JEWISH GALICIA & BUKOVINA

Meorei Galicia

Encyclopedia of Galician Rabbis and Scholars

Stanisławów Jews

Before and During the Holocaust

Bibliography Project

On Jewish Galicia and Bukovina

This site lets you:

1Discover the rich cultural heritage of the Jewish communities of Galicia and Bukovina through documents, photos, biographies of notable people, a broad bibliography and more.
2Explore your family's roots from Galicia and Bukovina.
3Learn about our on-going activities and projects.

From Kraków to Lemberg
Research project

Galicia and Bukovina Jewish Studies

Galicia newsletter

Rabbi in front of the wooden synagogue of Jablonow. Isidor Kaufmann (1853-1921). Oil on panel.

Hanukkah lamp, Brody, 1787. Silver, copper alloy. The Jewish Museum, New York.

Jews Praying in the Synagogue on Yom Kippur. Maurycy Gottlieb (1856, Drohobych –1879, Krakow). 1878, Oil on canvas, Tel Aviv Museum of Art. The artist has painted himself (to the right of the seated rabbi, looking outwards) among the people of his hometown of Drohobych.

The Temple of Chernovtsy (Bukovina). Architect Julian Zachariewicz, 1873-78. Postcard, early 20th century.

The Great Temple of Siret (Sereth, South Bukovina), built in 1840. Interior view. © Dr. Ilia Rodov and Mr. Teodor Raileanu, 2007-2010.

Temple of Vatra Dornei (South Bukovina). Built in 1898 – 1902. View of the Torah ark. © Dr. Ilia Rodov and Mr. Teodor Raileanu, 2007-2010.

Ex-libris of Maximilian (Mordekhai) Goldstein (1880-1942?), notable Jewish art collector and researcher from Lwow (Lviv). The ex-libris was made by the famous Jewish artist Artur Szyk in 1935.

A Family at the Seder. Picture from Artur Szyk symbolic Haggada, 1935. The Galician context of the scene is expressed by Lwow (Lviv) historical coat of arms placed above the central figure.

Cartoon for wall painting in Great Suburban Synagogue in Lwow (Lviv) . Maurycy (Moshe) Fleck (1859, Lwow (Lviv)-1932). 1918.

Synagogue in Zowkwa (Żółkiew, Lviv region), built in 1692-1700. Photo of 1990-s.

Stained glass windows of the Tempel in Cracow.

Łańcut Synagogue (Western Galicia), built in 1761. Interior view with baroque stucco decorations of central Bimah. Photo of 1990-s.

Hevra Gach synagogue in Suceava (South Bukovina). Top of the Torah ark. © Dr. Ilia Rodov and Mr. Teodor Raileanu, 2007-2010.

Tempel in Rădăuţi (Radautz, South Bukovina), built in 1883. © Dr. Ilia Rodov and Mr. Teodor Raileanu , 2007-2010

Hanukkah lamp, Lwow, 1867-1872. The Jewish Museum, New York.

Wilhelm Reich (1897 – Dobzau (Dobryanichi), Galicia; 1957 - Lewisburg, USA) – An Austrian psychiatrist and psychoanalyst. One of the most radical figures in the history of psychiatry.

Stanislaw Marcin Ulam (1909 – Lwow (Lviv), Galicia; 1984 – Santa Fe, New Mexico) – A renowned Polish-American mathematician. He participated in America's Manhattan Project, originated the Teller–Ulam design of thermonuclear weapons, invented the Monte Carlo method of computation, and suggested nuclear pulse propulsion.

Pinhas Lavon (1904 – Kopychynsti, Galicia; 1976 – Tel Aviv, Israel) - An Israeli politician. Was a member of the Knesset from 1949-1964 from the Mapai party. Served in various government positions including leader of the Histadrut (1949-1950 and 1956-1961), Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Defense.

Salo Wittmayer Baron (1895 – Tarnόw, Galicia; 1989 – New York, USA) - The most noted historian of the Jews in his generation. Received three doctorates from the University of Vienna (1917,1921,1922). He was the first Professor for Jewish history in an American University. Taught in Columbia University, New York for over 3 decades (1930-1963). He was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1964.

Ludwig Heinrich Edler von Mises (1881– Lwow (Lviv), Galicia; 1973 –New York, USA) – A prominent libertarian economist. One of the leaders of the Austrian School of economics. Taught in The University of New York (1945-1969)

Billy Wilder (1906 – Sucha Beskiszka, Western Galicia; 2002 – California, USA) - A filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, artist and journalist. Is regarded one of the most brilliant filmmaker's in Hollywood's golden age. In 1988, Wilder was awarded the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award and in 1993 was awarded the National Medal of Arts.

Berl Locker (1887 – Kriwiec, Galicia; 1972 - Jerusalem, Israel) - A Zionist and Israeli politician. One of the leaders of the Poalei Zion party and the Word Zionist movement. Chairman of the Jewish Agency's board of directors (1948 – 1956) and a member of the Knesset from Mapai (1955-1959).

Dov Sadan (1902 - Brody, Galicia; 1989 – Afula, Israel) – An Israeli academic and politician. Head of the Yiddish Studies faculty at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (1952-1970). Served as member of the Knesset between 1965-1968 from the Alignment Party. Was awarded the Israel Prize in Jewish Studies in 1968.

Otto Preminger (1902 – Wiznitz, Bukovina; 1986 – New York, USA) - A theater and film director. Was active in cinematography for over five decades, producing over 35 films.

Meir Balaban (1877 - Lviv, Galicia; 1942 – Warsaw ghetto) – One of the most outstanding historians of Polish and Galician Jews. He studied law, philosophy and history at the Lviv University. Was one of the founders of the Institute of Jewish Sciences in Warsaw. In 1916 he published "The History of Jews in Galicia".

Yitzhak Artzi (1920 – Siret, Northern Bukovina; 2003 – Tel Aviv, Israel) – An Israeli politician and activist. Was the leader of the Youth Aliyah department in the Jewish Agency for Israel, the Tel Aviv's deputy mayor (1979-1983) and member of the Knesset from 1984-1988.

Arthur Hertzberg (1921 – Lubacźow, Galicia; 2006 – New Jersey, USA) – A prominent conservative rabbi, scholar and activist. Was a major figure in American Jewish life after World War II

Jakub Karol Parnas (1924 – Mokriany, Galicia; 1949 – Moscow, USSR) – A prominent Polish and Soviet biochemist. Head of the institute of Medical Chemistry at Lviv University (1920-1941), Academician of the Academy of Sciences and a founding member of the Academy of Medical Sciences in the USSR.

Leopold Infeld (1898 – Krakόw, Western Galicia; 1968 – Warsaw, Poland) – A Polish physicist, professor at the University of Toronto and at the University of Warsaw, member of the Polish Academy of Science. He worked together with Albert Einstein at Princeton University (1936–1938).

Lee Strasberg (1901 – Budzanόw, Galicia; 1982 – New York, USA) - An American actor, director and acting teacher. He is considered the "father of method acting in America".

Yitzhak Ben-Aharon (1906 – Bukovina; 2006, Givat Haim, Israel) - An Israeli left-wing politician. Lived in Israel from 1928. Was elected a member of the Knesset 7 times until 1977. Was awarded the Israel Prize for his contribution to society in 1995.

Roald Hoffmann (1937 - Zlochiv, Galicia) – A prominent American chemist. Known for his discoveries in reaction mechanisms. Awarded the Noble Prize in chemistry in 1981.

Helena Rubinstein (1870 – Krakόw, Western Galicia; 1965 – New York, USA) – Thought to be one of the world's most successful businesswomen. Lived in Australia, London and the United States and forms a international enterprise for cosmetics. Had a major passion for painting and sculpture.

Sir Hersch Lauterpacht (1897 – Zhovkva, Galicia; 1960 – London, England) – One of the leading international lawyers of the twentieth century. Professor of International Law at the University of Cambridge and a judge in the International Court of Justice (1955-1960).

Isidor Isaac Rabi (1898 – Rymanόw, Galicia; 1988 – New York, USA) – An American renowned physicist. Recognized for his discovery of nuclear magnetic resonance. Awarded the Noble Prize for physics in 1944.

Szymon Askenazy (1866 – Zawichost, Western Galicia; 1935 – Warsaw, Poland) – A famous Polish historian. His work focused mainly on Poland's political and economic history in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Emanuel Feuermann (1902 – Kolomyia; 1942 - New York, USA) – An internationally known cellist, Professor at the Musikhochschule in Berlin (1929-1933).

Henry Roth (1906 – Tysmenitz, Galicia; 1995 – Albuquerque, USA) –An American novelist and short story writer. His first book Call it Sleep was published in 1934.

Aharon Appelfeld (1932 – Sadhora, Bukovina) – An Israeli Holocaust survivor novelist. Silence, muteness and stuttering are the main motifs that run through much of Appelfeld's work. In 1983 he was awarded Israel Prize for literature.

Martin Buber (1878 – Vienna, Austria – Hungary; 1965 - Jerusalem, Israel) – Distinct philosopher and author. Widely known for his existentialistic "philosophy of dialog". Grew up in Lemberg (today Lviv, Ukraine), from 1938 lived in Israel.

Bruno Schulz (1892; 1942 – Drohobycz, Galicia) - Modernist prose writer, literary critic, and artist. One of the greatest Polish authors of the twentieth century.

Shmuel-Yoseph Agnon (1888 - Buczacz, Galicia; 1970 - Jerusalem, Israel) - A world renowned writer and one of the central figures of modern Hebrew fiction. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1966.

Joseph Roth (1894 – Brody, Galicia; 1939 – Paris, France) - Austrian journalist and brilliant novelist. Was deeply influenced by World War I and the decline of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Paul Celan (1920 – Chernowitz, Bukovina; 1970 – Paris, France) - One of the major German language poets and translator after World War II. His poetry being influenced by his traumatic experience during the Holocaust is distinct by its great complexity and extraordinary power.

Eliezer Steinbarg (1880–Lipcani, Bessarabia; 1932- Chernowitz, Bukovina) - the outstanding Yiddish poet and educator. From 1919 lived in Chernowitz.

Itzik Manger (1901 – Czernowitz, Bukovina; 1969 – Gedera, Israel) – A prominent Yiddish poet and playwright. In his most popular works – Itzik's Midrash and Songs of the Megillah he presents a modern, exiting and playful commentary on the classic Bible stories.

Karl Emil Franzos (1848 - Chortkov, Galicia; 1904 - Berlin, Germany) – Popular writer, novelist, journalist, and publisher. Lived in Chernovtsy, Vienna and Berlin. Most of his writing was inspired by his observations and memories of Galicia and Bukovina.

Ephraim Moses Lilien (1874 – Drohobych, Galicia; 1925 – Badeweiler, Germany) – An art nouveau illustrator and graphic artist. Took part in the establishment of the Bezalel Art Academy. Known for the Jewish and Zionist themes in his work.

Rose Ausländer (1901 – Czernowitz, Bukovina; 1988 – Düsseldorf, Germany) - A German and English language poet. Lived in the United States, Romania and Germany. Her work was deeply connected to the poetry of Paul Celan and strongly influenced him. He 'stole' the image of black milk from her.

Maurycy Gottlieb (1856 – Drohobytsch, Galicia; 1879 – Krakόw) – A prominent Polish realist painter. One of the founders of modern Jewish art.

Mordechai Gebirtig (1877 – Krakόw, Austria-Hungary; 1942 - Krakόw Ghetto) – Anan influential Yiddish poet and songwriter. His most famous song is "S'brent" (It is burning), written in 1938 in response to the 1936 pogrom of Jews in Przytyk, was adopted by Cracow's anti-Nazi Jewish resistance as its anthem. He was killed by Nazi troops in the Krakόw Ghetto.

Stanisław Lem (1921 – Lwow (Lviv), Galicia; 2006 – Krakόw, Poland) – A Polish science-fiction, philosophy and satire writer. Was awarded the Austrian State Prize for European Literature in 1986.

Naphtali Hertz Imber (1856 – Złoczόw, Galicia; 1909 - New York, USA) –A famous poet and Zionist. His poem "Hatikvah" (the Hope) became the anthem of the Zionist movement and the state of Israel.

Sidi Tal'(1912 - 1983 Chernowitz, Bukovina ) – A prominent Yiddish singer and actress. Worked in Romania and in the USSR.

Joseph Schmidt (1904 – Davideny, Bukovina; 1942 – Gyrenbad, Switzerland) – A popular tenor and actor. Made numerous records and was featured in many radio broadcasts. Acted in several movies in both German and English.

Mordecai Ardon (1896 – Tuchόw, Galicia; 1992 – Jerusalem, Israel) - An Israeli known painter. His famouse work "Ardon Windows" is presented in the National Library in Jerusalem. He was awarded the Israel Prize in painting in 1963.

Uri Zvi Greenberg (1896 – Bialikamin, Galicia; 1981 – Ramat Gan,Israel) - Influential Hebrew and Yiddish poet. Was a member in the first Knesset from the "Herut" ("Freedom") party. He was awarded the Israel Prize for literature in 1957.

News and Events

A new electronic resource for documentation and commemorating the communities of Western Galicia.

After almost three decades of research and training activities in Poland, Meir Shilo, the director of Yad le-Zahava Institute for research and documentation of the Holocaust, presents an impressive project which documents and commemorates Jewish life in the villages and small towns of Western Galicia.

The astonishing life story of a Jewish barber from Buczacz

Shlomo (Berghoffer) Beker (1915-1993) was born in Vienna to a family of First World War refugees from Buczacz. He had 2 brothers and 3 sisters. His father worked as a mechanic. In 1921 the family moved back to Buzhacz: where he studied, became a barber and married at a young age. In 1938 Shlomo enlisted in the Polish army and served near Stanislawow.

Full indexed catalog of the Jewish Cemetery of Busk is now on line

Aincent Jewish cemetery of Busk was fully documented by the JGB expedition in August 2019. The most sensational finding is more than a dozen gravestones from the period between the late 15th century and the early 17th century: large stone tombs with impressive rabbinic phraseology that were unknown to researchers.

Galician Jewish Antiquities

New gallery of unique ancient headstones revealed at the Jewish cemeteries of Pidhaitsi, Busk and Kalush.

Spotlight: The Lives of Leading Figures in Jewish Galicia

New series of short lectures on the history of Galicia and "Galicianer" Jews

The ancient Jewish cemetery of Pidhaitsi is now fully documented

We are happy to announce that we have completed the documentation of a large Jewish cemetery in Pidhaitsi.

Expedition to Busk and Kalush, 18 August - 1 September 2019

The 11th documentation expedition of the JGB Organization finished its work in two towns of great importance to the history of Galicia: Kalush and Busk. Both towns had old and developed Jewish communities which influenced Jewish life in the whole region. In both of them Jewish cemeteries had survived to tell the centuries long stories of the lives of their communities and their tragic endings during the Holocaust.