53°28' / 25°24'
Translation of
Pinkus Zhetel
Edited by Baruch Kaplinski
Published by the Zhetel Association in Israel
Project Coordinator
Emerita Project Coordinator: Becky Diamond
Our sincere appreciation to Stefanie Holzman for extracting the pictures
This is a translation from Pinkus Zhetel,
Note: The original book can be seen online at the NY Public Library site: Dziatlava
Please contribute to our translation fund to see the translation of this book completed.
JewishGen's
Translation Fund Donation Form
provides a secure way to make donations,
either on-line or by mail, to help continue this project.
Donations to JewishGen are tax-deductible for U.S. citizens.
JewishGen, Inc. makes no representations regarding the accuracy of
the translation. The reader may wish to refer to the original material
for verification.
JewishGen is not responsible for inaccuracies or omissions in the original work and cannot rewrite or edit the text to correct inaccuracies and/or omissions.
Our mission is to produce a translation of the original work and we cannot verify the accuracy of statements or alter facts cited.
|
A memorial to the Jewish community of Zhetel
Published by the Zhetel Association in Israel
Tel-Aviv 1957
Introduction | 9 | |
Pictures tell the story | Baruch Kaplinski | 12 |
Ell, Molei Rachamim | 18 | |
Zhetel Martyrs | 19 | |
The old Zhetel | ||
The History of the Jews of Zhetl | Borukh Kaplinsky | 33 |
Zhetl in the Budget of the Jewish Council of Lithuania | Mordkhai V. Bernshteyn | 40 |
Zhetl From the Past | Avrom Ivenitsky of blessed memory | 47 |
Zhetl's Rabbis | Avrom Shepetnitsky | 49 |
The Great Miracle of the Author of Machane Yehuda | Mordkhai V. Bernshteyn | 53 |
Books by authors of Zhetel | 54 | |
Articles about Zhetel in encyclopedias | 55 | |
Zhetel in the Hebrew press | M.Tzinurit, B. Kaplinski | 58 |
Chapters from the history of Zhetel | 65 | |
Geography and climatic conditions in Zhetel | Dr A.I. Braver | 67 |
Population and occupations | Baruch Kaplinski | 69 |
On the threshold of the 20th century | ||
Zhetel 50 years ago | Moshe Bitn | 73 |
I left Zhetel in the year 1900 | Izchok Gebury | 76 |
My Memories of Zhetl | Avrom Shepetnitsky | 78 |
The Excellent City | Rabbi Yitzkhak Veynshteyn | 80 |
The Navaredok community in Zhetel | I.L. Nakric | 82 |
My Home Town | Nekhemiah Aminoach | 83 |
Zhetl Until 1905 | Zalmen Mirsky | 85 |
From Everything to Very Little | Avrom Yitzkhak Medvedsky | 87 |
Jews Living in Rural Villages and Conscripts | Avrom Leyzerovitch | 93 |
The First World War | ||
Zhetl During My Rabbinate | Rabbi Zalmen Saratzkin | 99 |
During the German Occupation | Yosef Vinyetzky of Blessed Memory | 109 |
An Appeal to Zhetl Jews in America | Menachem Vernikovsky OBM | 111 |
Only Memorial Books Have Remained | Avrom Zak | 112 |
During the First World War | Moishe Mirsky | 113 |
The Jewish republic in Zhetel | Efraim Hamuni OBM | 116 |
The Transition from Ruler to Ruler | Nekhemiye Aminoakh | 118 |
The Transition Period | Yitzkhal Epshteyn | 122 |
This is How I Remember You, Zhetl | Soreh Medvetzky | 124 |
Between the two world wars | ||
Cultural and Economic Life | Avrom Ivenitsky of blessed memory | 127 |
Zhetl and the Zhetl Craftsman | Moishe Mendl Leyzerovitch | 132 |
The excommunication in Zhetel | Rabbi Alchanon Maracki | 136 |
The Great Fires | Soreh Epshteyn Shoer | 138 |
The National Democrats (Endecja) Rage** | Moishe Mirski | 140 |
Political Parties | ||
Hovevei Zion (Lovers of Zion) and the Zionist Movement | Borukh Kaplinsky | 143 |
Revolutionaries of Zhetel | Moshe Mirski | 148 |
Memories of the Bund | Yekhiel Kuznietzky | 150 |
Memories of the Zhetl S.R. (Socialist Revolutionaries) | H. Lubchansky Khabibi | 151 |
The Zhetl Worker After the First World War | Dov Arzhekhovsky | 152 |
The HeChalutz (The Pioneer) | Yosef Berman | 155 |
Poalei Zion (Labour Zionists) Z.S (Zionist Socialists) | Eliezer Namiyat | 159 |
Hashomer Hatzair | Yakov Indershteyn | 163 |
Revisionists and Betar in Zhetl | Avrom Alpert | 165 |
Agudas Yisroel | Yisroel Karpl | 166 |
The Bund | Sholem Lisogursky | 167 |
The First Jewish National Fund Bazaar | Lize Kaplinsky | 169 |
The Last Jewish National Fund Bazaar | Sarah Gal Begin | 170 |
Communal Life in Zhetl | Collected by Soreh Gal Begin | 171 |
Institutions | ||
Societies and Institutions | Baruch Kaplinski | 177 |
Volunteer Firefighters | Dov Arzhekhovsky | 179 |
Our Fire Brigade Orchestra | Philip Zabitz | 180 |
The Drama Club | Hindke Mirsky | 184 |
Medical and Social Institutions | Dr. Avrom Alpert | 187 |
The Society to Spend the Night with the Sick and the Medical Aid Society | Henie Piekelny Rozenblum | 192 |
The Orphans Committee | Shifra Medvedsky | 194 |
Social Women's Aid | Soreh Gal Begin | 194 |
The Popular Bank | Arye Zelikovitch | 195 |
Balances of the Zhetl Cooperative Popular Bank | 196 | |
The Interest Free Loan Society | Sore Gal-Bigin | 197 |
TOZ (Society for Preservation of Health) in Zhetel | 197 | |
Remember! | Moishe Man | 198 |
Schools | ||
The Talmid Tora (student of the Tora) | A.Z. Silverman | 201 |
The story of the Jewish peoples school | Beniomen Kaplinski OBM | 203 |
How can I conceive it? | Avrom Sawicki | 212 |
We built the Jewish public school | Moishe Minski | 213 |
The Tarbut school | Dvoire Szkolnik | 215 |
Memories of a pupil | Sora Epstein - Shuer | 219 |
Rabbis | ||
The Rabbi Reb Yakov Krantz The Dubner Preacher | I. Mandelbaum & I. Trunk | 223 |
Rabbi Yisroel Meir Hakohen The Khafetz Khaim | Rabbi Moishe Meir Yashar | 225 |
My Meetings with the Khafetz Khaim | Shabbtai Mayevsky | 227 |
The wise men of Zhetel | Moishe Tzinuvitz | 228 |
H'rov Reb Baruch Avrom Mirski OBM | H'rov I.L. Mimun | 230 |
Rabbi Borukh Avrom Mirsky the Lover of Zion | Moishe Tzinovitch | 231 |
The Rabbi Reb Shmuel Rabinovitch | Moishe Tzinuvitz | 232 |
The Life Journey of Rabbi Zalmen Saratzkin | Rabbi Elkhanan Saratzkin | 233 |
Rabbi Zvi Hirsh Khurgin of Blessed Memory | Yosef Eliyahu Piekelny Pniel | 236 |
Communal Leaders and Men of the People | ||
Reb Avrom Patzovsky The Elder (Starosta) of Zhetl | Moishe Man | 239 |
Reb Hertz Leyb Kaplinsky of blessed memory | Yudis Ostrovsky (Tel Aviv) | 240 |
Reb Shmuel Kustin of blessed memory | Dvoire Shkolnik | 240 |
Reb Menakhem Vernikovsky of blessed memory | 240 | |
Reb Shlomo Zalmen Dunetz, of blessed memory | Mordecai Dunetz | 241 |
Reb Yisroel Ozer Barishansky of blessed memory | Avrom Ivenitzky of blessed memory | 245 |
Two Brothers | Moishe Mirsky (Man) | 246 |
My Grandfather Reb Yisroel Elkhanan Piekelni of blessed memory | Leah Rozenblum | 247 |
Characters and Facts | Moishe Man | 248 |
Reb Avrom the Recluse | Efraim Pasaf | 249 |
Reb Moishe Ruven Markovsky of blessed memory | Avrom Iveniecki OBM | 250 |
Reb Yosef Mutchnik of blessed memory | Shloime Mutchnik | 250 |
Reb Yosef Vinetzky | Avrom Ivenitsky | 250 |
Reb Shaul Kaplinsky of blessed memory | Borukh Kaplinsky | 250 |
Reb Mendl Mirsky of blessed memory | Ruven Mirsky | 251 |
Reb Avrom Langbart of blessed memory | Yitzkhak Rabinovitch | 251 |
Reb Avrom Gal of blessed memory | Sarah Gal | 252 |
Noyekh Mikulitzky of blessed memory | Khaim Lusky | 252 |
Yehuda Lusky of blessed memory | Khaim Lusky | 252 |
Yehoshua Ovseyevitch of blessed memory | Moishe Man | 253 |
Alter Gertzovsky of blessed memory | Shmuel Mnuskin | 253 |
Motl Man of blessed memory | Moishe Man | 253 |
Reb Yakov Obershteyn of blessed memory | Moishe Man | 254 |
In My Father's House | Binyomin Kaplinsky of blessed memory | 254 |
Niameh Kaplinsky the Bundist and Cultural Activist | Rishe Kaplinsky Kovensky | 257 |
Neighbours, Friends, Teachers and Acquaintances | Yitzkhak Epshteyn (Kfar Neter) | 259 |
Communal Activists and Public Figures | Yitzkhak Epshteyn (Kfar Neter) | 265 |
Lost Talents | Soreh Epshteyn Shoar | 268 |
Public Figures | Shabsai Mayevsky | 269 |
The Tailor from Zhetl | Yakov Indershteyn | 271 |
Zaydke | Yakov Indershteyn | 275 |
The Last Badkhn | Yankef Indershteyn | 276 |
The Shiluvsky Family from Haleli | Moishe Mirsky | 278 |
My Mother Leah Hinde Merim's of Blessed Memory | Miriam Izraelit Davidovsky | 278 |
Efraim Belagolovsky Kharmoni of blessed memory | Nekhemia Aminoakh | 279 |
Zhetl Writers | M. Dunetz | 280 |
Memories | ||
Why Does our Heart Cry so Much? | Borukh Kaplinsky | 283 |
Once There Was a Town… | Mordechai Dunetz | 286 |
The Seder Night | Mashe Rozovsky Shvartzman | 287 |
A Week in Zhetl | Sarah Gal Begin | 288 |
My Home | Rivka Valdman | 293 |
Friday at the Marketplace | Khaya Alpert | 295 |
Slonimer Street | Sarah Gal Begin | 296 |
Memoirs | Yehudit Ostrovsky | 297 |
The Famous Zhetl | Shmuel Rabinovitch (Herzliya) | 298 |
Impressions | Lize Rozvosky of blessed memory | 299 |
The Hasidic Rebbe in our Home | Rachel Rabinovitch | 300 |
Customs | Mordechai Dunetz | 301 |
My Small Jewish Town | Pesieh Mayevsky | 304 |
The folklore of Zhetel | ||
The Dzyatlava Folklore | Baruch Kaplinski | 305 |
The Dzyatlava Nicknames | Baruch Kaplinski | 306 |
Dzyatlava folklore | Avraham Iventzki, may his memory be for a blessing | 308 |
Under the Soviet Regime | ||
Under the Soviet Regime | Efraim Shepshelevitch | 311 |
The Tailor's Cooperative | Lize Rozvosky | 313 |
The extermination of Zhetel | ||
Under the Yoke of the Germans | Azriel Shilovitsky | 317 |
Hunger | Pesie Mayevsky | 320 |
The First Murderous Act | Miriam Shepshelevitch | 325 |
The First 120 Victims | Pesie Mayevsky | 327 |
Zhetl at the end of 1941 | Sarah Nashmit | 329 |
The First Slaughter | Basieh Rabinovitch Yashir | 332 |
Kaddish The Memorial Prayer | Kahim Veynshteyn | 333 |
Back from the ditches | Izchok Rubinshtin | 334 |
How I saved myself | Lize Kaplinski | 335 |
The tragedy of my brother's family | Mashe Rozvadski | 336 |
A tragic finish | Chana Majewski-Klar | 337 |
Two children fight for their life | Kalmon Minuskin | 342 |
He escaped from his grave | Shifre Miedviedski | 347 |
Zhetel without Jews | Cila Joselevski | 349 |
How I saved my children | Sneinke Minuskin | 353 |
I lost my whole family | Izchok Goldshtain | 356 |
From the synagogue into the forest | Bashe Minuskin | 358 |
In the Workshops of the Novogrudek Ghetto | Pesieh Mayevsky | 359 |
The Zhetl Glaziers in Novoredok | Zavl Mordkovsky | 361 |
I Escaped from the Novogrudek Camp | Moishe Mendl Leyzerovitch | 363 |
My tragic childhood | Avrom Leibovich | 366 |
The road of my torments | Kalmon Shalkovich | 367 |
The killing of Gypsies in Zhetel | Izchok Epshtain | 368 |
The underground activities in the Ghetto | Leib Sholem Gerling | 369 |
The way we lived in the Zhetel Ghetto | Pessya Mayevsky | 373 |
Remember! | Pessya Mayevsky | 375 |
Kadish | Mortchi Epstein | 376 |
In the forests | ||
People of Zhetel in the Lipiczanski partisans | A group of partisans | 379 |
Revenge for the blood of our people | Eliahu Kovenski | 391 |
We Fight! | Azriel Shilovitsky | 395 |
The years in the forest | Chana Majewski-Klar | 397 |
Between life and death | Cila Joselevski | 401 |
Ravage for the Maichek murder | Yechiel Joselevich | 404 |
Revenge for the Maltuch murder | Zavl Mordkovski | 405 |
The fight in Dubrovka | Sholem Gerling | 406 |
Four victims | Leia Kalbshtein-Yacham | 407 |
The family camps | Shmuel Minuskin | 408 |
The partisan hospital | Sholim Gerling | 412 |
Partisan heroes | Sholim Gerling | 414 |
Brief biographies of heroic partisans | Group of partisans | 420 |
Krokes un shachmanies a song of the partisans | Cilia Joselevski | 428 |
Before the liberation | Lizi Kaplinski | 430 |
The last months in the forest | Sora Ovseievich | 431 |
My last day in the forest | Hinda Mirski | 433 |
Partisans of Zhetel in the Soviet army | Chaim Savicki | 434 |
A man from Zhetel in the red army | Shloime Sharlat | 439 |
In a German prisoner of war camp | Berl Goldberg | 439 |
Zhetel heroic partisans | 440 | |
People of Zhetel in the world | ||
People of Zhetel in USA | Efraim Pasaf | 443 |
Citizens of Zhetel in Argentina | Moishe Man | 445 |
From Zhetel to Israel | Baruch Kaplinski | 447 |
Financial assistance for Zheteler in Israel | Shaftai Majewski | 451 |
The Zhetel forest | Yehuda Ostrovski | 452 |
At a memorial service in Tel Aviv | Shimon Berliker | 453 |
From Zhetel to Petach Tikva | Pese Majevski | 454 |
Remember! | Mordecai Dunetz | 458 |
Zhetel in April 1957 | Mira Goncharovski | 459 |
Bricks have collapsed, we will build in stone | Baruch Kaplinski | 461 |
List of former Dzyatlava residents living in Israel | Addresses | 464 |
List of former Dzyatlava residents living in the USA | Addresses | 467 |
List of former Dzyatlava residents living in South America | Addresses | 469 |
List of former Dzyatlava residents living in Canada and elsewhere | Addresses | 470 |
Families from Zhetel | Pictures | 471 |
* Note from the Coordinator: This is an error in the original. return
** ND Narodowa Demokracja. return
Yizkor Book Project
JewishGen Home Page
Copyright © 1999-2021 by JewishGen, Inc.
Updated 07 Apr 2021 by JH