ENCYCLOPEDIA OF JEWISH GENEALOGY
Personal Acknowledgements / Arthur Kurzweil
It is my sincere hope that those who use this Encyclopedia will know that it would
not exist without the countless hours of work as well as the remarkable
resourcefulness of Miriam Weiner. Miriam is a major force in the world of Jewish
family history and genealogy. Her passion for the subject is inspirational, her
knowledge is truly encyclopedic, and her skills are many and impressive. Through
her lectures, classes, newspaper columns, magazine articles, publications and
activities, Miriam has enriched and elevated the field of Jewish genealogy. She
has assisted great numbers of people and is a generous soul, with a deep and
profound love for the Jewish people.
When I pondered the question of who could join me in the task of producing this
Encyclopedia, Miriam was clearly the person of choice. Thank you, Miriam, for
your hundreds of hours of work, your amazing abilities, and the patience shown
for your grateful co-editor . . . .
Thank you to the entire staff at Jason Aronson Inc., for all you have done for this
book and for the joy you give me daily. I would especially like to thank Muriel
Jorgensen, Jane Andrassi, Dianna Walsh, Pamela Roth and Dr. Jason Aronson.
I want to express my gratitude and devotion to my teacher, Rabbi Adin
Steinsaltz, for his guidance and his love. No single person has had as much of an
impact on my life as Rabbi Steinsaltz.
Most of all, I thank my wife, Rea, and our children, Malya, Miriam, and Moshe,
for the love, support and encouragement with which they always shower me.
Blessed are you, Hashem, our God, King of the universe, Who has kept us alive,
sustained us, and permitted us to reach this season.
Arthur Kurzweil
1991
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF JEWISH GENEALOGY
Personal Acknowledgements / Miriam Weiner
First and foremost, I am grateful to my co-editor, Arthur Kurzweil, for initially
suggesting the project and asking me to join with him in producing this series
which has grown from a one-volume concept to the projected three-volume
work. Arthur brought many invaluable components to this project, including the
pioneer expertise in the field of Jewish genealogy, his many contacts throughout
the United States, and his understanding of the relationship of genealogy to
Jewish history. I thank you, Arthur, for the opportunity to develop this project
with you, and most of all, for your friendship, guidance, and high standards that
you set in this field.
My copy of your invaluable took, From Generation to Generation, is tattered and
worn from the many times I have referred to it. It holds a special place in my
library, as it does in thousands of others.
Support for this project took many forms, and among the most important was
through financial assistance, ongoing encouragement, and all-around
enthusiasm for my work. For all of this and so much more, I thank my dear
parents, Edward and Helen Weiner, who have tolerated endless questions and
requests for information while sharing the euphoric highs of locating surviving
family members in our small ancestral town in the Ukraine, as well as other
discoveries along the way. . . .
To my first cousin, once removed, Edward Leader, goes a special bouquet as the
95-year-old senior member of the Odnopozov family, who wanted to live long
enough to see this book published! "Eddie" was one of my first discoveries
almost 20 years ago in the beginning stages of my research, and he has
continually cooperated by sharing his memories and memorabilia along with
generous contributions to the "research fund."
Miriam Weiner
1991