Slutsk and Vicinity Memorial Book
(Belarus)

53°01' / 27°33'

Translation of Pinkas Slutsk u-benoteha

Edited by: N. Chinitz, Sh. Nachmani, Yizkor Book Committee

Published in Tel-Aviv, 1962

Click here to see how to add a Memorial Plaque to this Yizkor Book
GoldPlaque SilverPlaque BronzePlaque

Acknowledgments

Project Coordinator

Margot Tutun


Our sincere appreciation to Chaim I. Waxman for permission
to put this material on the JewishGen web site.

This is a translation from: Pinkas Slutsk u-benoteha (Slutsk and vicinity memorial book),
Editors: N. Chinitz, Sh. Nachmani, Tel Aviv, Yizkor-Book Committee, 1962 (H, Y, E, 450 pages).

JewishGen's Translation Fund Donation Form provides a secure way to make donations,
either on-line or by mail, to help continue this project. Donations to JewishGen are tax-deductible.

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.

HEBREW SECTION
Preface  
The celestial Slutsk / I. D. B. 
On the threshold of the legend / Abraham Epstein 9
The city and its fullness 11
History of the city 15
From historic sources 18
As reflected by periodicals 23
Professions and vocations / Nachum Chinitz 41
   

MOVEMENTS AND PARTIES

The "Lovers of Zion" 47
Letters (from his legacy) / Hillel Dubrow 49
Bygone Days / Dr. Meyer Waxman 54
Vigilantes in Slutsk / Sh. Menachem 57
Three Encounters / Dr. Aaron Domnitz 58
The Zeire Zion party / Nachum Chinitz 59
The Zionist youth in the underground / Zvi Haivati 61
The Communist trial of Zionist youth / Azreal Nekritz 67
What transpired / Feivel Ephron 70
   

INSTITUTIONS
Educational institutions / Nachum Chinitz 76
A fortress of Torah / Rabbi Nissan Waxman 79
The last Rosh Ha'Yeshivah / Rabbi E. Henkin 85
The Yeshiva Slutsk / Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Meltzer 86
The Red trial of the Yeshivah in 1923 / Rabbi O. Sandomirsky 89
The modern Hebrew School / Samson Nachmani 91
Letters / Abraham Epstein 93
   

MEMORIES

  
Memories of Slutsk / Zev Gluskin 96
The days of my youth / Rev. Zvi Hirsh Masliansky 101
Highlights in the life of Dr. J. N. Simchoni 103
A place of Torah wisdom / Dr. Aaron Domnitz 105
Gleanings / Rabbi Aryah Levin 107
In memory of Dr. Nathan Klotz / Dr. Meyer Waxman 108
Reb Shachno the Sexton / Dr. Moses Higger 108
From the recent past / Dr. Moses J. Goldberg 110
Portraits / Baruch Domnitz 115
The imprisoned Hebrew teacher / Zvi Hazanowitz 119
Personalities 121
   

HASSIDIM IN SLUTSK

 124
Folklore: Reb Mendele Epstein, Reb. Joseph B. Soloveitchik, Reb. Jacob David Willovsky,  
Reb. Meyer Pehmer, Reb. Issar Zalmon Meltzer 128
Les Miserables / Baruch Domnitz 132
Native Authors of Slutsk and Vicinity: S. J. Abramowitz (Mendele Mocher Sforim), Yehuda Grozovsky, Salmon Wendroff, Jacob Kahan, Dr. J. N. Simchoni, Dr. Meyer Waxman,
Dr. Feitel Lipshitz, Dr. Aaron Domnitz, Isaac Dov Berkovitz, Ephraim A. Lissitzky, Baruch Katznelson, Dr. Reuben Wallenrod		133
Rabbis and authors of rabbinics: Reb. Boruch Shklov, Reb. Eliyahu Zuta, Reb. Abraham Shevelov, Reb. Zvi Masliansky, Reb. Aaron Hyman, Reb. Israel Isserlin, Reb. Jacob of Tomashov, Rev. Isaac Zvi Brodetzky, Reb. Samuel Dov Marshak, Reb. Leib Neumark,
Reb. M. B. Tomashov		138
Rabbis Born in Slutsk 140
Between Governments 141
 

THE NAZI UPHEAVAL
Under the Nazi occupation / Daniel Mlodinov (a Partisan) 143
Slutsk after the destruction / Maurice Hindus 144
The war of the Partisans 146
   

SLUTSK IN HEBREW LITERATURE
Mendele Mocher Sforim (from his book "In Those Days") 147
Letters of J. L. Gordon 150
A.I. Panirna – On Israel Behner  152
Abraham Epstein (from "Rshumot")  154
Isaac Dov Berkowitz (excerpts from his book "the Ancients") 157
Ephraim Lissitzky (Chapters from his Autobiography) 163
Dr.Reuben Wallenrod (Excerpts from his book "the Lost Generation") 169
Baruch Katznelson – A Symphony of Generations 170
I.N. Adler – On Abraham Epstein 171
   

IN THE FIGHT FOR INDEPENDENCE
Victims of the struggles in Israel 172
War of liberation casualties 174
Departed in Israel 177
  

THE VICINITY OF SLUTSK
Uretche / Nachum Chinitz 185
Hlusk / Rabbi N. Waxman 186
Hrozova / Sh. Alexandroni 188
Vizna / Reuben Wallenrod 193
Verchutin N. Ch. 195
Timkowitz / Rabbi Moses Palayev 197
Timkowitz / Mendele Mocher Sforim from "In Those Days" 199
Lyuban:  
     My Town That Is No More / Rachel Feigenberg 201
     Rabbi Yaakov Elya / Zalmon Epstein 204
     Rabbi Nechemya Yerushalmi / Zvi Asaf 205
     Rabbi Professor Simcha Asaf (Osovski)207
     Memoirs / Reb Moshe Gershon Finkelstein208
     R. Dov Ber Katznelson / Solomon Katznelson 210
     Reb Binjamin Wolfson / Zvia Ostrovsky 211
     Rabbis Who Came From Lyuban 212
     Lyuban As I Remember It / Zvi Assaf 214
     The Library of Lyuban / Joseph Kikoyon 218
     Lyubanites of my Mother's Family / Rachel Feigenberg-Omry 220
Starobin:  
     About Starobin / Eliyahu Chaim Chinitz 225
     My town / RabbiNissan Waxman 228
     The three victims / Raphael Rivin 234
     Memories / I. N. Adler 235
     On Starobin / Raphael Rivin 237
Stari-Dorogi:  
     About the town / Ch. N 240
     My town / SaulBernstein 241
Pohost 245
Kapulie 246
Romanove:  
     Working the Land in Romanova 251
     My Town, Romanova / Dr. Aaron Domnitz 252
     The Rabbi of Romanova / Baruch Domnitz 253
   

ADDENDA
Slutsk in the light of the newspapers / Rabbi N. Waxman 254
The bereaved family 258
On Baruch Lifshitz / Ch. 259
The Story of this Book / The Editors 260
   

YIDDISH SECTION

Introduction / I. D. B. 265
Historic Sources 267
Documents 269
Rabbis of Slutsk 272
On Slutsk / M. L. Goren 273
Memories of Slutsk / Eliyahu Schulman 278
Vigoda / Y. D. B 289
Crumbs of Memories / Moshe Strugatch 292
A street in Slutsk / P. Shapiro-Mechanic 296
A fire in Slutsk / M. L. Goren 297
   

MOVEMENTS AND PARTIES
The Zionist Movement in Slutsk / Sh. Menachem 299
The Rise and Fall of the Bund / Moshe Tulman 301
   

PERSONALITIES
Refoel Yossel / N. Chinitz 305
Portraits / M. L. Goren 308
Sextons in Slutsk / Rabbi Nissan Waxman 312
   

TORAH AND WISDOM
My youth in Slutsk / Yakov Patt 319
My Memory of Slutsk / Harry Lang 323
The Yevrehiskaye School / R. Berkavitch 330
Slutsk, my second home / Dr. L. Fogelman 332
Rav Yusele Peimer / Ch. A. Pehmer 336
Summer of 1919 in Slutsk / Nathan Kantrowitz 345
Khasidote in Slutsk 349
Folklore:  Reb. Israel Behmer, Reb. Mendele Epstein 352
Reb. Yoshe Ber Soloveitchik as Rabbi of Slutsk / Chaikel Lunski 353
Rabbis and preachers / Khyam Zeydes 359
Two letters from Slutsk / S. L. Beker 361
People's Character / Khyam Zeydes 363
Laibe, the blacksmith / Rabbi Moses J. Goldberg 366
My childhood / Judith Simwall 368
   

UNDER THE SOVIETS
Economic and spiritual decline / M. L. Goren 371
From teaching to shoemaking / N. Ch. 372
Fighters and martyrs / M. L. G. 373
Between the two World Wars 374
  

THE NAZI UPHEAVAL
Slutsk after the destruction / Maurice Hindus 378
Under the Nazi Occupation / Yad Vashem Archives 381
Letters from the Slutsk ghetto 382
  

WRITERS OF SLUTSK AND VICINITY
Slutsk in Yiddish Literature: (Fragments from their writings): Menedele Mocher Sforim, Benush Michalevitsh, Abraham Epstein, I. D. Berkowitz  397
J. L. Peretz in Slutsk / Nachum Chinitz 407
Slutskites in America / Israel Schwaidelson 409
Slutsksites in N. Y. / Ch. Zaides 418
   

SLUTSK SUBURBIA

Uretche / Nachman 420
Horkie / Joseph Nozick 422
Self-Defense in Hlusk / Samuel Liff 426
The Gaon Reb Baruch Ber / Ch. N. 427
Hrozova / Sh. Frumkin 429
Fifty years ago / B. Epstein 432
My Father / Beinush Epstein 433
Reb Nachum of Hrozova / Mendele Mocher Sforim 434
Hresk / M. L. G. 436
My Town Vizna / Israel Kantor 437
Verchutin / Chanan 440
Timkowitz / Sonia Kashdan-Nachmani 441
Timkowitz / Mendele Mocher Sforim 444
Lyuban:  
    Rabbi Reb NehemiaYeruzalimsky / Hana Assaf 446
    Slaughter and Murder/ Binyomin Wolfson 448
    Lyuban in a Transitional Period 454
    A letter from Luban / Fanya 456
    Reb Hayim (Rukhover) Katzenelson 458
    Dovid Katzenelson / P.K. 458
Starobin:  
    My town / Rabbi N. Waxman 460
    The destruction / Ch. Rubnitz (a partisan) 465
    Folklore / Raphael Rivin 467
Stari-Dorogoi / Ch. N. 468
Pohost / Chaim Kuntser 469
Pohost / Miriam Marshak  472
Kapulie:  
    Kopyl 473
    Occupations in Kopyl / Mendele Mocher Sforim 473
    Kopyl / A. J. Papirna 476
    From Kapulie to Slutsk / Joseph Morgenstern 484
    Folklore 486
    Partisans 486
Romanova / Ish Yehuda Sfra 488
Shemezeve / Sonia Aizenson 490
   

APPENDAGE MATERIAL
In the evening of life / Zalman Wendroff 491
Setting Out from Romanova / Morris J. Meisel 495
My father in Kapulie / Rabbi Dr. H. Raphael Gold 499
Rabbi Jacob Meir Kravchinski / Rabbi Dov Katz 500
Rabbi Wolf Gold / Rabbi Dov Katz 501
Chaim Krivitzki / Raphael Rivin 502
Among our outstanding contributors / N. W. 503
In completion of this book / Rabbi N. Waxman 520
In perpetual memory (Yahrzeit list of departed Landsleit) 522
Index of names and subjects 528
  

ENGLISH SECTION
Slutsk: Its glory and its destruction / N.Waxman XI
Slutsk after World War II / Maurice Hindus XV
Early history and memories of Slutsk / Dr. Gregory Razran XVIII
A grandson's reflections on Slutsk / RabbiDr. Emanuel Rackman XXIII
The heritage of Slutsk / Rabbi Dr. MordecaiWaxman XXV
Acknowledgement to benefactors XXVIII

 Yizkor Book Project    JewishGen Home Page     Slutsk, at Shtetlinks

Yizkor Book Project Manager, Joyce Field
Contact person for this translation Margot Tutun
This web page created by

Copyright © 1999-2008 by JewishGen, Inc.
Updated 26 Sep 2007 by MGH