52°52'/ 24°53'
Rozhinoy; sefer zikaron le-kehilat Rozhinoy ve-ha-seviva
Edited by: M. Sokolowsky
Published in Tel Aviv, 1957
Acknowledgments
Project Coordinators
Edith Taylor
and
*Ruzhinoy = Rozana (Polish pronunciation), now Ruzhany in Belarus.
My copy has a handwritten dedication to my father: "Abraham Vegotsky, fellow citizen of Ruzhnoy, as a sign of respect and thanks from the committee of Ruzhnoyan landsmen. Tel Aviv, May 7, 1958."
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TITLE PAGE
RUZHINOY
Commemoration Book to the Ruzhinoy Community and Environs
A Memorial to the Jewish Community
Collected and Edited by Mayer Sokolowsky
Published on the 15th year to the Shoah
5717
Published by the organization of Ruzhinoy Landsleit
in Israel on the 300th year of the Blood Libel

| Subject | Page |
| Introduction by the Editor | 5 |
| Schematic map of Ruzhany | 6 |
| History: | |
| History of the Town of Ruzhany | 7 |
| Ruzhany according to the ledgers of the council of principal communities in the State of Lithuania | 8 |
| Ruzhany according to the General Encyclopedia Orglobarnada from 1884* | 8 |
| Ruzhany according to the Jewish Encyclopedia | 8 |
| Martyrs: | |
| The Martyrs of Ruzhany | 10 |
| The Selicha for the Martyrs | 12 |
| Martyrs tomb | 17 |
| Descendents of the Martyrs | 17 |
| The Martyrs of Ruzhany | 18 |
| Torah: | |
| Cheders | 21 |
| The Teacher's Union | 22 |
| A Cheder for Girls | 23 |
| Tiferet Bachurim | 23 |
| The Yeshiva in Ruzhany | 24 |
| Various study organizations | 26 |
| Rabbis in Ruzhany | 29 |
| Shaatnez | 41 |
| Labor: | |
| The economic situation of the town | 47 |
| Lives of the weavers in Ruzhany during the 19th century | 48 |
| Families of workers in the town | 49 |
| The Labor Movement in Ruzhany in the 19th century | 50 |
| The founding of Pavlova and Konstantinova | 51 |
| G'milut Chassadim (Benevolent Societies): | |
| Popular idealists | 52 |
| Hadaska | 54 |
| Leib Wasz and other members of the Pines family | 56 |
| Yona the shoemaker | 58 |
| Nimele the butcher Bulgatz | 59 |
| Shabtai Shefem of Pavlova | 59 |
| Our Town: | |
| Our town Ruzhinoy | 60 |
| The synagogues of Ruzhany | 62 |
| Public life in Ruzhany | 64 |
| The Takseh (meat tax, Korovka) | 65 |
| From the days of my childhood in Ruzhany | 66 |
| The Fires: | |
| The plague of fires | 68 |
| Leib Yachid [the only one] | 71 |
| How the fire brigade in Ruzhany was set up | 72 |
| The voluntary fire brigade in Ruzhany | 72 |
| The drills of the firefighters brigade | 73 |
| Fear of pogroms in the town in 1904 | 75 |
| The beginnings of Zionism: | |
| Hurry up Brethren, written by Yechiel Michal | 77 |
| Pines (song still sung in Israel) | |
| Beginnings of Zionism in Ruzhinoy | 78 |
| Yechiel Michael Pines | 78 |
| More about Y. M. Pines | 80 |
| Passages from "The Children of My Spirit" by Y. M. Pines | 81 |
| Itta Yellin | 82 |
| Rabbi Ze’ev Wolf Shachor (black) | 82 |
| The founding of Akron (agricultural settlement south of Tel Aviv) | 83 |
| Yearning of redemption | 85 |
| The years of agitation: | |
| The year 1905--the political parties | 87 |
| The struggle for 12-hour work day | 87 |
| The big strike of 1910 | 88 |
| Public figures and personalities: | |
| Lullaby | 90 |
| Aron Lieboshitsky, Mayer Krinsky, Zelig Sher, Melech Epshtein, Dov Lobsovsky, Avigdor Michal, Goldberg, Dr. Mayer Pines, Moshe Limon |
91-95 |
| First World War: | |
| World War I | 97 |
| Rule of the German Occupation | 98 |
| About the German Occupation | 99 |
| The Forest People | 100 |
| The Big Fire | 101 |
| The Kinder Heim (Children’s Home) | 102 |
| The Choir | 103 |
| Hazamir "and Hertzliah" (gymnasium) | 104 |
| Consume verein (consumers’ organization) | 107 |
| In between powers--the German occupation and the Russian revolution | 108 |
| Pogroms in Ruzhinoy | 108 |
| Way of Life in the Shetl: | |
| The libraries of Ruzhinoy | 110 |
| The library in Pavlova | 110 |
| Memories of childhood | 111 |
| Longing for the land of Israel | 114 |
| Ma’ot Chitim (food fund for needy) | 115 |
| Passover eve in our shetl | 115 |
| Economic Situation: | |
| After World War I | 119 |
| In Ruzhinoy | 119 |
| The bank in Ruzhinoy | 120 |
| Zionist Movements: | |
| Hechalutz Movement in Ruzhinoy | 122 |
| Actions in behalf of the Jewish National Fund | 126 |
| The Zionist Organization | 129 |
| Hashomer Hatza’ir | 131 |
| Hashomer Hatzi’r renews its activities | 132 |
| Betar (Jabotinsky’s youth movement) | 136 |
| My birth place | 137 |
| Educational Institutions: | |
| Educational institutions in the stetl | 138 |
| The Tarbut School | 139 |
| The Talmud Torah Institution | 143 |
| Dovid Miller | 144 |
| Charitable Institutions: | |
| In the 19th century | 145 |
| In the 20th century | 146 |
| Second World War and the Holocaust: | |
| 19 days of German-Polish war & Russian jurisdiction | 150 |
| Echoes of the times in writings | 151 |
| Under the Nazis in Ruzhinoy | 153 |
| Passing through Ruzhinoy | 162 |
| Echoes | 167 |
| Poem: "Everything Precious to Me" | 170 |
| In German Captivity | 170 |
| On what had passed on my return | 171 |
| Jacov Mayer Maruchnik | 172 |
| In Memory of Ruzhinoy’s Martyrs | 174 |
| Beloved | 175 |
| In Memory of Those Who Made Aliyah: | |
| A.Y. Haboynik and Wife | 177 |
| Rabbi Ze’ev Wolf | 178 |
| Leibl Ziskind | 178 |
| Nachum Alperstein Committee ofLandsmen’s Organizations | 181 |
| Our Families: | |
| A listing & photos of some of the families | 184 |
| The Fallen in the War of Independence: (Israel) | |
| Listing of many names & photos | 190 |
| Poem: The Jewish Body | 192 |
| More names listed | 193 |
| Another poem: Liberty | 197 |
| "Amal is Geven a Stetl"- Ruzhinoy as I Remember: | |
| Survey in Yiddish | 199 |
| In Memory of our Martyrs | 212 |
| Ruzhinoy and Environs | 213 |
| Lists of Ruzhinoyer in Israel | 229 |
| Lists of Liskovers in Israel | 232 |
| Once There Was A Shtetl - Supplementary chapter | |
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