Book of Belitzah-Bielica
(Belitsa, Belarus)

53°39' / 25°19'

Translation of
Pinkas Bielica

Editor: L. Losh

Published in Tel Aviv 1968


 

Acknowledgments

 


This is a translation of: Pinkas Bielica (Book of Belitzah-Bielica),
Editor: L. Losh, Former Residents of Bielica in Israel and the USA, Published: Tel Aviv 1968 (H,Y, E 511 pages)

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


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Translated by Yocheved Klausner

Note: The Table of Contents of each part is given on its cover-page. The material written in Hebrew
appears first, then the material written in Yiddish (according the the language of the author)

 

Foreword 5
A Memorial to our Shtetl Shimon Baker (Botchkovski) 11
Lists of the Belitsa martyrs 18
 
Part I: The Distant and the Near Past 29
History of the town and the community Yosef Cohen-Tzedek 31
R'Nachman, the son of Rav Dov-Ber Shebshinski z”l E. M. Sawitzki 59
Belitsa rabbis in the 19th century Elazar-Meir Sawitzki 71
The town Yissachar Kamentzki 77
A competition… Y. Kamoni 80
*
 
YIDDISH
Memories from the distant days Zalman Yoselewitz 83
The bloody Rosh Hashana [New-Year] 1918 Menachem Niv (Max Yasinovski) 99
Jewish settlers around Belitsa Dov Koifman 103
List of the settlements and their Jewish families * * * 105
 
Part II: Existence and Way of Life 109
My father the great scholar R'Yosef Rudnik z”l Avraham Abir (Rudnik) 111
The Rebbetzin and the Rav are involved with the public Beruria Aloni (Rudnik) 127
Episodes from the home of the local rabbi… Tama Bachmotzki (Rudnik) 128
The Rav and great scholar R'Aharon Teitz z”l Rav Moshe Levin 132
A candle for the soul of my dear parents Zerach Karmin 135
In memory of our home and my father R'Shmuel-Yosef Itzkowitz z”l Zerach Itzkowitz 138
Our town at the time of prosperity Chaim Yoselewitz 143
Pogroms and Jewish activity (1914-1934) Dov Grodenski 146
Self-defense - defending property and life Chaim Leizerowitz 153
Education and the Jewish school Dov Koifman 155
It existed - but not any more… Menachem Niv (Max Yasinovski) 162
As one family Michael Ratnovski 168
For these things my soul is weeping (from Lamentations 1:16) Meirim Ratnovski 169
The economic and public face of the town Moshe Yoselewitz 173
*
 
YIDDISH
Economic and social life Moshe Yoselewitz 181
A document about the economic situation (1929) Shalom Cohen 189
A tear in the sea of tears… Binyamin Makovski 193
My grandfather the hero Shalom Gernitzki 195
Several “types” in town Eliezer-Meir Sawitzki 197
Sports institutions and other pastime avtivity Zerach Kremen 201
 
Part III: Holocaust and Revenge 207
My Father and Teacher the great scholar Rav Shabtay Fein z”l Rav Reuven Fein 211
A man whose vision - dream came true E. M. Sawitzki 214
The legacy of the home of my parents Shlomo Shilowitzki 220
The King… E. M. Sawitzki 224
35 years of life and struggle 1914-1949 Israel Zlotzovski 226
The last four months in Belitsa Zalman Yoselewitz 250
Fear, terror and revenge Arie (Leibl) Stotzki 254
German occupation and evacuation of the Jews Moshe Yoselewitz 263
My “chain of escapes” from death Avraham Maggid 268
The troubles and tribulations of a fighting partisan Yosef Ben-Aizik 271
Bereaved and alone among Russian partisans Chaia Bat Chaim-Yitzhak 274
Two women-partisans who fought against the oppressor Sheinke Bat-Yosef 275
The Song of the Ghetto Lea Garberowitz (Halperin) 282
Alone with myself on a haystack Beba Gordon (Jaffe) 283
Three years of Holocaust and revenge (1941-1944) Zerach Ben-Avraham 285
Life in the bunkers Meir Ben-Aizik 297
My father and mother, my daughter and 20 more women Rachel Itzkowitz (Shkup) 300
“Cast thy bread upon the waters” [Eccl. 11:1] Lea Garberowitz (Halperin) 304
The history of one family Bluma Leizerowitz (Uzhchovski) 307
A dear friend, Zecharia-Shlomo Nignewitzki Chaim Yoselewitz 308
My friend Zalman (Zhame) Itzkowitz z”l Herzl Sokolovski 310
Man and animal confronting each other E. M. Sawitzki 312
“Kadish” in the woods Eliezer-Meir Sawitzki 314
A prayer in the forest I. Feigin 318
*
 
YIDDISH
Rav R'Chaim-Leib Bochkovski - my father, the holy man Shimon Baker (Bochkovski) 321
Several chapters of my memories Shmuel Shimonowitz 327
Songs of pain and tragedy E. M. Sawitzki 336
The War and the extermination of the Jews Chaim Yoselewitz 340
At the graves of the Holocaust Yosef Fleischer 359
He was mourned, as dead Shimon Baker 367
A family that has survived Yosef Mayevski 372
In the forest with the partisans Ch. B. Sheziv 377
How I saved myself Yakov Kremen 410
The death of my dear and beloved Sara Barantchik (Fleischer) 419
A letter from home, after the ruin B. Z. Yevnowitz 423
We were eight children Herzl, Yankel and Chaia-Tcherne Fleischer 424
Meeting with Belitsa people in the woods Binyamin Baran 429
My father's ruined house Shraga (Feivel) Zlotzowski 432
Through camps and back-roads to a new life Chaim Yoselewitz 447
 
Part IV: Appendices and Additions 471
Rav rabbi Yoel Barantchik z”l 473
Yissachar Kamenetzki z”l 475
Baruch Krasnoselski z”l 480
Israel Zlotzovski z”l 481
Zalman Yoselewitz z”l 486
Feive Sawitzki z”l 488
List of Belitsa Jews who died in the State of Israel 491
Activity of the Organization of former Belitsa residents in Israel 492
A Belitsa family in America Minie Heinz (Menucha Kreinowitz) 497
There once was a shtetele... Shimon Baker (Botckovski) 506

 


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