEXING OF YAHRZEIT CARDS 5000 CARDS Created when Yahrzeit Plaques were purchased Cards used to remind listed family members of Yahrzeit dates Index Now Online http://www.jewishgen.org/BialyGen/Yahrzeit.htm

18. http:// www.jewishgen.org/BialyGen/Yahrzeit.htm

19. This example shows three generations and a surname change

20. This example shows three generations and mother’s, sister’s and daughter’s married surnames

22. Need Volunteers for Translation from Yiddish to English Translation to Begin BIALYGen Statistics of the Movement of the Jewish Population in Bialystok 1909-1918 from USHMM Completed BIALYGen Seized Property List -- Regional Liquidation Office Names Indexes Online: Volume I and Volume II . Need Contributions for translation to English Commenced April 2006 BIALYGen and JewishGen Yizkor Book Project Pinkos Bialystok -- translation of 2 Volume history of Jewish Bialystok Adding Mother's names/other data In progress JRI-Poland JRI-Poland Indexing -- Extended Indices Available at Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw Completed BIALYGen Inventory of Bialystok Area Survivor Testimonies Thanks to the Bialystoker Center and all the BIALYGen volunteers Completed BIALYGen I ndexing Yahrzeit Cards from Bialystoker Center in New York Supporting Grodno Guberniya Poland Imaging Project -- a project of Dr. Heidi Szpek of Central Washington University In progress BIALYGen Indexing Bialystok Jewish (Ulica Wschodnia) Cemetery Contact [email_address] if you find a surname of interest In Progress Museum of Family History Indexing Landsmanshaften Plots in NYC Area Cemeteries Thanks to Steve Lasky, curator of Museum of Family History Completed Museum of Family History Ellis Island Database -- Bialystok Jewish Index Online at Zchor.org Completed Zchor.org Bialystoker Memorial Book on the Web Donated by David Rosen Completed BIALYGen Bialystoker Memorial Book -- Name Index Online at Zchor.org Completed Zchor.org Bialystok Survivor List -- 1946 Bialystoker Stimme Completed BIALYGen Bialystok Photo Album -- Translation of Name Index Thank you Ada Holtzman Ongoing Zchor.org Bialystok Memorial Website Online at Zchor.org Completed Zchor.org Bialystok Martyrs List Online at Zchor.org Completed Zchor.org Bialystok Children Transport from Theresenstadt to Auschwitz - 1943 Online at Zchor.org Completed Zchor.org 1938 Bialystok Telephone Directory Index BIALYGen area To be started JRI-Poland / BIALYGen 1929 Business Directory Completed by Sidney Zabludoff Completed BIALYGen 1895 &1903 Business Directory (Vsia Rossiia) Search on Belarus SIG website Completed Belarus SIG / BIALYGen 1897 All Russian Census for Grodno Gubernia Comments Status Responsible Organization Project Description BIALYGen Projects Completed Or Underway

23. BIALYGEN SIG future research projects If readers have any ideas, please share them with Mark Halpern at [email_address]