[Page 79]

Synagogues and Societies
(Memories)

By Eliyahou Chelenchuk

Translated by Rita Friedman, Kibbutz Maayan Zvi, Israel

Edited by Iris Sitkin (Philadelphia)

I wish to write about everyone as well as I can remember. In the town there were Jews with many crafts and trades; they belonged to the different Unions of their crafts, as I did (Shoemaker – Cobbler). The center of these Unions was in Warsaw. Most of the time we would meet at the home of Shmuel Popitchka or at Nathan (Nosel) Shuster's. At Shmuel Popitschka we had a Charity Fund where we could get loans when needed at very comfortable rates.

In the town we had six synagogues — three of Hassidim and three of Mitnagdim (adversative or opposed). The synagogues of the Hassidim were: Beit HaMidrash of Rabbi Abbala, may his memory be blessed, Beit HaMidrash of Leibshay Hassids and the Synagogue of Stolin-Karlin Hassids.

I, and my brother-in-law, Shmuel Tabachnik, prayed at the Stolin Synagogue where the Gabbai (manager or treasurer) was Rabbi Markel for over forty years.

After I was married in 1910, I started to pray in the first minyan of the big Beit Hamidrash. After prayers we studied Mishna. The rabbi of Beit Hamidrash was Rabbi Moshleh son of the preacher. Most of the time the students consisted of craftsman amongst them: Joseph Daniels, Leibke Daniels, Hershel Aras, Gedalia Hatochen, Itzhak Hanger, Shmerul Hanger, Moshe Sanders, Meir Mazamusha and many others. After the afternoon prayers many Jews would collect in the Large Beit-HaMidrash, mostly craftsman and tradesmen, the Rabbi Kosobiski z.l. would teach a page of Gemara. How good and full of satisfaction it was to hear a page of Gemara. Around the tables would sit about thirty people and amongst them: Moshe Minski, Ahron Leib Rubacha, Mordechai Applebaum, Shmuel-Abigdor Kosoviski, Khaim Gerber, Motke der Apthaker (Pharmacist), Rueben Davidis, Meir Mazamusha.

In the Mishna Society there were one hundred and fifty men and fifty women members. Amongst them, the Gabbais: Markel and Rueben Davidis. Those that belonged to the society were in the habit of learning a portion of the Mishna (Jewish oral law) every day after prayers. Women would pay twenty-five rubles so that after their death a portion of Mishna would be said to raise their souls.

Every three-quarters of the year, a feast would be prepared by Meir Mzamlin, Yashuah Rozanski and Markel. The three Shamashim (dues collectors – treasurers) were: Moshe Sanders, Chlauna from the Great Beit Hamidrash and myself Eliyhou Chelenchok (that it should be to my merit). The women would prepare the food; in charge of them was Rifka Rachel, the wife of Markel. We, the shamashim, would help the women with the food. Every eighth meeting of the Mishna Society we would have a Kiddush (light food and wine) at the home of Markel.

In the Society of Lodgings (Hevrat Lina) there were one hundred men and many women who would attend the sick. Every year at Parashat V'Yira (Torah chapter V'Yira) they would have a meal at the DeChaitim (Tailors) Synagogue.

The Society of the Book of Psalms would meet regularly summer or winter, even if there were a terrible snowstorm. Every Saturday, at three in the morning, we would meet outside the Synagogues. The Tailors Synagogue and the Great Beit Hamidrash were lit up by electric lamps. Over the last year, old man Pomerantz donated electric lamps to all the Synagogues.

I remember what happened to Ariah Maustrobok and his brother Abraham, who came to pray in the synagogue every Saturday early in the morning and then returned home. Once when they were returning home, there was a big storm with snow, ice and strong winds and it was very dark. They got lost on the way and when it got light they discovered that they had walked all the way to the town of Lishkavotz. They entered the home of a non-Jew with their last bit of strength and were saved at the last minute. Dearest Jews like these were the people of Yanov.

My son, Meir, studied at the Yeshiva that was in our town, where many young men studied, amongst them youth from the area and even from far away places in Poland. The youths received good food from the houses in which they stayed.

Every month a young man would come from the Yeshiva in Pinsk to ask for donations. Zalig Yulias and I would go all over town and collect donations from all the Jews, who would give willingly. At the Stolin Synagogue we would arrange on Saturdays Sueda Shlishit (third meal) and amongst those present would be: Markel, Michael the Pharmacist, Aaron Nukluk and his brother-in-law, Moshe Ahran Felstein and his brother Zalig, Zalman Chartok, Zavval Eizenstein, Moshe Yanek Kropnik and many others. At these meals we would taste the real meaning of Oneg-Shabbat.

We had five societies: The Sa"sh Society, The Mishna Society, the Psalm Society, The Society for the Sick and Homeless and the Burial Society.

All of them prepared Kiddush. We, the Shamashim (treasurers) and Gabaiem (managers), were busy with the preparations of these over the years before we made aliyah to Israel. We would have meals in the Great Beit Hamidrash. The poor from all the towns around would come to us for a grand meal. Everything in Yanova would be as the law and customs allowed, in trustworthiness and with purpose to our work. Today as the community has vanished and been destroyed and all it's people killed or dispersed to other Nations we, us, those that are in Israel, we must respect and remember the memories of the Jews of our Town and tell the story of their lives and deaths in the name of God.

[Page 81]

Customs in Yanov near Pinsk

By Menakhem Mednik

Translated by Rita Friedman

Edited by Iris Sitkin

Matchmaking, Conditions and Weddings

After two or three meetings, when the couple had decided that they liked each other, they would make an agreement (of course the parents were involved in this) and a public announcement was made. Then the Nedunia^[3] and date of the wedding was decided. In accordance with tradition writing down all of the bethrothal terms would end with the breaking of a plate and the shouting of Mazel Tov. After the signing the couple would be allowed to walk out and openly go for a walk hand in hand.

Immediately after the signing of the agreement the next phase of the wedding started: sewing clothes, etc. Besides cushions and blankets, which every house would have ready for the daughter who was nearing marriage age, planning and writing out the wedding invitations to the entire family had to be done very carefully so as not to forget anyone because the insult to anyone in the family who did not receive an invitation was enormous.

On the Sabbath before the wedding the groom would be walked to the synagogue. In his honor all the relatives would come to pray in the synagogue of the groom. When the groom went up to say the Maftir^[4], a storm of nuts, peanuts and sweets would be thrown from the women's section [aufruf]. The Cantor would give a blessing in a special festive and joyful way. The children would run around collecting the sweets and nuts. After prayer everyone went to the house of the groom for Kiddish^[5].

On the day of the wedding much was going on. There was no special hall for weddings in Yanov; they would arrange everything in a house or in a big hall close to the home of the bride. Most of the time weddings were held in the homes of Todrus Boyim, Eliazer Levbashovsky, Shamrihu Lipshitz or Moshe Einbinder and others. Two hours before the Chuppah ceremony members of the family and friends of the groom meet at the groom's house. Also, the Rabbi would come, and, as each person arrived they would be received by the musicians led by Moshe Sheia der Kleizmer who would call out the name of the arrivals in this manner: “With a wonderful Mazel Tov, the honorable and respected _____ (name of arrival and if he was from the family of the groom).” Then, the musicians would play a short march, the guest placing a few coins into the hands of the musicians, usually about 20 or 30 kopeck. It happened sometimes that the father of the bride would take off with the bridal money before the Chuppah ceremony^[6] . Very rarely, there was an argument over the nadunia.^[3]

When all this was settled, the groom was dressed in a special white robe and the musicians and all the guests would make their way to the home of the bride to cover her face. The bride would sit on a special chair, covered with cushions and scarves, and would be surrounded by the women of the family and her friends who would help her pass the time away until the arrival of the groom. The room was usually very crowded. Besides the women of the family, many people would come to have a look at the bride. With great difficulty room was made for the groom and his best-men to make their way through the crowd. On arrival they were received by having nuts and flowers thrown at them. Before the covering stood Nisel Khaim Mlahishin z.l. who showed his facility at composing rhymes for the bride. If the bride was an orphan, Mlashishin would remember and bless the souls of her parents. During this time there was a lot of crying and weeping, but after this ceremony the klezmerin^[7] would start playing and happiness and laughter would return.

The wedding ceremony beneath the chuppah took place in from the Great Synagogue. On the way there youths would show their strength by lighting fire-works or by tying cloth to a metal rod and lighting it with gasoline, all the time leading the bride and groom. After the ceremony, the reading of the Kitubah^[8] and the handing the Kitubah over to the bride, everyone, with songs and laughter went back to the place where the wedding feast was being held with the musicians playing all the time.

The couple was received by the older generation with dancing and a big plaited Challah^[9] which the Grandmother usually held. For the bride and groom who had been fasting all day, there was a light meal before the big feast started. The groom would sit at the head of the table, next to him his father and father-in-law, the Rabbi and close family friends.

The excitement grew as the presents and the names of those who had given them were announced. Mostly the presents were money and things for the home. The announcer would call out the name and say if the person were from the bride or groom's side and then announce the present they brought. It was quite a nice amount for a couple who started out with nothing.

After the blessing of the food the bride and groom were shown to a side room and all the guests would continue to celebrate and enjoy themselves. Then the men, led by the Rabbi would start, in a long row of dancers going round and round, faster and faster the excitement mounting. Even the next day it was the tradition to come and eat lunch at the home of the bride and groom.

The entire week after the wedding was called “Seven days of Celebration” which ended with “Seven blessings” on the Sabbath and finished with the bride coming to the Synagogue.

TRANSLATOR'S FOOTNOTES

1. This great accomplishment is achieved generally in three ways:
   1. By living a life of obeying HaShem's Commandments, as found in the Torah, rendering all aspects of life no longer "profane," but raising them to the level of the "holy", as he or she interacts with their spouse, children, family members, business associates, community members, friends, and with HaShem Himself in the manner and spirit built by the Divine Author into the Torah.
   2. When a Jew performs an act in public requiring unusual courage, risk, honesty or integrity, as for example, when Senator Joseph Lieberman, who had indeed been a friend of the President, rose to criticize the immorality displayed by the Chief Executive, by engaging in various acts that shed no glory on the Office of the Presidency of the United States.
   3. By giving up one's life, if necessary, rather than submit to the betrayal of one's belief in God, and abandonment of Judaism for another religion, as many communities and countless individuals chose to do throughout Jewish History.
   Back
2. Matchmakers. Back
3. Bridal money: the money the parents of the bride gave to the couple. Back
4. Torah Portion — the additional Torah reading added to the seven basic divisions of each Parshah, either a repetition of the last verses of the Parshah, or special holiday-related verses, or the person "called up" to recite the blessing on that portion of the Torah. Back
5. Kiddish: a light meal of wine and cake and light food. Back
6. Chuppah: a canopy under which the wedding ceremony takes place. Back
7. Klezmer: musician or musicians. Back
8. Kitubah: the marriage contract or agreement. Back
9. Challah: a white, slightly sweet, specially twisted loaf of bread made specially for the Sabbath. Back

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