This group is for members of JGSGB with Jewish roots in the region historically known as Bessarabia, a former Gubernia (province) in the Russian Empire, which is now in the Republic of Moldova with two small parts in Ukraine. The group also covers Transnistria (Pridnestovie) / Republic of Moldova, a self-proclaimed territory on the left bank of Dniester River.

The goals of the JGSGB Bessarabia Special Interest Group are to exchange information among members who are interested in this region, to share available resources, and to help each other advance our personal genealogical research.

The organization and procedures of the JGSGB Bessarabia SIG will be determined by the membership and the coordinator.  Members can have meetings before or after regular JGSGB meetings on Sundays or choose another time and place.  They may decide to establish a forum or website for communicating among themselves. They may want to present their research or community success stories at the regular JGSGB meetings or at the  annual International  Conferences on Jewish Genealogy.

One of the main resources for our local SIG is the international Bessarabia SIG website at www.jewishgen.org/bessarabia.  There you will find articles on the general history and geography of the region, information on the Jewish history of towns and shteitlakh of Bessarabia and Moldova, materials on the Holocaust, links to useful books and websites, and a Photo Gallery with images from many towns.

If you are interested in joining the local JGSGB Bessarabia SIG, please contact bessarabia@jgsgb.org, JGSGB Bessarabia SIG Coordinator.