Dov Bar's Volchin - Shmuel Berl Kupershmit

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Dov Bar's Volchin

Shmuel Berl Kupershmit
My maternal great-grandfather, married to Sora Hinde. Parents of Mindl, Malke (Feige Malke), Abraham (Avraham), Azriel, and Israel. Owners of the Shenk (bar-restaurant) in Volchin. He was Shamash (servitor) of the synagogue.

Shmuel Berl died in 1915, just as the invading Germans were approaching. He took the Torah scrolls from the Synagogue to the fields to hide them, caught pneumonia, and died. He was buried in the Volchin Jewish cemetery.

After his death, his widow Sore Hinda, and their daughter Mindl managed Shenk. Her sister, Malka (Feige Malke), was my mother Tema's age, they were friends, and together they also helped operate the Shenk.

Webmaster's notes: The story of Shmuel Berl's fatal illness implies cold and wet conditions, and this seems consistent with information about the German advance through the area in late 1915. However, his reasons for hiding the scrolls, and the location he chose, are unclear. Dov's account of German behavior in Volchin Jews in WWI generally indicates benign or even positive treatment of Jews and their property Seemingly, the scrolls themselves would be at significant risk from exposure to the same conditions.

Page Last Updated: 03-Nov-2011