Balti Bessarabia:
A Memorial of the Jewish Community
(Bălţi, Moldova)

47°46' / 27°56'

Translation of
Sefer Beltsi Basarabia: yad ve-zekher le-yahadut Beltsi

Edited by: Yosef Mazor (editor-in-chief), Mishah Fuks (editor)

Published in Jerusalem 1993


 

Acknowledgments

Project Coordinator

Alexandre Crazover

Emerita Coordinator: Roberta Jaffer

 

This is a translation from: Sefer Beltsi Basarabia: yad ve-zekher le-yahadut Beltsi,
Balti Bessarabia: a memorial of the Jewish community,
ed: Yosef Mazor (editor-in-chief), Mishah Fuks (editor), Jerusalem 1993 (H, Y 655 pages)

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


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Translated by Yocheved Klausner

 

Preface Y. Mazor 5
Introduction Y. Mazor 11
 
Chapter 1. Bălţi and its Jews
 
A house on the Raut (poem) Y. Fikhman 27
Beltz, mein Stetele Beltz [Bălţi, my town Bălţi] (poem) 28
Monograph on Bessarabia Stefan Tchovno 30
Chapters from the history of the Jews Dr. Schwarzfeld 31
The Bălţi Jewish community until WWI Prof. A. Feldman 33
Bălţi in the 19th century S. Yovel 44
Bălţi between the two World Wars 1918-1940 78
 
Chapter 2. The Jewish Community
 
The Bălţi Community Council Y. Mazor 100
Yerachmiel Jaffe L. Kuperstein 111
Personalities in the Jewish Community Life in Bălţi Y. Jaffe 116
The Jewish Community in Bălţi [Romanian] R. Ioffe 116
Our Stubborn Struggle against the “Korovka” Z. Heinichs 118
Medical Aid in Bălţi until 1940 M. Gafter 119
Pharmacists in Bălţi until 1940 Bluma Malamud 124
Jews in the City Council and in politics Y. Mazor 126
The Fathers of the Town Bălţi Y. Mazor 132
The Jaffe family Y. Mazor 134
Elirzer Gick Z. Heinichs 142
Bernard Walter, the Bălţi Communal Worker Z. Heinichs 143
The Krasyuk Family Dr. M. Gafter 144
My Father Avraham Goichman L. Staviski (Goichman) 146
Memories from Bălţi [Beltz] Eng. Yakov Gefter 148
Bălţi [Beltz] – the Charm of the Jewish Folksiness Prof. Elkana Margalit 152
Memories from Bălţi [Beltz] Chanoch Goldstein 154
Childhood and Adolescence in Bălţi [Beltz] Misha Fuchs 159
Memories from Bălţi Y. Mazor 165
The Silbergs Ruth Pri-Paz 167
 
 Chapter 3. Jewish Education
 
Jewish Education Y. Mazor 176
The Talmud Torah schools Y. Mazor 183
School principals of the Talmud Torah schools in the twenties Y. Mazor 188
The beginnings of the Hebrew High-School K. A. Bertini 191
The Hebrew High-School in Bălţi Y. Mazor 203
The Hebrew High-School orchestra Yitzhak Feldman-Peled 207
Our ever young teacher Yosef Loven 209
L. Kuperstein, teacher, educator and writer Y. Mazor 211
ORT Y. Mazor 229
Buzia Stiebelman Y. Mazor 230
Moisika Sissman Y. Mazor 232
 
Chapter 4. Zionism
 
Zionism in Bălţi Y. Mazor 264
Zionist activity in Bălţi Z. Heinichs 276
Beginning of the Keren Hayesod activity in 1921 Z. Heinichs 285
Zionism and Zionists in Bălţi Z. Heinichs 288
Mendel Masis, Zionist No. 1 in Bălţi Portrayal by his son Shalom 294
Autobiographical notes Z. Heinichs 296
David Bet-Don T. Mazor 299
The Revisionist Zionists in Bălţi Y. Mazor 300
Doctor Leizer Gurfel Dr. Ben Or Gurfel 304
Avraham Sigberman z”l Y. Mazor 307
Ha'oved Hazioni - Tze'irei Zion - Yoel Schechtman, Yakov Ripstein, David Oleinik, Kalman Seger Y. Mazor 308
The Hashomer Hatza'ir branch in Bălţi Yosef Loven 311
The Hashomer Hatza'ir branch in Bălţi on the eve of WWII Yakov Dagan 314
The Bălţi people Avraham Orin 316
From Bălţi to Eretz Israel via the Netherlands Fania Lanir 318
Grisha Staroste Z. Heinichs 320
The Finkelsteins 324
Arie (Lionia) Schachter the Jewish Brigade man 333
Levy Greenblatt Izia 336
Nostalgic memories from the Bălţi branch of Hashomer Hatza'ir Yosef Goldenberg 338
Memories Nona Pozis-Shacham 340
A letter of a bereaved father Chaim and Chantze Flanzenbaum 342
A young turner among students Yosef Loven 343
In memory of Moshe Rady (Radolski) Yitzhak Lanir 344
Yitzhak Lanir Yosef Loven 345
This is the story of Amir Galili z”l 352
Gordonia in Bălţi Israel (Izia) Galitzki 354
The Gordonia branch in Bălţi Zerubavel Seker 362
Before sunset Shlomo Yuval (Sturmwasser) 365
Words to the memory of Gershuni Izia 368
Beitar in Bălţi Y. Mazor 381
Shlomo Trachtman Harary Y. Mazor 404
Figures in the Beitar branch in Bălţi Y. Mazor 414
Munia Bordman Y. Mazor 424
Yakov Ben Nathan Y. Mazor 428
The visit of the Delegates Y. Mazor 431
The first Aliya through “Af-Al-Pi” from our town Bălţi Menachem Bordman 433
Hapo'el Hamizrahi Efraim Soibelman 436
David Barzilay, a pioneer, one of the builders of Kfar-Saba 441
 
Chapter 5. Culture
 
Bălţi in Yakov Fikhman's poetry 445
Yakov Fikhman - his life and work L. Kuperstein 448
With Fikhman Chaim Hochman 454
Efraim Auerbach L. Kuperstein 456
Bălţi in Auerbach's poetry 463
Poetry from the Purest Spring [Y] Alexander Melechson 465
The wandering singer A. B. Yaffe 467
Hersch Leib Kazhber [Koszever] - Weinstein [Vaynshteyn] [Y] Sholom Sudit 473
Purim (poem) [Y] Mendel Geventer 475
“Mein Shtelele Belz...” (poem) [Y] Sholom Sudit 476
About Aharon Fikhman Y. Mazor 479
Artists from Bălţi Y. Mazor 481
The cantors in Bălţi Y. Mazor 485
Maccabi in Bălţi S. Sodek 489
The musical life in Bălţi Yakov Soroker 495
The press in Bălţi Y. Mazor 503
Pinchas Lev-Tov Chava Mernfeld, Giora Levtov 507
 
Chapter 6. The Economy
 
The economy in Bălţi Y. Mazor 514
Berka Frank Y. Mazor 531
Israel Wolman Y. Mazor 538
The Zimmermans - Reuven (Ruby) Zimmerman Y. Mazor 542
Baruch Rosenberg Y. Mazor 548
 
Chapter 7. The Holocaust
 
The High-School during the Soviet Period Mordechai Motia Kogan 560
The Soviet Period in Bălţi Until the Outbreak of WWII Tziporah Ungar-Mazor 563
My Bălţi (Beltz) Menachem (Munia) Ackerman 566
Menachem (Munia) Ackerman Misha Fuchs 570
The deportation Menachem (Munia) Ackerman 571
Memories from the Suffering of the Jews evacuated from Beltz Dr. K. 576
“Prisoners of Zion” [Asirei Zion] Residents of Beltz by Tz. Heinichs 578
“May the informers have no hope” Z. Heinichs 582
The Holocaust of the Bălţi Jews Y. Mazor 585
And it burned and was not consumed Neomi Avi-Yitzhak (Tur Kaspa) 595
Leib Galawati Efraim Auerbach 599
The testimony of Bernard Walter 602
Memories of Beltz (Bălţi) at the time of the Destruction [Y] Goldiak Wolf 604
Life and Death–Neighbors in Duvino, the Camp of Transnistria [Y] Chana Lukatscher Warshavskaya 607
Memories from Transnistria Bella (Meimis) Raat 609
Beyond the Dniester Hadassa Raam 611
Transnistria Pendler Nechama 616
Episodes of the Jewish Tragedy 1941-1945 [Y] Sonia (Faiershtayn) Katz, Washington 1984 618
Documents 622
A miracle in Astrakhan Nachum Degani 634
Life during World War II Yakov (Yania) Oren 636
Bălţi people fight the Nazis Chaim Gorochovski 641
Bălţi people in the Jewish Brigade Misha Fuchs 645
Travelogue: Impressions of Bălţi and Bessarabia, 1992 Y. Mazor 653
Epilogue Yitzhak Korn 655

 


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