Our Town Stepan
(Ukraine)

51°08' / 26°18'

Translation of Ayaratenu Stepan

Edited by: Yitzchak Ganuz

Published in Tel Aviv, Stepan Society, 1977

Acknowledgments

Project Coordinator

Daniel G. Shimshak

Our sincere appreciation to Mr.Yesheyahu Pery, of the Stepan Society in Israel,
for permission to publish this material.

This is a translation from: Ayaratenu Stepan (Our town Stepan),
Editors: Yitzchak Ganuz, Tel Aviv, Stepan Society, 1977 (H,E, 368 pages).

This material is made available by JewishGen, Inc. and the Yizkor Book Project for the purpose of
fulfilling our mission of disseminating information about the Holocaust and destroyed Jewish communities.
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1   Foreword to the book Editorial staff 7
 
2 The Generations of Stepan
  a) The History of Stepan and its Jewish Population I. Ganuz and J. Peri 9
  b) The Jews of Wolyn Y.L. Yonatan 14
  c) Jewishness in the Heart I. Lamdan 21
  d) Education in Polish Wolyn S. Roznak 22
  e) Stepan: World War I H. Zoller 28
  f) Stepan: 1910-1920 M. Woschina 44
  g) Town Life in the New Poland S. Mann 48
  h) The Synagogues J. Peri 53
  i) My Town - My Home G. Krukover 56
  j) The Home of the Late Rabbi Tversky J. Peri 64
  k) "The Sage, the Late Rabbi Tversky, Magid" of Stepan M.S. Geshori 69
 
3 The Way of Life
  a) My Father's Home J. Peri 72
  b) What Was But No Longer Is Z. Gorinstein 89
  c) Vocations of Stepan Jewry J. Peri 94
  d) Stepan: Looking Back I. Weismann 98
  e) Memories J. Shpritz 100
  f) Youth Activities Z. Zilberman 102
  g) The Summer Home J. Peri 104
  h) Memories E. Shimshak 105
  i) Our Home in Kosmochov. L. Hashavia (Rudnik) 106
  j) The Miserable Ones and Transient Guests J. Peri 108
 
4 The Way to Zion
  a) Founding of the Tarbut School S. Sheinboim 109
  b) The Beginning of Zionist Activities S. Sheinboim 111
  c) Reflections of the Wolyn Press on Public Activities B. Shpritz 116
  d) Illegals to Israel: Stepan 1939 J. Peri 119
 
5 Our Fathers' Homes: Where They Were in Stepan Editorial Board 123
 
6 Memories: Images and Families
  a) Some Images and Families I. Weismann 166
  b) The Home of the Genius Ben-Zion Volinsky, the Righteous Man of Blessed Memory B. Shpritz 200
  c) My Father, Reb Azriel-Yaacov Kaufman (Zunieh) of Blessed Memory I. Koifman 201
  d) The Teacher, Moshe Kalat, of Blessed Memory J. Peri 204
  e) My Father, Reb Yoel Baruch Ben Yehoshua Halevi Becker of Blessed Memory A. Tahor Becker) 205
  f) The House of Reb Pesach Bebtchuk and His Wife Esther Leah, of Blessed Memory B. Shpritz 209
  g) The Family of Yechiel Vildgoiz N. Gordon 211
 
7 The Holocaust
  a) Death and Sorrow J. Peri 213
  b) Destruction of Stepan's Jewish Community A. Tchor(Musik) 274
  c) Memories 1939-1946 Benzion Bebchuk 278
  d) German Bombings -Beginning at the Ghetto J. Peri 280
  e) How Could it Happen to My Town Stepan I.Gonik 282
  f) Amongst the Gentiles A. Grossman 283
  g) Sea of Hate J. Peri 285
  h) Between Life and Death I. Wachs 286
  i) Forced Work Camp Y. Rassis 288
  j) Escape from the Beast's Claws Y. Rassis 290
  k) Stories of Escapees J. Peri 292
  l) Escape from the Murderers B. Scheinboim (Becker) 294
  m) The Story of Sonia Wiener - Escapee J. Peri 296
  n) The Struggle for Life F. Maggid 297
  o) The End of Stepan M. Grinshpan 299
  p) The Image of the Judenratt Chairman The Editors 300
 
8 The Ruins of My Town
  a) A Visit to Destroyed Stepan. J. Peri 302
  b) Revenge of Stepan's Survivors J. Peri 315
  c) A Meeting of Stepan's Jewish Red Army Veterans J. Peri 316
 
9 In Memorium: Stepan and Surrounding Citizens who Died in Israel The Editors  
  a) Image of the late Itzhak Weisman D. Weisman 319
 
10 EPILOGUE
  a) Gathering Information about Stepan J. Peri 321
  b) Editorial I. Ganuz 322
  c) Translation of Local Terminology and Slang J. Peri 324
 
11 Family Photographs 327
 
12 Public Photographs 343
 
  English Editors' Notes 362
  English Preface 363
  English Table of Contents 364

 

Some Facts About Stepan

Germans invade the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941.
Stepan Ghetto was erected on Chol Hamoed Sukkot, October 5, 1941.
Stepan Jews were exterminated and ghetto liquidated on 11th of Elul, 5702 or August 24, 1942.
Stepan was liberated by the Russians on January 12, 1944.
Number of Jewish survivors from Stepan – 44 (as reported by Shmuel Spector, see below).

 

References to the Holocaust in Volhynia

The Holocaust of Volhynian Jews, 1941-1944, by Shmuel Spector, Yad Vashem, The Federation of Volhynian Jews, P.O. Box 3477, Jerusalem 91043, 1990.
The Moses of Rovno, by Douglas K. Huneke and Herman F. Graebe, Compassion House, 240 Tiburon Blvd., Tiburon, CA 94920, 1985.
The Stepan Yizkor Book, edited by I. Ganuz, collected by J. Peri, 1977, 364 pages.

 

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