December 22, 2008

Dear Fellow Felshtiner,

One year ago last spring, I visited Hvardiyske, Ukraine – the Felshtin of our ancestors. It was a moving experience, one which I documented on the web in both words and photos on the Felshtin Society web site (www.felshtin.org).

While visiting Felshtin, I felt an immense sadness. Other than the remains of the last Jewish cemetery, there was no evidence of our ancestors’ existence, no testament to their suffering. I decided to attempt to correct that omission.

I met with the town’s mayor who was sympathetic. With the help of Alex Dunai, a well-known researcher of Ukrainian Jewish genealogy in Lviv, I developed plans to erect a permanent memorial, one that would honor and remember our ancestors.

This memorial has now been approved by the Hvardiyske City Council, and plans for its construction and placement at the entrance to the Jewish graveyard have been finalized. On the next page is a sketch of the memorial stone’s inscription along with a donation form.

Now it is up to us to pay tribute to our ancestors by making a tax- deductible contribution to the Felshtin Memorial Project. The total cost of the project is about $6,000; in the event that more than enough funds are raised, the remainder will go into the Felshtin Society’s general fund. (The Felshtin Society is a tax-exempt organization under Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Please give generously so that the world will remember the Jews who lived in Felshtin for centuries, especially those innocents whose lives were cut short by the atrocities of the 1919 Pogrom and the Nazi onslaught. Funding of this project should be shared by all Felshtiner descendants, so please give whatever is comfortable for you.

To commemorate your contribution, your name will be listed on our Felshtin Society web site (www.felshtin.org). You can also find more information about the project, including the declaration of the Hvardiyske City Council approving the project, at the site. Once the project is completed, every donor will receive a follow-up letter with a photo of the memorial.

Thank you in advance for your support.

Mel Werbach, Coordinator Felshtin Memorial Project