Memories of Kobrin Jewry

Kobrin → Outstanding persons → Alexey Mikhaylovich Martynov

Half a century happened in Kobrin the historical cataclysm equal, perhaps, to an earthquake of local value measuring up to 10 points back: in 1941 — 1943 were brutally exterminated 2/3 indigenous people of the city which all fault consisted in belonging to the Jewish people. However, strangely enough, this event is perceived by nowadays vast majority of our fellow citizens as a half-forgotten legend of the remote past which could not be stirred.

The purpose of these notes — attempt to revive in memories of contemporaries not only one of the most tragic pages of history of Kobrin, but also in general to remember what and what was centuries-old joint coexistence with Jews for Kobrin district

In life of our city during a number of centuries the significant role was played by Jews who located here no later than 15 Art., i.e. along with emergence of the Kobrin principality. It agrees documentary to data, the Polish king Sigismund Stary in 1514 confirmed the privileges which are earlier given by his brother Alexander Jagiellon to a local Jewish community. Relating besides time reliable data demonstrate existence in the city "to school Jewish", i.e. a house of worship. "Bozhnitsa", on local terminology, was on Pinskaya (Pervomayskaya St. Eta zhe Street, according to documents of 1563, was populated with the majority of "Jewish" families which total number reached three tens.

(I will in passing dare to touch upon an ultraticklish subject which for some reason is bashfully suppressed though it, out of doubt, is of considerable interest to the general public. Namely, why and since what time the word "kike", many centuries which was primordially entering dictionary use of the Russian, Belarusian, Ukrainian languages began to be exposed to persecution subsequently and to be considered as offensive? It is replaced to alien these languages with the word "Jew" (primordial value — the newcomer), kakovy at us it began to be used relatively recently. To remember pertinently that classics of three brotherly literatures who can hardly be suspected of collective anti-Semitism not to mention the mentioned people in general, even to 19 stations naturally applied the word "kike". And in Polish and until now "kike" which not only offends nobody sounds, but it is easily applied by Jews concerning itself. Further, if we take this floor in the main European languages, then it is heard as "dzha" in English, "жюиф" — French, "Utah" — German, i.e. is incomparably more conformable to the word "kike", than "яўрэй". — So in what Business? — puzzly kobrinchuk (such they always were to "кобринчан") 1939-g asked in the fall themselves a lawful question. having learned that even for casual, by inertia the use of an innocent word "kike" followed criminal prosecution with the subsequent stay in camps. And it then as it is equivalent offensive "Russian", "Ukrainian" remained completely unpunished).

And apologizing for this short retreat, I come back to the main subject. For the next two centuries, to be exact by 1792, the Jewish community grew already to 1005 souls. However the most significant growth is noted in 20 St. So, in their 1906 became 6289 in the city and 21989 in the county. And compactly considerable communities lived in the towns of Gorodets, Antopol, Drogichin, Ivanovo, Divin, Zhabinka which were a part of the Kobrin County. Even more impressive figures are given in statistical data of 1913 when on religions the urban population was distributed so: Orthodox Christians — 2064, Catholics — 912, Jews — 8562. In other words, there are all bases to consider that pre-revolutionary Kobrin, according to official terminology of that time, entered category of "the Jewish places" what there was many set in bad memory to "pale of settlement" of the Russian Empire.

Owing to extremely severe everyday conditions at the beginning of this century from Kobrin and the county mass emigration in the USA — the benefit began, entry visas were not invented yet — and among immigrants very essential percent was made by Jews whom the restrictive law on "pale of settlement" put in especially humiliating situation. About volume how numerous colony of Kobrin Jews settled in the USA, says the fact that in New York two-volume "History of Kobrin Jewry" was published.

In 1915 when at approach of the front most of the population was evacuated in depth of Russia, local Jews refused to leave familiar spots. Using proximity of the language — Yiddish — a German slang with language of invaders, they quite tolerably got on with the new power. The writer K. Paustovsky remembered how in August, 1915 he became the witness of a remarkable show — a uvoza from Kobrin of the local Jewish Saint, "tsadek". That there was a decrepit aged man who was carefully seated in an antediluvian rattletrap, for protection the squadron the dragoon was allocated.

The huge role in the past of Judaism in Jewry life is well-known thanks to what it was succeeded to avoid assimilation on a thorny historical road of "the bogoizbranny people". To strengthening of national and religious unity served comprehensive system of strict petty ceremonialism, the bans and restrictions imprinted in the Torah. Specifically it was expressed in aspiration to extreme isolation from gentiles. So, in Kobrin there was a special Jewish cemetery, special hospital, a special bath, even a special slaughterhouse. At the same time, living for centuries side by side with most of the population judaizing, Christians, along with own holidays, each and all remembered and were accustomed to the Jewish holidays, such as pury, side curls (Easter), small groups (jackpot), the Doomsday, etc.

In the evening since Friday on Saturday business revival on streets gradually faded. At the same time at windows of the Jewish houses candles, "shabasuvka", on one on the family member lit up. As in "шабес" any activity was prohibited, ritual dishes prepared for a holiday the day before. Since morning on Saturday in a synagogue comely aged men in ceremonial long-skirted frock coats and brilliant cylinders on the heads sedately strode. The chief rabbi in concelebration with "cantor" (singer) made church service. By tradition, in a synagogue isolation of men from women (in a prayer of the man thanked God for the fact that he did not create them women), to whom minor places were allocated was strictly observed. There were in Kobrin religious schools, "eshibota" which teachers could be recognized on long-skirted attires — "lapserdaka", peculiar shapchonka and the long side curls fluttering along ears. However, time prevailed: more progressive intellectual families even more often afforded dissident manners, often provocatively violating the rules of conduct consecrated with customs.

In process of growth of the population the quantity of parish "bozhnitsa" increased. In the thirties them became already eight (one private, for private use) and in a poveta 23. And in the middle of the past century on Pinskaya St. the monumental synagogue, the general for all believers was built. Due to the re-equipment of the building during the post-war period its appearance is considerably changed.

If from time immemorial cemeteries in general were connected with religious cults, then it especially belongs to Judaism. In old times near a synagogue the abolished Jewish cemetery, "кворис", enclosed with a brick wall remained long ago. In the years of Hitlerite occupation obomshely stone gravestones were thrown out, and moved to the platform from a manor wooden stables for horses of the horse gendarmerie intended for fight against guerrillas. Subsequently this site was used under No. 2 SSh athletic field. Also newer cemetery located behind city boundaries at the end of Tevelskaya St. disappeared.

I believe, not to the liyena to remember about the most widespread among us the Jewish surnames: Abramovich, Epstein, Palevsky, Rosenblat, Pribulsky, Kogan, Rabinovich, Weinstein, Kamenetsky, Goldman, Vygodsky, Lifshits, Milner, Pinchuk, Feldman...

During the different periods of the existence the Kobrin Jewish community used in a varying degree internal self-government which within centuries was called "kagaly". It carried administrative, judicial, religious and charitable character. The last, final stage of the such closed "autonomy" was "юденрат" — the Jewish council entered by German, gebitskomissariaty during occupation.

Everywhere in places of the mass accommodation Jews were an indisputable driving factor of the business world, "deal" — business in the broadest sense of this concept. It is enough to remember that in 30 years the Polish administration registered about 500 trade and enterprise units in the city moreover as much in a poveta. With rare exception, all of them belonged to Jews. Also such fact is not less indicative: almost all brick town houses were Jewish.

For the best understanding of the prevailing value of Jews; in economy it is enough to list the enterprises belonging to them. It is sawmill (the largest by the number of workers), three steam mills, two brick-works, all hotel business, two printing houses (the Kobriner to a Shtimma newspaper — "The Kobrin voice", intended for businessmen was issued into Yiddish), soap-producing, candle, rope plants, factory of sleeves, etc. All this there were small enterprises with the number of workers from several to 50 — 60 people. Various intermediary activity, especially buying up and resale of products of craft and agricultural activity was monopoly of Jews.

"Balagulami" was carried out a long-distance cartage, transportation of goods on small distances. On the city the droshkies of Jewish carriers which were prototypes of present taxi dashingly rushed. Since sartorial and shoe business to watchmakers, mechanics, smiths, shornik, tinmen, the Jewish handicraftsmen whose skill was out of competition prevailed everywhere. They photographed, cut, showed movies, at last, treated as most of the practicing doctors were also Jews. To complete the picture it is necessary to add that in the city several Jewish sickly commercial banks operated, and readers were served by library of Brenner with book fund of 1400 copies and 175 readers.

Densely - hardened life of local Jewry was blown up by a whirlwind of the stunning events of 1939. Among the partapparatchik which rushed in "Western" of Gomelshchina and Minshchina to give help in construction of new life, there was a considerable Jewish layer. Soon her representatives held the majority of the leading posts, starting with the first secretary of a district committee of a bedding set Aronov. It, naturally, could not but cause vigilance and hostility of the non Jewish population. (However, perhaps, in this case the notorious "historical justice" rendering to some extent for uncountable persecutions, humiliations, a discrimination shame which during the millennia fell upon the bogoizbranny people triumphed... (Objectivity for the sake of, it should be noted that - and district executive committees Jews never encroached on elective offices of chairmen of mountains).

To horror of orthodoxly conceiving masses there came the true end of the world. In the shortest possible time the habitual way of life became on racks, having painfully affected all and everyone. The new power led immediately wide front approach to a sacred Jewish prerogative — private trade. Dealt shortly with her ruthlessly with assistance of terrible taxes and other repressive measures. Handicraftsmen-handicraftsmen traditional corrective actions too fast were reduced to a common denominator, Driving into the artels run from above. Even underground workers of KPZB, having learned first-hand about bloody massacres, in a moment sobered, having come to a sad conclusion: yes, companions, we waited not for that...

Apparently, it is possible to explain with set of all this somehow the surprising fact that at the beginning of 1941 when in air for certain began to smell a thunder-storm, among the Jewish public it did not cause special alarm. Even many intellectuals were inclined to consider as an invention of the anti-German propaganda and deliberate exaggerations those horrors about which so the Polish press reported until recently. Especially as our press carefully avoided any negative statements to the address of Hitler's regime. Besides at many of memory the previous occupation of 1915 — 18 when Jews felt quite freely was not used up yet. Reached that the numerous Jews who got stuck in Kobrin because of Bug escaping from fascism in 1939 even more often excited the petition for return home. Some confidentially motivated the desperate act extremely simply: Hitler from a bullet has a fast death whereas Stalin has a death by installments.

And yes the conclusion, in the form of the requiem for the disappeared Kobrin Jewry, the laconic chronicle of mournful stages of its biennial death agony.

In the very first days of occupation the Jewish house of worship at the beginning of Oktyabrskaya St. is set deliberately on fire. It was forbidden to extinguish the fire thrown on the neighboring streets until there was a danger to Christian houses. As a result completely burned out the whole quarter between October and International streets.

In July, 1941 on fields of a manor of Patrika the first party of the Jews numbering more than two hundred people seized on streets during a round-up was shot. Soon after that near der. A name-day the same fate comprehended 180 Jews who were trapped under the pretext of assistance.

In the fall of the same 1941 the power of military commandant's office passed to civil, "tsivilmakhta" which embodiment was Gebitskomissariat. Soon then all Jews were placed, in two isolated one from another and from the outside world "getto-A" and "getto-B". Put in them at once felt suicide bombers with an unknown date of performance of a sentence. In June, 1942 all population "getto-B" in number of over two thousand people was brought to Bronnaya Gore's station where they were shot along with other fifty thousand Jews of the Brest Region. In November, 1942 the same happened to inhabitants "getto-A" who in number of more than four thousand were exterminated on the southern suburb of Kobrin, on fields of collective farm "New way". In December, 1943. in the same place the last party of Kobrin Jews — 72 cool experts of different professions which were left for service of employees of Gebitskomissariat was shot.

In the spring of 1944, for concealment of traces of perfect crimes by hands of prisoners corpses were taken from mass graves and burned. Performers of this operation are shot and burned. In 1975 on the place of a symbolical mass grave the memorable sign is established. And all this that reminds now of once existing many thousands Kobrin Jewry.

 A. Martynov

Martynov, And. Memories of Kobrin Jewry: pages of history / A. Martynov//Kobrynsk_ vesn_k. – 1993. – 27, 30 studzenya.



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