Can anyone tell me about Shtetls? I believe that is the correct spelling. What I want to know is this. One grandfather told us he was from Kiev and the other one is from Odessa. since they were Jewish, is it more likely thew would have been from a shtetl outside of these cities? I have consulted the Jewish genealogy sites and found that there were many of these towns outside the cities. My grandfather's brother was killed by the Cossacks. Surely this would not have happened in a large city???? If they had come from a shtetl, what are the chances of finding their records? I am told that many Rabbis buried the records to save them from the periodic pogroms. I would appreciate as much information as anyone out there can provide. June from CA