Villages in the Vicinity {cont.}
[Page 143]
The Village of Glinna
Pinchuk Family (Israel)
Translated by Ala Gamulka
The village of Glinna stood out, in particular, among the ancient villages
around Rokitno. It was named after its clay soil (Glinna). The village is
situated on the bank of the Stviga River. There is a legend that says that
Glinna was once a big city that was destroyed in the 17th century. As proof of
this legend, there are two actual events. The village was surrounded by
fortifications 2 km away, on the road to Yozfin - Prince Radziwil's estate.
Also, the flowers growing in the area were beautiful and rare. It was said that
they grew from seeds found in the hay fed by the Tatars to their horses.
There was an ancient cemetery in the village, the only one in the area. In
1937, when a new section was added to the cemetery, a skull was found during
the digging for a grave. The conclusion was that even this new section was part
of an ancient cemetery. The grave was closed and the section was no longer used
for burials.
Yosef Shuster, one of the veteran residents of the village recalled that some
ancient graves, hundreds of years old, were found in the hills of Glinna. There
were also remnants of an ancient factory.
The beauty of the village was an old synagogue, built 500 years ago. It is
mentioned in "Pinkas Vilna". Rabbis came from Vilna to Glinna and
confirmed that the synagogue was an ancient one. It was built out of unplaned
beams and planks. At the entrance there were three steps to go down, to fulfill
the verse: "I called G-d from the depth". Inside were woodcarvings.
Akiva Blizhovsky (130 years earlier), the right-hand of the great Rabbi Aharon
from Karlin, renovated the synagogue. Prince Radziwil had donated the lumber
for that purpose. The renovation was done very carefully so as not to ruin the
works of art that had adorned the synagogue for many years. For that reason
they left the old carved lintels and also built a women's section.
The ten Jewish families that resided in the village were either in business or
they were tradesmen. Every family had a small yard in which they kept cows and
chickens. In Yozfin, 4 km outside Glinna, there were sawmills and a tar
factory. The village Jews also made their living there. Even the nobles who
hunted in the thick Yozfin forests provided an important source of income.
The houses and businesses were inherited by the sons. Every son had first
entitlement to his father's business. The Jews of the village were traditional
and devout and there were no arguments about faith or difference of opinion.
The children were brought up steeped in tradition. However, in time, they also
established an advanced cheder where secular subjects were taught. The
wealthier residents sent their children to Hebrew schools in the area.
The big event in the life of the village Jews was the visit of Rabbi Israelke
from Stolin. It usually happened in the winter. The followers from nearby
villages came to Stolin on sleighs to bring the rebbe. The trip included the
string of nearby villages and lasted about a week. These were days of spiritual
awakening and there were many celebrations with Hasidic dancing. In Glinna the
rabbi slept in our house. The Jews came to greet him with horse drawn sleighs.
The bells on the horses' necks were wonderfully sweet. The sound of the bells
harmonized with the Hasidic songs and the roads were sanctified in honor of the
Rabbi.
The entire Jewish village population - about 60-70 people -gathered in our
house. They danced on benches and tables until after midnight. After a light
sleep of two hours, the Jews came back to the Rabbi to present requests, to ask
for advice and to give him donations.
Modern times did not miss Glinna. The Hechalutz movement came to the village
and the youths began to think of new values and of preparing themselves for
physical labor in Eretz Israel. The village young people gathered, here and
there, and discussed different issues that troubled the Jewish world and the
workers' world. The majority went to preparatory kibbutzim and some made
aliyah. Glinna also served as a preparatory place for pioneering youths from
area villages.
Although there were usually good relations with the neighbors, in times of
upheaval, between governments, the locals would turn against the Jews ready to
plunder and to kill. 1920 was a very bad year. The Bolhovtzis [2] gangs ran
wild in the forests of Polesia. Jewish victims were brought to burial in the
Glinna cemetery, from the village of Bukcha. The Jews gathered in the synagogue
to fast and to pray. At the last minute, a miracle happened. A Polish army
brigade came and saved the Jews from certain death.
However, during the Holocaust, there were no saviors and the village Jews were
killed. On the days before the slaughter, my father was deep in study of the
unknown and the mysterious. He saw signs of the Messiah in his suffering. The
fact that the Holocaust took place in the year 700 (taf shin) strengthened his
belief in this. In an ancient book he found written that the number 700 (taf
shin) announced a great disaster and that the strength of the world with the
Jews in it, would end (tash). Perhaps after this Holocaust the Jewish nation
would be revived. He lived and died with this belief.
[Page 145]
The Village of Drozdin
Ruhama Chechko [Polsky] (Givat Hashlosha)
Translated by Ala Gamulka
It was a small village between Rokitno and Stolin. It had five Jewish families.
Its wooden buildings were low with straw roofs. The windows were dark. A low
light was seen here and there and beautiful singing was heard in the evenings.
Jews had lived in the village for many generations. They made a living and
educated their children. They hired an excellent teacher even though it was a
financial burden. Some of the children studied in the Tarbut School in Rokitno.
The Jews of the village were hard working. They made a living from physical
labor, using spades and rakes, axes and saws. Their main source of food was
potatoes and animals and fowl from their tiny yards. We grew up in green
fields. There were beautiful gardens around our house. They enriched our soul
and our imagination. In the yard we had fruit trees planted by our grandfather
and intended for the enjoyment of future generations. We had vegetables and
corn, a cowshed, a stable and a barn.
In addition to work in the field, the Jews also traded with poor peasants. The
Jewish population was related and there were many children. Their social
conditions were equal and they did not need much. However, in spite of the
poverty, the children were happy and full of delight.
Hasidism contributed to the spiritual uplifting in the life of the Jews of the
village. The Jews of Drozdin were followers of Rabbi Moshele Perlov, may he
rest in peace, from Stolin. They fully believed the Rabbi could perform
miracles. In times of difficulty and sorrow they went to pour their hearts to
him.
The Rabbi from Stolin used to visit his followers in the area every year and he
included Drozdin on his tour. Who among us does not recall the tremendous
impression the appearance of the Rabbi and his entourage made in our village?
We remember the Jews that followed him from village to village and who
celebrated till midnight. The circle of dancers even pulled the children into
it. Father accompanied the Rabbi and his music to the next village, Berezov, 10
km away. There were wonderful sparks from the aura of Hasidism spread among the
Jews.
The pioneering Zionist spirit also came to our village and the longing for
Eretz Israel enveloped us. My brother Nahum decided to break with tradition and
went to a preparatory kibbutz to fulfill his dreams. One fall day he left the
house secretly and disappeared. There was a pall of mourning in our house. Our
mother read her prayer book in a sad voice. Loud crying was heard from the
whole family, as if he were, G-d forbid, dead. However, soon, many other young
people followed in his footsteps. The parents accepted the fact, were
positively influenced and finally helped their children gladly to make aliyah.
Today there are five sons and daughters from the house of Yaakov of Drozdin
here. There are also many cousins who established families in Israel.
[Page 146]
The Village of Vitkovich
Reuven Ory (Jerusalem)
Translated by Ala Gamulka
The village of Vitkovich was situated, from the First World War until the
beginning of the Second World War, between the borders of Poland and Russia.
Today it is within Russia.
There were 15 Jewish families in the village. Most of them dealt in business.
The relations between the Jews and the peasants were mostly normal.
Some of the Jewish youths managed to reach Eretz Israel, through Hechalutz.
When World War II broke out the Jews of the village were killed, in a most
cruel manner, by a group of peasants incited by the Nazis. Not one Jew managed
to escape.
[Page 147]
The Village of Zolovey
Sarah Fuchsman (Ramat Gan)
Translated by Ala Gamulka
The village lies 50 km from Rokitno. When I came there in 1924 there were about
200 families of which only 2 were Jewish: the Fuchsmans and the Rosensteins.
My mother-in-law was a hard-working woman (a woman of valor). She earned a good
living from a fabric store she owned in the village. The customers were all
locals who were on good terms with the Jews.
Our children, Yaakov and Godel, were educated at the Tarbut School in Rokitno.
It can really be said of them that they went to a place of Torah since our
village did not have the facilities for a modern school and the materials
available to the local teachers were not sufficient for us. The children lived
in Rokitno during the week. On Fridays we leased a wagon harnessed to two
horses and brought them back home. The children were very lonesome for their
parents. Every day, when the school day was over, they wandered the streets of
Rokitno searching for anyone from Zolovey who brought them greetings from their
parents.
The other family in Zolovey was, as I said, the Rosensteins. It included the
father, Aharon-Ber Rosenstein, his wife Chava, his two sons Asher (in the
United States) and Yaakov (in Canada) and his daughters – Baila and Haika
(both killed in the Holocaust).
Aharon-Ber was a businessman. He traveled to the surrounding villages in his
wagon. He bought pelts, pig bristles and grain and brought back to the peasants
whatever they needed. The mother farmed the land. They had vegetable gardens.
Some of the produce was sold and the rest was for the use of the family. The
son, Asher, was a blacksmith. His shop was the only one in the village and it
provided him with a good income. It was a hard working family.
Transportation to Rokitno was erratic most of the year. When the snow melted,
after Purim, the area between Zolovey and Rokitno became a marshland. The trip
was complicated and dangerous. Often, when matzos were brought for Passover
from Rokitno, the horses would sink in mud and they could not move. Most of
these accidents took place during dark nights when no one else was around. The
people felt abandoned. They then had no choice but to sleep overnight in the
forest or in an open field. They lit a bonfire and waited for daybreak when
someone would come by and extricate them from the mud.
The Jewish homes in the village served as guesthouses for visitors from nearby
villages on their way to and from Rokitno. In winter they arrived frozen from
the cold and whipped by the winds. Hospitality was well developed and all
guests were warmly received. When a Jew arrived shivering with cold, a hot
drink, a sumptuous meal and a warm bed were immediately offered.
A special type of visitor who came to Zolovey was one who used the mikveh. The
villages did not have a mikveh. The women fulfilled their obligation by
immersing themselves in a large copper container. However, the G-d fearing men
could not do without a mikveh. Therefore, they put their life in danger and
walked tens of kilometers in winter storms to reach the mikveh in Rokitno.
These Jews came out of the mikveh clean and pure and prepared for Shabbat. They
made their way back on foot. On the way they nearly froze from the cold winds
and the snow and barely made their way to us. After a good meal they continued
on the way home to their families.
The road from Vitkovich to Rokitno went through Zolovey. Berl Turovitz from
Vitkovich always went on foot from Rokitno to his village. When he came to us
he was completely frozen. I immediately would say to him: "Reb Berl, wash
your hands eat to your heart's content!"
The tasty meal would revive him and his strength would return. Berl would tell
me that this mitzvah was as important as that of observing Yom Kippur. The many
forest inspectors (brackers) whose work kept them in the forest and who were
quite lonely away from their families also found a warm place in our home.
The two Jewish families in the village kept their Jewish identity and were
careful to follow all the rules. Our forefather, Yaakov, said: "I lived
with Laban and I kept all 613 mitzvot". In addition to making sure the
children had a good Jewish and secular education, the families also kept their
ties to the community. On the yearly memorial days they walked to Blizhov to
say kaddish with a minyan. As the High Holidays approached, they removed
themselves from everyday affairs and left all business to the other villagers.
They felt the coming of judgment day. They put their families on wagons, packed
food and went to Blizhov for the High Holidays. The trip took a whole night.
The wagons traveled slowly since the driver would fall asleep and drop the
reins. The horses made their own way since they knew the road. We would arrive
in Blizhov at daybreak, tired and broken from a long sleepless night. The trip
through fragrant fields and endless forests soothed us and gave wonderful
memories.
When the terrible day came, the locals turned from friends to enemies. We left
the village and went to the ghetto in Rokitno. We took apart the stable to use
the wood for heating. Hershel and my two children returned to Zolovey hoping to
find shelter with the villagers. However, they were cruelly slaughtered and
buried in a communal grave.
When I was in the forests, the peasants told me that wolves found the pit and
gnawed on the bones of my children. A partisan accompanied me to the grave. On
the edge, I found parts of my children's clothes torn by the wolves. A local
volunteered, in exchange for salt, to help cover the pit. This was the end of
the two Jewish families in Zolovey.
[Page 149]
The Jewish Settlement of Toupik
Yitzhak Meir Chechik (Herzliah)
Translated by Ala Gamulka
This tiny settlement has its own history, just like all the Jewish settlements
that were destroyed and that had their own past. However, this story is unique
since it was founded by Jews exclusively. Its eradication from the world during
the Holocaust was therefore, quite final.
Early in the twentieth century the railroad from Olevsk to the middle of the
forests of Polesia-Volyn was built. It was meant to transport trees cut down in
multitude by Jewish lumber merchants. The single house that was built as an
office near the Toupik track was occupied by a Jew called Yaakov Freger. He was
nicknamed Yaakov of Toupik. He settled there with his entire family –
three sons and two daughters. Eventually, they too built homes there for their
own families. The Jewish settlement grew.
At first, the occupation of the area served as a place to earn a living only.
Eventually, it became a special place – a Jewish agricultural settlement.
Up to World War I, Yaakov and his family performed different jobs, such as the
"trusted employees" of the Jewish lumber merchants and the provision
of food to the forest workers and their animals. Yaakov's house always hummed
with many workers, clerks and merchants from Russia and elsewhere who were
involved in the lumber industry. The house was also used for prayer services by
the Jews since it held a Torah scroll.
When World War I broke out all work in the forest and on the railroad stopped.
Everyone returned to their homes and only Yaakov's family remained. The war
left its mark. Most of the Jews in the area, whether in town or in villages,
suffered from hunger and were pursued by criminal gangs.
Since the sources of income were no longer available, Yaakov and his family
decided to work the land and live off it. They uprooted trees, prepared the
fields and pasture areas, ploughed and sowed, cultivated sheep and cows and
lived well. They were highly respected by the local residents and were not
bothered by the gangs – in contrast to the suffering of other Jews. Many
Jews escaping from the gangs found a haven in the settlement. They were thus
saved from starvation.
In this way the residents of Toupik tilled the land during World War I. When
the war ended and new borders between Poland and Russia were drawn up, Toupik
remained part of Poland. The railroad was moved. Just as once Toupik served as
a shelter for those escaping from the Tsar, so now, it sheltered those escaping
Communism – Jews and non-Jews alike.
The Jewish lumber merchants continued their business. A small railroad track
was built from the nearest train station, Ostoki. A sawmill and a flourmill
were also built. The village of Toupik began to bloom again. Many Jews made a
living from the stores and many workers were employed in the sawmill and the
railroad. However, Yaakov and his family continued to be loyal to the land.
The Jewish merchants in Toupik employed a group of pioneers from the Klesov
kibbutz. Here many young people were prepared for future pioneering work.
In the thirties the Jews continued to build the railroad from Toupik to
Vitkovich. A tar and turpentine factory was built in Toupik. The people of
Toupik were pressured by the Polish estate owner to buy the land. Even though
the payments were annual, it was a great burden. They worked hard and paid for
their land.
In 1933 life stopped in Toupik. The sawmill burned down and all work stopped.
Most of the temporary residents moved to other locations. Only the original
residents remained and Toupik again became an agricultural settlement.
The residents of Toupik followed tradition. On Fridays and on the eves of
holidays the shohet came from Blizhov to slaughter animals. On the High
Holidays the residents of Blizhov, a nearby village, came to pray together. On
Succot, Yaakov Freger's lulav and etrog were brought to all Jewish homes. The
younger generation was taught Hebrew by excellent teachers. Many of them
studied in Hebrew schools in Stolin and Rokitno. The rabbis of Stolin, Karlin
and Brezhne came on annual visits on their way to see their followers in the
area.
[Page 151]
The Vilage of Snovidovich
In memory of my father Yaakov Shmuel and my mother Rivka
Avraham Shafir [Shvindelman] (Naharya)
Translated by Ala Gamulka
The village of Snovidovich was situated 13 km east of Rokitno. It was on the
border of Poland and Russia. Foreigners were permitted to enter only by special
permit from the Security Office. The crossroads in the center of the village
led east to Bilovizh, north to Zolovey, and south to Dert and west to Rokitno.
As you stood at the crossroads it seemed that here were the roads that
connected the whole area and that its center was Snovidovich.
Some of the natives of the village settled in Rokitno and were active in the
life of the town – in business, cultural and social affairs. Any
Snovidovich natives who went out into the world adapted to any society because
they had a good foundation and they were broad-minded.
There were twenty Jewish families in the village. They were ambitious and
energetic and held important positions in business, trades and agriculture.
Every family had a house with some land. The Jews worked hard all week and
rested properly on Shabbat. The sanctity of Shabbat was felt fully in Jewish
homes. All the stores were closed on Shabbat. Everyone rested and the locals
knew not to disturb the Jewish day of rest. Shabbat was Shabbat. On Shabbat it
was easy to find a place to pray since there were several minyanim in the
synagogue. There was no need for a cantor from the outside because Shmuel;
Yitzhak Spivak with his magnificent white beard, led the services all year and
on the High Holidays. Baruch Gluzman, an educated Jew, read the weekly portion
on Shabbat. He was the lively one in the village. He was always full of jokes
and anecdotes. He never stopped telling stories and he never repeated an
anecdote or a joke. Before the war, a new Torah scroll was brought by the
residents.
It was a great pleasure to carry pails of "our water" from the river
for matzo baking. The young people considered this to be one of the most
important events in their lives.
The parents looked after the education of their children and brought into the
village highly qualified teachers. Among them were Dr. Shvetz and Chuprik. My
father, Yaakov Shmuel, was in charge of hiring teachers since he had eight
children and they would constitute the majority of the class. For that reason
he worked hard to find exceptional teachers. Some of the teachers in
Snovidovich were university students who came there to save money. The salary
was decent. Every family had to host the teacher in their home for a certain
length of time. The school moved from house to house. In addition to Bible and
Rashi, Hebrew language and literature were also taught. The lessons were
conducted in Hebrew. The parents were always concerned with giving their
children a proper basic education. They helped those who could not afford to
pay school fees. Some of the children studied in the Tarbut School in Rokitno
and some went to yeshiva in Rovno or Stolin.
The youngsters were educated in the spirit of Zionism. I cannot remember any
house that did not have the blue JNF box. It was emptied regularly. The Betar
branch in the village conducted Zionist, cultural and social activities. There
were meetings almost every evening. The Zionist movement captivated most of our
young people. They prepared themselves for making aliyah in Voltche-Gorko, 3km
from our village.
|
|
| Hebrew School In Snovidovich, 1928
|
Standing in first row from top to bottom from right to left:
1. Teacher David Schwartz, 2. Avraham Shvindelman, 3. Pessia Shapiro
Second row:
1. Liova Shapiro, 2. Freidl Gluzman, 3. Hassia Shapiro, 4. Haim Shvindelman,
5. Freidl Shapiro, 6. Shlomo Lederer, 7. Ida Lederer
Third Row:
1. Sheindl Gluzman, 2. Moshe Barman, 3. Miriam Gluzman,
4. Sheindl Barman, 5. Mushka Shapiro
Fourth row:
1. Sheindl Barman (daughter of Yitzhak), 2. Henia Shapiro,
3. Moshe Gluzman, 4. Moshe Barman, 5. Haim Barman, 6. Isser Shapiro
|
A preparatory kibbutz of Hechalutz was established and the members worked in
the sawmill. The Betar youths went to the Ostoki kibbutz where they worked in
the brick factory and the sawmill. In the Rokitno kibbutzim, they worked in the
glass factory. Even in the Betar kibbutz in Klesov there were members from
Snovidovich.
Wherever the young people of Snovidovich went they worked hard and were among
the leaders. The secretary of Kibbutz Grochov in Warsaw was born in our village
– Moshe Gluzman. (He returned home from Warsaw after it was conquered by
the Nazis. He was in Russia and then volunteered to the Polish Army. He became
a captain and was killed together with Moshe Barman in battle in Warsaw). In
1933-34 Israel Kek worked in the Palestine Office in Warsaw as a
representative. He made aliyah before the war.
The youths of Snovidovich were healthy and courageous. There were no shy and
fearful Jews in the village. When necessary, the Jews knew how to retaliate.
However, as a rule, there was no need for it since the relations between the
Jews and their neighbors were good. They found a common language and were
helpful to each other.
The soldiers of the Nazi machine came and completely destroyed this Jewish
settlement – except for those who were in the Soviet Army or who fought,
with the partisans, to save themselves and to annihilate the enemy.
I cannot give specific details about the extermination of the Jews of
Snovidovich since I was drafted into the Soviet Army before the war and I
participated in battles against the Nazis. When I returned from Russia via
Poland, I could not go to the village to obtain details about the killing of
the Jews who had been there for many generations.
[Page 154]
The Village of Kisorich
Liza Polishuk (Kfar Bilu)
Translated by Ala Gamulka
The village lies about 10 kilometers from Rokitno. There were about 100 peasant
families and a few Jewish families who resided in eight houses. My grandfather,
Ruven Shapira, nicknamed "Ruven from Kisorich", was one of the
veteran settlers in the village. The other families were the family of Yakov
"the mailman" who brought the mail to and from Rokitno in his cart;
the blacksmith Shimon Gendelman; the Broder family and two other families who
owned department stores. In 1910 the Polishuk family arrived from Olevsk. Yakov
Polishuk built a sawmill and lived for several years in the village with his
family. When World War I broke out in 1914, this family left and settled in
Rokitno.
Grandfather dealt in lumber and became wealthy. He used to travel in a fancy
wagon pulled by two horses and was like a Jewish "landowner". He was
known in the area as a clever and wise man.
Although our home was traditional, we were exposed to western culture. My
grandfather, who dealt with the governor, spoke Russian. The sons and daughters
received a secular education. Grandfather felt it was important to teach his
daughters language and he explained it by quoting one of our sages who said:
"It is permissible for a man to teach his daughter Greek since it
decorates her". So, in addition to Russian, our mother tongue, we also
knew German - we read German books. The children had music lessons and played
violin, guitar and mandolin. Higher education was pursued in Zhitomir. His
grandson, Kutzin, had a university education. He studied dentistry in Zhitomir.
When he graduated, he settled in Kovel where he had a dental practice.
My niece, Hinda, had obvious literary talents. She was born in Kisorich and by
her, self-taught, reached a high level of proficiency in Russian literature.
She had a brilliant literary style. She was inspired at a young age and began
writing novels in Chekhov's style. She sent her creations to Leonid Andreyev.
The famous Russian writer was impressed by Hinda's talent and wrote her letters
full of praise. He told her that he was very jealous of her because she knows
how to value and to describe the essence of loneliness.
Our house was large. Five families lived in it. One stove did not suffice for
cooking and baking. We built a kitchen with two huge Russian stoves. Each stove
occupied half the room. They were built with fireproof bricks. Between the
stove and the ceiling was a space that was constantly pleasantly warm. Guests,
whose feet were frozen and who came to spend the night, would climb up and
spread themselves there. There was no lack of guests. Our house was always open
and available to passers-by. Everyone came and ate and drank. Grandfather used
to say: "They are not eating my food. They are eating food sent by
G-d".
Since there were so many people in our house, we had, on a permanent basis, a
shoemaker and a tailor who made shoes and sewed clothes for the family. They
were always busy with work. These tradesmen had vacations during Passover.
There was also a synagogue in grandfather's house. For the High Holidays, Jews
from Karpilovka, Dert and Borovey would come. Although we were not many, during
the High Holidays there was a spirit of sanctity in the village and even the
peasants were afraid of judgment day. During the closing prayer (neilah), the
peasants were afraid to go outside and stayed inside their homes.
|
|
Youth Group In Kisorich
Standing Right to Left:
1. Haya Shapiro, 2. Dvora Shapiro, 3. Nissan Polishuk,
4. Eidl Kutzin, 5. Rivka Schwartz (Polishuk), 6. Boria Polishuk.
Second row:
1. Golda Shapiro, 2. Moshe Kutzin, 3. Feiga Gutman,
4. Esther Shapiro.
Third row:
1. Moshe Polishuk, 2. Liza Polishuk (Shapiro).
|
Kaparot time was an exciting moment with a mixture of happiness and sadness. At
midnight, the children were awakened for the twirling of chickens (kaparot) and
the shohet from Rokitno stood with a sharp knife held in his teeth, ready to
perform the deed of sacrifice. It was always a sleepless night. All the
children were busy plucking feathers from the chickens and preparing them for
cooking. Large vats stood on the fire and the melting chicken fat spread a
wonderful, enticing aroma.
Mother's blessing of the candles before Kol Nidrei was very moving. Her crying
created fear and trepidation. What didn't mother ask with her heart-rending
prayer? That her sons would remain good Jews, would study Torah and would
perform good deeds all their lives, that their homes should be blessed and that
they should have a substantial income so they would not need any charity. There
was a special sanctity in our home on Yom Kippur and even the younger children
shed their everyday existence and prepared themselves for the great day of
judgment.
The baking of matzos in our house was a joyful event. The preparation of
"special water" was unique. At midnight, my uncle, Moshe Shapira,
would wake me up by saying: "Get up, my child. Let us go to the well and
pump still water". My uncle meant that at night, when water is not being
pumped, it is still. That is why it was called "still water". My eyes
were still nearly closed. How I wanted to stay asleep, but I overcame my desire
and I went with my uncle. It was deathly quiet outside. The village was asleep.
The night was full of magic and my uncle and I were doing sacred work. We went
back and forth with pails of water in order to fill a small barrel.
The boys had a traditional education. A teacher was hired and he lived in our
house. In the yard there was a tiny house and this is where he taught his
pupils. The teacher was mean and he beat his pupils without pity. The children
decided to get even with him. How? They went out on a snowy evening and built a
snowman near the teacher's window. At midnight the teacher woke up and saw a
man covered in shrouds peeking into his room. He almost died of fright. After
that day he stopped beating the children.
In the 20's the number of Jews in the village diminished. The elderly died and
the young went away.
The fate of the Kisorich Jews was told to us by one witness who remained alive.
There was once a family by the name of Knishkov in the village. They eventually
moved to Rokitno. When the Germans entered Rokitno, the father escaped to
Russia. The mother, with two small children, returned to Kisorich hoping to
find refuge with one of the peasants. There was an infamous peasant in the
village that dealt in business with Knishkov. When the Germans came to
Kisorich, they ordered all of the village Jews to gather in the forest. Even
the boy, Yakov Knishkov, was taken to be slaughtered. As they came to the
forest, they were surrounded by the peasants who were armed with axes and
spades. The killers cut off the heads of the Jews and buried them using their
spades. The boy, Yakov, managed to save himself and returned to Kisorich. He
went to the house of the infamous peasant. The latter had pity on him and hid
him in the yard under a stack of hay. He warned his family not to harm the
child. At night he would bring him food and water. The neighbors sensed that
something was going on in the yard and they discovered that the peasant was
hiding and feeding a Jewish child. This man had many enemies in the village.
Now they were ready to take revenge on him and they informed on him to the
Germans.
The peasant knew that the boy was in grave danger and he immediately harnessed
his wagon. He put Yakov into the wagon, added a sack of bread and pork and took
him into the forest. There he told him: "Run straight ahead and you will
reach the partisans". Indeed, he reached the camp of the partisans, among
them Jews from Rokitno, and he was saved. When the man returned home, a German
unit was waiting for him. They ordered him to gather his family inside the
house and with them locked inside; the Germans burned them all alive.
Yakov Knishkov remained alive and came to Israel. He worked on the ship
"Henrietta Szold" which traveled between Germany and Israel. The
father, Moshe Knishkov, who had escaped to Russia, was saved and came to
Israel. While he was still in Germany, he found out that his son had been saved
and wanted to see him. The father spent some time in Israel and eventually
returned to his friends in Germany. One day, he was found dead. He was killed
in a mysterious way and to this day, in spite of the son's efforts, the killers
have not been caught.
Footnotes
- Village is actually located in western Ukraine, original text written this way.
Return
- Word probably should be "Bulbovtzis" gang but original text written this way.
Return
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![rok140b.jpg [18 KB] - Hebrew School in Snovodovich, 1928](images/rok140b.jpg)
![rok140c.jpg [15 KB] - Youth Group in Kisorich](images/rok140c.jpg)