Wolozin; the Book of the City
and of the Etz Chaim Yeshiva

(Valozhyn, Belarus)

54°05' / 26°32'

Translation of
Wolozyn; sefer shel ha-ir-shel yeshivat “Etz Chaim”

Edited by: E. Leoni

Published in Tel-Aviv, 1970


 

Acknowledgments

Coordinator

Anita Frishman Gabbay

 

Emeritus Coordinator: Moshe Porat (Perlman) z”l

 

This is a translation from: Wolozyn; sefer shel ha-ir-shel yeshivat “Etz Chaim”;
Wolozin; the book of the city and of the Etz Chaim Yeshiva.
Ed. E. Leoni. Tel-Aviv, former residents of Wolozin in Israel and the USA, 1970 (H,Y,E)


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Introduction to the translation of the Volozhin Yizkor book

As one of several translators who contributed to the English translation of the Volozhin Yizkor Book, it is an honor to have been asked by the current coordinator, Anita Gabbay, to write a few words of introduction.

Volozhin – for those familiar with the world of Eastern European Torah learning, the name implies far more than a remote city somewhere in Belarus. The term 'Volozhin' is sanctified in the Torah world as the location and namesake of the flagship Yeshiva of the Lithuanian style, Misnagdic houses of Torah learning that used to dot the landscape of Eastern Europe, and continue on to this day in Israel and North America. The rabbinic dynasty of Volozhin, known as 'Beit Harav' [The household of the rabbi], with names such as Berlin, Bar-Ilan, Soloveitchik, continues to be prominent in the Yeshiva world of today. Many of the leaders of what is today known as religious Zionism, as exemplified by the Mizrachi movement, went through the Volozhin Yeshiva, including Rav Kook, Rabbi Mohilever, and Rabbi Reines. Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer, whose son-in-law Rabbi Aaron Kotler, founded the prominent Lakewood Yeshiva of New Jersey, is a product of Volozhin. The Soloveitchik family of Yeshiva University fame, are direct descendants of the Volozhin dynasty. It is no understatement to say that Volozhin, its Yeshiva, and the students who were educated there have shaped the landscape of Jewish Orthodoxy, and guaranteed the continuation of serious Torah study in the world today and into the future. The famous Yiddish writer Chaim Nachman Bialik, the renowned businessman and tea-magnate Wissotzky, as well as many other influential people in the general Jewish world were also alumnae of the Volozhin Yeshiva.

This book has two sections. The first section deals with the Yeshiva and rabbinic personalities. The second section deals with Volozhin as any other city in Eastern Europe, with its culture, factions, education. Like any other Eastern European city, the Shoah did not skip over Volozhin. Everything that once was, the Jewish community and the communal infrastructure, was destroyed during the Holocaust period. Whatever small remnants might have remained were then subject to the brutal rule of the former U.S.S.R.

Several translators have been involved in this translation and each had their own style. Therefore, the reader will find that some names and terms are spelled differently in different chapters. Out of deference to the late coordinator and translator of large parts of this book, Moshe Porat of blessed memory his stylistic form and modes of spelling have often been preserved. Most of Mr. Porat's translations were written in summary form. I personally edited and enhanced many of his translations, ensuring that all quoted sources and original detailed footnotes were included. On the other hand, Mr. Porat, himself a scion of Beit Harav, often enhanced his translations with his own original material and personal photos. In order to remain true to the integrity of the original text, while simultaneously showing respect for Mr. Porat's legacy, I moved such enhancements to the footnotes, unusually in an unedited fashion.

The translation effort, and subsequent editing and reorganization of prior translations, was a momentous task that took far longer than originally anticipated. The translation coordinator for this project, Anita Frishman Gabbay, deserves a hearty Yasher Koach for persevering, dealing with unanticipated delays, and ultimately seeing this project to conclusion. We owe a debt of gratitude to Lance Ackerfeld and his team of volunteers from JewishGen tireless work and sage advice in order to bring this project to completion.

It has truly been an honor to participate in the task of translating the Volozhin Yizkor Book. I hope that my translations, and those of my colleagues, do justice to the city and its significant legacy within the Jewish world. May the Yizkor Book and its translation serve as a memorial to the victims of the Shoah, and as a testament to the ongoing vitality of the Jewish people and its Torah.

Jerrold Landau
Toronto Canada
July 15, 2024, 9 Tammuz, 5784

 

Introductions 2
Volozhin Isser Yehuda Unterman, Chief Rabbi of Israel 3
The Power of Volozhin Rabbi Tsvi Neriya 7
The Story of Volozhin Eliezer Leoni (Ben David) 11
History of the Community of Volozhin Eliezer Leoni 19
Sources Regarding the History of the Jews in Volozhin Eliezer Leoni 66
The History of the Etz Chaim Yeshiva of Volozhin, and its Heads Eliezer Leoni 75
The Volozhiner Family Tree [Beit Harav] Eliezer Leoni 152
Among the Great “Etz Chaim” Yeshiva disciples Eliezer Leoni 160
Sources for the History of the Etz Chaim Yeshiva of Volozhin Eliezer Leoni 169
The Great Etz Chaim School of Volozhin Rabbi Shimon Langbort 188
The Yeshiva of Volozhin During the Period of the Gaon Rabbi Rafael Shapira Dr. Hirsh-Leib Gordon 197
About Rabbi Rafael Shapira   202
 
The Volozhin Scholars 203
Three Torah Pillars in Volozhin Eliezer Leoni 205
The Gaon Rabbi Chaim Hillel Fried Chaikel Lunsky of blessed memory 221
The Rabbi and Gaon Rabbi Rafael Shapira Yitzchak Rivkind 224
Rabbi Moshe Shmuel Shapiro Shimon Zak 230
Rabbi Meir Bar-Ilan (Berlin) Shimon Zak 233
The Home of Rabbi Shmuel Avigdor Derechinski (Memories and Impression) Yona Ben-Sasson 238
Conversations of the Sages Eliezer Leoni 246
 
Of Those Who Continued the Tradition of Volozhin 275
Of Those Who Continued the Tradition of Volozhin Eliezer Leoni 277
Mordechai Eliasberg Eliezer Leoni 278
Zalman Epstein Eliezer Leoni 279
Moshe Mordechai Epstein Eliezer Leoni 281
Yehuda Leib Don-Yechia Eliezer Leoni 284
Alter Droyanow Eliezer Leoni 285
Kalonymus Zeev Wissotzky Eliezer Leoni 288
Leib Yaffe Eliezer Leoni 289
Mordechai Gimpel Yaffe Eliezer Leoni 292
Shmuel Mohilewer Eliezer Leoni 294
Isser Zalman Meltzer (“Zunia Mirer”) Eliezer Leoni 298
Mordechai Nachmani Eliezer Leoni 300
Yitzchak Nissenbaum Eliezer Leoni 301
Yosef Zundel Salant Eliezer Leoni 302
Shmuel Salant Eliezer Leoni 303
Avraham Itskhok Hakohen Kook (the Raaya'h) Eliezer Leoni 305
Yitzchak Rivkind Eliezer Leoni 307
Yitzchak Yaakov Reines Eliezer Leoni 309
Sources Eliezer Leoni 312
 
Memories
315
A Bundle of Memories - Prior to the First World War Osher Malkin 317
Inside Volozhin Avraham Halevy 330
The Volozhin Yeshiva and Town During the Time of Rabbi Raphael Schapiro Aharon Zvi Dudman-Dudayi 332
Looking Back (Memories From the Time of First World War) Yehuda Chaim Kotler 333
The Flour Mill, Electricity and the First Movie House in Volozhin Michael Vand-Polack 336
Estate Owners in Volozhin Meir Shiff 338
Flour and Torah in Volozhin Chaim Zvi Potashnik 340
Market Days in Volozhin Israel Levinson 342
Volozhin During and After the First World War Reuven Rogovin 343
The Economic Situation in Volozhin Before the First World War Reuven Rogovin 345
Volozhin Memories Shoshana Nishri-Berkovich 365
I Shall Remember You, Volozhin Pesach Berman 370
The Volozhinka River Yaakov Kagan 381
Zabrezhe Moshe Eliyaswhkevitsh 382
Mijeyki (village) Barukh Tsivony (Farberman) 385
The Jozefpol Estate Benyamin Kutshevitski 386
Volozhin Stories Benyamin Shafir (Shishko) 388
 
The Zionist movement 392
Tzeirei Zion (Zion's Youth) in Volozhin Shlomo Bunimovich and Tzvi Rogovin 393
Hechalutz in Volozhin and its Activities Group of pioneers 396
Pioneering Hachshara in Yuzefpol Leah Nachshon-Shiff 405
The Hachshara Group of Hechalutz Hamizrachi in Volozhin Ariye Charutz 405
Beitar in Volozhin Beitar members 410
On Hachshara in Volozhin Rachel Kna'any (Berman) 422
Keren Kayemet L' Israel (JNF) in Volozhin Binyamin Shapir (Shishko) 425
The Outlook of Rabbi Chaim Volozhin Regarding the Exile and the Redemption   428
 
Education and the Arts 430
The Tarbut School Group of graduates 431
Culture war in Volozhin Binyamin Shapir–Shishko 440
The Volozhin Kindergarten Miriam Levitan (Rosenberg) 443
The Library Fruma Guzman (Yuzefovitz) 445
Religious Education During the Thirties Menachem Mendel Potashnik 446
Polish Schools in Volozhin Miryam Levitan (Rosbberg) 451
“The Sale of Joseph” Show Reuven Rogovin 454
Plays that I Recall Fruma Twebner (Kivilevitch) 456
The Maccabee Basketball Team Reuven Rogovin 460
 
Figures & Types 463
Emissaries, Rabbis and Slaughterers Eliezer Leoni 465
Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Namiot (aka “Der Shaliver”) Benyamin Shafir (Shishko) 470
Rabbi Shmuel Fried Benyamin Shafir (Shishko) 471
My father, Rabbi Yehoshua Hacohen Kaplan z”l Rabbi Meir Hacohen Kaplan 472
The Slaughterers of Valozhyn (Before the Second World War) Moshe Elishkevitsh 473
Rebbetzin Feyga Unterman Rabbi Israel Shapiro 474
Rayne Batya Berlin, (A Granddaughter of Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin) Rabbi Bharuch Halevy Epstein z”l 475
Batiya Miryam Berlin (nee Epstein) By Meyir Berlin 476
My Grandmother Miryam Tova Berlin-Papish 479
The Cheder of Rabbi Betzalel the Melam Rachel Rogovin (Rubinstein) 482
Our Melamdim Reuven Rogovin 483
Reb Kalev the Melamed Reuven Rogovin 484
The Melamed and Teacher Reb Avraham Gorelik Reuven Rogovin 484
My Father, the Melamed Rabbi Moshe Shlomo Volkovitz Mendl Volkovitz 485
Yaakov Lifshits Benyamin Shapir (Shishko) 486
Noach Perski Benyamin Shafir (Shishko) 487
Reb Eliyahu Yitzchak Shwarzberg One of his disciples 488
Abraham Berkovich Fruma Zitrin (Rogovin) 490
Yaakov (Yani) Garber Lea Baksht (Faygenboym) 492
Rabbi Yisroel Lunin Shulamit Golovenchitz-Berger 493
My Grandfather Reb Menahem Mendl Potashnik Chaim Ashlagi 495
Doctor Avrum Zart Shoshana Nishri (Berkovitz) 496
Shneur Kivilevitsh Reuven Rogovin 498
Grandfather Rabbi Aharon Rapoport Miryam Levitan (Rosenberg) 500
Rabbi Avraham “Asher Yatzar” Yaakov Kagan 501
Rabbi Moshe Eliyahu Bunimovitz Rabbi Dov-Natan Brinker (z”l) 502
Reb Shlomo Chasid (Reb Shlomo Shepsnvol) David Kohen 505
Figures I Knew Reuven Rogovin 506
R' Avraham Chaim Marshak Israel Ben Nahum (Goloventtsitz) 510
Grandmother Roche Reize Israel Ben Nahum (Goloventtsitz) 511
Patcholke - The Famous Hostel Owner A. Litvin 513
Dov Ber Kaplan Yehuda Chaim Kotler 515
A “Luft Gesheft” Story Benyamin Shafir (Shishko) 517
Mera Schnyder - “Merke Ela's” Dina & Lea Faygenboym 519
We Shall Remember Them Benyamin Shafir (Shishko) 520
Volozhin in the Shadow of the Holocaust Bela Saliternik (Kramnik) 525
 
The Soviet Regime Period 527
The Soviet Period Rachel & Reuven Rogovin 529
Volozhin Under the Soviet regime Mendl Goldshmit 532
During the Soviet Rule in Our City Pnina Hayat (Potashnik) 533
The Destruction of Volozhin Yosef Shvarzberg 535
 
Holocaust 539
“The German Thunder” The Editor 541
The Destruction of Volozhin Mendl Volkovitsh 542
Atrocities at the Extermination of the Jews of Volozhin Hesl Perski 546
The Big Slaughter Mendl Volkovitch 548
What My Eyes Have Seen Pnina Hayat (Potashnik) 550
Pages About the Volozhin Holocaust Fruma Lifshits (Gapanovitsh) 554
From a Girl's Memoirs of the Holocaust Sonia Puter (Perski) 561
A Ballad About Shneur Kivelevitch Mendl Volkovitch 562
In the Ghetto and in the Forced Labor Camps Lyuba Volkovich (Girkus) 569
Franz Karl Hess - The Volozhin Hangman From Soviet trial-Minsk 1946 576
In the Volozhin Ghetto and in Revenge Actions Yaakov Kagan 580
Nissan Perski's Death Simcha Rogovin of Kiryat-Haim 583
On the Path of Suffering Mendel Volkovich 584
Wandering and Struggling Rachel & Reuven Rogovin 586
My Life As a Partisan Hesl Perski 588
Partisans from Volozhin Who Died in the Course of Duty Hessl Perski 589
A Visit to Volozhin After the War Rachel & Reuven Rogovin 592
Volozhin As I Saw it in 1945 Moshe Eliyashkevitsh 593
“Yizkor” to the Flames Sara Sholomovitz (Rappaport) 595
Calendar Dates of the Second World War and the Holocaust in Volozhin E. Leoni 596
In Conclusion Binyamin Shapir 600
 
Yizkor - Remember 601
And These are the names of the Pure Holy Martyrs of Volozhin Eliezer Leoni 603
Dear Mother! Yehuda Khaim Kotler 604
Volozhin - Martyrs (1275 names) Editorial team 605
 
From One Generation to Another and to Eternity 617
Bar-Ilan University & it's President Professor Pinchas Churgin Eliezer Leoni 619
Kibbutz “Ein HaNatziv” Eli Avisar 624
Israel Rogozin Yitzhak Yaakobi 628
The Association of the Descendants of Volozhin in Israel Eliezer Leoni 630
Fallen Sons of Volozhin in Israel's War of Independence Editorial team 664
Benyamin Perah - Ind. War Editorial team 664
Chaim Perski- Ind. War Editorial team 665
Eliezer Rogovin - partisan, decorated as USSR Hero-Ind. War Editorial team 666
To Leyzer Rogovin's Memory Yaffa Abramovitsh 667
Expressions of Gratitude Binyamin Shapir (Shishku) 679
 
English
Sefer Volozhin, the Book of Volozhin Eliezer Leoni 3
Volozhiners in America Dr. Avraham Yoblons 15
I remember Volozhin Irving Bunim 26
The Destruction of Volozhin Mendl Volkovitsh 30
 
Supplement to the Book of Volozhin
Volozhin Natives Who Perished in the Holocaust 3
Volozhin Natives who Died in the State of Israel, in Volozhin, and in the United States. 29
 
Supplementary material
(Not included the Yizkor book)
Volozhin & Volozhiners after World War Two
Volozhin 2000 - Map, legend, description
Etz Chaim Yeshiva - Kulinaria, Memorial plaque. Photos, description
First mass slaughter Memorial (Sport Stadium) - Photos, description
Second mass slaughter Memorial (2000 victims) - Photos, description
Third mass slaughter Memorial (Volozhinka Stream Bed) - Photos, description
The Ancient Cemetery - Schema, Legend (Yr. 2000)
The Ancient Cemetery - Sheep Pasture field - Photo's (Yr. 1988)
Volozhiners at the tombstones, photos (Yr. 1998)
Old tombstones-Gitl Bunimovitsh, Tsart, Sonia Perski -(1998 & 1988 photos)
Victims mass graves on the cemetery (1988 & 1998 photos)
Cemetery Memorials to the Volozhin congregation and to Rabbi Chaim Volozhiner
Babushka Khaya's letter
Red Cross activity
Our Parents' Saw & Grist Mills - By M. Perlman
Volozhin Memorial inauguration, 1980
How did I survive - By Leyzer Meltser
A look at the country's history Childhood In Volozhin
List of martyrs in Cyrillic [From Volozhin - Martyrs (1275 names)]


See also Memory to Volozhin Region


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