For Descendents of Jewish Soldiers Who Fought in the Russo-Japanese War

Several times, over the past year and a half, I've read on other websites of people who wanted information about an ancestor who fought in the Russo-Japanese War. Of course, now that I have some useful information, I can't remember where I read it, so I thought it would be a good idea to post the information here.

On a section of a website, bfcollection.net/fast/rjmain.html, there is a discussion of a Database of Russian Army Jewish soldiers injured, killed, or missing in action in the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1905. As Boris Feldblyum (the "bf" on the web address above) wrote (in 1998, so I don't know why it took me until now to find it): "Many thousands of Jews, less known or totally unknown in the big world, fought, were injured, killed, or missing in the Russo-Japanese war. In the tradition of the times, many Russian papers printed the names of the soldiers killed or missing in action. The compilation of nearly three thousand Jewish names was prepared and translated into English from notices that first appeared in the Russkij Invalid newspaper in 1904-1905. The records provide information of considerable genealogical value to those with roots in the Russian Empire, as the examples show." Josh Feldblyum (relationship to Boris not specified) compiled a computerized database of these records, for which we are grateful.

Records, for which there is a fee of $18 per record, can be ordered from FAST Genealogy Service, using an order form that can be found on Boris' page, where there is also information on how to search the site. (I looked for my grandfather, but since he was not injured, killed, or missing in action during the war, he isn't on the list, however I plan to look for several people whom Jacob Marateck identified in his diaries).

This is a new way to solve the problem of the "aguna," the "tied woman," whose dilemma is discussed in Chapter 15.

More information can be found at: http://www.bfcollection.net/fast/fast.html.

Maybe, one day, we'll turn up information on Jewish soldiers who fought in this war, or Jews sent to Siberian forced labor camps. There's still so much that is not known, and it's wonderful that someone/some people are still looking for it. Thank you, Boris & Josh Feldblyum.