Dusetos, Lithuania (Page 196)

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“Jidauka, You Have Nothing To Do Here!” (cont.)

I Found My Home Here

Arguments about the need to immigrate to Eretz Yisrael frequently arose in our old home. My brother Dov-Berke who had left-wing opinions, used to argue that everyone needed to fight to improve his life everywhere in the world. He meant to say that it wasn't necessary to immigrate specifically to Eretz Yisrael.

In 1936 they wrote me from home, asking me to return to Dusiat. I answered my brother that I had found my home here and I thought that he should come too, because he had no future there. Dov replied: ”Batya, it was easy for you; you weren't burdened with responsibility. You got up, left and that's all. We can't liquidate the shop. How can I leave home? How can I leave Mother?”

In 1941, when the Russians had already occupied Lithuania, my mother wrote me: ”Yetzt gefint zich bei uns die Mume Reize,” [Aunt Reize (alias for Russia) is now here], and she takes everything she sees. “Nor m'zogt as Fetter Hillel iz erger fun der Mume Reise“ [but they say that Uncle Hillel (alias for Hitler) is worse than Aunt Reize].

That was the last letter I received from home.

Dov-Berke Levitt and his wife, the teacher Malka (Lajowski / Rosowski?)

Baruch Krut: Of our fellow travelers I only remember the teacher Malka [whose whereabouts are unknown], wife of Dov-Berke Levitt, who got off at Daigal [Daugailiai].

In 1939, my sister Rivka took a trip to Lithuania to visit the family and she wanted to take my little daughter Edna – who was four years old at the time – with her, in order to bring my mother the pleasure of her first granddaughter. The doctor didn't recommend it, and luckily for us Rivka traveled on her own. Why luckily for us? Because World War II broke out, and in order to return to Eretz Yisrael, my sister Rivka was forced to wander all over Russia for three months, and she reached Odessa. All she needed there was Edna'le…

A Joint Trip of the Abel and Shoham families – 1947 Right to left, top: Edna Abel and Yehudit Shoham.
Bottom: Yitzchak Abel (left) with his daughter Nili (extreme right), Shmuel Shoham and Rivka (Melamed) with their daughter Nava

At the Yizkor Book Launch - Tel Aviv, October 15, 1989 Daughters of Batya and Yitzchak Aviel (Abel): Edna Midroni (left) and Nili Sofer (middle) asking the Dusiater Rivka Shteinman (Shub) “Who is Who”…
In the background is the map of the shtetl.

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