Dusetos, Lithuania

There Was a Shtetl in Lithuania
Dusiat Reflected in Reminiscences
(Lithuania)

55°45' / 25°51'

Translation of Ayara Hayeta B'Lita;
Dusiat B'Rei Hazichronot

Compiled and edited by Sara Weiss-Slep

Published in Tel Aviv, 1989

Acknowledgments

Project Coordinator

Hedva Scop

Our sincere appreciation to Sara Weiss-Slep for permission
to put this material on the JewishGen web site.

This is a translation from: Ayara Hayeta B'Lita; Dusiat B'Rei Hazichronot,
There Was a Shtetl in Lithuania; Dusiat Reflected in Reminiscences
Compiled and edited by Sara Weiss-Slep, Tel Aviv, Israel, 1989, S. Segal & Co. Copyrighted by Sara Weiss-Slep.

This material is made available by JewishGen, Inc. and the Yizkor Book Project for the purpose of
fulfilling our mission of disseminating information about the Holocaust and destroyed Jewish communities.
This material may not be copied, sold or bartered without JewishGen, Inc.'s permission. Rights may be reserved by the copyright holder.

JewishGen, Inc. makes no representations regarding the accuracy of the translation. The reader may wish to refer to the original material for verification.
JewishGen is not responsible for inaccuracies or omissions in the original work and cannot rewrite or edit the text to correct inaccuracies and/or omissions.
Our mission is to produce a translation of the original work and we cannot verify the accuracy of statements or alter facts cited.

“Dor L'dor Yabia Omer”
“Let further generations pass on the knowledge”
Dedicated with love
To my parents Avraham and Esther (Orgel)
To my husband Shmuel
To our children and grandchildren -
Yaacov and Elisheva Weiss: Ahinoam, Esther, Reut, Emuna, Maayan-Rina, Avital-Nava, Tamar, Shmuel, David, Hillel;
Tzofit and Micha Weitzner: Guy, Ziv, Idan;
Ronit and Menahem Krinski: Nitzan, Inbal, Liran-Shmuel, Yuval;
To my siblings Dvora Guttmacher (Slep) and Emanuel Sela (Slep) and their families;
To my aunt Miryam Slep and my uncle Yosef Yavnai (Slep) and his family;
To all Dusiater and their descendants wherever they may be …

This is not an ordinary Yizkor Book prepared by former members of a Jewish community that was destroyed. It is a living book, an act of grace to the survivors of the Dusiat community, a treasure for the scholar and everyone interested in the Jewish communities that once were, and no longer exist.
In searching for her roots, Sara Weiss has delved into the history of her family. With the ability of a scholar, the devotion of a loving daughter, and with utmost dedication, she collected every grain, every crumb of information, and strung them together like precious stones, like costly pearls on the thread running through the life of a Jewish community in Lithuania. The book breathes the life of this small community – the way of life of its Jews, their language and speech at times of celebration and mourning, their struggle for their daily bread, and their longing for Zion.
Like links in a chain, the people of Dusiat, parents and children, members of the pioneering youth movements, set out for Hachshara and Aliya to Eretz Yisrael, to do their part in the building of the homeland.
Until the annihilator appeared and severed the chain of generations…
Sara Neshamit-Shner
Beit Lohamei Haghetaot

Translated by Judy Grossman

THERE WAS A SHTETL IN LITHUANIA
DUSIAT REFLECTED IN REMINISCENCES

Edited and compiled by Sara Weiss-Slep
Israel, 1989

Original translation by Nahum Sneh (Skikne)

	FOREWORD	Sara Weiss-Slep	7
	LITHUANIAN JEWRY IN MINIATURE	Daniel Ben-Nahum (Prochovnik)	10

PART ONE	LIFE IN THE SHTETL		13-166
	Map of Lithuania; Landscape of Dusiat (Phot.)		15
	History of the Shtetl - Sources		16
	The Face of the Shtetl (Plan; List)		18

Chapter 1:	Reflections of the Past		20
	Our Shtetl Dusiat	Miryam Slep	20
	Scenes from the Past (Phot.)		22
	I Dreamt of Being a Farmer in Eretz Yisrael	Yosef Yavnai (Slep)	27
	To the Land of Our Dreams …	Avraham Slep	45
	Excerpts from Avraham Slep's diary – 1925, 1927		50
	Those Rocks Aroused Our Imagination	Miryam Slep	59
	My Shtetl in Remembrance	Henia Sneh (Blacher)	61

Chapter 2:	Among the Gentiles …		65
	Echoes from the Pogrom		65
	Pozhar !!! Fire !!!		67
	With Unbent Heads …		68
	Jews in a Foreign Army		69
	“Beyond the Pale”		71

Chapter 3:	Scenes of Nature …		72
	The Shtetl in Winter		72
	Di Ozere (The Lake)		73
	In the Thick of the Forest		75
	Rise O' Well …		77
	Under the Beams of the House		79
	Three Streets …		82

Chapter 4:	Between Holy and Profane		86
	Beth Hamidrash (The Synagogue)		86
	Holy Services		86
	On Taxes and “Honors”	Shayke Glick	88
	“Secret Almsgiving”		89
	“Charity Saves from Death”		89
	In the Bathhouse		91
	A Wedding in the Shtetl		92
	Shabbes and Yomtov		95
	“Honor Thy Elders”		99
	Reb. Shaul-Dovid Der Doss	Mordechai Yoffe	100
	Reminiscences from Home	Shub Sisters	101

Chapter 5:	Many Are the Needs of Thy People…		105
	The First Bus	Baruch Krut	105
	Market Day		107
	I Won't Be a Shopkeeper in the Diaspora!	Batya Aviel (Levitt)	108
	Ziv's Inn		109
	Cupping Glasses for Healing …		110
	Leather Workers		112
	Needle Workers		113
	Other Occupations …		115
	Der Milner and the Flourmill		116
	Jack of All Trades	Shmuel Levitt	119
	Jewish Folksbank		121

Chapter 6:	New Times - New Tunes		122
	Melamdim		122
	Tarbut - Elementary School		123
	The Young Teacher	Yitzchak Porat (Poritz)	125
	Speak Only Hebrew !		125
	In the Lithuanian School		130
	Pupils from Other Shtetls		132
	Between Antaliept and Dusiat…	Shimon Toker	134
	I Was a Teacher in Antaliept	Esther Ben-Ari (Shapira)	135
	About Avraham Barron	Shayke Glick	137
	Small Town Boy Goes into Big Town	Shmuel Levitt	138
	Amateur Theater		141
	“Bar Kochba” on the Dusiat Stage	Yaacov Charit	143

Chapter 7:	Those Who Preceded the Rest		149
	Hechalutz (The Pioneer)		149
	Hashomer Hatzair in Dusiat	Yoel Zeif	153
	The “Kibbutzim”	Tzila Gudelsky (Shub)	154
	Three Proficiency Tests	Daniel Ben-Nahum (Prochovnik)	155
	The Shekel Campaign		156
	In the “Ken” (A Letter)	Chana Fisherman (Pores)	157
	Summer Camps	Yoel Zeif	158
	Shlichim from Eretz Yisrael	Yoel Zeif	161
	I Traversed the Shtetls of Lithuania …	Levi Ron (Rosenzweig)	161
	“The Split Came!”	Yoel Zeif	163
	The Netzach Movement	Yitzchak Porat (Poritz)	164
	The Truth about the Hachshara	Rivka Shoham (Melamed)	165
	The “Ken” Is Being Liquidated (A Letter)	Sonya Gayde (Slovo)	166

PART TWO:	SAILING AFAR …		167-284
	The Bag Full of Cushions	Yaacov Charit	169

Chapter 1:	Chalutzim Go to Eretz Yisrael		170
	We Were Chalutzim	Chaim Levitt	174
	Are Jews Capable of Hard Work?	Dov (Berke) Zeligson	177
	The Jews Did Not Restrain Themselves	Yitzchak Toker	180
	I Lost All My Capital …	Chasya Milun (Zimmerman)	183
	The Capmaker of the Armed Forces	Faivish Milun	184
	“You Know Hebrew, Why Don't You Go to Eretz Yisrael?”	Yitzchak Orez (Aires)	186
	People of Dusiat Who Went to Eretz Yisrael and Returned		190
	“Jidauka, You Have Nothing To Do Here!”	Batya Aviel (Levitt)	193
	Moral Values from Home	Rivka Levitt	198
	Reminiscences …	Bracha Brumberg (Karanowitz)	204
	With My Own Hands	Micha Baron	206
	A Jewish Woman and Mother	Rivka Shoham (Melamed)	212
	A Jewish Ghaffir (Watchman)	Yoel Zeif	218
	Family Devotion	Masha Gershuni (Slep)	221
	Mein Kind (My Child)	Slovka Sarver (Segal)	223
	The Spirits Were High	Rachel Vitkin (Shub)	226
	They All Stand before My Eyes	Rasya Tal (Kagan)	229
	In the Field of Education	Dov Caspi (Berl Zilber)	233
	The Source of My Origins	Yitzchak Porat (Poritz)	238
	To Remember and To Shed a Tear	Elka Slovo (Melamed)	243
	I Made a Vow	Esther Pomus (Orlin)	246
	Jewish Pupils in a Lithuanian Gymnasium	Rivka Shteinman (Shub)	252

Chapter 2:	From Diaspora to Diaspora …		257
	Reminiscences…	Ben-Zion Chait (Bentzke Chaitowitz)	258
	The Mind Remembers and the Heart Yearns…	Sheinke Zeidel (Chaitowitz)	259
	My Heart Is in Israel	Nechama Yudelowitz	260
	Here I Feel at Home	Dovid-Leib Silberstein	261
	Everyone is Mishpoche …		263
	Litvaks at the Family Table	Sybil Herbst (Berman)	264
	Combined Family Branches (On the Charit Family)		266
	Stone Throwing Has Begun …	Rivka Friedman (Orlin)	268
	Our Children Are Already Real Sabras	Yehuda Friedman	270
	I Realised the Dream of My Youth	Reuven Milun	271

Chapter 3:	Letters from the Diaspora (1935 - 1939)		275

PART THREE:	THE ANNIHILATION OF THE SHTETL		285-405

Chapter 1:	Within the Straits (September 1, 1939 - June 22, 1941)		287
	World War II Breaks Out		287
	I Hope We'll Still See Each Other (A Letter)	Sheine-Mushe Melamed	288
	The Written Words Were “As Sweet As Honey” …	Zelig Yoffe	289
	With Noah Poritz in the Underground	Haviva Rozenberg (Mintz)	290
	Sovietization in Dusiat		291
	God Knows What the Future Will Bring (Postcards from Home: July 1940 - April 1941)		292
	Passive to Their Fate	Shayke Glick	297
	Exile in the Far North	Dovid-Leib Airesses (Aires)	298

Chapter 2:	In the Holocaust		314
	Radio Announces Outbreak of War (June 22, 1941)	Baruch Krut	314
	“Escape! They'll Kill Everybody!”	Shimon Toker	317
	The Shaulists Armed Themselves	Zelig Yoffe	318
	Let's Go to Russia…	Leib Slovo	323
	I Was Lucky …	Elka Klug (Glezer)	325
	Many Collapsed by the Roads	Shayke Glick	326
	The Jews Excelled Themselves in Valor	Shmuel Levitt	329
	A Nurse in the Red Army	Lana Binder (Visakolsky)	333
	Wandering and Hunger in Russia	Chana Fisherman (Pores)	336
	“If There's No Water It's Because the Jews Drank It”	Tzila Gudelsky (Shub)	339
	Memoirs	Masha Trotsky (Hamburg)	345
	Reminiscences Mingled with Pain	Malka Gilinsky (Feldman)	347
	“Everybody Was Killed in the War. No Life”	Luba Lustig (Napoleon)	352
	We Tried To Receive News	Rivka Shteinman (Shub)	356
	The Whole World - One Field of Slaughter! (A Letter)	Arye (Leibele) Slovo	357
	A Most Terrible Scene Was Revealed Before My Eyes …		358
	In the Ghetto Unter-Dem-Brik (“Beyond the Bridge”)		359
	The Earth Moved and Trembled for Three Days …		360
	Elke Baron, Hero of Dusiat		364
	Thus Were Annihilated the Jews from Salok and the Surrounds	Yerachmiel Korb	368
	Al Kever Ahim (On Mass Graves) - Lamentation	Dovid-Leib Airesses (Aires)	369
	In the Kovno Ghetto and Stutthof Extermination Camp	Rachel Rabinowitz (Slovo)	370
	Yisrael Zhofer (Yoffe)		379
	“We Want To Go Home!”	Shayke Glick	381
	Thanks to Our Dream	Arye (Leibele) Slovo	384
	We Agreed To Meet in Kiryat Chaim	Tzipora Zelinger (Krapivnik)	386
	I Begged Her To Escape	Avraham Levitt	392
	My Grandmother's House Was Destroyed	Rachel Friedman	397
	A Chance Meeting after Fifty Years	Sara Weiss-Slep	400
	“Will there be anyone to tell my children about their roots?” (A Letter)	Lillian (Lily) Adelman	401
	“Generation after generation will pass … and no one will remain to remember us and our forefathers …”	Gershon (Gershke) Slep	402

EPILOGUE

SOURCES	Bibliography		408
	Bibliography in Hebrew
APPENDIXES	Participants		410
	In the Footsteps of Seventy Dusiaters
INDEXES	Names and Places		411
	Subjects		421
PHOTOGRAPHS

Yizkor Book Project JewishGen Home Page

Yizkor Book Project Manager, Lance Ackerfeld
Emerita Yizkor Book Project Manager, Joyce Field
Contact person for this translation Hedva Scop
This web page created by Max Heffler

Translated by Judy Grossman

THERE WAS A SHTETL IN LITHUANIA DUSIAT REFLECTED IN REMINISCENCES

Edited and compiled by Sara Weiss-Slep Israel, 1989

Original translation by Nahum Sneh (Skikne)

PART ONE

LIFE IN THE SHTETL

PART TWO:

SAILING AFAR …

PART THREE:

THE ANNIHILATION OF THE SHTETL

THERE WAS A SHTETL IN LITHUANIA
DUSIAT REFLECTED IN REMINISCENCES

Edited and compiled by Sara Weiss-Slep
Israel, 1989