Ostrog Book;
A Memorial to the Ostrog Holy Community
(Ostroh, Ukraine)

50°20' / 26°31'

Translation of
Sefer Ostrog (Vohlin); matsevet zikaron le-kehila kedosha

Editor: Yitzhak Alperowitz; Chief Coord: Chaim Finkel

Published in Tel Aviv 1987

 

Acknowledgments

Project Coordinator

Stefani Elkort Twyford

 

This is a translation of: Sefer Ostrog (Vohlin); matsevet zikaron le-kehila kedosha
(Ostrog book; a memorial to the Ostrog holy community),
Editor: Yitzhak Alperowitz; Chief Coord: Chaim Finkel, The Ostrog Society in Israel, Published: Tel Aviv 1987 (H, Y, E, P 436 pages)

Note: The original book can be seen online at the NY Public Library site: /O

Please contribute to our translation fund to see the translation of this book completed.

JewishGen's Translations 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.

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.
This material may not be copied, sold or bartered without JewishGen, Inc.'s permission. Rights may be reserved by the copyright holder.

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.

 

  

 


TOC translated by Yocheved Klausner

Preliminary pages
Foreword Chaim Finkel 4
A Project that Was Realized [Y] Frieda Kolpanitzki-Gorin 6
A Monument to the Community of Ostroh Yitzhak Alperowitz 9
 
Chapter One
Jewish Ostrog and Its History
 
Ostrog - A Metropolis of the People of Israel Chaim Finkel 13
Ostrog - A Metropolis of the People of Israel [Y] Chaim Finkel 18
Ostroh - the Spiritual Capital of Volhynia Benzion H. Ayalon-Baranik 35
Ostroh [Y] Michoel Grines 49
The MaHarsha Shul Turned 400 Years Old [Y] Dr. Zvi Kaminski 58
The Jews in Volhyn, 1939-1941 [Y] Betty Eisenstein-Kashev 60
 
Chapter Two
Memories
 
Ostroh Memories [Y] Professor Yaakov Tolpin 77
Ostrog's Cultural League Prof' Yakov Tolpin 85
The Left-Wing Labor Movement in Ostroh [Y] Freida (Gurin) Kolpanitzki 89
Parties and Youth Movements Chaim Finkel 94
Memories From Ostrog Avigdor Kamerman 123
 
Chapter Three
Personalities and Figures
 
Ha-Rav R. Shmuel Eidels (The “Maharsha”) 127
The Tuczyner Kohen [Y] 129
Mendel Biber [Y] Michael Grines 131
Shmuel Shrira G. A. Sadeh 134
Chaim Davidsohn Michal Grines 136
Leibush Biber Z. Gerschfeld 138
Zalman Gerschfeld H. B. Ayalon 139
Ben-Zion H. Ayalon Chaim Finkel 140
Y. Mordechai Nordman Chaim Finkel 144
Moshe Tolpin 148
Leib Spielberg 149
Yaakov Leikechmacher 150
Zusia Shamban 150
Gedaliah Gedalivsky Yitzhak Alperowitz 151
Baruch (Buzi) Chasid [Y] Moshe Soroca 153
Dr. Herzl (Grisha) Oderman Nachum Shochet 154
Elimelech (Minia) Greinims Chaim Charbash 155
Betty Eisenstein-Keshev [Y] Chaim Finkel 156
Dov (Boris) Raichis Bella Raichis 158
Yisrael Bokimer Chaim Finkel 159
The Family of Yisrael and Esther Zeigerson Neta Shavit (Bat Leah) 160
Families Zeigerson and Greinims [Y] Dr. Mark Greinims 161
The Make-up of the Community Council 163
Leaders of the Young Generation and the Zionist Movements 164
Teachers and Educators 164
 
Chapter Four
Holocaust and Bravery
 
Remember the Holocaust of Israel 167
Our City Is Burning M. Gebirtig 168
The Song of the Murdered Jewish Nation [Y] Yitzchak Katzenelson 169
The Murdered Jewish Ostroh [Y] Aharon Waldman 172
The Eve of the Mass Death [Y] (The Judenrat and Its Members) 184
17 Months in a Bunker in Ostroh [Y] Sima Klipatz 192
Under German Occupation in Ostroh [Y] Shmuel Klipatz 196
The Jews in Volhyn 1941-1944 [Y] Betty Eisenstein-Keshev 200
Memories from the Days of the Holocaust Tovah (Gitele) Steinberg-Reuveni 238
Letter of Bluma Sterenberg 245
My Visit to Ostroh During the Nazi Occupation Miriam Kuckel-Lapidus 248
You Shall Not Kill! Aharon Waldman 249
Ostroh Natives in the Partisan Movement and the Red Army Chaim Finkel 252
My Revenge Avraham Kotel 257
Moshe Katschka z”l [Y] Chaim Finkel 266
 
Chapter Five
The Fallen in Israel's Wars
 
R' Yaakov-Fischel Feldenkrais z”l Yitzhak Gur-Arye 269
Baruch Lipa Steinkritzer z”l 270
Avraham Zaltzman z”l 271
Dov (Berel) Grines z”l Musia Soroca 272
Shalom Tzimbal z”l Musia Soroca 273
David Fisher z”l 274
Yigal Fishman z”l Dov Fishman 275
Nachum Barak z”l 276
Yisrael Arbetman z”l 277
Sender Greenberg z”l 277
Shmuel Konin z”l Y. Blecher 278
Chaim Drob z”l 279
Avraham Getman z”l Dalia Gilat 281
From the words of the army buddies of Avraham Getman z”l Shlomo Ashkenazi 282
On the death of Avraham Getman z”l Ruti Mizrahi 283
The Organization of Ostroh Natives in Israel, its Character and Activity Chaim Finkel 285
Families and Individuals, Former Residents of Ostroh 308
 
Chapter Six
In Memory
 
Yizkor 345
David Muller z”l Nachum (Nyonia) Shochet 397
Yizkor [Y] Aharon Icht, of blessed memory 400
 
English Section
Ostrog - A Metropolis of the People of Israel Chaim Finkel 3
Ostrog's Cultural League Prof. Jacob Tolpin 9
The Family Eisenberg Janet Rogowsky 12
The Zeigerson and Grinims Families Dr. Mark Grinims 15
 
Polish Section
The Town of Ostroh A. Szeftel 17
Memories From the Time of the German Occupation Gitele Sztejnberg-Reuwejni 27

 

 Yizkor Book Project    JewishGen Home Page  

Yizkor Book Director, Lance Ackerfeld
Emerita Yizkor Book Project Manager, Joyce Field z”l
Contact person for this translation Stefani Elkort Twyford
This web page created by Jason Hallgarten

Copyright © 1999-2026 by JewishGen, Inc.
Updated 09 Sep 2026 by JH