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[Page 527]

[Page 528]

[Page 541]

We hereby bring you, as a forward to Volozhin's Holocaust, the prophesy of Heinrich Heine who in 1834 spoke about the German People. Heine warned that the German philosophy is a deceiving disguise, that because of the sublime philosophical systems of the German People “Revolutionary forces are developing and they are just waiting for the day when they can outburst and fill the world with horror and wonder”.

And this is what Heine predicted:

“and if one day you will hear a huge thunder blasting, the kind of explosion that was never heard before in the history of the world, you would know: the German People arrived at their destination. To this sound and fury eagles will fall dead to the ground, and the lions that are at the edge of the Africa–desert, will fold their tails and come to be buried in their royal lairs, and the hour would arrive.”

(Henrich Heine, “The History of Religion and Philosophy in Germany”, page 283 “Legevulam” Publishing House, with the cooperation of Mossad Bialik, editor Dr. S. Perlman, “Masada” company, Tel Aviv, 1952)

And the hour indeed arrived as Heine had forecasted, and even worse. Now, more than thirty years after the break of World War Two, which historians call “The Ovens Period” – we have to remember even better, Heine's predication. Because there is no certainty that this Holocaust would not happen again, God Forbid, one way or another. We have to understand Heine's wise words. We should never lose sight of these sage words. “Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up”. (The book of Deuteronomy 6:7).

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“The sounds of Torah are no longer heard from the Yeshiva buildings, from the Beis Midrash, and from the tender lads, their pale faces are hidden, as they are immersed in their Talmudic studies, delving deeply into Gemara, from their thoughts… No, it is not pale, it is only splendor, it is only brightness… These have already been extinguished… Rabbis, Yeshiva heads, Gaonim, weakened, thin, and full of Talmud and rabbinic literature… Jews, small bodies with a large head, high foreheads and bright eyes – they are no more and will never be again.

(Yitzchak Katznelson, “The Song of the Murdered Jewish Nation” page 65, translated by M. Z. Wolfowsky.)

[Page 546]

“Every Jewish person has a hold on one letter of the holy Torah” (Sermons of the Mahara”ch)

When the Germans entered Volozhin, they attacked Alter Shimshilevich, the brother-in-law of Lunil (husband of Chaya Leah) and murdered him. The Jews were ordered to leave his body on the road, so that they would see and hear. Similarly, they murdered Chaim Eliyahu Perski and burnt him and his house. They captured Zalman Kagan from Aroptzu (they called him Zalman Sheive's) and began to torture him. They forced him to shout, “Death to the Jews!” Then they murdered him before the eyes of the Christians, to prove that the band was untied, and the life of the Jews was open for all.

The German murderers and the local shkotzim once noticed Freydke, Yehuda Avraham Dubinski's daughter, taking a bottle of milk from a gentile woman. For this “transgression” they hauled her to the foot of the hill. They threw potatoes onto the hilltop and forced her to crawl on all fours uphill and fetch the potatoes. The tortures continued uninterrupted for several hours. Her arms and legs were flowing with blood. When her strength ran out, they put an end to her life.

The murderers led Dvora (Esther Rashe Dvoshe's daughter) and the granddaughter of Shimon der Dzik to the “Mountain of the Priest” [“Dem Galechs Barg”]. They were accompanied by two dogs. On the mountain they shot the girls and beheaded the dogs, so as to mix Jewish with animal blood. Those who passed away naturally were considered lucky. This “privilege” was earned by Asna (Asnat) Chaya Paretski and her son Yosef; Yehudit (the butcher's daughter) and Chaya Elishkevich (The Shochet's wife).

There was a smith named Yosef Zarin in the ghetto. Once a police officer entered his shop and requested money. At this time, I was there with my brother-in-law Leybe Lavit. I took advantage of the fact that nobody else was present. I picked up a heavy hammer, bashed his skull and hid his dead body in the soil. The Germans searched for the police officer.

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We told them that he had run away to the partisans. They went to his home, killed his wife and children, and then burnt them up.

As Mendel Volkovich recounted in his testimony, all the Jews were enclosed in the ghetto. The teacher Gliker served as the commandant of the ghetto. The ghetto had two gates which were guarded by armed police officers. The gates opened only when people were guided to work or back from work.

The Judenrat was composed of twelve men. Among them were Gliker, Shneur Kivilevich, Getsel Perski, Ele Malot, Shaye Kaganovich, Aron Kamenetski, Yaakov Kovalski, Israel Lunin, and Yaakov (Yanie) Garber. At Passover 5702 (1942) the Gestapo came to the Judenrat and requested fifty strong, healthy Jews. When it became known in the ghetto that the Germans were interested only in strong men, they interpreted this as a bad thing, and refused to report. The Germans did not let up from their demand and declared that if the men do not report, one hundred Jews will be taken to be killed. Having no choice, the men reported. I was among the fifty. We were placed in lines of five, and ordered to take axes and saws with us. They took us to the barracks where we worked until late night. Then we each were given a large loaf of bread and ordered to return to the ghetto. The ghetto Jews, seeing us safe and sound and carrying food, were very happy. The trusting Jews interpreted it as a change in the German's policy. Regrettably, the later events did not confirm this interpretation.

I survived the mass slaughter of 23 Iyar 5702 (May 10, 1942) miraculously. When the Jews began to enter Bulava's house, they brought them in group by group, and forced them to lie face down. At the moment when the murderers approached the line in which I stood, Kushke from Aroptzu issued an order for the people standing in line to fill their pockets with sand. As we approached the entrance to the house, we threw the sand in the eyes of the Germans, calling out “Hurrah!” The eyes of the Germans were temporarily blinded. We were saved at the appropriate time, and we escaped.

When we were about a kilometer from the vale of killing, we saw that the house had gone up in flames. We understood from this that our dear ones were no longer alive.

I escaped to the Zabzheza [Zabrezye] Ghetto, and from there to the Krasno Ghetto. After a short time, I escaped from the Krasno Ghetto and returned to Volozhin. I found a hiding place in Gelbovich's house. Even though he and his family were living in hunger, they provided me with food every day.

Gelbovich told me that my sister Esther and her two children had been hiding in the cellar of our house, but the Germans had discovered them and killed them. My sister-in-law Bashke (my brother's wife) had twins. The Germans entered the house and murdered them while they were asleep. Leizer Golubenchich lived in the house of Janke Bielonovich in the ghetto. When they began to bring the Jews to slaughter, Leier succeeded in escaping, and he hid along with Beila in a pit for several days. After the slaughter, Janka showed the Germans the hiding place. Leizer succeeded in escaping, but a police officer shot him near the bridge and killed him. The Germans killed Beila, Frumale and Nachumke in the pit.

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It was 27 years ago. More than a quarter century has passed. However my wound is fresh and new, Because I was there. It is etched deep in my memory, Because on this sad day We lost our dear Volozhin Jews. My heart is crying, tears are pouring from my eyes, This will never be forgotten. I remember the day, the hour. It was Sunday morning, 5:00. It was the 10th of May 1942, The 23rd day of Iyar, 5702 years since the creation of the world. I hear the steps of Nazi boots. The murderers shout: Juden heraus! The ghetto is encircled by barbed wire They shoot, they kill. The Jews are running here and there, In the streets in the courtyards – there is nowhere to run, The streets are sowed with the wounded and dead. The Angel of death, in all his fervour: Your death will be soon. Later we gathered, Children, brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers, Bruised, and bitten, Skin torn from our bones, And they were sent into the Soviet smithy.

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Whisky and wine on the table of our murderers, They gorge, drink and get drunk, As they shoot into the smithy From there and from everywhere. Jewish blood spurts As from a fountain. There is turmoil in the smithy, Two brothers are arguing, The Olshan rabbi, Rabbi Ruven Khadash, And the Volozhin rabbi, Reb Yisroel Lunin. Rabbi Ruven Khadash with his wounded hand, Stands leaning against the wall, He is bleeding, There isn't even anything to wrap the wound To make a bandage. Rabbi Ruven Khadash says: we must attack the murderers, Take their weapons, kill them and run away. But Reb Yisroel Lunin says: No! We are bruised, tortured, we have no strength, We are weak and small. You will lead us to our extermination. Rabbi Khadash replies: you can see for yourself, They want to annihilate all of us. They both had the same intention: They wanted to save us. The remnants of the smithy were collected, The Jews from the hide outs and holes, chased away – To the pyre!

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Grandfathers and fathers in prayer shawls and phylacteries, Mothers held babies from their cradles in their arms. The murderers grab children from their mother's arms Smashing their little hands and feet into the walls. The mother's are crying and screaming: give us back our children! We cannot live without them! The murderers mock them and laugh. Those martyrs who were killed are taken away, Beaten, bruised, some without feet, some without hands And everyone burned in the fire. Who can comfort us, who can calm us. We must remember this for generations: Remember what the Nazi German Amalek did to us.

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