« Previous Page Table of Contents Next Page »

[Page 527]

[Page 528]

[Page 541]

We hereby bring you, as a forward to Volozhin's Holocaust, the prophesy of Heinrich Heine who in 1834 spoke about the German People. Heine warned that the German philosophy is a deceiving disguise, that because of the sublime philosophical systems of the German People “Revolutionary forces are developing and they are just waiting for the day when they can outburst and fill the world with horror and wonder”.

And this is what Heine predicted:

“and if one day you will hear a huge thunder blasting, the kind of explosion that was never heard before in the history of the world, you would know: the German People arrived at their destination. To this sound and fury eagles will fall dead to the ground, and the lions that are at the edge of the Africa–desert, will fold their tails and come to be buried in their royal lairs, and the hour would arrive.”

(Henrich Heine, “The History of Religion and Philosophy in Germany”, page 283 “Legevulam” Publishing House, with the cooperation of Mossad Bialik, editor Dr. S. Perlman, “Masada” company, Tel Aviv, 1952)

And the hour indeed arrived as Heine had forecasted, and even worse. Now, more than thirty years after the break of World War Two, which historians call “The Ovens Period” – we have to remember even better, Heine's predication. Because there is no certainty that this Holocaust would not happen again, God Forbid, one way or another. We have to understand Heine's wise words. We should never lose sight of these sage words. “Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up”. (The book of Deuteronomy 6:7).

[Page 546]

The Germans performed many brutally murderous actions immediately after occupying Volozhin on June 25 1941 to show that Jewish life is worthless. They killed Alter Shimshilevitsh and ordered his body left on the street. They murdered Hayim Eli Perski and burnt his house. They caught Zalmen Kagan from Aroptsoo and tortured him, forcing him to cry “ Death to the Jews”, than he was shot before the gentiles.

They once noticed Freydke, Yudl Dubinski's daughter taking a bottle with milk from a Gentile woman. A soldier with his local assistants conducted her to the foot of the hill. They threw potatoes on its top and forced the girl to crawl on all fours uphill, to collect the potatoes and to bring them downhill.. Her entire body was covered with blood. The tortures lasted for hours until her powers ceased, then they killed her.

The murderers conducted Dvoyre (Ester Dvoshe's daughter) and the granddaughter of Shimon der Dzik to the “ Priest's Mountain”– “ Dem Galekhs Barg”. They were accompanied by two dogs. On the mountain they shot the girls and beheaded the dogs to mix Jewish with animal blood.

Those who passed away naturally were considered lucky. This “ privilege”was earned by Haya Paretski and her son Yosef; Yudit (the butcher's wife) and Haya Eliyashkevitsh (The Shohat's wife).

The smith-workshop of Yosef Zarin was inside the Ghetto. Once a policeman entered his shop and requested a payment. At this time I was there with Leybe Lavit my brother in law. I took advantage of the fact that nobody else was present, I picked up a heavy hammer, bashed his skull and hid his dead body in the soil.

The Germans looked for him. We told them that the policeman had run away to the partisans. They went to his home, killed his wife and children and then burnt them up.

As Mendl Volkovitsh recounted, all the Jews were enclosed in the Ghetto. The teacher Glicker was nominated as the Ghetto Komendant. The Ghetto was provided with two gates which were guarded by armed policemen. The gates opened only when people were guided to work or back from work.

The Judenrat was composed fro 12 men. Among them were Glicker, Getsl Perski, Ele Mlot, Shaye Kaganovitsh, Aron Kaminetski, Yakov Kovalski, Isrel Lunin and Yanie Garber.

At Passover 1942 the Gestapo requested 50 strong healthy men. The chosen refused to report. They were afraid. The Germans insisted and threatened to shoot a hundred Jews if the fifty did not come.

Having no choice the men reported. I was among the fifty. We were ordered to be equipped with axes and saws. Arranged in lines we were guided to barracks where we worked hard until night, than we received each one a big loaf of bread and arranged in lines again we returned to the Ghetto. The Ghetto Jews, seeing us safe and sound and carrying food became happy. They interpreted it as a change in the German's policy. Regrettably, the events did not confirm their hopes.

I survived the May 1942 mass slaughter miraculously. When the Jews began to enter Bulava's house group by group they were forced to lie face down. At the moment when the murderers approached the line in which I stood I heard Kushke's order to fill pockets with sand. Before entering the slaughter house we threw the sand in the bandits' eyes and crying “

Hurrah”our line dispersed and ran away. Running we saw the house burning up in a great fire. We understood that our dear ones were not alive.

I went to the Krasno Ghetto. After a short time I ran away and returned to Volozhin. I found a hiding place in Glebovitsh's house. His family was short of food. But despite the hunger he provided me every day with nutrition. Glebovitsh told me that my sister Ester concealed herself with her two children in the cellar, but they were found and killed by the murderers. Bashke, my brother's wife had two little twins. The Nazis entered her house and killed the children in their sleep.

Leyzer Goloventshits dwelled inside the Ghetto in Yanko Belabivitsh's house. Leyzer and Beyle succeeded in hiding inside a pit during the expulsion of the Jews from the Ghetto. Yanko brought the killers to the hiding place after the Aktion. Leyzer was able to run away. But he was shot near the bridge by a policeman. Beyle, Frumele and Nohimke were murdered inside the pit.

[Page 548]

It was 27 years ago. More than a quarter century has passed. However my wound is fresh and new, Because I was there. It is etched deep in my memory, Because on this sad day We lost our dear Volozhin Jews. My heart is crying, tears are pouring from my eyes, This will never be forgotten. I remember the day, the hour. It was Sunday morning, 5:00. It was the 10th of May 1942, The 33rd day of Iyar, 5 thousand years since creation. I hear the steps of Nazi boots. The murderers shout: Juden heraus! The ghetto is encircled by barbed wire They shoot, they kill. The Jews are running here and there, In the streets in the courtyards – there is nowhere to run, The streets are sowed with the wounded and dead. The Angel of death, in all his fervour: Your death will be soon. Later we gathered, Children, brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers, Bruised, and bitten, Skin torn from our bones, Sent into the Soviet smithy.

[Page 549]

Whisky and wine on the table of our murderers, They gorge, drink and get drunk, As they shoot into the smithy From there and from everywhere. Jewish blood spurts As from a fountain. There is turmoil in the smithy, Two brothers are arguing, The Olshan rabbi, Rabbi Ruven Khadash, And the Volozhin rabbi, Reb Yisroel Lunin. Rabbi Ruven Khadash with his wounded hand, Stands leaning against the wall, He is bleeding, There isn't even anything to wrap the wound To make a bandage. Rabbi Ruven Khadash says: we must attack the murderers, Take their weapons, kill them and run away. But Reb Yisroel Lunin says: No! We are bruised, tortured, we have no strength, We are weak and small. You will lead us to our extermination. Rabbi Khadash replies: you can see for yourself, They want to annihilate all of us. They both had the same intention: They wanted to save us. The remnants of the smithy were collected, The Jews from the hide outs and holes, chased away – To the pyre!

[Page 550]

Grandfathers and fathers in prayer shawls and phylacteries, Mothers held babies from their cradles in their arms. The murderers grab children from their mother's arms Smashing their little hands and feet into the walls. The mother's are crying and screaming: give us back our children! We cannot live without them! The murderers mock them and laugh. Those martyrs who were killed are taken away, Beaten, bruised, some without feet, some without hands And everyone burned in the fire. Who can comfort us, who can calm us. We must remember this for generations: Remember what Amalek did to us, the German Nazis.

  Valozhyn, Belarus     Yizkor Book Project     JewishGen Home Page

Copyright © 1999-2024 by JewishGen, Inc.
Updated 4 Feb 2024 by LA