The Jacob Rassen Story

A Lifetime Journey: From the Shtetl to America

Edited by Joshua Rassen

Acknowledgments
Project Coordinator

Our sincere appreciation to Joshua H. Rassen for permission
to put this book on the JewishGen web site.

We also wish to thank Larry Freund for his
invaluable assistance in obtaining text scans of this book.

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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Map of the Baltic States
“A” marks Pumpyan (Pumpenai)

Chapter Page

Introduction ix

Chronology xi

1 Earliest Memories: The Pumpyan Years To 1920 1

2 The Cheder Years, 1910-1914 17

3 The First World War, 1914-1917 31

4 The Russian Revolution and Beyond, 1917-1920 48

5 A New Life In The Independent Lithuania, 1920-1923 62

6 Family Pictures 79

7 Between The Wars, 1924-1938 85

8 Two Years Under A Communist Regime, 1939-1941 102

9 World War II and The Holocaust Years 114

10 Fleeing To Russia, Stranded In Latvia, 1941 126

11 In The Ghetto Of Dvinsk, 1941-1943 136

12 In The Ghetto Of Riga And Popervalen, 1943-1944 154

13 Escape From Popervalen, 1944 162

14 In The Woods And Swamps Of Kurland, 1944 174

15 My Life As A Partisan, 1944-45 184

16 Toward A More Human Life: In Latvia, 1945 196

17 Seeking A Jew In Ponevezh, 1945 204

18 With The Remnants Of Refugees In Kovno, 1945 214

19 On New Roads To A New Life: Across Poland And Germany, 1945-1946 221

20 Goldie's Early Years 228

21 The First World War And After, 1914-1939 244

22 The Second World War And The Kovno Ghetto 249

23 After The Ghetto 255

24 Goldie's Family Pictures 259

25 Goldie's Story 264

26 Goldie On A New Life After The War 272

27 “Children”, From Mir Veln Lebn 275

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Yizkor Book Director, Lance Ackerfeld
Emerita Yizkor Book Project Manager, Joyce Field
Contact person for this translation Joshua H. Rassen
This web page created by Lance Ackerfeld

Chapter		Page
	Introduction	ix
	Chronology	xi
1	Earliest Memories: The Pumpyan Years To 1920	1
2	The Cheder Years, 1910-1914	17
3	The First World War, 1914-1917	31
4	The Russian Revolution and Beyond, 1917-1920	48
5	A New Life In The Independent Lithuania, 1920-1923	62
6	Family Pictures	79
7	Between The Wars, 1924-1938	85
8	Two Years Under A Communist Regime, 1939-1941	102
9	World War II and The Holocaust Years	114
10	Fleeing To Russia, Stranded In Latvia, 1941	126
11	In The Ghetto Of Dvinsk, 1941-1943	136
12	In The Ghetto Of Riga And Popervalen, 1943-1944	154
13	Escape From Popervalen, 1944	162
14	In The Woods And Swamps Of Kurland, 1944	174
15	My Life As A Partisan, 1944-45	184
16	Toward A More Human Life: In Latvia, 1945	196
17	Seeking A Jew In Ponevezh, 1945	204
18	With The Remnants Of Refugees In Kovno, 1945	214
19	On New Roads To A New Life: Across Poland And Germany, 1945-1946	221
20	Goldie's Early Years	228
21	The First World War And After, 1914-1939	244
22	The Second World War And The Kovno Ghetto	249
23	After The Ghetto	255
24	Goldie's Family Pictures	259
25	Goldie's Story	264
26	Goldie On A New Life After The War	272
27	“Children”, From Mir Veln Lebn	275