The Community of Il’ya;
Chapters of Life and Destruction

(Il’ya, Belarus)

54°25' / 27°18'

Translation of
Kehilat Il'ya; pirkei hayim ve-hashmada

Edited by A. Kopilevitz

Published in Tel Aviv, 1962




Acknowledgments

Project Coordinator

Eilat Gordin Levitan




This is a translation from: Kehilat Il'ya; pirkei hayim ve-hashmada
(The Community of Il'ya; Chapters of Life and Destruction),
ed. A. Kopilevitz, Tel Aviv, Association of former residents of Il'ya in Israel, 1962 (466 pages, H, Y)


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With the generous contribution by the Shapira brothers in Mexico
and Il’ya natives in America, Argentina and Israel


Translated by Eilat Gordin Levitan


Forward The Editor 9
For her reflection and recollection Arie Kopilovitz 15
 
Part 1 – The History of Il’ya, a Town Named for Eliyahu
 
Her origin and chronicles Arie Avi Avihud 21
The “Ger Zedek” (Prince Potozki converts to Judaism) Arie Avi Aviva 23
Reb Menashe from Il'ya 1767- 1831 Tuvia Ben-Chefetz 35
Reb Menashe (Ben Porat) from Il'ya based on the article by
S. Rosenfeld
37
Il'ya as an inn off the Torah   69
The renowned Il'ya Yeshiva A. B. AK 71
The genius Rabbi Reuven from Dinburg (Dwinsk) A. B. AK 74
The genius Rabbi Moshe Shlomo Khary A. B. AK 74
The genius Rabbi Shmuel ben Yehoshua Zelig M. Z. 77
The genius Rabbi Wolf Broide M. Z. 78
The genius Rabbi Moshe Yisrael Shapira the head of the Il'ya Yeshiva from a “Yovel” book 79
Rabbi Yakov- Efraim son of Naftali Nachmin Chaim Levin 81
Our Rabbi Avraham Eli Remez Moshe Shlomo Belkas 82
 
Part 2 – The Period between the two World Wars
 
The Period between the two World Wars Yosef Winetzki (Mexico) 89
My Shtetl Il'ya by Eliezer Shapira (Mexico) 91
The Ties between Ilya and Eretz Yisrael by Arye Kopelowicz 145
The Zionist Movement Arye Bar Droma 211
Hachalutz in Elja Ahuva née Salominski Taitelboim 226
The Revisionist movement / The new Zionists   229
Remnants; my Shtetl Il'ya (from the 5-2-1994 meeting) Tuvia ben Chefetz Z”L 223
My Il'ya Dvora Sherman 233
A poem “My Il'ya” Aryeh - Miriam's Husband 267
From the Remembrance Notebook Eliezer Dinerstein (USA) 269
With the Hebrew Jewish Brigade to Eretz Israel in the First World War   271
Poems in Hebrew (written in New York) Yehuda Lichterman 272
  Leibe Gitles 277
 
Part 3 – The Holocaust
 
Words from the editors   303
Yizkor   307
The names of the martyrs   308
A tale of struggling, toil and tears David Rubin 317
During the Slaughter, in the Ghetto and in the Forests Bat Sheva née Brunstein Riar 339
The struggle for survival Shraga Soliminski 373
During that day Zushka Gitlitz (America) 403
The Holocaust Yona Riar 421
A memorial for perished friends, sister and parents Arye Arye Kopilovitz (Kopelowicz) 441
A memorial for perished friends, sister and parents Yaakov Lapidot ( Lapidus) (Yankole) 442
A memorial for perished friends, sister and parents Brunstein (Brunsztejn) 443
Reuven Kopelowicz and his mother Beila Malka   444
Mordechai Rogozinski   445
Shlomo Zalman Sherman   446
Eliyahu Avril ( Eberil)   447
My sister, Malka Kopilovitz ( Kopelowicz)   448
A memorial to my parents, Abba and Gitle Kopilovitz ( Kopelowicz)   450
 
Part 4 – Natives of Il'ya around the world
 
The immigration to America by Il'ya immigrants in New York   455
The immigration to Argentina with a list of families   459
Il'ya natives in Argentina Solomon Kopilovitz 462
The Shapiro Family in Mexico   464
A list of names of Il'ya natives in New York   466



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