MELROSE PARK, Pa.—Gratz College has partnered with Gesher Galicia, a non-profit organization that conducts Jewish genealogical and historical research on Galicia, which was formerly a province of Austria-Hungary and now is divided between southeastern Poland and western Ukraine.

Under the partnership agreement, Gesher Galicia will provide access to its database of Jewish records, which includes indexes of vital records and census books, tax records, land and real-estate documents, Holocaust-period records, and records of Galician medical students and doctors. In return, Gratz College will make its collections available to Gesher Galicia.

The agreement also calls for the two organizations to partner in public education programs and other projects relating to Galician history. Additionally, Gratz will offer active members of Gesher Galicia a tuition discount upon admission to one of its online degree programs.

The partnership comes as the first students in Gratz’s Ph.D. Holocaust and Genocide Studies begin their dissertation research. Program Director Dr. Monika Rice expressed enthusiasm for the new agreement.

“This will enable students to use primary documents from the Old Country for their research on rich and multiethnic Central-European heritage,” she said. “Short of visiting Eastern European countries, this archive is the next best thing for researchers.”

Gratz President Dr. Paul Finkelman called the agreement the beginning of a “perfect partnership.” Gratz is poised to become a leader in Holocaust and genocide studies, and partnerships such as this one are essential to making research available, said Finkelman, who is the grandson of two immigrants from Galicia.

“For more than a century, Gratz has been committed to Jewish history,” he said. “In the last half-century, we have also been committed to Holocaust studies. This partnership helps Gratz fulfill both missions.”

The agreement is mutually beneficial, said Dr. Andrew Zalewski, vice president of Gesher Galicia.

“Closer ties with Gratz College reflect our commitment to public education and partnerships with educational and cultural institutions worldwide,” he said. “The exchange of expertise and archival information will undoubtedly enhance what we can offer to students and genealogists interested in Jewish Galicia.”