Kvas on the Streets of Berdichev Page 3
7. Over the
Bridge to the Still Magnificent Magazinik House: The
Magazinik house is located at No. 22 Voikova Street [formerly Chudnovskaya
Street] on the south side of the river.
It is close to the pedestrian bridge that stretches over the Gnilopyatka
River. The house, built in 1890, was once the residence of Avraham Dov
Magazinik and his wife Feiga, daughter of Rabbi Baruch from Chernobyl. Built in the form of a small palace, the
house stands in the middle of what was once a beautiful garden. Despite the
fact that its condition has deteriorated, the house still retains an aura of
magnificence. It is decorated in a predominantly light blue colour with Stucco
ornamentation. [photo-7]
Today the building is home to a branch of
Berdichev’s library, containing reference, children and general books for
lending. There is no computer in the library so the library’s index is on
cards. The librarians, who were most
hospitable, showed us old photographs of Berdichev and advised us to visit a
second Magazinik building down the road.
This second building, today home for a school of 800 pupils studying in
two shifts, is large and of plain style. The building has been renovated and
expanded over the years. However, its front still has the original arched
wooden doors on which there were two wooden carved lion heads. One of these,
was recently given to a descendant of the Magazinik family, who came from the
USA for a visit. [Can you help us to trace this man ?].
8. Sverdlova
Synagogue: The only operating synagogue in Berdichev is
on Sverdlova Street, which is located between the town’s main square and the
river. The synagogue, which used to be “The New Beit ha’Midrash”, has been
renovated within the past 10 years and its exterior is painted light blue. It
has arched windows, each decorated with two Magen Davids
and a Menorah. During the restoration,
a plaque on one of the internal walls of the synagogue was uncovered, listing
six members of the Hirschenhorn family who lived in Berdichev between 1908 and
1952. [photos-8]
9. Carmelite
Monastery: Although not Jewish, this impressive site appears
on many old postcards of Berdichev. The
monastery is strategically situated on a small hill overlooking the river and
is partly surrounded by fortifications. The site dating back to the 17th
(?) century is currently being restored.
10. The Local
Archives: We could not leave Berdichev without coverage of
the local archives. We started with the
address quoted in Miriam Weiner’s book “Jewish Roots in the Ukraine…” There we
found a notice saying “we have moved !”.
It took a full-blown discussion with five elderly ladies, who soon
gathered around us, to find the new location - back entrance of a building at
the other side of town – no signs whatsoever!
At this second location we were warmly received. The lady at the desk did her best to find us an old map of the
Berdichev area and confirmed that no vital records are held there. We were directed to a third address, where
we received a rather harsh “telling off” for not knowing that the archive was closed. After all, it was
Friday !. With some perseverance we
managed to get confirmation that vital records pre 1920, if survived, would be
in Kiev.
It was time to leave
!