[Page 298]

The town of Svislucz, which the Jews called Sislevich or Shislevich was already in existence in the 15^th century. At that time, it was the property of the noble family of Fokush. In the 17^th century, it was transferred to the Krishpionov nobles. In the 18^th century, Svislucz became the property of the Grafs Tyszkiewicz.^[1] Graf Winzenty (Vincent) Tyszkiewicz contributed a great deal of energy to enlarge and beautify the town. He created a market square which was built up on all sides with houses. He erected a four story stone building in the middle of the marketplace, which was about twelve feet square at its base, and about fifty feet high. On the top of the building a formidable metal ball was placed, from which a metallic rod protruded for about three feet. In town, it was said that the building with the metal rod served as a lightning rod, in order to prevent fires started by lightning strikes.

Five principal streets emanated from the marketplace. Two to the east, one to the west, and one to the north and one to the south. Upon entering the town, every principal street had a stone arch on which heavy gates were hung. At night, the gates were locked. Entry to the town was only by way of the principal streets, through the arches. And at night, when the gates of the archways were locked, it was not possible to ride into or out of town.^[2]

On the east side of the market, on a stretch of land two blocks long between the Amstibover and Rudavker Gasse, Graf Tishkevich had storefronts constructed, built out of large stones. He instituted market fairs, that took place several times a year. Each of the fairs lasted about four weeks. People would come to these fairs from all over Lithuania, and also from the Polish kingdom. The merchants would store their goods in the stone-walled stores.

Tishkevich planted a town park on the west side of the town, in which there were paths cut out for taking a promenade. On the southwest side of the town, he built a gymnasium that later also became a Teachers' Seminary. Elementary school teachers for the entire Grodno province would come out of there. The Jewish Schulhof was gradually built up over time on the northwest side of town. On the southeast side of town, a number of smaller streets were constructed which were called ‘the entrenchments.

Svislucz burned down several times. A large part of the town was consumed by fire on three separate occasions. One time – In the 1830's; A second time – in the 1880's; in the summer of 1910, a large part of Svislucz was consumed by fire. Specifically because of the frequent fires, Svislucz kept on re-building itself, and as a result, its exterior appearance was quite nice. It had many new houses and buildings, among which were two-story structures.

Translator's footnotes:

1. I have taken the historical facts from a dissertation that was written at the Svisluczer Teachers' Seminary by a student named Vaclav Kozlowski. Return
2. In my time, there were only three archways remaining; the other two, belonging to the Kerisker Gasse and Grodno Gasse no longer existed. Return

The Jewish Community in Svislucz

The Marketplace in Svislucz

By the signs found in the Jewish cemetery, the Jewish settlement in Svislucz was originally a very small one. The settlement began to grow during the 18th century, when Svislucz passed into the hands of the Tishkevich Grafs, and when Graf Vincent Tishkevich built up the storefronts, and instituted the market fairs. The commerce generated by those fairs attracted merchants, who indeed, in that time settled in Svislucz. This marks the arrival of my family, the Eins, who came from Grodno, but settled in Svislucz in the 18^th century. They were given the additional name, novikehs, from the Russian word, novy, meaning ‘new,’ because they were seen as newcomers.

The Jewish settlement in Svislucz grew over a long period of time. According to the census of 1847, there were 997 Jewish souls in Svislucz, and in the following fifty years, the Jewish population there doubled. According to the Russian census of 1897, the Jewish population consisted of 2,086 souls.^[1] The population of Svislucz continued to grow. This is notwithstanding the fact, that at that time emigration to England, America and Argentina had already begun.^[2] The economic development of the Jewish population was caused by this growth in the Jewish population, and the growth of the Christian population in Svislucz as well.

Svislucz Fire-fighters in the year 1917

During the initial years of the Jewish settlement in Svislucz, the Jews occupied themselves in dealing with forest products, commerce in grain, running stores and labor. When Graf Tishkevich built the stores and instituted the large fairs, the incomes from commerce grew. Clubs, inns and taverns were added. In the 1830's, when the stores burned down, there was nobody who would reconstruct them. The Grafs Tishkevich were involved in the Polish uprising and later had to flee the country. Because the stores burned down, the great fairs were stopped, and many Jews lost their livelihood. They began to look for other ways to make a living. A number of them took to trades, especially to tanning leather. Prior to this, a crude form of leather tanning was used to create what was called ‘yokhet’ from animal hides. Later on, they began to work with horse hides and finer [Page 300]

leather, such as Spiegel (Hamburger), Shagrin and Flat. German master craftsmen were brought in who taught the trade of how to produce a finer grade of leather. The pioneers in the production of finer grades of leather were Pinchas Bereznitsky, Sender Mintz, Elyeh Rubin and his children, and Itcheh Pinchas Levinchik. Leather production grew gradually. Towards the end of the 19th century, the leather industry in Svislucz consisted of tens of factories and tanneries, that employed several hundred workers. The income of these workers was a great deal more, in many instances two or three times the wages or ordinary workers. Because of the increase in leather production, Svislucz had need for more workers, and many young people from the surrounding towns and villages were brought in there to work in the leather factories. This also expanded the Jewish population of Svislucz. Because of the higher wages of the tanners, their standard of living was higher as well. They ate well and clothed themselves well. This, in turn, provided a good living to storekeepers and other workers. Among the larger storekeepers of that day were numbered: Zdanovich, Iliensky, Khaliuta and Liss, whose stores were on the same level as an American Department Store, in miniature. In these stores, one could purchase everything from a needle on up to a nickel samovar, a herring, and a good portion of sardines or sprats, a pair of galoshes and a good hat, sweaters, and warm underwear.

In the year 1906, when the new Siedlce-Balagoya railroad was completed, with a station in Svislucz, a mere 3 versts from the town, communication with the larger cities, such as Volkovysk, Bialystok and even Warsaw, was significantly improved. This attracted new people to the town, and the Jewish population continued to rise. Before the First World War, there were approximately 3,500 Jews in Svislucz. During the First World War, when the Germans occupied Svislucz, the Jewish population increased even more, with a number of families that the Germans brought there from the town of Luftch in the Minsk Province, who at that time had remained homeless. The larger number of these subsequently remained in Svislucz permanently.

After the First World War, the leather factories in Svislucz operated at a low level. The market for finished leather in Russia from Svislucz was completely cut off, and because of this, a large portion of the Jewish population of Svislucz remained without a source of income. Because of the economic decline and the intensification of Polish anti-Semitism, emigration from Svislucz increased. People emigrated anywhere it was possible to go, to Argentina, North America, and after America instituted quotas on new immigrants, a strong emigration began to go to the Holy Land. Despite this, due to natural growth, the Jewish population in Svislucz did not diminish. And when the Nazis occupied Svislucz in 1941, there was a population there of about 3,500 Jewish souls.

In the past several decades, large centers were formed out of the Jews of Svislucz who emigrated from their home town, in the United States, England, Canada, Argentina, and Israel. The largest centers of Jews from Svislucz are found in Liverpool (England), New York, and Montreal. The large majority of the Jews from Svislucz are well established in their new homes, where they are involved in industry, a variety of professions, as well as in community work. It is appropriate to mention two people from Svislucz here, whose names are recognized on a national level. They are Rabbi Dr. Samuel Belkin and David Lewis. Rabbi Dr. Samuel Belkin is a son of Shlomo Belkin, who was a Hebrew teacher in Svislucz. Shlomo Belkin was an enlightened Jew, a good Hebraist, and a contributor to Hebrew newspapers and journals. He was also active in the Zionist movement in Svislucz. Rabbi Dr. Belkin was educated in the Yeshiva in the old country. He received his doctorate in America. He is today the President of Yeshiva College, named for Rabbi Isaac Elchanan, in New York. David Lewis is the son of Moshe Lewis,(known in the old country as Moshe Losh, or Moshe'keh Khatzkel's). Moshe Lewis was a member of the leadership of the Bundist movement in Svislucz. He was active

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in the community and cultural life of the town. Today, he lives in Montreal, where he is very active in community life, and occupies the position of Secretary-General of the Jewish Labor Committee in Montreal, Canada. David Lewis came to Montreal as a young boy. He is a graduate of two colleges, McGill University in Montreal and Oxford University in England. David Lewis could have made a great career for himself as a lawyer. Rather, he chose to follow in his father's footsteps. As a socialist, he gives his time and energy to the SSP – the Labor Party of Canada, where he occupies the position of Secretary-General. His name is well-known among socialist circles in the United States, and among the leaders of the English Labor Party

Translator's footnotes:

1. The figures for the number of Jews in 1847 and 1897 are taken from the Jewish Encyclopedia. Return
2. A number of Jewish families in the last decade of the 19^th century, emigrated to Argentina, where they settled as colonists in Baron DeHirsch colonies. Return

[Page 302]

Compiled from letters and recollections that I received from Simcha Kaplan, Emanuel Goldberg, Meir Galperin, Abraham Stupachevsky, Berel Orlovsky, and from two Svislucz Christians who were witnesses to the tragedy, as well as Yerakhmiel Lifschitz – a partisan who was in Svislucz for several weeks in the year 1946, and spoke with many Christian residents of Svislucz – and from Nioma Levin.

In September 1939, when the Nazis attacked Poland, the Jews of Svislucz had their first taste of war. German planed bombed a military transport at the Svislucz railroad station. A large number of Polish soldiers were killed there. It didn't take long before Svislucz was occupied by the Russian army. When the Russian army occupied Svislucz, the Polish police commandant and two Polish policemen were shot.

A town committee was established. The local leather factories went over to the Russian regime. A manager was sent that directed the work of these factories. The regime requisitioned the better houses, in which its relocated appointees took up residence. The houses of the Rabbi, Leizer Khaliuta and Meinkus were requisitioned along with others. Religious education of the children was immediately forbidden, and all the Heders were closed. However, slowly, circumstances began to settle down and the populace began to accustom itself to the new Soviet order.

In June 1941, when the Germans attacked Russia, they showered the entire area with leaflets from airplanes, that said they were coming to liberate the entire world from the Jews, and that Jewish assets would be turned over to Christians. Many people elected to flee into Russia, but the way to the east was at that point already cut off.

Svislucz was captured by the Nazis on June 26, 1941. On the first day of the occupation, the German commander issued an order that al the Jews of Svislucz and surroundings should register themselves immediately, and that each Jew should put a white armband on their left arm. A few days later, a new order was issued, which ordered each Jew to put on a yellow patch , ten centimeters wide – one on the front left side of the breast, and one on the rear, right side of the back.

Many young Jewish people were shot on that day, based on informers telling that they were communists. Jews were forced to walk in the streets in order that they not come in contact with the murderers. The Nazis levied burdensome demands for money, gold and also furs. These ‘contributions’ had to be satisfied in a matter of several hours time. For not complying with these orders on time, many times people were shot on the spot.

The Christian population cooperated with the Nazis to a considerable extent. Many of them took over Jewish houses and stores. Many Christians became converted into ardent followers of Hitler, who bathed themselves in Jewish tears and Jewish blood.

The German commander ordered that a Judenrat be established in Svislucz, that should consist of seven people. The spokesman for the Judenrat was Schlachter, the director of the Hebrew school (he was someone who had

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moved to Svislucz). His assistant and deputy was Ephraim Zdanovich. The other members were: Mendel Vigonsky, Alter Brudeh, and Motkeh Kalmanovich. The secretaries were: Dr. B. Meisel, and Pin'iyeh Kleinerman. All the orders from the German authority were conveyed to the Judenrat, which was held responsible for carrying them out.

In July 1941 a ghetto was established in Svislucz at the order of the German command, and all Jews were ordered to move into the quarters of their overcrowded ghetto, which consisted of the area from the Schulhof and the Grodno Gasse. On the same day that the Jews were supposed to move into the ghetto, it was demanded of them that they bring all their horses and cattle to the marketplace, and turn them over to the Christians.

Life in the ghetto was a real Hell. The enraged German murderers would fall upon the small Jewish ghetto, raining murderous blows on the Jews, robbing them of anything that they pleased. During the time that the Jews lived in the ghetto, they were forced to perform the hardest and dirtiest labor, under the constant eye of the Nazi gendarmes. The Nazis even posted proclamations that Christians were forbidden, under penalty of death, to sell anything to the Jews, especially bread and foodstuffs. Despite this, an illegal trade developed between the Jews and the Christian populace.

In the Spring of 1942, the commandant, Odenbach called the head of the Judenrat to him, and ordered the assembly of all Jews between the ages of fifteen and sixty, men and women, for work on the road that the Nazis were then building between Bialystok and Baranovich. The order had to be carried out immediately. The populace began to pack up, and they went off to do the work. The Jews of Svislucz worked on the road near the village of Kvatereh. They did hard labor for twelve hours a day, and did not receive adequate food. Nevertheless, the Jews worked speedily, believing that in this way they would buy themselves out of being killed. But this did not satisfy the Germans. An hour did not go by that the Nazis didn't beat the workers about the head with rubber truncheons. When the Jews could no longer withstand the frightful beatings, they would send messengers to the Judenrat in Svislucz to go an plead on their behalf. The secretaries of the Judenrat would then come to the workplace, and appeal to the overseer on behalf of the welfare of the Jews. The Judenrat also would invite the commandant and other high officials to their homes, and attempt to buy them off with the best articles, the best boots, coats and gold. Each and every one turned over their last possessions in order to ease the plight of the Jews at their hard labor. The Nazis would take everything. A few days would then go by quietly, and they no longer beat the Jews. However, a short time after that, circumstances reverted to the prior situation – in order to extract more money and possessions from the unfortunate Jews. In order to extract even more from the Jews, they took to the Jews with even more brutality. It was in this fashion that the Jews of Svislucz endured through the summer of 1942. At the end of October 1942 the work on the road came to an end, and the Jews were sent back to Svislucz.

All these tribulations and exertions made life miserable. Many Jews wished for death.

On Saturday, October 30, 1942 the Christians of Svislucz received an order to provide five hundred wagons for November 1. It became immediately known that these wagons would be used to take away the Jewish population of Svislucz.

On the nights of the 1^st and 2^nd of November 1942, Svislucz was surrounded by the German military and local gendarmes – Ukrainians, Poles, and White Russians. On Monday, November 2, 1942 (22 Heshvan 5702), at

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5AM, they began to drive the Jews out of their homes. The old, the young, the sick – everyone was compelled to go to the marketplace. Each person was permitted to take along a small pack of personal belongings. These packs were carried on the back, leaving home and gathering at the horse market, in the former stores between the Amstibover and Rudavker Gasse. The marketplace was bounded by a stone wall. At the order of the Nazis, the Christians of Svislucz and surrounding villages gathered there at 7AM, to watch the scene of what was becoming of the Jews. The commandant Odenbach arrived at 8AM along with other German officers, and they began to sort the Jews. The young and middle-aged separately, the old and sick separately, and women and children separately. The young and the middle-aged were formed into rows of four abreast, and through the Brisker Gasse, were led off to the railroad station of Svislucz. A large number of the Jews were exhausted, and could not carry their packs, so they took them off their backs and discarded them, freeing themselves from that burden. The Christians, standing by and watching, snatched up these packs. A train transport stood at the ready at the Svislucz train station. The Jews were packed into the train cars, eighty people to a car. The train pulled away in the direction of Volkovysk. Many, because of a lack of space in the train cars, remained outside. The Nazis rounded them up together, and took them to the nearby Vishnick Forest, and they were all shot.

The older men and the women with small children were also taken to the Vishnick Forest through the Rudavker and Hofisher Gasse. Those who could not walk, were loaded onto wagons. Among the Jews taken to the Vishnick Forest were the Rabbi of Svislucz, Rabbi Chaim Yaakov Mushinsky, his wife, and many of the finest balebatim of the town.

In the forest, large pits had been dug out and made ready. The Jews were ordered to take off their clothes to their underwear. They were lined up in rows of ten, led to the pits, and shot there. According to the telling of Simcha Kaplan, the Rabbi gave a sermon in order to soothe the people in their last moments, before they were shot.^[1]

The small children were not shot. They were thrown into the pit alive, or their skulls were smashed with wooden clubs before they were thrown in. A Christian writes about this in Russian: “Dyeti Uvyali Derevianemi Kalatushkami.” A group of young Jews pulled the convulsed and trembling bodies of the Jews to the pits. These young people were promised that their lives would be spared for doing this work. Nevertheless, they were shot on the following morning. The forest was surrounded by German soldiers, armed with machine guns, in order to prevent anyone from escaping. A few young people though, managed to escape.

The executions continued for an entire day. Towards nightfall, when the murderers saw that they were not yet done with all the Jews, they stood all the people in rows and shot them. It was in this fashion that many who were only lightly wounded came to be thrown alive into the pits that were the graves of their brethren. When the murderers were finished with their handiwork, they went off to the palace in the forest, and indulged themselves in a celebration that lasted the entire night. The group of young people that had assisted in burying their home town brethren were locked up in the cellar of the palace. They were all shot on the morrow. According to the account of Abraham Stupachevsky, a number of Jews had the good fortune to escape from the palace. But instead of fleeing to the forests of Bielovez, they fled in the direction of the Berestovitz railroad station. There, they were caught and shot.

The possessions of the Jewish populace was gathered up by the Germans and taken to a large grain silo. The

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better things and furniture were sent back to Germany, the lesser things were sold off or given away by the Nazis, a little at a time, to their local allies and believers in Hitler.

The transport with the Jews of Svislucz arrived in Volkovysk, and there they were driven in to block of six bunkers that had been made ready for them.

The fate of the Jews of Svislucz who were taken to Volkovysk, was no better than that of the Jews of Volkovysk and its environs. They remained in the Volkovysk camp for only a matter of several weeks, where they suffered from hunger, cold, surviving dysentery and outbreaks of typhus, and all the other tribulations that were the hallmark of the day-to-day life in a German concentration camp. Together with the other Jews, they were then sent in transports to Treblinka and Auschwitz, where they were gassed and cremated.

Only four people survived out of the approximately three thousand Jews that lived in Svislucz when the Nazis occupied the town: Meir Galperin fled to Bialystok and was sent to a slave labor camp from there; Berel Orlovsky escaped from the bunkers in Volkovysk and joined the partisans; ‘Nioma Levin lived through the camps at Auschwitz and Dachau and was liberated by the American Army; and Yerakhmiel Lifschitz, who went off to Bialystok, and from there joined the partisans. One young girl, Alteh Shevelevich, the daughter of Yoss'l Shevelevich (nickname is Yoss'l Brushkeh), also survived Auschwitz. Shortly after being liberated, she was strongly moved to return to her home in Svislucz, where she hoped to find some remnant of her family. En route, she was killed by Polish brigands. They killed her solely because they saw that she was a Jewish girl.

In addition to the four surviving Jews from Svislucz previously mentioned,, there are, to date, 38 additional Jews from Svislucz. A number of them had lived in other towns, others fled the camps, and hid themselves in the forests and fought the enemy as partisans, and most of these are among those who served in the Red Army or were sent to Siberia.

No Jews live today in Svislucz anymore. The few who turned to go back there after the liberation of the town, took one look at the desecrated [Jewish] cemetery in which the town takes pride, left immediately to find a new home.

I have written this article in memory of the Jewish martyrs of Svislucz, among whom were my two sisters and their families, who were shot in the Vishnick Forest, gassed and incinerated in the crematoria of Treblinka and Auschwitz.

Let the lines of my article serve as memorial markers that cover the scattered and dispersed graves of our brethren and the ashes of the Svislucz Jewish martyrs, who were taken from us in so tragic a manner.

Let us honor their memory!

Translator's footnote:

1. Simcha Kaplan was not in the Vishnik Forest. What the Rabbi had spoken about, he heard from Christians when he came to Svislucz in 1946. Simcha Kaplan served as an officer (captain) in the Russian-Polish Army. Return

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