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Avraham Dimant   Haim Glass Hannah Dimant Haim Glass Haim was born in 1888 in Bendin, Poland. He was active in the Zionist movement from an early age and he made Aliyah with the Second Aliyah in 1909. He worked in Ein-Ganim and in Jaffa and he contracted Yellow Fever and had to leave the country to recuperate. Haim became a Hebrew teacher in the Hebrew high school in Bendery and educated generations of young people. He instilled in them love of their people and a desire to make Aliyah. Haim became active in the social-Zionist movement and was one of the organizers of Hechalutz in Bessarabia. In 1925 he made Aliyah again and joined his family in Ein Harod. In 1930 he fell ill once more and went to France to convalesce. He was 43 when he died. On the kibbutz he left his wife, Haya, and two sons: Zrubavel (Gilead) and Yuval (Gal).

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See pictures on page 381 Avraham and Hannah Dimant Our father, Avraham Dimant, was born in Poland in 1878. In 1908 he came to Bessarabia and settled in Bendery. There, together with H. Volovetz, he opened a factory to produce oil. It continued to exist until World War II when the Soviets conquered Bendery. Our mother, Hannah, was born in 1888 in Odessa. Her whole life she was a homemaker and helpmate to her husband. Our father was a gentle, pleasant man. His honesty served as a model for his children and brought them up in that spirit. He was always ready to help those in need. He was also an important donor in the community. Zana   In 1941, when the Soviets reached our town and as the war closed in on us, Avraham advised the Jewish residents to leave for the Asian Republics of Russia. On the way, a terrible catastrophe hit our family. Our brother Arieh's only daughter, Zana, fell ill with measles. The sanitary conditions on the freight trains were frightful and the cold was extreme. There was no medical help and medication was not available. The little three-year- old died in great pain. It was not possible to keep the body on the train until we would reach a permanent place. The train was stopped on the way and the body was handed over to a Russian peasant woman for burial. The death really hit her parents and grandparents and left them deeply wounded. Our parents, together with other Jews, arrived in Dombol. It had been settled by the Tatars. There was hunger, filth and despair to deal with and as a result many infectious diseases were upon us. Our father, already physically weakened, could not overcome all the difficulties. He died on 7 Tevet 1941. His funeral was attended by several people from our town, including H.Volovetz, our mother, our brother Arieh and our sister Raya. His grave, like his granddaughter's, is far away. We will probably never visit it. Our mother and brother Arieh with his wife arrived in Eretz Israel in 1948. Our brother Moshe had arrived four years earlier and our sister, Raya, came a few years later. Our mother was fortunate to live surrounded by her family and reached a ripe old age. She died on 23 Tammuz 1971 at the age of 82. May the souls of our dear ones who left us be bound with the souls of those who are living. Yocheved Veinman   The daughter of Shlomo and Charna Levitt of Bendery, she was born in September 1902 and died on 10.2.1969.

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(continued from 382) Yocheved, my wife, our mother, was a beautiful, special person. She was a woman of valor and an excellent housewife. In 1921 she established a good traditional Jewish home with her husband Mordehai Veinman. They had two sons – Shlomo and Yaakov. They brought them up to work hard and to be good people, just like their mother Yocheved. May she rest in peace. After the Balfour declaration, the longing to make Aliyah was awakened in Yocheved and Mordehai Veinman. In 1925 they fulfilled their dreams. The head of the family worked in his trade as a baker and the sons attended Herzliah and Balfour High Schools in Tel Aviv. The family later moved to a kibbutz. When Moshe Shertock (Sharett) called on young people to enlist in order to help the Allied forces fighting against the evil Nazis, the older son joined the Brigade and the younger one was in the Palmach. This was a result of the teachings and influence of the parents. They had always lived together in mutual admiration. Yocheved was not a fancy lady and did not put herself forward. There are many anecdotes about her charitable spirit. One story is about a young poor woman who was getting married. She bought cloth for her wedding gown, but she did not have enough money to pay for the sewing. When Yocheved found out, she told the bride: “What is the problem? Give me the cloth and I will sew you your gown…” This charitable act and many others illustrate her generous aristocratic soul. Her memory will forever remain within her family, among her friends and admirers. May her soul be bound with the souls of the living! Yosef Darbrimediker   Yosef Darbrimediker Yosef, son of Rabbi Ephraim and Ita, was born on 4.2.1919. He fell on the Russian front fighting the Nazis (he was 25 years old) on 21.8.1944. He studied at the university in Bucharest. When the Soviets entered Bessarabia, he interrupted his studies and enlisted in the “Service of the People” as the Comsomol called it. He also wanted to help his parents. Most of his work was to lecture in the villages and to teach. When World War II broke out, he was injured twice at the front and was commended by his superiors. When he recuperated he was sent to take leadership courses. His superior officer invited his parents for an interview because he wanted to meet them and to find out who they were. “Who are these people who brought up such an amazing son?” Thanks to his knowledge of the local language – Romanian – he was sent again behind enemy lines near Kitzakny, District of Bendery. There he handled propaganda with the peasants and the Romanian army. His message was: “Do not fight the Soviets. Put down your arms.” In his first letter home he wrote to his mother: “Mother, you ask me to be careful, but who will avenge the innocent blood of our people being spilled by the Fascists? It is my moral and patriotic obligation to fight!” He even added “I am going to execute an important undertaking. If I am fortunate to stay alive, I will be decorated for it…” He did not achieve the decoration. After the news of his death came, his fellow soldiers wrote to his family telling them that Yosef had a special task behind enemy lines. He was perched on a tree scouting and he was discovered by the enemy. They threw a grenade at him. When everything had calmed down, his friend found his binoculars on the ground. When he climbed the tree he discovered Yosef's body. He was buried in Zoloteyvka, not far from Bendery, the town of his birth. He died a hero, but as an unknown soldier of the Jewish people in the Diaspora. He died fighting the German-Nazi enemy. May his soul be bound among the souls of the living and may the Jewish people be revived in the State of Israel.

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R. Yekutiel, son of Aaron, Hochman   R. Yekutiel, son of the honorable Hassid R. Aaron Hochman, z”l, served as a judge and a ritual slaughterer for 30 years in the village of Vishnigovsky in Bessarabia. He was an observant Hassid who studied daily – Zohar, Gmara and Interpreters. He was up before dawn and stayed up past midnight. He wept and devoted his spirit to study. He was respectful and respected. There was never any dirt on his clothing. At first, he travelled to Rabbi David, z”l, of Liova and later he followed the famous Rabbi Yitzhak, z”l, of Bahush. He would sit at the feet of his Rabbi. His wife, Milka Baila, may she rest in peace, was the daughter of the famous Hassid R. Yossy Hazan of Hoshi. She was a woman of valor, modest and full of life. She had an aristocratic soul and a good heart. In their old age they lived in Bendery for ten years. She died there on 13 Tammuz 1928 at the age of 77. She was buried in Bendery. R. Yekutiel moved to Bahush and lived with his son, R. Levi. He spent five years with the Hassidic Rabbi of Bahush. However, he missed the rest of his children and returned to Bendery where he stayed for another four years. R. Yekutiel died at the age of 84 on 21 Adar 1935. He was buried in the cemetery in Bendery. May his memory be blessed! Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Hochman

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R. Levi, son of R. Yekutiel and his wife Sara-Feiga   R. Levi Hochman R. Levi Hochman, z”l, was born on 1 Nissan, 1870 in Hoshy, Romania. He was the oldest son of the judge and ritual slaughterer, R. Yekutiel, z”l. He was the eighth generation – son after son- in the dynasty of Rabbi Zeev Wolf Kitzis, z”l. This was the Rabbi of Tulchin who had been a student of the Baal Shem Tov. Levi was a well-known and loyal Hassid of the Rabbi of Bahush. He was especially devoted, with his whole being, to Rabbi Israel Shalom Yosef, z”l. Every year he would travel to Bahush, even during the dangerous years of the war. He was a Hassid, a generous man and very pious. He was quite exacting about all religious laws and regulations. Levi was very active in the Hassidic world and always helped others. He worked hard for the elderly of Eretz Israel and donated and collected donations for the Ramban Fund. His wife, the late Sara-Feiga, was also a pious and honest person. She was a woman of valor and very gentle. She and her husband were fortunate to produce descendants who followed in their footsteps and loved Torah, Jewish people and Eretz Israel. They lived in Bendery for 30 years. From there they moved to Moyeneshti and then to Bahush where they stayed for 20 years. Before making Aliyah they lived in Galati and Bucharest. In Kislev1950 they were able to make Aliyah. They lived in Kfar Shalom, near Tel Aviv. In his last years, R. Levi devoted himself to the study of Torah, to prayers, and a deeper study of the Zohar. During the Holocaust they lost their children: Sheyna-Rachel Hochman (22 years old), Brucha and her husband, Moshe Orentlicher from Romanovka, Yaakov Hochman (their 24 year-old talented son). They all died in Siberia. It was a miracle that their daughter Esther, her husband David Sheinberg, and their family remained alive in Kishinev. In Eretz Israel they were lucky to be with two sons - R. Meshulam Zissia Hochman, his wife and their children and Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Hochman, his wife and children. They also had two daughters: Shlomit, her husband R. Yehoshua Karuk and their family, and Pessia and her husband Yosef Sigler. The two elderly people were fortunate to have grandchildren and great-grandchildren around them. About ten of them served in the Israel Defense Forces. R. Levi Hochman died on Thursday night, Parashat Hayei Sarah, 20 Heshvan 1957 at the age of 87 in Tel Aviv. He was buried in the old cemetery in Tiberias in a plot he had bought earlier. He was a Hassid of the Rabbi of Ossiatin. May his memory be blessed! His wife, Sara-Feiga, daughter of R. Israel David, died on 3 Sivan 1964 in Bnei Brak. She was buried in a plot she had previously bought in Kiryat Shaul cemetery, Tel Aviv. May her memory be blessed! Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Hochman

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Lussia Darbrimediker   Lussia Darbrimediker The daughter of Ephraim and Ita, she was born on 24.7.1915 and died on 29.3.1957. She was a lovely, talented woman. In 1940 she graduated from the law faculty in Iasi. She was so outstanding as a lawyer appearing in court that she was commended by judges and even by prosecutors. During the evacuation she studied nursing and worked in the hospital. She later worked in the legal section of a laboratory in the Institute of Anatomy and Pathology in Chernovtsy. She was greatly appreciated by her co-workers and supervisors. She was deeply loved by her family, friends and acquaintances. Her death from an illness shocked everyone and spread sadness on all those around her. May her memory be blessed!   Nurse Pnina Wertheim Nurse Pnina Wertheim (near table) in Hadassah Hospital in Safed 1924   (Write-up on page 387)

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Nurse Pnina Wertheim It is a blessing for every person to have outstanding ancestors. However, Perele – as we lovingly called her – was outstanding on her own. Her character and special attributes directed her way of life. She came from a special family. Her father was the chief Rabbi of Bendery, Rabbi Shloimenu (or as we lovingly called him Rav Shloimke). Pnina grew up in a brilliant family where Torah and greatness co-existed. There was always an atmosphere of love of Zion and of the people of Israel. This atmosphere was imbued in all the sons and daughters of the family. Although they resembled each other on many levels, they were individuals in their own right. Perele inherited from her father special attributes – aristocratic bearing, goodness, calmness and serious deliberation. No wonder that she was loved by anyone who got to know her. She was fortunate to be part of the first group of seven pioneers organized in Bessarabia. This was at the start of the Third Aliyah in 1920. They made their way to Eretz Israel through the settlement “New Tracks” in Turkey, headed by Rabbi Shapiro. From there we continued by boat to Eretz Israel. It took three weeks and we arrived in Petach Tikva where we worked in Mr. Yanovsky's nursery. My sister-in-law, Rosa Tiomkin, z”l, worked as a dentist in the settlements of the Upper Galilee and she recommended Pnina and talked her into working as a nurse in Hadassah Hospital in Safed. In her new position, Pnina showed her aristocratic spirit by being always ready to help others; this was the true calling of a nurse. She used the best in herself and cast her personality around her. She looked after the sick people in her care. At the time there were four people from Bendery in Safed. These were Pnina, my sister-in-law, my wife and I. We became a close-knit family. Later, Pnina worked in Hadassah in Jerusalem and became a supervising nurse. Her circle of friends and admirers widened within the Hadassah family in the capital. Her reputation as a model to others especially influenced the trainees who were just beginning their careers. She left us too early and it created emptiness in the hearts of all who knew her. Her bright aura will accompany us forever. P. Bendersky Pinhas Wertheim   Pinhas Wertheim A man of accomplishment Pinhas left us too early and our hearts are inconsolable. He was a wonderful friend from his young days. We studied together in Bendery in the Talne Yeshiva and in the study house of “Mishna Learners” during World War I. Even then he excelled in his studies with R. Leibush who was brought from Poland to teach him. Pinhas was the son of R. Yossele and Hannah Wertheim. He was born in Bendery on 10 Elul 1904 and died on 7 Kislev 1968 in Tel Aviv. He had worked for 43 years as a pioneer in different settlements and cooperatives. During World War I he lived in his father's, the Rabbi, house in Ostilo and then in Ostrara. In 1921 he studied in a rabbinical seminary for teachers “Tachkemoni” in Warsaw. It was headed by Prof. Balaban. He received a teaching certificate and made Aliyah in 1925. He planned to study at the Hebrew University, but he changed his (continued on Pg. 388)

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mind and decided to become a pioneer. He went to Kfar Hassidim with some Yablona Hassidim. However, malaria struck the family and he had to move to Haifa. During the unemployment and terrorist attacks of 1929-1931 he and his family suffered horribly, but quietly. After Haifa he went to work in the Tnuva dairy in Pardes Hannah. When the management recognized his qualities he was appointed branch manager. Later he was invited to work in Hamashbir Hamerkazi in Tel Aviv and finally as director of Shiluv, a subsidiary of Hamashbir. He was a devoted family man and radiated warmth and humor around him. On occasion he would recite poetry and rhymes and his family enjoyed the cultural atmosphere. His shining memory will never leave us. His friend Mordehai   Sara Volovetz   Sara Volovetz Sara Volovetz was born on 14 Iyar 1892 and died on 23 Adar 1971. She was a woman of fine character. She was married to Hanania Volovetz, may he live a long life, and was the daughter of Yehoshua-Leib Burris. Her father's home was one where Jewish tradition and general Russian culture were integrated. Sara was one of the first students in the government-run girls' high school. Thus, she absorbed Jewish tradition and love of her people from childhood, as well as the Russian culture of those times. She had an aristocratic soul and was always interested in learning. She admired all cultural matters, written and oral. She loved to read and somehow managed to do it daily while not neglecting her duties as a homemaker and head of the family. She loved to share her thoughts about every book she read, music she heard, ballet performance she saw or an interesting lecture she heard. She loved good intellectual stimulation. Everything about Eretz Israel and its issues interested her. She especially reacted to all those who hated Zion and Jewophobes and what they did to the Jews only because they were Jews. Everyone who knew her well was saddened by her passing. Let us hope these lines will depict her as a dear woman who influenced her surroundings with her warmth. May her memory always be with us! P. Bendersky

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Yeva Zinger   Yeva was born on 22 July 1902 in Odessa. After her father's death she moved with her mother (Immes family) to her grandfather's House – Shlomo Boomajny in Balti. She then came to Bendery. In Bendery she graduated from high school and worked in Mulman's pharmacy. She visited the university in Iasi and then moved to Galati. There, too, she worked in a pharmacy. She met her husband there. He was the manager of the Eretz Israel office. All Aliyah from Romania was under his jurisdiction. Women from Bendery who were on their way to Eretz Israel would meet in her home. In 1933 she made Aliyah with her family and her parents, Haya and Issachar Shlein. She lived in Haifa. She fell ill suddenly and died after a few days on 30.7.1968. May her memory be blessed! Written by those who mourn her bitterly, Her husband Yosef Zinger Her sons: David, Natan, Gideon and their families   Moshe Tulchinsky   A memorial candle is lit in memory of my dear, unforgettable, brother Moshe, son of Avraham, Tulchinsky. He was born in Bendery in 1912. He graduated from the Schwartzman Hebrew High school in Bendery. He was slaughtered during the Holocaust in 1942. May his memory be blessed! Nahman Tulchinsky, Tel Aviv   Avraham Zigberman Avraham was born in 1901 in Bendery. He received a general and Jewish education in the Schwartzman Hebrew high school in Bendery. He always loved books and literature and excelled in writing. He was educated in the tradition of the best minds of the Russian-Jewish intelligentsia and he was thus influenced to follow humanist and cultural values. He was a dedicated Zionist from his youth and he loved nationalistic ideals and Jewish culture. He was a regular correspondent for two Russian newspapers in Bessarabia and he published articles about Jewish life and its public and national institutions. He wrote about Maccabi, Jewish schools, local issues and general problems in Bessarabia. All this was written from a nationalistic Zionist point of view. He was active in the leadership of Maccabi in Bendery. Before he made Aliyah he was involved with the Jewish Agency in Bucharest. In later years, he belonged to the Revisionist movement. He was polite, easy-going and loved by his Zionist friends. He lived in modest material circumstances and was always happy with his lot. He made Aliyah in 1944. His wife`s lengthy illness and his own heart condition brought his demise in 1960. May his memory be blessed!

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Anya (Hannah) Roit (nee Zigberman)   Avraham Zigberman   Anya (Hannah) Roit Anya (Hannah) Roit was born in Bendery to her father Zelig Zigberman, a teacher, and her mother, Haya. She studied in the Hebrew High school and was active in Zionist youth movements. Her father died when she was young and she had to earn a living to take care of herself and her mother who was ill with asthma. She then worked in Galati and later in Czernowitz in a textile-weaving factory `Hercules`. There she met her husband Yehoshua Roit. When war began her husband, Yehoshua, was drafted into the Red Army. She, with her daughter Tanichka, wandered to Russia. On the way they suffered from bombings until they finally reached Astrakhan on the Volga. They lived in different public establishments together with other refugees. There was a measles outbreak and her daughter fell with it. She was 3 years old when she died. Anya was left completely alone and far from her husband, who had been drafted, and the rest of her family. She worked in a fish cannery to earn her keep. She encountered her husband by accident and they reached Central Asia together. In 1948 they made Aliyah. At first they lived in Petach Tikva and then they moved to Ramat Gan. She suffered greatly from an early age and her difficult life influenced her health. She died of a heart attack at the age of 62 on 9.10.1971. She was survived by her husband and sisters.

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