[Pages 73-75]

Shlomo Rubizevsky of blessed memory, was a citizen of Nalibok, a religious and active man who worked very hard six days a week in the big surrounding forest of Nalibok, and surrounding settlements, buying all that he was able. On the one day of rest, – Shabbath, he used to be sick from the work of the past week, but early Sunday morning, he was again on his way in the forest. He had for whom to worry; a wife, six sons and three daughters.

His wife Teyba of blessed memory, died before the Second World War and so the motherly responsibilities fell on his young daughter Feigal. His sons Ichy, Shimeon and David, were already married and had their own businesses. Valval learnt in a seminar in Warsaw.

In 1939 when the Soviets took over the town, they confiscated, together with all other businesses, Shlomo Rubizevsky's business and house.

After the Germans had taken over the town, and after they had chased all the Jews of Nalibok to Rubizevitch, including Shlomo Rubizevsky's family, the Germans killed him and his son Shimeon, and his second son David was killed on the barbed wire of the Ghetto.

His son Ichy with his wife Deborah (Shklut) and their son Mula and sisters Sarah and Chana, were chased to the Dvoretzer Ghetto, where, except for Ichy who was working out of the Ghetto and who from there escaped to the forest, so in the meantime stayed alive, they were massacred together with the other Jews.

Tragic was the lot of Baruch and Valval. They had earlier escaped the Ghetto and were hidden by a Christian. They came a few times to the Ghetto to urge the youths to escape to the forest, until the Jewish Police caught Baruch and beat him up, and instructed him to not show himself again in the Ghetto. Stupid men!!! They thought by this they could save the rest of the Jews in the Ghetto. The brothers decided once more to enter the Ghetto and to take out their two sisters, however the previous night the Germans had surrounded the Ghetto and by morning had wrought a terrible massacre, so that there was no hope of escaping the Ghetto. They and a few other Jews hid in a bunker which they had earlier prepared, but this did not help them as the murderers went from house to house discovering the hidden Jews and killing them.

However they didn't notice Valval and Baruch, but later the murderers returned finding Valval with a revolver in his hand and immediately shot him, together with his cousin Aryeh Shimanovitz from Nalibok. Baruch was lying hidden under some parcels and on him fell the dead body of his brother, so they didn't notice him. After the Germans left, Baruch took out the revolver from his dead brother's hands and hid in the same house under a bed, keeping ready the weapon to shoot the Germans and then himself.

Three days he was thus hidden, not understanding how the Germans didn't find him, even though a few times they went around searching for living Jews to kill.

One night he escaped from the house and from the Ghetto and met a few other fleeing Jews. A week later by coincidence he met his brother Ichy and together went to the forest till they met the partisan group from Bialsky, in the Nalibok forest. With the partisans they both did a lot and at least took a bit of revenge on the murderers of their people and family. They were both very good and devoted partisans and were ready to undertake any mission. Baruch finally became an Attendant to the Commander Semiatavich, a good Christian and a friend of the Jews, and Ichy died soon after the liberation, even though in reality, his soul was long ago dead, after the death of all his family.

I, Sula, am of Navoredek, and in the winter of 1942, I escaped the Ghetto together with another few girls, and hid in the forests of that vicinity, until we came to the Bialsky's regiment, and there in the winter of 1943, we met a few Jews who had survived the Dvoretzer massacre and who had also joined Bialsky's regiment. A few of them had weapons and were already good partisans. I became a friend of one of them, Ichy Rubizevsky, who with a paternal devotion was devoted to us orphan girls. He helped us with all he could possibly do. He called us dear little sisters, and there I also met his brother Baruch, who is now my husband. His brother Gutal and sister Feigal, who stayed alive, are now in Minsk and both have started new families. Perhaps, when the iron curtain that separates us so much, will open, we will be able to meet and unite the remnants of the family which was so greatly destroyed.

The small Jewish, but steadfast town, Nalibok, is nor more.

The houses were burnt, and all the Jews massacred by the bloody murderers' hands.

Let them be cursed forever.

My parents and sister were killed in 1943 in Navoredek.

Magnified and sanctified be His great name.

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