Dov recalls World War I in Volchin and the region through family stories:
Expulsion
My mother Tema Stavsky Kupershmit told us of the expulsion of the Jews from Volchin in 1915, in the midst of WW1:
In March 1915, in the face of the German invasion, the Jews of Poland and other regions under the rule of Tzarist Russia were ordered to leave their homes and go elsewhere. Jews who were living inside Russia were ordered to move east. The Volchin Jews were ordered to leave their houses within 24-48 hours. Shmuel Berl Kupershmit, father of my grandmother Mindl (wife of Yerachmiel Stavsky) was then the Gabai of the synagogue, rushed to take the Torah scrolls from the Synagogue, and buried them in a field. Subsequently, he contracted pneumonia and died.
My grandfather, Yerachmiel (Rachmil) Stavsky, who owned a store for agricultural and home iron products, hid the merchandise of the store as best as he could, loaded his family on a horse-and-wagon, filled the wagon with home furnishings, food and blankets, and drove away.
Running away from the hostile Russians, they drove to Janów Podlaski, 9 km south-west of Volchin. The Bug River ran between the two towns, closer to Janow . At that time of year the snows had already melted and the river was free of ice. However, the roads were muddy and the wagon got stuck in the mud more than once. Great effort was required to pull it out. They crossed the Bug on a ferry-barge.
Yerachmiel Stavsky's family included Tema, my mother, then 9 year old. They hoped for better life under German rule in Janów Podlaski. The Germans hated the Jews less than they hated the Russians. In those days Jewish soldiers served in the German army and some achieved high rank.
The family did not lack food on their way. There were potatoes fields here and there along roadside. They would then stop, go into the fields, dig and find potatoes. They would cook them later. From time to time they met German soldiers who would “examine” their horse, then exchange him for one of their failing army horses. Otherwise, they were left alone. [Second version: On the roads, the Germans were friendly. But when they saw the horse they would say: “What a beautiful horse”, and they would take it and exchange it for one of theirs.]
On the way the family sought a place to stay, but did not find any. After wandering for days, they reached an abandoned Russian military camp outside Ostrołęka, 155 km northwest of Volchin by straight line. Refugees were settled there. The Stavsky family found a place in one of the barracks. They finally had a roof above their head. They stayed there some months.
My mother did not talk much about the camp but she chose to describe the military toilet that had stadium-like benches under which there was a trench, filled with filthy water, all under the sky. It happened more than once that a child would fall into the water while using the “toilet” and had to be washed off, probably in the water of the close-by Narew River.
Return to Volchin
Soon a rumor reached them that the Germans had begun permitting the return of the Jews to their homes. So, the Stavsky family started its drive back to Volchin. The way back was shorter. I am not sure what they found when they returned. It is possible that Gentiles had taken over their houses. The friendly Germans probably intervened to help returning Jews to get back their houses and property.
My grandfather Yerachmiel (Rachmil) reopened his store and gradually things returned to their normal state.
The Synagogue was reopened and Rachmil with his pleasant voice would read from the Torah and was also a cantor when necessary. The Jewish children impatiently anticipated the Purim holiday. My grandfather Rachmil read the Megillah of Esther in a very festive manner. When he called the name of Haman they made a lot of noise with their groggers to drown the sound of this name.
The German Occupation
A German military unit settled in Volchin and its commander became friendly with Rachmil.
The German soldiers felt at home in Volchin. Their language was similar to Yiddish and it was easy for them to converse with the Jews. Some of them courted Jewish girls and some of the girls complied. One beautiful Jewish girl became the commander's girlfriend. This angered my grandfather and he did not hesitate to condemn the girl for her shameful conduct. Some “good hearted souls” told the girl of Yerachmiel's criticism. She immediately complained to the German about Yerachmiel. Angrily, the commander entered Yerachmiel's store to reach him a lesson. Here, Yerachmiel's wit was proved. He told the commander that he was ashamed that his noble friend, the commander, found himself such an inferior, ignorant, and uneducated girl. He expressed his concern that his good friend should fall into the snare of such a “nothing” type. This calmed down the commander, who for sure was about to harm my grandfather. He returned to befriend Yerachmiel and visted him from time to time in the store to enjoy his company and listen to his wise sayings.
The German soldiers used to celebrate in the Shenk -- the Kupershmit pub. Under the influence of alcohol, they would go back to their dwellings singing in Yiddish mixed with German: A-le Mentshen Visn,
A-le Mentshen Visn,
Far In Shlafn geyt men Pishn.
All people know,
All people know,
before going to sleep, you go to piss.
| Editor's Notes: Gabai: warden. Ostrołęka: Sometimes seen spelled Ostrolenka, according to this JewishGen summary page, had a considerable Jewish population as of 1900. Gentiles had taken over... Could this be a confusion with WWII events, when Gentile families often took posssesion of Jewish houses? grogger: from the Yiddish, a traditional Purim noisemaker. Dwellings: probably, billets in homes. There is no evidence of a barracks. |
