[Page 353]

The only photograph of the great synagogue. The photo was taken in 1945 by some young men who had returned to town. From left to right: Yonah Shkolnik, who died in Israel; Yaakov Solomon; Moshe (son of Mechel Toker) Fundik, who died in Chernovitz in 1962; Hirsh Tendrich (the “red”) in Chernovitz. Today the building is used as a workshop for agricultural machinery.

        It is still difficult to this day for me to understand the reason why they chose the location of the great central synagogue in town specifically at far location, among the alleys of poverty. How did they decide to put this central building used by the whole town specifically in this corner? Had there been perhaps a Jewish community in this area of town? The building was large and high. It looked skyward and proudly overlooked all the low houses nearby, and where passersby looked like tiny creatures. The architectural plan was based on the temples in the larger cities.

        Every synagogue in town had its own particular congregation, the greater part of which belonged to a particular professional group and a specific social class. For example, that at the Shamashim Kloiz synagogue, the members were mostly butchers and leather dealers. At the Schneider Kloiz the members were mainly tailors; at the Husyatin synagogue, the members were storeowners, the rabbi, the rabbinical court judge and other scholars and intellectuals. At Sha'arei Zion and Tarbut, the members were progressives, followers of the Enlightenment and Zionists – and similarly for the rest.

        As far as I know, the first kloiz [small synagogue] in Yedinitz was the Old Kloiz. I heard that it was founded after the 1850s, or even earlier.

[Page 369]

On behalf of the Agricultural and Trade Workers Support Association in Syria and Palestine.
For the purchase of land in Palestine
With a list of contributors from the districts of Kharkov, Bessarabia [illegible].

Yeshayahu Vinitsky in his survey Cantors in Bessarabia (in the book Jews of Bessarabia from the series, Encyclopedia of the Diaspora, Jerusalem 1971) presents a whole group of cantors born in Yedinitz or who served in Yedinitz, and who were well-known outside of town.

[Page 375]

Rabbi Yechiel Michel Burstein

When R. Shmuel the rabbinical judge died (he was affectionately known as R. Shmilikel), his son R. Baruchel inherited his position, and an argument erupted among the community leaders whether to leave R. Baruchel, who was still young, in his position as rabbinical judge and decisor of Jewish law, or, because the town had grown in importance, and very complicated problems had increased, whether the community should hire a chief rabbi, given the town's new importance.

[Page 377]

Rabbi Michel Burstein, at the head of the delegation, welcoming the rebbe on his visit to Yedinitz. This was apparently the Vizhnitz rebbe, who would stay in the home of R. Akiva Fradess.

Picture: The Gravestone of Rabbi Michel Burstein        

Note: Picture too dark to reproduce here.

The gravestone of Rabbi Michel Burstein
The grave was discovered, and the stone was repaired by R. Yeshayahu Elkis, the ritual slaughterer.

[Page 380]

Picture: The gravestone on the graves of the rabbinical judges        

Note: Picture too dark to reproduce here.

The gravestone on the graves of the rabbinical judges

On right: the son of R. Shmuel, son of R. Moshe-Dov Chachamovitz (died on February 5, 1920). On left: R. Moshe-Dov, son of R. Zvi (died on 1/16/1870). The gravestone was discovered and repaired by R. Yeshayahu Elkis (in photo).

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