Minsk, Jewish Mother-City,
a Memorial Anthology
(Belarus)

53°54' / 27°34'

Translation of: Minsk, ir va-em

Edited by: Shlomo Even-Shushan

Published in: Jerusalem, 1975-85


In memory of Meir Minkin

 

Acknowledgments

Project Coordinator

Tony Reese and Belarus SIG

 

Our sincere appreciation to Nechemiya Maccabi, of the Minsk Former Residents Society in Israel,
for permission to put this material on the JewishGen web site.

Our sincere appreciation to Jonina Duker for her previous coordination of this project.

This is a translation from: Minsk, ir va-em; (Minsk, Jewish Mother-City, a memorial anthology, 2 volumes),
ed. by Shlomo Even-Shushan. Assoc. of Olim from Minsk and its Surroundings in Israel, Jerusalem 1975-85.

Note: The original book can be seen online at the NY Public Library site: Minsk


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Minsk Yizkor Book Index Database


Minsk, Jewish Mother-City

Memorial Anthology
Volume I

With the Book Shlomo Even-Shoshan 5
History of the Jewish Community in Minsk Siani Leichter 7
Community of Minsk from end of 19th Century Until Revolution of 1917 David Cohen 74
District of Minsk Shlomo Even-Shoshan 82
Religious Jewry, Its Institutions and Persons Ben-Zion Gershoni 86
Rabbis of the Maskil-Leitan Dynasty Sinai Leichter 102
Hebrew Publishing in Minsk Avraham Yaari 105
Cantors and Cantorship in Minsk Prof. Moshe Levinson 112
The Thief Shaul Ginzburg 116
A Page from the Annals of Jewish Education in Russia L. Lavenda 120
HaKochavim — “The Stars” Gedalia Alkoshi 127
Jewish Souls A. Litvin 135
Memories of a Yeshiva Boy Alexander Ziskind Horvitz 140
On the Yeshivot Ch. D. Rozenshtein 146
From My Childhood Avraham Liessin 151
Chibat-Zion Movement in Minsk and Surrounding Area Sinai Leichter 169
Secrets from Behind the Curtain Sh. L. Tsitron 180
Rabbi Yaakov Meir Yitzchak Nisenboim 187
Youth Rebelling Shmaryahu Levin 190
Memories of a Minsk Grandmother Paulina Vangrof 200
Jewish Workers Movement in Minsk in the 80's Yevgenia Horvitz 202
The First Jewish Workers Circles Yitzhak Hurwitz 213
Yitzhak Aizik Horowitz A. Lissin 217
Minsk – Host of the Founding Committee of the RSDP Mordechai Berger 220
My Jewish Minsk Dr. Alexander Goldshtein 221
A Visit to Minsk Zvi Hirsh Maslianski 240
A Passing Shadow Efraim A. Lisitski 242
Trial of “the Jewish Gangs” in Minsk Shneor Tsuri 246
My Secret Library A. Lisin 250
Conference of Minsk M. Dushkan 252
“The Opposition” in Minsk during the Founding of the the “Bund” A. Lisin 255
A. Lisin and the “Opposition” in Minsk B. Katzenelson 263
Vladimir Medem Sinai Leichter 268
The Beginning of My Involvement with the Bund Vladimir Medem 270
From the Memories of a Jewish Socialist B. Michaelevitz 277
The Center of the “Bund” Puts Me in Misnks Avraham der Tate 287
Conversation with H. Livik Yaakov Pat 292
In the “Bund” Circles Nachum Chanin 295
Minsk and the Minskians A. Litvak 298
Gregory Gershoni and His Circle Vladimir Medem 304
Meetings with Gershoni M. M. Rozenboim 309
Speech Before the Court Gregory Gershoni 313
Fruma Frumkin A. Privilev 314
The Zobatovashchina and the Jewish Workers Movement Boris Frumkin 316
Mania Vilboshvitz and Chaika Cohen Mendel Zinger 326
Minsk at the Turn of the Century David Zakai 330
Zion is in the Heart of Our Townspeople Ch. D. Rozenshtein 338
The First Zionist in Minsk Zalman Shazar 341
Shimshon Rozenboim Daniel Persky 345
The Hebrew Language Finds Matches Ester Filbinski 349
Yehuda Zev Zofech Sh. L. Tsitron 350
In a Zionist Home Dr. Dvora Kaplan 363
Chaim Chorgin Itzchak Berger 368
Yehuda Leib Berger A. A. 371
The All-Russian Zionist Conference in Minsk A. Refaeli (Tsantsipar) 373
Light on the Paths of Jewish Economics Zalman Shazar 383
With Poalei-Zion (Workers of Zion) at Minsk Conference Yaakov Pereman 384
My Father, Nachman Sirkin Mary Sirkin 385
Memories from Minsk Seadia Paz (Goldberg) 388
The First Buds of Poalei-Zion Yitzchak Berger 398
Poalei-Zion “A la Minsk” Nachum Kantorovich 407
Poali-Zion of Minsk Mendel Zinger 414
Yitzchak Berger Daniel Persky 429
Ester Berger Israel 433
Viezman Under the Boards Yitzchak Berger 434
Poalei-Zion's Sailboats in Minsk Mendel Zinger 436
My First Conference Zalman Shazar 438
With B. Barochov in Minsk Michal Rabinovich 443
Michal Rabinovich Zalman Shazar 447
Zionist Activity Alexander Goldshtein 449
I Will Remember Days in Minsk Yosef Morgenshtern 451
The Blood-Bath in Minsk in 1905 Leo Motskin 457
A Manifesto after the Massacre The Minsk Committee of the Zionist-Socialist Workers Party 461
A Chapter of My Life in Minsk Mordechai Lieb Katznelson 462
Elections Struggle for the Second “Duma” Alexander Goldshtein 465
The Minian “Dorshei Zion” Moshe Kalyoch 467
Memories Yohoshua Mordechai Rozenblum 471
On A City Street Madan 476
Five Years in Minsk Shimon Yaakov Gliksberg 484
With My Brothers in Minsk Daniel Charni 487
Chapters of My Life Avraham Reizin 491
Avraham Reizin David Zakai 500
The Maggid from Minsk Zalman Shazar 501
My Father's House, the Maggid from Minsk Rebbetzin Rachel Chadash 504
Among Rabbis Prof. Shaul Liberman 516
My Father R'Eliezer Mordechai Rabinowitz 520
In Memory of Personalities Noah Shapira 521
The Cantor R'Shlomo Kufshtik Moshe Bick 525
Musicians in Minsk David Zakay, David Solomonov 527
Pure Tunes Zvi Gordon 528
Fragments of Memories Y. M. Mali 531
Wagon Owners Yehoshua Fisher 533
From My Old House H. Sarlin 539
Hebrew Minsk Daniel Persky 541
My Father, Chaim David Rozenshtein Avraham Even-Shoshan 545
Y.Ch.N.H.Z. – A Folk Storyteller Chaim David Rosenstein 551
Jewish Minsk in the Eyes of Daniel Persky Sinai Leichter 556
Idols of My Youth Daniel Persky 559
Secular Education in Minsk Moshe Kalyoch 566
The Jewish “Reali” School in Minsk Zalman Ginzburg 569
The School of Dentistry in Minsk Zalman Ginzburg 573
In the field of education for Girls Ahuva Kosovski 574
Of Days Past Eliezer Kaplan 575
Eliezer Kaplan Zalman Shazar 577
The United Committee Nachum Kantorovich 578
Father's House Sar Kafri (Kaplan) 579
“Charoshet” Yaakov Kasel 583
Three Generations Leo Goldberg 584
From Childhood Dr. Moshe Rakoveshchik 588
Moshe Cohen M. T. 591
Menachem Itzkovich Michael Minkov 593
Evening Hebrew Classes Menachem Gurfinkel 594
Refugee Aid Shmuel Avinoam (Zukerman) 595
The Minsk Jew and Refugee Aid Mordechai Rodenski 596
Chaim Solovyechik, A Refugee in Minsk Yitzchak Berger 598
The Work of  “Uza” in the District of Minsk, 1916-1918 Dr. Miriam Halperin-Proginin 602
A Surprise Meeting with Shaul Chernichovski Nachum Chinitz 607
With Shaul Chernichovski on the Night of Simchat-Tora Michal Rabinovich 608
On Days of Emergency Moshe Doltsin 611
The Beginning of “Kolel” Minsk in Jerusalem A. R. Malachi 615
Thanks to Pesach Seder Prayer at the Wailing Wall Menachem Barash 624
Ordinary Conversations of Minskers
    Rabbi Shlomo Pines, Nachum Chinitz, A. Litwin, Daniel Charny, Tzvi Gordon,
    Y. M. Rosenblum, M. Evenski, Sh. Even-Shoshan, Daniel Persky
  626
Popular Adages in Yiddish from Minsk (Note from translator: this entry does not appear in the printed table of contents at the end of the book) Sh. Einhorn 638
Memories of People - (List)   640
David Cohen, the Living Spirit in the Enterprise of the Book of Minsk Gershon Man (Minkov) and Shlomo Even-Shoshan 668
The Story of the Book of Minsk Shlomo Even-Shoshan 671
Index of Names   677
     
The Map of the Region of Minsk (page 83) is by Shoshana Ram (of Beit Shemesh) and Chaya Bernstein (of Sde-Nachum)
The Map of the center of the city of Minsk (on the inside cover) is by Chaya Bernstein (of Sde-Nachum)
The printing blocks (glyphs) are from photographs from the archives and other sources – Pikovski Zincography, Jerusalem


Minsk, Jewish Mother-City

Memorial Anthology
Volume II

With the Book Shlomo Even-Shoshan 5
The Jewish Settlement in Minsk, 1917-1941 Aaron Rozin 7
Chapters of Minsk Loba Levita 106
Minsk - the Russian Jerusalem Chaim Levshai 148
The Torah Greats of Minsk Rabbi Asher Kershtein 152
The Minsk Yeshiva and Something on the Religious Life Rabbi Moshe Tsvi Neria 159
With Friends Heshel Frumkin 168
The City of My Youth Shalom Bahat 171
With Trumpeldor and Yitzchak Sade Yitzchak Brodner 175
With Trumpeldor in Minsk Iser Kosovzki 177
With the Movement Chanan Goldberg 179
With the “Chalutz” Yitzhak Zvirin 184
We Breathed the Air of Israel from Childhood Tsiporah Cherniak 186
My Road to Israel Shmuel Horvitz 187
The Zionist-Socialist Youth in Minsk Shmuel Shapiro 193
Youth in Zionist Activities David Cohen 198
Fragments of Memories Dov Lipov 206
I Will Not Sign! Reuven Goldberg 210
From “Bikkurim” to “HeHalutz Mordechai Haimovsky 214
Youth in Minsk Aryeh Ram 217
In “The Chaver” Movement Moshe Yavelov 224
Thanks to the Jewish Spirit Nachum Goldin 226
My Country Is the Land of Israel Sarah Goldberg 229
From School Desk to Arrest Leah Goldin 230
From Minsk to Ashchabad Yoel Guterman 232
Minsk – Karkarali – Israel Arye Levin 236
Minsk – Mexico – Jerusalem Arye Dolchin 240
Fragments of Memories Leah Mali 244
Three Meetings Arye Charutz 249
Minsk a Station on the Way to Israel Yaakov Klevnov 252
A Disappointing Mission Shlomo Even-Shoshan Rozenshtein 255
A Way No-Way to Israel Nechemia Makabi 260
The Holocaust, the Underground and the Partisans in Minsk David Cohen 267
In the Ghetto, the Underground, the Forest Yaakov Grinshtein 315
“The Hamburg Ghetto” Chaim Baram 336
Sparks at Night Sofia Sadovskaya 350
A Motherly Poem Miriam Aygas's Story – an interview with David Cohen 357
Escape from the Ghetto Dvora Trebnik 367
Not for a Medal of Valor Yochevet nee Rovenchik Eiberman 371
In Your Blood Live! Hinda nee Nechamchik, Tassman 378
Grenades without Detonators Frida Skorochod 387
With Zorin in the Family Camp Anatol Wertheim 392
From Then Until Here Dvorah-Fruma Davidson 395
Childhood in the Ghetto Dr. Rachel Shmailovitz 408
From the Valley of Death Liova Goldberg 411
With My Own Hands Zolia Tokarski 417
From a Kolchoz in Minsk to Israel Zeev Patent 418
In the Path of Hardship Asya Bresler 421
Minsk from Near and Far Dr Mira Feldman 425
The Jewish Theater in Minsk Mania Rodenski-Fridman 428
The Story About My Daughter Mark Zhitinitski 434
The Zionist Flag is Up Again Anatoli Rubin 447
Minsk After the War Israel R.Sh.L. 456

 


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