After years of hesitation we have arrived the day we have longed for, the day the idea of a book on our shtetl was no longer just a dream and an aspiration, but rather a fait accompli.

 From now on the name Vladimirets is endowed with additional illustration and rendition, in the form of this eye- and heart-captivating book, the scroll of the life and of the destruction of a glorious Jewish community, which also was the home of our fathers and the root of our upbringing. We believe that all that is included in this book will resonate in the hearts of others, and will not belong only to the descendants of Vladimirets who are tied to it with bonds of love and memories, but will also belong to the general public. Glorified and horrifying affairs will appeal also to many of those who knew not the name of our shtetl; Affairs that will become the property of history – in the form of documents and testimony – for generations come.

 For many days we entertained the yearning to erect a memorial and a name [Yad Vashem] to the beloved town of our birth, but we knew well that love alone would not suffice were there not the person to mold the material and shape it. With few exceptions we are mostly laborers who are very distant from being men of letters. Who would do then the work? The second problem was the required financial means. Some of us were already ready to quit. But by chance we contacted the book’s editor, and new winds started blowing. He awoke and inspired us, until forgotten cells of life were suddenly retrieved from oblivion, were brought to light, and we all almost became writers. Many details covered with skin and brought back to life the name Vladimirets in the form of a Yizkor book – and everlasting candle that will illuminate the house; an everlasting candle and a yahrzeit light for out parents, our brothers, and our sisters who perished.

 One of the things we dreaded was the list of the martyrs: Is the list complete, have we not included mistakes, have we included all the names, and have we included, God forbid, the name of a still living person? We have done our best, we have asked our landsmen and requested active participation in this sacred enterprise. And with all our being we wanted to exercise the mitzvah for the Remembrance of our loved ones. And now all we can do is pray: May it be granted that our work will have no mishaps.

 At this opportunity we see it a pleasant duty to say words of thank and respect to all those who lent their hands to this great enterprise, to all those who encouraged us in this hard task, and our warmest thanks to Mr. Aharon Meirovitz, the book’s editor, who has taken this arduous road with us up to here.

 – The Editorial Board