ViewMate - Image Archive, Image 115175 - Translation - Russian - Poland - Bialystok - Mowszowski, Schneider


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Information

Picture

Question

Category: Translation - Russian
Approval Date: 8/23/2026 5:24 PM
Family Surname: Mowszowski, Schneider
Country: Poland
Town: Bialystok
Date of Image: 1947

Click the picture to enlarge

This is a letter that was sent from a woman in Bialystok - possibly a non-Jew who formerly worked for her family - to Fania, a relative of mine who escaped during the war. I have also uploaded the first page. I'm researching the Bialystok branch of my family and would love to find out what it says.

Response

8/24/2026 3:10 PM

The Bolsheviks arrived and mobilized. My husband took up arms and went to Bialystok to see his sister—his sister was in Bialystok—and my son and I were left homeless, but still with our own people. Then they established the border, the Curzon Line*), now beyond Berestovitsa, meaning Berestovitsa is under Soviet (USSR) control, and Bialystok is under Polish control. But in 1945, the evacuation began, and Yura and I (I had no more children) went to Bialystok to be with my husband. We're not living well. It's my good fortune, from the beginning to the end (such is fate). My husband is a blacksmith, but since he has no tools, he works in the forge as a laborer. It's hard to live on this income, because our shoes and clothes are very expensive, and in general, it's hard to afford everything. Yurik is in the fourth grade of high school. I need to buy books and pay 400 zlotys a month for school. I don't have any family to help, so I decided to go to work—maybe it will make things a little easier. It's really hard for me, though: I have varicose veins in my leg, and I need to rest at home and do chores in the evenings. I work as a cook in the cafeteria, and Jews come there to eat, and Estera comes too. We got to talking, and she said that Leizer Mowszowski and his family don't live there (they're dead), and only his father is alive. I'm writing him a letter tomorrow; I asked her to take it from me. This Estera is a midwife; she delivered Belostotskaya's children. Madam Mowszowska, you know I had a premonition that you were alive; I felt like I had to find out about you someday; no matter who I spoke to, everyone asked about you.

*) Bolshaya Berestovitsa (Bel. Вялікая Бераставіца) is an urban-type settlement and the administrative center of the Berestovitsa District. It is located approximately 55 km southeast of Grodno, 8 km from the Belarusian-Polish border. In the context of your letter and the "Curzon Line," it is Bolshaya Berestovitsa that is being referred to: in 1945, following the Soviet-Polish agreements, it remained part of the USSR (later the Belarusian SSR), while Bialystok ceded to Poland. In the pre-war years, approximately 720 Jews lived in Bolshaya Berestovitsa. From June 1941 to July 1944, the settlement was under German occupation. Almost immediately after the capture, the Nazis organized a ghetto in Bolshaya Berestovitsa: the Jews were herded into a block between what are now Sovetskaya, Rabochaya, Oktyabrskaya, and Lenina Streets, and the area was fenced with barbed wire. Prisoners were forced to wear yellow six-pointed stars and were subjected to hard forced labor. In 1942, a series of punitive actions took place. Jews were deported in small groups to Krynki, Grodno, Svisloch, and also to Malkenya station in Poland, where they were shot en masse. At least 411 Jews (87 families) were murdered in the Berestovitsa district.
/s/

ViewMate Posting VM 115175

Submitted by Marisa Mowszowski

Learn more about our organizational leadership, mission, and values. There are numerous opportunities to get involved yourself!

Search millions of records from around the globe, including more than 4 million records related to the Holocaust, and more than 4.2 million burial records. Records are continually added each month - check back often for new information!

Discover your ancestral town, explore geographic/regional based sections of the JewishGen site (Research Divisions), and explore what daily life was like for your ancestors - and what we can learn from them today.

Enhance your research with online classes and dozens of helpful articles. University students can apply for the Bennett & Robin Greenspan L'dor V'dor Legacy Program, and those "out of school" can help preserve Jewish Heritage in Poland with unique study & volunteer experiences.

Connect with tens of thousands of other JewishGen members via the Family Finder, Discussion Group, Facebook Group, and ViewMate. It's a great way to share success, ask questions, and stay informed of the happenings throughout the Jewish genealogical community.

The JewishGen site is offered as a free public resource. However, it costs a lot of money to maintain and expand our services. If you are in a position to do so, please consider a contribution today - your support will make a difference!

ViewMate Posting VM 115175

Submitted by Marisa Mowszowski