Valozhyn, Belarus

Wolozin; the Book of the City
and of the Etz Hayyim Yeshiva
(Valozhyn, Belarus)
54°05' / 26°32'

Translation of
Wolozyn; sefer shel ha-ir-shel yeshivat “Ets Hayim”

Edited by: E. Leoni

Published in Tel-Aviv, 1970

Acknowledgments
Coordinator
Anita Frishman Gabbay

Emeritus Coordinator: Moshe Porat (Perlman) z”l

This is a translation from: Wolozyn; sefer shel ha-ir-shel yeshivat “Ets Hayim”;
Wolozin; the book of the city and of the Etz Hayyim Yeshiva.
Ed. E. Leoni. Tel-Aviv, former residents of Wolozin in Israel and the USA, 1970 (H,Y,E)

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Part one – YESHIVA “ ETZ HAYIM”
Introductions		2
Volozhin	Isser Yehuda Unterman, Chief Rabbi of Israel	3
The Power of Volozhyn	Rabbi Tsvi Neriya	7
The Book of Volozhyn	Eliezer Leoni (Ben David)	11

History of the Community of Volozhin	Eliezer Leoni	19
Sources Regarding the History of the Jews in Volozhin	Eliezer Leoni	66
The History of Yeshiva “Etz Hayim” & its leaders	Eliezer Leoni	75
The Volozhyn Genealogy Chain	Eliezer Leoni	152
Among the Great “Ets Hayim” Yeshiva disciples	Eliezer Leoni	160
Sources for the History of the Etz Hayim Yeshiva of Volozhin	Eliezer Leoni	169
The Great Etz Hayim School of Volozhin	Rabbi Shimon Langbort	188
The Yeshiva of Volozhin During the Period of the Gaon Rabbi Rafael Shapira	Dr. Hirsh-Leib Gordon	197

The Volozhyn Scholars		202
Three Torah Pillars in Volozhin	Eliezer Leoni	205
The Gaon Rabbi Hayim Hillel Fried	Chaikel Lunsky of blessed memory	221
The Rabbi and Gaon Rabbi Rafael Shapira	Yitzchak Rivkind	224
Rabbi Moshe Shmuel Shapiro	Shimon Zak	230
Rabbi Meir Bar-Ilan (Berlin)	Shimon Zak	233
The Home of Rabbi Shmuel Avigdor Derechinski (Memories and Impression)	Yona Ben-Sasson	238
Conversations of the Sages	Eliezer Leoni	246

Of Those Who Continued the Tradition of Volozhin		275
Of Those Who Continued the Tradition of Volozhin	Eliezer Leoni	277
Mordechai Eliasberg- Publicist	Eliezer Leoni	278
Zalman Epstein	Eliezer Leoni	279
Moshe Mordechai Epstein	Eliezer Leoni	281
Yehuda Leib Don-Yechia	Eliezer Leoni	284
Alter Droyanow-Writer, “Book of Jewish Jokes” author	Eliezer Leoni	285
Kalonymus Zeev Wissotzky	Eliezer Leoni	288
Leib Yaffe - national poet	Eliezer Leoni	289
Mordechai Gimpel Yaffe - among Ekron settlement founders (1883)	Eliezer Leoni	292
Shmuel Mohilewer - among Ekron settlement founders (1883)	Eliezer Leoni	294
Isser Zalman Meltzer (“Zunia Mirer”)	Eliezer Leoni	298
Mordechai Nachmani - among Rehovot settlement founders (1902)	Eliezer Leoni	300
Yitzchak Nissenbaum - “nezah Isroel' society's Chairman (1892-94)	Eliezer Leoni	301
Yosef Zundel Salant - ascended Jerusalem (1837)	Eliezer Leoni	302
Shmuel Salant	Eliezer Leoni	303
Avraham Itskhok Hakohen Kook (the Raaya'h)	Eliezer Leoni	305
Yitzchak Rivkind	Eliezer Leoni	307
Yitzchak Yaakov Reines	Eliezer Leoni	309
Sources	Eliezer Leoni	312

Part two - VOLOZHYN the SHTETL		316
A bundle of memories - before the First World War	Osher Malkin	317
Inside Volozhyn	Avraham Halevy	330
The Volozhyn Yeshiva and Town during the Time of Rabbi Raphael Schapiro	Aharon Zvi Dudman-Dudayi	332
Looking back (Memories from the Time of First World War)	Yehuda Chaim Kotler	333
The Flour Mill, Electricity and the First Movie House in Volozhyn	Michael Vand-Polack	336
Estate Owners in Volozhyn	Meir Shiff	338
Flour and Torah in Volozhyn	Chaim Zvi Potashnik	340
Market Days in Volozhyn	Israel Levinson	342
Volozhin during the First World War	Reuven Rogovin	343
Volozhin Memories	Shoshana Nishri-Berkovich	365
I Shall Remember You, Volozhin	Pesach Berman	370
Volozhinka – the town stream	Yakov Kagan	381
Zabrezhe	Moshe Eliyashkevitch	382
Mijeyki (hamlet)	Barukh Tsivony (Farberman)	385
Yuzefpol Estate	Benyamin Kutshovski	386
Volozhin Stories	Benyamin Shafir (Shishko)	388

The Zionist movement		392
Tseyirey Zion (Zion's Youngsters) in Volozhin	Shlomo Bunimovits+Z Rogovin	393
The “Hakhaluts” (Pioneer) in Volozhin	Group of pioneers	396
Hahshara (training) of Pioneers in Yuzefpol	Lea Nahshon (Shif)	405
The Hakhshara group of the “Hakhaluts Hamizrakhi”	Ariye Haruts	405
Beytar in Volozhyn	Group of Beytar members	410
“Shomer Hatsayir” Hakhshara in Volozhin	Rachel Knaani (Berman)	422
Keren Kayemet L' Israel (JNF) in Volozhin	Benyamin Shapir (Shishko)	425

Education & Art		430
The Hebrew Tarbut School	Group of graduates	431
Culture war in Volozhyn	Benyamin Shapir (Shishko)	440
The Volozhin Kindergarten	Miryam Levitan (Rosbberg)	443
The Library	Fruma Guzman (Yuzefovitz)	445
Religious Education in the Thirties	Menahem Mendel Potashnik	446
Polish schools in Volozhyn	Miryam Levitan (Rosbberg)	451
“The Sale of Yossef” show	Reuven Rogovin	454
Plays that I Recall	Fruma Twebner (Kivilevitch)	456
The Maccabee Basketball Team	Reuven Rogovin	460

Figures & Types		463
Emissaries, Rabbis and Slaughterers	Eliezer Leoni	465
Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Namiot (aka “Der Shaliver”)	Benyamin Shafir (Shishko)	470
Rabbi Shmuel Fried	Benyamin Shafir (Shishko)	471
My father, Rabbi Yehoshua Hacohen Kaplan Z”L	Rabbi Meir Hacohen Kaplan	472
The Slaughterers of Valozhyn (Before the Second World War)	Moshe Elishkevitsh	473
Rabbi's Wives (“Rebbetzin”)
Rebbetzin Feyga Unterman	Rabbi Israel Shapiro	474
Rayne Batya Berlin, (A granddaughter of Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin)	Rabbi Bharuch Halevy Epstein Z”L	475
Batiya Miryam Berlin, born Epstein, the spouse of Hanaziv, Meyir Bar-Elan's mother	By Meyir Berlin	476
My Grandmother Miryam	Tova Berlin-Papish	479
The Cheder of Rabbi Betzalel the Melam	Rachel Rogovin (Rubinstein)	482
Our Melamdim	Reuven Rogovin	483
Rabbi Kalev the Melamed	Reuven Rogovin	484
Rabbi Avraham Gorellick	Reuven Rogovin	484
My father, the Melamed Rabbi Moshe Shlomo Volkovitz	Mendl Volkovitz	485
Yakov Lifshits, The Tarbut school manager and teacher	Benyamin Shapir (Shishko)	486
Noach Perski	Benyamin Shafir (Shishko)	487
The teacher Reb Eliyahu Shvarzberg	One of his disciples	488
Avrom Berkovitsh	Fruma Zitrin (Rogovin)	490
Yaakov (Yani) Garber	Lea Baksht (Faygenboym)	492
Reb Isroel Lunin	Shulamit Golovenchitz-Berger	493
My Grandfather Reb Menahem Mendl Potashnik	Hayim Ashlagi	495
Doctor Avrum Zart	Shoshana Nishri (Berkovitz)	496
Shneur Kivilevitsh	Reuven Rogovin	498
Grand Father Rabbi Aharon Rapoport	Miryam Levitan (Rosenberg)	500
Rabbi Avraham “Asher Yatzar”	Yaakov Kagan	501
Rabbi Moshe Eliyahu Bunimovitz	Rabbi Dov-Natan Brinker (Z”L)	502
Rabbi Shlomo Hosid (R' Shlomo Shepsnvol)	David Kohen	505
Figures I knew	Reuven Rogovin	506
Reb Avrom Hayim Marshak	Israel Ben Nahum (Goloventtsitz)	510
The GrandMa Rohe Reyze	Israel Ben Nahum (Goloventtsitz)	511
Patcholke - The Famous Hostel Owner	A. Litvin	513
Dov Ber Kaplan	Yehuda Chaim Kotler	515
A “Luft Gesheft” Story	Benyamin Shafir (Shishko)	517
Mera Schnyder - “Merke Ela's”	Dina & Lea Faygenboym	519
We shall remember them	Benyamin Shafir (Shishko)	520
Before the Shoa - Volozhyn in the Shoa shadow	Bela Saliternik (Kramnik)	525

The Soviet regime Period		527
Under the Soviet regime	Rachel & Reuven Rogovin	529
Volozhyn Under the Soviet regime	Mendl Goldshmit	532
During the Soviet rule in Volozhyn	Pnina Hayat (Potashnik)	533
The destruction of Volozhyn	Yosef Shvarzberg	535

S H O A		541
“The German Thunder”	The Editor	541
The Destruction of Volozhyn	Mendl Volkovitsh	542
Atrocities at the Volozhin Jews extermination	Hesl Perski	546
The Big Slaughter	Mendl Volkovitch	548
What I have seen with my eyes	Pnina Hayat (Potashnik)	550
Pages about the Volozhin Holocaust	Fruma Lifshits (Gapanovitsh)	554
From a Girl's Memoirs of the Holocaust	Sonia Puter (Perski)	561
A Ballad About Shneur Kivelevitch	Mendl Volkovitch	562
In the Ghetto and in the Forced Labor Camps	Lyuba Volkovich (Girkus)	569
Franz Karl Hess - The Volozhyn hangman	From Soviet trial-Minsk 1946	576
In the Volozhin Ghetto and in revenge actions	Yaakov Kagan	580
Nissan Perski's Death	Simcha Rogovin of Kiryat-Haim	583
On the Path of Suffering	Mendel Volkovich	584
Wandering and struggling	Rachel & Reuven Rogovin	586
My life as partisan	Hesl Perski	588
Partisans - Volozhiners who died in battle	Hessl Perski	589
Our post war visiting Volozhin	Rachel & Reuven Rogovin	592
Volozhin as I saw it in 1945	Moshe Eliyashkevitsh	593
“Yizkor” to the Flames	Sara Sholomovitz (Rappaport)	595
Calendar dates of World War Two	Eliezer Leoni	596

Yizkor - Remember		601
And those are the holy and pure names of the Volozhyn born	Eliezer Leoni	603
Dear Mother!	Yehuda Khaim Kotler	604
Volozhyn - Martyrs (1275 names)	Editorial team	605

From One Generation to Another and to Eternity		617
Bar-Ilan University & it's President Professor Pinchas Churgin	Eliezer Leoni	619
Kibbutz “Ein HaNatziv”	Eli Avisar	624
Israel Rogozin	Yitzhak Yaakobi	628
The Association of the Descendants of Volozhyn in Israel	Eliezer Leoni	630
Fallen Sons of Volozhyn in Israel's War of Independence	Editorial team	664
Benyamin Perah - Ind. War	Editorial team	664
Hayim Perski- Ind. War	Editorial team	665
Eliezer Rogovin - partisan, decorated as USSR Hero-Ind. War	Editorial team	666
To Eliezer Rogovin's memory	Yaffa Abramovitsh	667
Volozhyners in America (Page 15 Eng.)	Dr. Avraham Yoblons	669
Prologue (Page 15 Eng.)	Dr. Avraham Yoblons	669
Acknowledgements (Page 15 Eng.)	Dr. Avraham Yoblons	669
Introductions (Page 16 Eng.)	Dr. Avraham Yoblons	669
Commeration (Page 17 Eng.)	Dr. Avraham Yoblons	671
American Committee (Page 25 Eng.)	Dr. Avraham Yoblons	677
Editor Thanking the helping team	Eliezer Leoni	679
The Destruction of Volozhyn (Page 30 Eng.)	Mendl Volkovitsh	685
I remember Volozhyn (Page 26 Eng.)	Irving Bunim	689

Pictures of Volozhyners killed in Shoah	attachment	702
Volozhyners dead after the war in Israel, America, Volozhyn	attachment	728
Table of contents	Editorial team	743
End		747

Supplementary material
Volozhin at the end of the 20th century:
Volozhin 2000 - Map, legend, description
Ets Hayim Yeshiva - Kulinaria, Memorial plaque. Photos, description
First mass slaughter Memorial (Sport Stadium) - Photos, description
Second mass slaughter Memorial (2000 victims) - Photos, description
Third mass slaughter Memorial (Volozhinka Stream Bed) - Photos, description
The Ancient Cemetery - Schema, Legend (Yr. 2000)
The Ancient Cemetery - Sheep Pasture field - Photo's (Yr. 1988)
Volozhiners at the tombstones, photos (Yr. 1998)
Old tombstones-Gitl Bunimovitsh, Tsart, Sonia Perski -(1998 & 1988 photos)
Victims mass graves on the cemetery (1988 & 1998 photos)
Cemetery Memorials to the Volozhin congregation and to Rabbi Hayim Volozhiner
Volozhin Martyrs Memorial in Tel Aviv, Photos & Story (1980)
Babushka Khaya's letter
Red Cross activity
Our Parents' Saw & Grist Mills - By M. Perlman
Volozhin Memorial inauguration, 1980
Jews who lived in predominantly gentile hamlets neighboring Volozhin
How did I survive - By Leyzer Meltser
The Zionist Movement
A look at the country's history
Childhood In Volozhin
List of martyrs in Cyrillic [From Volozhyn - Martyrs (1275 names)]