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48°57' 26°33'
Translated by Monica Devens
| A town on the Smotrych river in the Kamyanets Podilskyy district, at a distance of 30 versts from it. One of the oldest urban settlements in this area. In the middle of the 13th century it was destroyed by the troops of Batu Khan.
During the reign of the Lithuanians one of the princes fortified the town and established his seat there. Because of the quarrel between the princes, the town passed into the hands of the Poles. In 1448, it was included in the Podolia Voivodeship and received the Magdeburg Constitution from the Polish government. In 1712, there were found in the Jewish community there, together with the surrounding settlements, 375 people. In 1808, the town came under Russian rule and was recognized as a second-class city; in 1837, it was returned to the status of a town. In 1847, the town counted 1,274 Jews and, over the next 50 years, according to the population survey of 1897, the number went up to 1,725 in a general population of 4,399. |
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by Moshe Hochman, Mordechai Schneiderman
Translated by Monica Devens
Our town was named after the Smotrych river that runs through it. It was a small and quiet town, with a Jewish community of about 400 families, among hostile rural and urban settlements, most of whom were farmers, sugar factory workers, and potters.
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| From views of the city: the Smotrych River |
The Jewish population existed here for generations, they were innocent, honest, and quiet Jews like all the Jews of the surrounding towns. They barely made a living, through heavy toil and hard work; they engaged in trade (including the export of agricultural produce beyond the Austrian border, which was about 30 km from the town), in crafts, and in clerical work.
The town had never been blessed with great wealthy people. However, the difficult life did not prevent the Jewish community from an excellent spiritual life.
Who among the inhabitants of the town does not remember the great synagogue? Many legends were woven about its construction and upkeep. Its walls were beautifully painted and the Ark of the Covenant excelled as a masterpiece. Indeed, for sanctity reasons, the walls were never cleaned. The Central Committee for Folklore in Petrograd, headed by Dr.
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S. An-Sky, studied the evidence of the synagogue and found it of great interest. Unfortunately, this synagogue was destroyed by order of the authorities.
There were 8 more synagogues in the town, belonging to various Hasidim and to craftsmen and around them, the spiritual life of the place was conducted. There were “Cheders” of different types in the town as well as a “Yeshiva” where even older Jews studied Torah.
It is necessary to mention the great light of Hasidism which illuminated quite a bit the gray material life of our town. There were also disputes and fights between the different Hasidic sects and all for the sake of heaven.
Even before the First World War, as a result of various national movements in Russia and in the whole world, Zionist associations began to be organized in our area, too, which attracted the hearts of the Jewish youth and gave them a refreshing spirit of revival. At the same time, a Hebrew school was founded, imbued with a distinct national spirit and with excellent teachers who inspired hope and aspiration for a new life. A Zionist organization was founded with factions of “Tse'irei Tsiyon,” “Mizrachi,” and “Po'alei Tsiyon.” Workers' organizations, the “Bund” and “Mahane Yisrael” of the religious, were also formed. Similarly, institutions for mutual help were also founded: “Ha-Chevra le-Ashrai Hadadi,” “Gemilut Hesed,” “Hachnasat Orhim,” “Matan Be-Seter,” “Linat Ha-Tzedek,” “Chevra Kadisha,” and more.
The results of the First World War and the great Russian Revolution influenced the Jewish youth to strive for education, for self-defense, and for standing up for the dignity of the nation and the individual. During the disturbances in Proskorov (= Khmelnytskyi) and Pilashtyn, Smotrych youth also came to the aid of the injured with medical supplies and food.
We established a large library which contained many books in Hebrew, Yiddish, and Russian,
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| A group of pioneers |
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and many people received education and knowledge through it. The library served not only the townspeople, but also the people of the surrounding area.
A group of “He-Halutz” was organized, talented and cohesive, which worked on the land of Graf Pototsky in Smotrych. The members of the group would go to various hard jobs: cutting trees, cultivating beet and sugar fields, paving roads, repairing dams in flour mills, and more, and served as a personal example for Jewish workers. In this, they laid the foundation for a shared life in preparation for immigrating to Israel. And it is true that the whole group immigrated to Israel and after it - more young people, too.
Despite the vicissitudes of the fate of Russian Jewry, after the revolution, vibrant life still flowed in the town. There was also an emigration movement to overseas countries. Some of the residents moved to the Russian steppes, to the big cities, overseas, and to the Land of Israel; nevertheless, there remained another nucleus around which life was woven, as it did in the old days, until the terrible days of the Holocaust came and the hand of the damned Nazis cut off every trace of our town.
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