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ATTENTION: INFO ON AUGUST 2009 MISSION TRIP TO BOLECHOW

March 26, 2009

Dear Bolechow Descendants and Friends:

We are thrilled to announce that the Bolechow Jewish Heritage Society is sponsoring a “mission” trip to Bolechow, Ukraine, this summer. We invite you to join members of the Board of Directors of BJHS and attend our organization’s annual meeting during our stay in Ukraine from August 17-22, 2009.

Highlights of our trip are expected to include:

• a ceremony to dedicate the wall, newly constructed by BJHS, around the Jewish cemetery in Bolechow
• tour of the cemetery, including an opportunity to help us record digital images of the tombstones, for later transcription and then inclusion on our website
• tour of “Jewish Bolechow,” including the synagogue structure, former homes and work sites of Jewish residents from the pre-war period, the house where the Shlomo and Joseph Adler were hidden, and the sites of the mass graves of those slain during the Nazi occupation of the region,
• visits to Stryj and other surrounding towns and vill ages
• tour of Lviv (formerly known as Lemberg during the Austro-Hungarian times), including the remaining active synagogue, the memorial to Holocaust victims, the site of the Jewish cemetery, former synagogue structures and locations, and other sites
• dinner/evening programs, hopefully including discussions led by Anatol Regnier (author of “Damals in Bolechow”) and and Shlomo Adler (author of the new book, “Jewish Again”) – Note: Participation by Anatol Regnier is tentative at this point, due to other existing commitments. We hope he will join us and will confirm as soon as we know whether that will be possible.
• opportunity to attend Saturday morning services at the Lviv synagogue
• the BJHS annual meeting, to discuss our plans for the future and get your input on how you want to be involved and help us preserve the Jewish heritage of Bolechow and its region.

For our trip, we will arrange for

• group discounted accommodations at a top hotel in Lviv,
• guides for our tours,
• bus transportation for all tours and trips during our stay,
• group meals

Based on our preliminary work with a travel agency, we expect this ground package will be offered for a very affordable price. During our trip, we will travel to Bolechow and the surrounding area (about 90 minutes drive from Lviv) on three days, provide for guided sightseeing in Lviv for an additional day, and have arrangements available for those who may wish to attend services at the Lviv synagogue. You may, of course, wish to stay longer and arrange your own individual visits in addition to these group arrangements.

So that we can move to the next step in our arrangements – and with apologies for the short notice, which is necessary in order for us to allow the travel agency to take the next step in negotiations with the hotel in Lviv – please let us know no later than April 3, 2009 –by email to InfoBolechow@aol.com – if you are interested in this trip. This is not a firm commitment, but please respond affirmatively only if it is realistic that you may attend. We will use the numbers that result from this request to negotiate the block of rooms and the necessary number of buses or vans. Then we will send a request for commitment (including a deposit) so that we can finalize the arrangements.

We very much hope that you will be able to join us on what we expect to be a very meaningful mission to Bolechow.

With best wishes and hopes to see you in Bolechow this summer,

Shlomo Adler
Chairman

Daniel Mendelsohn
President

Susan Wolf Turnbull
Secretary and Treasurer