Jews had lived in Dubno, now in western Ukraine, since the 16th century. Surrounded by oak forests - "dub" means "oak" in Russian and Ukrainian - the city was for generations home to Jewish scholars, merchants, craftsmen, and laborers. It had a proud history of scholarly and religious activity: its first Hebrew printing house was established in 1794, and its most famous preaching rabbi was the Maggid of Dubno, still known for his witty moral fables.

At the eve of the Second World War, about 12,000 people, half the city's population, was Jewish. Nazis occupied the city on June 25, 1941 and began extermination of the Jews from the first day. Jews were conscripted for hard labor, forced into ghettos, and gunned down by the thousands. By the war's end, only a few hundred still survived.

This book presents Jewish life in Dubno throughout the generations, in articles, photos, historical records, and personal stories. It has unique testimony about the Nazi occupation, life in the ghetto, and incredible survival stories. In the words of the original editors: "The entire town is concealed within these pages, the town and its streets, its houses, its throngs of Jews, study houses and gardens - a clear picture of what was, and is no more."