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The towns and villages of old had nicknames with a background, folkloric as well as comic. For example, my birth village, Shchedrin, had a nickname, “Shchedriner potato” because it was a poor town and we would eat a lot of potatoes, just as in the folk-song: “Sunday—potatoes, Monday—potatoes, Tuesday—potatoes,” and so forth. The neighboring town, a bit richer, “Paritch” was called “Paritcher blini” because aside from potatoes they would eat blintzes. Bobruisk had a nickname: “Bobruisker rolls.” There people would eat rolls [challah]. Minsk—“Minsker tell another,” a hint about some rich people from Minsk who didn't give enough charity, about their options. The town Pabielov [possibly Pabolovo, about 12 miles northwest of Shchedrin] in the Shchedrin area had a nickname “Pabielover moon” because of this story. A Pabielover woman came to Shchedrin as a guest. When she went out at night for a little walk and saw the moon, she called out: “You call that a moon!” My town Pabielov has a nicer moon!” and since then the town of Pabielov got the nickname “Pabielover moon.”

What do you say to Russians—huh? It smells here of Bobruisk.

Here all are still our brothers, sons of Israel—

All Jews!

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Emperor Nicholas I often came to Babruysk to personally supervise the construction of the fortress, which in those days was considered of paramount importance. Naturally, these visits brought about a sense of awakening to the dormant life of the Jewish provincial town. However, one of these visits caused great commotion among the residents, particularly among the women of the town.

This took place in the 1840s. The emperor arrived in Babruysk accompanied by a large retinue of generals and courtiers. On the occasion of this arrival, an order was issued that, along his route through the town, the young women of the town should go out to greet him, welcoming him with bows and shouts of blessing. The young women of Babruysk, dressed in festive attire, were required to appear at prearranged times and locations designated in advance.

The town and the fortress came alive. Feasts, banquets and picnics… fireworks and the lighting of tar barrels, whose somber glow cast an inexplicable dread over the townspeople.

In those days, many of the young women received monetary gifts and marks of distinction for their beauty and charms. “Like soldiers on the battlefield”, people whispered among themselves.

Apart from the lower classes of the society, who viewed the phenomenon with a certain degree of compromise, because they were tempted by the gifts, the rest of the town's residents were left bewildered and irritated. In this novel and extraordinary phenomenon, which was utterly alien to urban dwellers who were unacquainted with the system of serfdom, they perceived a new decree.

The fear of the impending, unheard-of disaster spread among the masses, and in this atmosphere of terror, false rumors bred; there was talk of an impending decree that would supposedly compel young Jewish women to be drafted to serve as mistresses for army officers.

This rumor stirred great commotion among the distressed Jewish masses, accustomed as they were to harsh decrees. In order to make their daughters ugly, mothers would cut their hair, smear their heads with tar, and stick Spanish flies to their skin to induce sores and blisters, in the hope that their repulsive appearance would lead to their daughters being disqualified from military service… It is said that the rabbis, who feared a “women's rebellion” and saw a danger to the people in the event of the girls' resistance, composed a special prayer, which was supposed to atone for the sin and prevent this decree of Jus Primae Noctis. All of these were, of course, idle rumors, based on isolated cases; however, the fear that these rumors inspired characterizes the mood of the Jewish population.

Not all the girls were tempted by the gifts that came from the fortress; some also showed resistance. Against this background, occurred an event that caused commotion throughout the city.

It was a summer Saturday. The townspeople went out into the street to greet the “dear” guests, the Tsar's retinue, who were proudly marching down the main street, Shosennaya street, near the fortress. But then a shiver ran through the street. Down the street appeared a figure exuding the pride and majesty of a high-ranking general^[a] accompanied by his adjutant. “The crowd cleared a path for him, bowing before him. But the general walked sullenly ahead, as if oblivious to his surroundings, not bothering to bestow a single look upon anyone. He crossed the entire street and was about to enter the gates of the fortress. Suddenly the adjutant, who was accompanying the general, approached the girl who was standing near the gates of the fortress, and addressing her in German, began to ask about her name, the names of her parents, and her address. He wrote all this down in his notebook and, after giving the girl a gold coin, he hurried after the general, who had already disappeared beyond the gates of the fortress.

The beauty who won the general's sympathetic attention, and who is referred to here by the name Esther, was the daughter of a respected and God-fearing Jew. Everyone understood the meaning of the kind conversation and gift… Esther returned home weeping bitterly and, paying no heed to anything said to her, demanded to be saved from the disgrace that awaited her. The old father was desperate, but not obeying the general's will meant danger for him and his family. Therefore, to escape the impending disaster, the father and his daughter dressed in beggar's rags and, as dusk fell, they fled the town.

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Immediately after the fugitives left the town, the adjutant came to their house with an invitation for Esther to come to the fortress. The young officer's fury, when he learned of the girl's escape, knew no bounds. The entire police force was mobilized, but the fugitives were not found. They said that Esther had been replaced by another victim, who was brought to the fortress in her name. Yet the police, unaware of the what was taking place in the general's bedroom, caused great sorrow and trouble to the maidens of Babruysk that night as they searched for the fugitive.

After the incident described above, the Tsar and his entire retinue departed from Babruysk, and the fugitives found refuge in a small village, about fifty versts from Babruysk, which belonged to the Polish nobleman Truschanovsky, and which today constitutes the large town of Shchedrin. Some say that the fugitives laid the foundation of this town. After them came to the place their own family and many of the old man's followers, who saw his escape as an act of Kiddush Hashem.

There were up to a hundred synagogues (forty permanent synagogues and sixty minyans) in Babruysk. All the professionals in the city had their own houses of prayer, and only the cart owners lacked a synagogue that would bear their name. And so, they decided to correct the injustice: they called a large assembly and unanimously agreed to build a small synagogue. But where would the money come from? They made a vow that from this day forward, the owners of the cart would not drink any schnapps unless they donated an amount equal to the price of the schnapps to the synagogue building fund.

The owners of the carts kept their vow, and less than two years later, the synagogue was erected. The city's clowns would say that this synagogue was built not of stone, but of schnapps.

Israel Bahmer, the son of the rabbi of Slutsk, the gaon Rabbi Yosef Feimer, was exposed to the Haskalah literature and ended up breaking his mind. When his father - as the writer A. Y. Papirna describes in his memoirs - saw how bad was his son's spiritual state, he resorted to the tried and tested trick that parents of that time used in cases where their sons fell away from the faith, with marriage: “Let him be occupied with earning a living to support his wife and he will no longer dwell on vain talk”. And so did the rabbi, Reb Yosef, he married his son to a woman from a God-fearing family in Babruysk. He lived in this city for some years and he and his wife and children were supported by his father-in-law. He was engaged in the study of the Torah during the day, and secretly, at night, he read books of philosophy (Rambam, the Kuzari and the Ikkarim) and new literature. This literature was then young and very poor in its poetic part and even more so in its scientific part. It could not bring its reader into the rich and broad world of science, but it had enough power to take him out of his narrow and meager world. And so, it happened to Israel. And from the elders of Babruysk I heard that one Sabbath night, when Israel wanted to read his books, he moved a lamp from one room to another room. He thought that his wife had already gone to sleep, but she saw what he had done, and she was terrified and ran away, imagining that he had been struck with madness, because after all, a man of sound mind would not do such a strange thing. He did try to calm her down, telling her that he had done what he had done with a clear mind, but in doing so he only intensified her disaster, for if so, he was a complete heretic. -The next day the unfortunate woman expressed her grief to her parents and her relatives, and a great commotion arose in her family and in the whole city. Then the question arose: What is he, an insane or a heretic? The people differed in their opinions, and finally, after a long discussion and deliberation, they came to an agreement that he was a heretic and not a madman. First, because of his confession; second, it was made clear to them that even the most insane person would not do such an abomination, only a heretic could do this; and third, and this was the main thing, by such an agreement they could get rid of him by divorce, which they will force him to give to his wife, a thing that cannot be done if he is considered insane, as the divorce is invalid. And since they came to this agreement, they demanded Israel to give his wife a divorce decree, and he fulfilled their demand.

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My grandfather from my mother's side Bertshe Ettinger, the grandfather of Rabbi Baruch Mordechai Ettinger, was a wealthy and intelligent man, a great communal worker, the chairman of the Talmud Torah and other various institutions. It was said about him that he used to sit at various meetings until 12:00 midnight every night, involved in various communal issues.

There were many crazy people in Bobruisk. Nobody concerned themselves with them. They used to just wander around the streets. It was Bertshe Ettinger who used to gather together all the crazy people from the city every Sabbath, give them food, and thereby take care of them very well…

Reb Yaakov HaCohen Ginsburg used to travel around the world and search for ancient books and manuscripts for his trading house. When he learned of the discovery of the Genizah in Cairo, he hurried to Egypt and brought with him a great deal of booty. Among other things, he boasted to his acquaintances and friends that he had managed to buy a very ancient Haggadah of Pesach. “What does ancient mean?” -Asked his listeners - “When was it written?”

“Why is it relevant when it was written? - Reb Yaakov answered. – “It was written before the Exodus from Egypt…”

The rich man Reb Chaim Boaz Rabinowitz behaved in a domineering manner in Babruysk and, being a zealot, he fiercely persecuted heretics, especially those who publicly violated religious precepts.

One Shabbat, after the prayer, Reb Chaim Boaz left his Beit Midrash and saw the renowned literati Shlomo Fried walking down a city street with a lit cigarette in his mouth. He immediately ran towards him full of rage, waving his fists towards him and ready to tear him apart like a fish.

“Reb Chaim Boaz” – Shlomo Fried, who was filled with great terror, called out to Reb Chaim Boaz – “please don't be angry, I just apostatized yesterday”.

“Oh, you apostatized?! - Reb Chaim Boaz stopped in his place and he was pleased. – “If that is the case, you are allowed, you are allowed…”

Dr. A. Prozhinin said:

- When one of the patients was angry with him, he would say to him:

“You will be remembered when you have such a funeral as Piertog^[a] had.”^[c]

Babruysk had two rabbis at the end of the 19^th century: Rabbi Raphael Shapira - the rabbi of the opponents, and Rabbi Shmaria Noach Schneerson – the rabbi of the Hasidim. The third rabbi was the rabbi that was appointed on behalf of the government, Wilensky, who was not well-liked by the people of the city, and one of the city's literates, Naftali, composed rhymes about him, in which these lines were included:

Once the “pristab” (police officer) detained one of the city's dignitaries, Reb Dov Ber Etinger, and said to him:

- Yesterday I played cards with your rabbi^[c].

- With whom - Rabbi Ber asked - With Rabbi Shapira?

- No - the Gentile replied.

- With Rabbi Schneerson? - asked Rabbi Ber.

- No - replied the “pristab” - with Rabbi Wilensky.

- Oh, with Rabbi Wilensky? -Ettinger replied - He is not our rabbi, he is your rabbi…

Sit on the community's shoulders,
Do not move from the place;
Greatness without measure,
Hebrew – not a word…[Y]

Original footnotes:

1. The reference is to the Tsar. For obvious reasons, his name was not mentioned, because the story was told in 1910. Return
2. Dr. Piertog, the famous folk physician, who died in 1912, see p. 307. Return
3. According to another, more pointed version, the pristab boasted that he met the “rabbi” in a “well-known place” … Return

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A disaster struck the Hanan Glutman family in Babruysk (uncle of Avraham Glutman from Nahalal, the first victim of the bloody events of 5696). A burning primus overturned and the youngest son, Ancil, then a boy of about four-five years old, was severely burned all over his body. He lay sick for many weeks and suffered severe torture until he recovered.

During his illness, Dr. Piertog treated him, and one day Dr. Sergey was also invited for an examination and consultation.

Dr. Piertog and Dr. Sergey, as is well known and remembered, were two opposites. Dr. Piertog was a man of the people, lovable and beloved by all, known for his generosity and cheerfulness as well as his pranks, which had a positive effect on people, both sick and healthy. The mere sight of him in the patient's home brought about a very positive effect. His good spirit, his jokes, full of grace and kindness, would dispel, as soon as he entered, the atmosphere of gloom that prevailed in the patient's home.

Dr. Sergey was a German Jew, God-fearing and pious, strict and irritable, and more than once, the sight of his frowning face would create an atmosphere of depression for the patient and those accompanying him. It is no wonder that people tried to visit him as little as possible. However, everyone knew that Dr. Sergey was a very good and professional doctor. People from Babruysk who traveled to consult with specialist doctors in the large cities or even in cities abroad said that the doctors they consulted with asked them: “Why did you bother coming to us when you could have consulted with Dr. Sergey from your city?” …

Dr. Piertog and Dr. Sergey were two complete opposites, and it is no wonder that there was a kind of hidden hostility between them.

When Dr. Sergey came to the consilium at the Glutman family home, Dr. Piertog pointed at Dr. Sergey and said:

- Prepare a lot of money for him, this doctor loves money.

And Dr. Sergey answered immediately:

This doctor – he pointed to himself - loves money, while this doctor – he pointed to Dr. Piertog - has money.

After the great fire in Babruysk, after many families were left destitute, a special committee was organized to help the victims. And it is obvious that one of the activists on this committee was Dr. Piertog.

In one of the warehouses in Dr. Piertog's yard, donations of clothing and footwear of all kinds were collected for children and adults, women and men, and those who were left destitute would come and receive from Dr. Piertog their needs of clothing and footwear.

One day a woman came to the warehouse, claiming she was left destitute from the great fire, and asked to receive clothing for herself. Dr. Piertog went with her to the warehouse, and the woman searched and searched and chose for herself a fur coat, from the finest that were in that warehouse. Dr. Piertog, who knew almost all the people of the town and their families and businesses, laughed and said to that woman:

- Okay, the coat is reserved for you. Now “Go forth and be consumed by fire” and then come and get the coat…

Pesach Eliyahu the jester was one of the best-known jesters in White Russia a hundred years ago. His nickname was “Pudele”. He was a Chabad Hasid and often came to Liebowitz to entertain the rabbi and his Hasidim.

And this is how his student, Yaakov Zizmor, one of the last jesters in Lithuania and Belarus^[a], describes him in a playful banter in his memoirs:

“The jester Reb Pesach Eli lived in Babruysk. He was the genius of all the known to us jesters in recent times.

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His knowledge of the Bible and all its commentaries was immeasurable. It was enough to say two words to him, and he would immediately recite the verse before and the verse after: He was very knowledgeable in the Talmud and the Midrash. In addition, he had a beautiful expression and was handsome. Rabbis and outstanding scholars treated him with great respect. Elikum Zunzer told me that he saw at his house letters and wedding invitations from rabbis, in which they called him “the knowledgeable Rabbi who had mastered the deepest depths of the Torah”. With his brilliant mind, his quick orientation, and his shrewd and penetrating gaze, he charmed all his listeners. He was the source from which all the jesters drew their inspiration. All the sermons, as well as the heart-captivating words (Bazetzungen) for the bride and groom, which were mixed with verses and sayings of Chazal, in which Elikum Zunzer won the hearts of the audience, originated from Pesach Eli, a”h. The art of singing and playing - this was already Zunzer's greater strength, because the brilliant mind of Pesach Eli, a”h, did not deal with these matters. He had only one weakness: he did not appear before the audience before he drank a few glasses of schnaps…

In those days, there were no railroads everywhere, and Pesach Eli had a carriage (a kibitke), i.e. a wagon with springs and two wheels, and a handsome horse. He himself drove the carriage and would travel from one wedding to another wedding. 25 years ago, or maybe even a little more than that, when I came to Babruysk, I visited the genius of the jesters. He was a very old man at the time. He showed me his orchard, his hives, his large and beautiful house, and even the carriage, but without harness and horses, because by then he was no longer engaged in entertaining people.”

Thus far the words of Zizmor. In 5632 (1872) Pesach Eliyahu printed a collection of Yiddish hymns called “Knaf Renanim”. In the introduction to the collection, he explains that these poems were composed in the years 5610 - 5619 (1850 - 1859) and that he had no intention of printing them, but since he realized that other jesters were using his works and singing them as if they were theirs, he found it appropriate to publish them under his name. The collection contains six poems: “Der Faarfaaser” (The Author); “Die Jugend und Di Elter” (Youth and Old Age); “Der Telegraf” (The Telegraph); “Der Cigar” (The Cigar); “Die Udke” (The fishing rod); “Die Spiegel” (The Mirror)^[b].

The hymn “Der Faarfaaser” expresses its fear that people will not sing it because:

A Torah scholar or a philosopher
Neither of them will let us into his home,
He is gentle only toward the poor jesters – –
For a Hasid, we have no Hasidism,
For a Maskil, too much Yiddish.
Both of them will throw us under the table.[Y]

The hymns are, of course, are full of morals, as was the custom of the songs of the jesters in those days. In the hymn “Der Cigar”, a human life is likened to a burning cigar, and the hymn ends with these words:

People! Bear your sins,
Do not grow angry quickly.
If you are not soon to meet your end
Be very calm and cool-headed.
Live peacefully and quietly,
Do not burn out your life-sap.[Y]

And here are some “Torah sayings” of “Pudele”^[c]:

At one of the weddings in Liebowitz, the guests asked the rabbi to recite some Torah sayings. The rabbi evaded and said:

- Let Podele say Torah today.

Podele (who is Pesach Eliyahu) answered:

The rabbi believes he knows more than I do, so I would be ashamed to speak Torah in his presence. Well, he is wrong: I am not ashamed and will say things to the best of my ability:

The world asks: In the past, among the “good Jews”, as is known, everything was simple. They themselves lived in simplicity, in their homes everything was simple: simple tables,

The world asks: With the “good Jews” who lived in the land of Egypt, as is well known, everything was simple. They themselves lived simply, in their homes everything was simple: simple tables, simple benches. Nowadays, the “good Jews” bear themselves as potentates, living like counts upon the fatness of the earth. The question is asked: Why?

The rabbi says:

- Why should I know the answer? You will tell the answer, Podele!

- I will tell you the answer – Pesach-Eli continues - You've surely seen a farmer bring a rooster to the market. Even if it's the most beautiful and largest of roosters, how much do they pay for it?

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Twenty kopecks, a quarter of a ruble. But if a painter brings to the market a painted, artificial rooster, painted and made by his own hand with such great art that it looks like a living one that is about to spread its wings and cry out loudly because it is made with such great art. How much will they pay for this rooster, which is an imitation of the real rooster? I say, twenty-five rubles, fifty rubles, or even more. The same is true of the “good Jews”. In the past, there were real “good Jews”, who then behaved simply and lived simply. The “good Jews” nowadays are an imitation of those who came before them, and therefore they value themselves more and live in wealth.

The rabbi burst out laughing, and then Pesach-Eli said:

- It's strange, everyone I tell this parable to thinks that it's not relates to him.

- Ah - the rabbi called out - Now you act like a scamp!

For a time, Pesach-Eli the jester lived in Horodok, yet in his later years, he returned to Babruysk and passed away there, probably at the end of the 19^th century.

There was a custom in our city: on Friday, about half an hour before the candles were lit, the shamash would walk in the market square and knock on the window shutters to signal that negotiations should stop in honor of Shabbat. When my father heard this knocking sound from afar, he quickly closed his shop and came home.

At one time, it was customary in Babruysk that every Friday before the Shabbat began, three sirens were sounded from Moshe Feinstein's motorized flour mill. The shamash would come from the rabbi's house and inform the mill owner of the exact time of the sirens. There were three sirens: the first - to stop work, crafts, and trade and to close shops and businesses; the second - to light the candles; and the third -to go to the synagogue to welcome Shabbat.

They would say in the city: “Feinstein sounded the siren”. This custom was abolished with the passing of Reb Moshe Feinstein.

“The Bezbezshnik”. There was a short, black-bearded Jew in our city who walked the streets bareheaded, and even at the beginning of the present century he considered himself a complete heretic. He had a shop next to the “Staraseler Schule” and would engage in arguments with those who came to the synagogue. Yet victory was not always his. On Yom Kippur, the “Bezbezshnik” would visit the pastry shop of a Turk (a prisoner of war from the Balkan War) and eat there in public in front of passersby.

Chief of the Fire Department. The official commander of the “city fire department” was Arkady Zarubov, the mayor's son. However, in reality, their commander was Chernyak, a tall, broad-shouldered Jew who had a soda kiosk on Shosiennaya Street, at the corner of Pushkinskaya Street, near Bernstein's pharmacy. There was no fire in Babruysk that Chernyak did not take part in extinguishing. He received many medals of merit (“zhitons”), including a medal of valor from Tsar Nicholas II for his meritorious work in extinguishing the Great Fire (1902), on which were engraved the words “For merits for the Tsar and the Homeland”. He served in the fire department for over 40 years.

Yankel Mazin. He was a tough coachman, who excelled in his physical strength and wrestling. There was no one in Babruysk who could stand against him. He would defeat everyone. This coachman was the hero of the youth who were involved in and interested in sports.

Boris Yantovich. During the 1905 Revolution, a guy

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named Boris (I don't remember his last name) stood out as a brave fighter for women's rights. Among other things, he strongly protested against the practice of calling people by their first name and adding their father's name (as is customary in Russian speech). He was not content with merely verbal opposition, but acted in practice and presented himself in the name of “Boris Yantowicz” - Boris the son of Yanta (to honor his mother, whose name was Yanta). When he was drafted into the army at the outbreak of World War I, the people greeted him and said: Ура, Борис Энтович! [Hooray for Boris Yantowicz!]

Original footnotes:

1. See “Registry” Vilna 1922, p. 876-877. Return
2. A second edition of the collection, with some changes, was published in Vilna in 5635 (1875). Return
3. According to B. Slutsky, Yiddish Badkhanim Schweischpiller, Zeitschrift, Minsk 1926, vol. 1, p. 259. Return

There were no thieves among the Jews of Shishlovitz. Among those who were not allies were those who stole the property of others. There were those whose occupation was theft, and most of all there were horse thieves. These thieves were well-known and everyone was afraid of them, because during their days of rest, between one horse theft and another, they would not disdain even lesser things. However, the biggest thefts were not committed by the expert thieves of our town, but by the “artists” of theft from the city of Babruysk, who would secretly visit the town from time to time and impoverish several families. Sometimes a Jewish merchant from Shishlovitz would get up in the morning, go to his shop as usual and discover that during the night all the goods in his shop had been stolen, down to the last piece, and nothing was left except for the empty shelves. And so sometimes a shopkeeper would remain a destitute poor man for the rest of his life. Among the thieves of Babruysk were also Jews. And they were mostly engaged with robbing the shops and warehouses of the Jews only. Apparently, their natural family instinct allowed them to do this (by the way, it would be worth addressing this issue and dealing with it separately. I believe that a counting will show that Jews mostly steal from Jews. The Jews feared foreign thieves more than Jewish thieves).

Among the Jewish thieves from Babruysk, the leader of the gang of thieves, whose name was Chaim T. (T. being an abbreviation for the word thief), stood out in particular. This Chaim didn't just steal from stores, but also robbed people on the roads. It often happened that he and his gang would attack the owner of the cart, who was transporting his goods from Babruysk to the small towns, and rob him of everything. It never came to bloodshed. He would hit profusely. Once Binyamin the grocer, the son of my second melamed, Avraham, returned from his trip to Babruysk, all beaten and wounded and all the goods had been taken by the thieves. Chaim T. and his partners in robbery waited for him on the main road to Babruysk, robbed him of the goods that he intended to sell in Babruysk, and robbed all the money in cash that he and the passengers had. Binyamin was beaten and wounded because he told them that it's not proper that Jews steal and rob Jews. And so, Chaim T. would beat him and say: This is so that the town people of Shishlovitz shall know my heavy hand and dare not utter a complaint. And the amazing thing about all these acts is that everyone knew who the thief was, and yet it never occurred to anyone to sue him in court. If it would have been possible to judge him according to the Torah laws – then they would sue him, but there was no chance that they would sue him in the courts of the Gentiles! Anyway, the thief will not give back the goods he had stolen! The Jews of Shishlovitz considered theft, robbery, and fire as ravages of nature. And who can withstand them?

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Chaim Boaz Rabinowitz's daughter, Zisla Zaretsky, says:

A fire once broke out near our house, and since they feared that the fire would reach the house, they took all the valuables out of the house and piled them in a pile in the yard. The silverware was also collected on a map and brought to the same place. When the fire was extinguished and the danger was over, the return of the objects to the house began. It then turned out that the silverware was missing. The matter became known in the city and the “Rabbi” of the thieves declared: “It is impossible to steel the silverware of Reb Chaim Boaz; I did not know about it”. The next day he brought the silverware to our house and said that the thieves did not know that the silverware belonged to Reb Chaim Boaz, because if they had known, they would not have touched it. Of course, the “Rabbi” did not leave our house empty-handed.

People moved to Bobruisk, the business and administrative center, from the nearby villages and towns. There used to be a tollbooth at the entrance, on the Rogachov-Bobruisk highway. Everyone going through had to pay a fertele – 25 kopecks. The income was used to cover the costs of building the highway. After the expenses were already covered, the regime cancelled the toll, and one could travel to Bobruisk for free.

An intelligent peasant thought, however: why should one not pay for the privilege of traveling on the highway? The regime had cancelled the fee, so he thought it would be a good little business. People would pay, and he will put the money in his pocket. He set up the tollbooth once again, and reinstated the 25-kopeck fee, until – – – a wealthy poretz [landowner] traveled to Bobruisk, and the peasant stopped the poretz's carriage at the tollbooth and demanded 25 kopecks. The poretz knew, however, that this was illegal, and he pressed charges against the peasant in court. After that, it was the end of the tollbooth. All who were hungry [Kol dichfin – a quote from the Passover Haggadah] – when they wanted, could enter Bobruisk for free, without payment. [Y]

People came to Bobruisk, the commercial and administrative center, from the nearby towns and villages. At the entrance to the Shosi-Rogachev, there was a toll station. Every passerby had to pay a toll—20 kopikes [kopeks]. From the tolls, they paid the expenses of building the Shosi. When the expenses were covered, the government cancelled the toll and one could come into Bobruisk freely.

A clever farmer thought—why shouldn't they pay for the privilege of riding on the Shosi? The government has cancelled the toll, but it's a good business. People will pay and he'll pocket the money. He put up a toll station, demanded 25 kopikes, until…a rich landowner came to Bobruisk and the farmer stopped his carriage and asked for 25 kopikes. The landowner knew that that was illegal and he let the farmer have it. Since then, there is no toll station. Whoever wants comes in free, no toll, to Bobruisk.

Due to the outbreak of the First World War, I was conscripted prematurely. After a few weeks of training in the cities of central Russia, our legion was dispatched to Siberia; however, along the way I fell ill, was taken off the echelon (cargo train), and transferred to the Siberian town of Yeniseysk beyond the Ural Mountains, where I stayed temporarily at a military transit station.

Naturally, I tried by all possible means to remain in the town as long as I could, so as not to be returned prematurely to my military unit, which was expected to be sent to the front as soon as its training concluded.

I wandered freely through the city streets day and night, and among other things, I visited the circus which was staying in the town during those days. It was an ordinary circus–featuring horse races, stunts with other animals, various performances by clowns, and the like. The circus was named after its owner–Circus Izako.

The locals, as well as the military personnel who attended, would converse about its owner and debate among themselves: some claimed Izako was Italian, while others insisted he was Japanese… Yet I had the privilege of growing close to the owner's family, through which I learned their true name: Izakov, a Jewish family from Babruysk…

I knew the medic Izakov in Bobruisk.

[Page 678]

He also visited our house as well when needed. The circus man was, as I recall, the brother of the aforementioned medic. In his youth, he showed a special talent for “sleight of hand”, he tried his hand at various tricks, mastered them, and eventually began performing in one of the circuses. He prospered and ultimately founded a circus of his own. He even taught his art to his family members - his wife, son, and daughter-in-law.

When I met with them in Yeniseysk, the man was already old and most of the management was concentrated in the hands of the son.

During my stay and idle days in Yeniseysk, I spent many wonderful hours at their home. The old man especially loved to talk to me. He was always happy to meet me, and from time to time he would bring up memories of his childhood in Bobruisk. He talked about the city and about his family that he left behind, and so on. His present was, apparently, gray and depressing. More than once I witnessed family squabbles in their apartment, albeit subdued ones. Thus, for instance, I once heard his daughter-in-law say resentfully to the old man:

- Gorbatovo mogila ispravit (meaning: only the grave will straighten the hunchback) …

And the old man sat stooped and crestfallen, listening, hardly answering a word.

In those moments, I felt sorry for him in my heart, I shared his insult and loneliness…

Poor “Izako”! To what lengths talent can sometimes toss a man…

Oh Bobruisk—my dear shtetl, I find it hard to forget you Oh Bobruisk—my dear shtetl, I want to see you again 1 Muddy streets and yet beautiful They led us straight to the cheder Green fields and the Shosi There we played, there we romanced! All - (refrain) Oh Bobruisk—my dear shtetl… 2 We gathered in the forests In a union that first time Chased by Cossacks Arrested many times. All - (refrain) Oh Bobruisk—my dear shtetl… 3 We didn't lack courage Strong as a lion, swift as a hare Proclamations—distributed Right under the policeman's nose… All - (refrain) Oh Bobruisk—my dear shtetl… 4 Here Father is studying Mishna on Shabbos What a pleasant memory Mother and neighbors are chatting They are singing songs in our wood. All - (refrain) Oh Bobruisk—my dear shtetl… I find it hard to forget you Oh Bobruisk—my dear shtetl, I want to see you again

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