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A Memorial Candle is Lit in Memory of My Slaughtered Family Members My father, Pinhas-Yosef, son of R. Mordehai, Krajevsky He was born in 1880 and was killed by the Bolsheviks in 1920.   Bluma Krajevsky   My mother, Riva (Rivka) Krajevsky, daughter of Aaron Hazin   She was born in 1882 and was killed during the Holocaust in a communal settlement on the road to Leningrad in 1942. My sister, Bluma, was born in 1910 and was killed in 1942. My sister's son, Pinhas, was born in 1932 and was killed in 1942. They were all shot during the times of the Red terror and the invasion by the Fascist Nazis. Their memory is always in our hearts.

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Moshe Kaushansky (A member of Beitar in Bendery) Moshe was the son of Israel and Batya, and he was born in Bendery on 12.07.1917. He received a public education and he wished to make Aliyah as an agricultural worker. His wish came true when he arrived in Eretz Israel on 10.03.1939 on the ship “Katina”. In 1939-40 he worked in the citrus groves in Hadar near Ramatyim. He was given a piece of land where he grew vegetables. In 1940-41 he studied diamond polishing in Netanya. In 1941 he joined the Jewish Brigade and was sent first to Egypt and then to Europe. He returned in 1946 and continued to work as a diamond polisher. He still wanted to join an agricultural settlement. In February 1948 he joined the defense forces in the struggle for independence. He served in Harel and later Moria in the Israel Defense Forces. He fought in the battle for Jerusalem and participated in the conquest of Hirbat Al Lehem near Latrun. He was a brave soldier and was careful in protecting military secrets. Moshe was killed during a dangerous mission in Beit Tul near Jerusalem on 18.07.1948. He was reburied on Mount Herzl on 28.02.1950. (Yizkor, Ministry of Defense, 1957)   A Memorial Candle Dedicated To My Dear Late Parents, My Sister and Her Daughter My father, Menahem-Mendel Kirshner, 1875- 14.03.1926 My mother, Elka, daughter of Shmaya, 1876-6.11.1949 My sister, Yaffa (Sheindl), 1912- 1.9.1941 My late father was a hard-working, honest man. His father died when he was young and he had to help support the family. He learned to be a locksmith and a machinist. This is how he always earned his living. He was a traditional man and he educated his children in Jewish values. He was always ready to help the needy. Although I was the only son, my father understood that I would be making Aliyah. He, himself, also planned to do so, but he fell ill at work and died of pneumonia. He was buried in Bendery. My mother was a gentle woman who taught her children good values. In those years she was the designated reader of prayers for other women on Shabbat and Holidays. After my father`s death, my mother and my sister, Yaffa, made Aliyah in the 1930s. Here, too, she stood out for her generosity and good deeds. She donated (continued on Pg. 423)

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a Torah scroll to the synagogue on Bookie Ben Yagli Street in Tel Aviv. She also paid the expenses incurred in managing a bed in the old people's home on Avoda Street in Tel Aviv. My sister, Yaffa, was one of the first female workers in the Lodzia factory. She died after a lengthy illness brought about after her only child, Menahem, died. He was killed during the Italian bombing in Tel Aviv in the 1940s. May their souls be bound among the souls of the living! Zvi Kirshner   Asher Kishinovsky   R. Asher Kishinovsky was well-known in our town as a wealthy merchant who had extended business dealings. He was a director of the Moldova Bank and was later succeeded by his son, David. In addition to his business involvement he was also active in public affairs. Everyone came to him for help. It could be a wagon driver whose horse died or a poor Jew whose wife was ill or a father who was marrying off his daughter and had no money for a dowry. R. Asher Kishinovsky assisted in the construction of the Great Synagogue in Bendery and he exerted much effort in looking after the congregants. He was also drawn to Zionism. He was one of the first to donate to Jewish National Fund and Keren Hayesod. He also brought in other donors. His memory will be with us forever! P. Bendersky   David (Kishon) Kishinovsky   David Kishon – known as Kishinovsky in Bendery – was born in 1893. He was a well-known personality in our town. He was active in many aspects of public life. David was a director of the Moldova Bank and many Jews would come to him asking for help. This was especially so during difficult economic times. David Kishon was also the president of the Chamber of Commerce. It was an important position during Romanian times.

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David was especially involved with our youth. He helped to found a commercial school. Needy students were given free textbooks. He believed in a `Healthy soul in a healthy body`. He was chairman of Maccabi youth movement. He also tried to obtain Aliyah permits for young people. Many young Jews endangered their lives by crossing the Dniester on their way to Eretz Israel. They stopped in Bendery and David helped and encouraged them. David Kishinovsky was commended for all his efforts and his good deeds. He made Aliyah and died on 28 Elul 1972. His memory will be with us forever! P. Bendersky   Engineer Bubby (son of David) Kishon (Kishinovsky)   R.Shmuel Krassilover Shmuel was born in Katriliva where he grew up, was married and had two daughters and one son. His wife died in 1890 and he moved to Bendery with his children. He remarried and had five more children – two sons and three daughters. In both Katriliva and Bendery he earned his living by teaching. His Heder was on Benderskaya Street. He later taught in the Talmud Torah and some of his students moved with him. He was known to his students, especially on the bone of their thumb- which he lacked. The students were afraid to complain to their parents because he threatened to hit them even harder on the next day. Still, they actually liked him. When he was six years old, Russian soldiers came to the village to kidnap Jewish children to serve Tsar Nikolai. When his father heard this he told Shmuel to place his thumb on the anvil and he chopped it off with his ax. This is how he was exempt from military service. He was good-natured and all the children in the family loved him. R. Shmuel Krassilover was a Cohen and he officiated at Pidyion Haben ceremonies. His students came from wealthy homes. He also taught Gmara to other students. He worked in the Talmud Torah until his last day. He died in 1928 at the age of 88. He left a large family. Some of them live in Israel. Told by his grandson Shoel Zilberman, Rehovot to interviewer Y. Raviv (Special article on page 231)

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Zalman Kaushansky   Haim Kaushansky   Rahel Kaushansky   My grandfather, R. Haim Kaushansky, was a well-known and highly respected personality in Bendery. He was clever and his opinions were well received by the public. He was a leader in the Jewish Community as well as an experienced and honest merchant. He headed the Chamber of Commerce and was commended by King Ferdinand of Romania. My grandfather was raised in a traditional Jewish home and this is how he brought up his sons and daughters. When they became adults they, too, contributed to the Jewish and general communities. He had an open hand and he was always ready to donate to different causes. He died in Bendery on 23 Tammuz 1931 and was beautifully eulogized. May his soul be bound among the souls of the living! His grandson, Attorney Eliezer Kishon

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Zalman Kaushansky Zalman Kaushansky, son of Haim, was one of the most highly respected personalities in Bendery. He was born on 12.2.1887. He was educated in the Jewish tradition and remained true to it all his life. R. Zalman was an important merchant in our town. He was well-liked and trusted by all who knew him. He was quite active in public life and was always prepared to work on behalf of Jewish institutions, to help the needy and to encourage others to donate to Eretz Israel. No one ever refused him. In 1950 he and his wife arrived in Israel. His son, Eliezer Kishon, a lawyer, was there already. Even in Israel he was recognized as a leader and he was elected Gabbai in his synagogue. R. Zalman died on 9.4.1972 at the age of 85. His wife, Rahel, daughter of Moshe, was born in Kishinev in 1888. She was active in public life in Bendery. She died on 2.5.1974. May their souls be bound with the souls of the living! His friend, Hanania Volovetz   R. Shmuel-Yosef Klibansky   He was born in Vilna in 1855 and he died in Bendery in 1909. R. Shmuel-Yosef Klibansky, z”l, was a Jewish scholar and a teacher of the Bible. He studied in a yeshiva and was ordained a Rabbi. He always loved to study and to develop. He moved to Bendery where he married my mother, Batsheva, and he raised a large family. In addition to teaching he was also active in public life. He was one of the founders of two synagogues in Bendery: Mishnayos Shul and the Carpenters Shul. My father taught at the Talmud Torah and also at the day school in Bendery. He was modest and always ready to help the needy. May his memory be blessed!   unnamed – see article following   Batsheva (Peretz) Klibansky She was born in 1860 and she died in Eretz Israel in 1935. My mother, Batsheva, was my father's trusted helpmate. They created a blessed home and raised a large family. Their son, Shlomo Levni (Klibansky)

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Yitzhak (Isak), son of Mendel Kraposter He was born in 1900 and he died in 1921   Zev (Volodya) Kraposter He was born in 1886 and he made Aliyah in 1956. He died in Ramat Gan in 1965.   Mordehai Kraposter   Mordehai Kraposter Mordehai, the son of Sossel and Mendel, was born in Bendery on 24.8.1902. He studied in the Schwartzman Hebrew High School. When he was quite young, his father died and Mordehai had to manage the family business. In spite of his poor health, he served in the Romanian army. In 1931 he came to Eretz Israel with a group of tourists to see if conditions there were suitable for him. Someone had denounced the group to the British authorities accusing them of planning to remain in the country. The ship's passengers were arrested. They went on a hunger strike and eventually they were promised certificates to enter the country. In 1933 the certificates were received. Since family members were included, he, his wife and oldest son made Aliyah. On his first day in Haifa he began to look for work. He waited and waited until he did obtain a job.

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Mordehai Kraposter (cont.) In 1934 he began to work in Solel Bone as a construction worker. During the upheavals, there was much less work and he could only get a few days a month. He even went to dangerous places like Nablus and Jenin. After many years he switched to work in the warehouse of Solel Bone. He retired in 1967 after 33 years. He died suddenly on 20.4.1971. He left a wife, a son, a daughter and 6 grandchildren.   Tsipa Kogan   Aaron (Arel) Kogan (Cohen) and His Family My father, Arel (Aaron) Kogan was the son of Leibush, the cantor of the Great synagogue in Bendery. He was born in 1881. He was a public figure who worked for the good of the citizens of his town. He was totally dedicated and was active in many institutions: “Help for the Sick”, “Clothes for the Needy”, Ort school, charitable organizations and summer camps for poor children. His main goal was always to teach the younger generation to be productive and to learn a trade. Most of his life he worked in the Savings and Loan Bank in Bendery (the Jewish Bank).   Aaron (Arel) Kogan

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Genia Hochman (Kogan) – Sister   (Arel Kogan Cont.) He was a scholarly man, well educated in Jewish culture in general and in Yiddish literature in particular. He was well-versed in world affairs and he was an outstanding orator. He had leanings to the left and admired the “Bund”. However, he was a dedicated Jew, heart and soul. His home was traditional, but not observant. He was the Gabbai of the Rahman synagogue. He directed his children towards Zionist youth movements. In fact, I, his son, belonged to Hashomer Hatzair. My late sister, Genia, was a member of Zeirei Zion. My younger brother, Avraham Kogan, who remained in Bendery, taught his children to follow the saying: “Be a human being on the outside and a Jew in your own home.” My mother, Tsipa (Tzipora) Kogan was born in Tiraspol in 1885. She was a gentle person and an outstanding homemaker. She taught her children to perform good deeds. World War II uprooted my parents from their home and their town. They both died of starvation and illness on the way to Uzbekistan. My sister, Genia Kogan (Hochman), was born in 1915. She was widowed during WWII. After much wandering she reached a communal settlement in Saratov where she was killed in 1943. She was only 29 years old. She was a high school graduate and had a beautiful singing voice. She had planned to make Aliyah in 1941, but she was unsuccessful because the Russians invaded Bessarabia. May their souls be bound among the souls of the living! Arieh Cohen

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His wife Batsheva   Haim Kapusta   Haim Kapusta and his wife Batsheva Our father was born in 1889 in Kopinka, a village in the District of Bendery. His father was the ritual slaughterer of the village. He received a Jewish education and he was imbued with love of his people. His door was always open and he was always ready to help needy Jews, especially in the years 1919-1922. In 1919, during the battles between the Romanians and the Bolsheviks on the other side of the Dniester, many Jews fled Bendery. They wandered in the direction of Kaushany and Kopinka. The refugees who arrived in the village were warmly received by my parents. Soon, pioneers from Russia, on their way to Eretz Israel, crossed the Dniester into Bessarabia. They were endangering their lives and needed a refuge. Again, my parents opened their home to these young people and protected them from the Romanians. They were quite courageous. In addition, my father employed these pioneers in his fruit groves. He was a fruit merchant and an exporter. In this way, the pioneers were able to earn their keep and to prepare themselves for their agricultural work in Eretz Israel. Our mother was born in Uman in 1889. Her father was the town Rabbi. She, too, was imbued with love for her people and her Jewish tradition. She was always ready to help the less fortunate. My parents made Aliyah in 1939. We, their sons and daughter, soon followed. Our father was a merchant in Eretz Israel. Our mother died on 9.7.1952 while our father left us in 1956. May their souls be bound among the souls of the living! As told by his sons to P.B.

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