The Felshtin Society is launching an effort to establish a centennial event for the 100th anniversary of the pogrom that occurred in Ukraine, February, 1919. We are a group of about 200 descendants of survivors from that town (shtetl) which is now called Hvardiyske. It sits about 20 miles from Khmelnitsky (previously called Proskurov) in the western part of the country.
Our town was the first to initiate a "Yizkor" book that was published in 1937 by the survivors depicting the horrors of the slaughter, a picture of the community before this disaster occurred and tales of life in the new world. A completely new translation of the book is being prepared at this time and will be published within the year. However, a copy of the original can be viewed from the NY Library files if you go to our website at www.felshtin.org.
We are seeking volunteers to help with the effort to organize our membership, gather information and create a set of dynamic activities what will stimulate the renewed sanctification of the memories that ought to be preserved for the sake of all humanity. One of the activities will be the recording of oral histories from the members to record their inherited memories from previous generation. Another will be focused on gathering pictures and other memorabilia for collection on the Society website. However, one of the most important activities will be to expand our group's reach to include other towns that suffered in a similar way at this time in history. We are also reaching out to academic quarters to solicit interest in potential research that might be conducted for the betterment of victims of genocide.
We look forward to hearing comments and feedback on our efforts
Alan Bernstein, President
The Felshtin Society
