Karelichy, Belarus

Korelitz; the life and destruction
of a Jewish community
(Karelichy, Belarus)

53°34' / 26°08'

Translation of
Korelits; hayeha ve-hurbana shel kehila yehudit

Edited by: Michael Walzer-Fass, Korelicze societies in Israel and the U.S.A.

Published in Tel- Aviv, 1973

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Acknowledgments

Project Coordinator

Merle Horwitz

This is a translation from: Korelits; hayeha ve-hurbana shel kehila yehudit
(Korelitz; the life and destruction of a Jewish community),
Editors: Michael Walzer-Fass, Tel Aviv, Korelicze Societies in Israel and the U.S.A., 1973 (H,Y,E, 357 pages).

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.
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Translated by Sara Mages[Hebrew] and Gloria Berkenstat Freund [Yiddish]

Part One – Hebrew and Yiddish

Photos
Editor's Foreword	Michael Walzer-Fass	13
The Song of Shtetele [small town] Korelitz [Y]	Yitzhak Katzenelson	15
Map of the city		16

History and Recollections

A map of the city of Korelitz and the surrounding area		18
The History of the Jews of Korelitz	Chasia Turtal-Abrazhansky	19
A. The history of the city		19
B. The Jewish settlement in Korelitz		19
C. Life in the community during the Polish reign		20
D. The community in the 19^th century		23
E. The Community during the First World War		27
F. The Second World War and the destruction of the community		28
G. The establishment of a Ghetto in Korelitz		31
H. The liquidation of the community		31
I. The liquidation of the Ghetto in Novohorodok		33
Bibliography		34
A Hundred and Fifty years ago (excerpts from Pinkas Hakehilla)	H.A. Kaplan	35
Pages of History [Y]	Cassia Turtal-Abrazhansky	39
From the Korelitz Kehile Pinkes [Book of Community Records] [Y]	A. Litvin	42
A Young Wife Was Ostracized. Why Did She Travel with a Non-Jew without a Guardian? [Y]	Zippora Katzenelson-Nachumov	49
A Beis-Din Shamas [religious court official] – A Thief and His Punishment [Y]	David Ainhorin	52

Torah and Rabbinate

The Poem of Korelitz's Bet-Hamidrash [Y]	Yitzhak Katzenelson	58
Once there was the Rabbi's house	Yehoshua Ovseyewitz	60
The Korelitz Shochet	David Cohen	62
HaRav R' Moshe son of R' Dovid	Moshe Cinowitz	64
HaRav R' Hayyim Tur	Moshe Cinowitz	64
The Yaffe and the Korelitz families	Binyamin Benari Yaffe	67
A. The Great Light Rabbi Naftoli Hertz	Moshe Cinowitz	68
B. HaRav Yitzchok Yechiel Davidson	Moshe Cinowitz	68
C. Rabbi Eliyohu Feinstein	Moshe Cinowitz	69
Rabbi Eliyohu Baruch Kamai	R' Tzvi Menachem Zisling	71
Reb Mordekhai as Rabbi in Korelitz [Y]		73
Rabbi Mordechai as Korelitz's righteous rabbi		75
The departure of the righteous rabbi	Zalman Yodelivitz	76
HaRav Rabbi Meir son of R' Yossef Feimer	Moshe Cinowitz	77
HaRav Avrohom Yaacov Bruck	Moshe Cinowitz	78
A call for help		79

Torah Scholars born in Korelitz

Rabbi Nissan Broidah	Moshe Cinowitz	79
Rabbi Yisroel Michal Yeshurun		80
Rabbi Uri Dovid son of R'Yossef		81
HaRav Avraham Yitzchak Cohen		82
Rabbi Abrazshinsky		83
HaRav R' Yosef from Korelitz		83
My father HaRav Idl Isaac Osherowitz	Bat-Sheva Shula Osherowitz	84
The Talmud Association in Korelitz	Yehoshua Ovseyewitz	86
A. HaRav Tzvi Menachem Zisling	Moshe Cinowitz	86
B. HaRav R' Meir Levin		87
C. Dr. Yehudah Leib Davidson		87
D. HaRav R' Malchiel and his affinity to Korelitz		88
R' Meir Hillel Zunser	G.	89
Dvorah and the Talmud Association	Alter Gitlin	90
The story of Korelitz's Shochtim [Y]	Sara Begin (Gal)	92
A leap to the past	Yehezkel Zaks	95
How we studied?	Ester Shkolnik- Horowitz	97
R' Tzvi Hershel HaCohen Boyarsky [Y]	Zippora Katzenelson-Nachumov	100

Before and between the two World Wars From the Jewish Press, recollections and way of life

“Hibbat Zion” [Lovers of Zion] in Korelitz		104
A visit to Korelitz in 5661 [1900/01]	HaRav Y. Nissenbaum	106
Institutions, Personalities, Folklore, in view of the articles in “Ha-Meliz”, “Ha-Tsefirah” and “Hamizrachi”		106
My Shtetl Korelitz [Y]	Malka Polozhesky	109
My town	Chasia Turtal	112
Korelitz Before the First World War [Y]	Alter Boyarsky	115
Memories of the Old Home [Y]	Mordechai Meirovitz	119
Korelitz During the Time of the First World War [Y]	Reuven Ovsivitz	126
Building Activity in Korelitz [Y]	Shalom Cohen	129
Between the two wars	Noah Gershnovsky	134
From the distance and the recent past	Mordechai- Malchieli- Krolavetsky	135
My Homeland…	Y.A. Malchieli	137
Return to Korelitz	Leah Kornfeld-Lubshansky	140
Portrait of a Town	Raya Schneur Kaplan	144
When a visitor came to Korelitz	Esther Shkolnik-Horowitz	147
Employment of the Korelitz Jews [Y]	Yaacov Abramowitz	149
Volunteer Firemen in Korelitz [Y]	Yaacov Abramowitz	151
Theaters [Y]	Yaacov Abramowitz	155
Sports Groups in Korelitz [Y]	Yaacov Abramowitz	156
A Rehearsal in the Shtetl [town] [Y]	Michael Begin	159
On the Main Road	Arye Shalit-Karolevsky	161
Cucumbers	Gutka Nochumovsky-Gancezewitz	162
My Visit to Korelitz in 1937 [Y]	Vitel Arieli	162
There, Where I Grew – A Tree Grows [Y]	Leah Kornfeld-Lubshansky	165
Korelitz Bank and the Interest Free Loan Fund [Y]	Frumeh Gulkowitz-Berger	167
The Dramatic Circle [Y]	Frumeh Gulkowitz-Berger	168
Theater and Orchestra	Raya Schneur	172
A History of “Hechalutz” and “Hashomer Hatsa'ir” in our Town	Kalman Osherowitz	175
“Hashomer Hatsa'ir”	Malka Polozhesky-Pomerchik	182
Betar	Gutka Nochumovsky-Gancezewitz	187
Yitzhak Katzenelson and His Birth Shtetl [town] Korelitz [Y]	Zippora Nachumov	189

Personalities and Figures

Yaakov Binyamin Katzenelson [Y]		192
Moshe Avraham Wolpin	Raya Schneur (Rishe Kaplan)	193
Moshe Avraham son of R' Shaul Naftali Osherowitz	Kalman Osherowitz	194
Pessach Kaplan	Chasia Turtal-Abrazhansky	196
Pessach Kaplan	Y.H. Biletzki	197
Gershon Eliasberg		198
Shalom Cohen		199
Rina Garabalsky	Chasia Turtal-Abrazhansky	200
Alter Greenfeld		201
Yossel der Zalamanker	Leah Lubshansky-Kornfeld	202
A. Feivel Nisselevitz	Yaacov Abramowitz	203
B. The Porush, Kalman Marashiner	Yaacov Abramowitz	204

Destruction and Heroism

I Am the Last One [Y]	Frumeh Gulkowitz-Berger	206
Jewish partisans [Y]	Frumeh Gulkowitz-Berger	207
The road to suffering [Y]	Malka Pomerchik	208
In peace and in the days of war	Dov Cohen (Berel Kagan)	210
On the Brink of Destruction [Y]	A townsman	212
A. The Ghetto B. Bread in the Ghetto [Y]	Frumeh Gulkowitz-Berger	226
Memories from the Ghetto [Y]	Frumeh Gulkowitz-Berger	228
Under the Yoke of the Nazis [Y]	Ben-Zion Gulkowitz	231
My Survival During the Time of the Second World War [Y]	Mordechai Meirovich	235
Memories of the Holocaust Era [Y]	Chaya Nignivitsky	245
In the Shadow of Death [Y]	Haim-Leib Dwaretzky	248
Idel Kagan	Michael Walzer-Fass	250
The First Partisan from Korelitz [Y]	A townsman	255
The heroism of Korelitz young men [Y]		256
Yaacov Slicki, The Korelitz Partisan [Y]		257
[Y]	Michael Begin	259
Hirshel Shkolnik [Y]		260
Yoel Meirovich		261
The Death of Korelitz Youth [Y]		263
Shaul Kopilowitz	Bezalel Kalman Osherowitz	265
Efraim, the Hero [Y]	Frumeh Gulkowitz-Berger	266
The Ghetto (continuation from page 266) [Y]	Frumeh Gulkowitz-Berger	267
A partisan [Y]	Frumeh Gulkowitz-Berger	268
The Visit to Korelitz After the War [Y]	Yaacov Abramowitz	270

The Fallen

Shlomo Stoler	A townsman	273
Yaacov Abrazhansky		275
Tzvi (Tzvika) Malchieli		276
Two who fell	Kalman Osherowitz	277
The Song of the Murdered Jewish People [Y]	Yitzhak Katzenelson	278

The Korelitzer Societies in Israel and the World

The Korelitzer Society in Israel	Michael Begin	282
Good Friends Meet [Y]	Yaacov Abramowitch	290
The Korelitzer Society of America Inc.	Morris Kesslem, Guttel Simon	292
A memorial candle	Aharon Marshinski (Moe)	296
And These are the Names…		297
A memorial candle [Y]	Frumeh Gulkowitz-Berger	312

In Memoriam		313

Rabbi Moshe Hurewitz	Aharon-Leib Oshman	314
HaRav Avraham Hirshovitz	Sara Osherowitz	316
My father Leib Londin	Tova Londin-Rogovin	317
Shlomo Londin [Y]	Yaacov Abramowitz	318
Tzvi Kiblbitz	Michael Begin	318
Alter Avraham-Yitzchak Mordechovitz	Leah Lubshansky-Kornfeld	319
Kalman Mordechovitz (Avrahami)	Michael Begin	320
Leah Kaplan	Chasia Turtal-Abrazhansky	321
My brother Yona son of Shlomo Abrazhansky	Chasia Turtal-Abrazhansky	322
Yizkor [Y]	Frumeh Gulkowitz-Berger	356

Photographic Captions

Part Two – English

Editor's Foreword	Michael Walzer-Fass

Life and History

The History of the Jews of Korelitz	Chasia Turtal-Abrazhansky	IX
Korelitz - The idyllic town of pre-World War One	Alter Boyarsky	XIV
How they made a living	Yaacov Abramowitz	XV
Education in Korelitz	Yehezkel Zaks	XVI
When a visitor came to Korelitz	Esther Shkolnik-Horowitz	XVIII
R' Tzvi Hershel HaCohen Boyarsky	Zippora Katzenelson-Nachumov	XIX

Korelitz: Sages and Students

The Poem of Korelitz's Bet-Hamidrash	Yitzhak Katzenelson	XXI
Once there was the Rabbi's house	Yehoshua Ovseyewitz	XXIII
Men of stature and scholarship	Yehoshua Ovseyewitz (Y. Ovsi)	XXIV
The Rabbis of Korelitz		XXVI
Torah Scholars born in Korelitz	Moshe Cinowitz et al.	XXVIII
The Korelitz Shochet	David Cohen	XXIX
The story of Korelitz's Shochtim	Sara Begin (Gal)	XXX
Dvorah and the Talmud Association	Alter Gitlin	XXXI

Institutions and Organizations

The Korelitz Bank and the Free Loan Fund		XXXIII
The Dramatic Circle	Frumeh Gulkowitz-Berger	XXXIV
Korelitz's Fire-Fighting Brigade		XXXV
Korelitz's Sports Organizations	Yaacov Abramowitz	XXXVII
The Chalutz youth in Korelitz	Kalman Osherowitz	XXXVIII
Betar	Gutka Nochumovsky-Gancezewicz	XL

Personalities

Yitzhak Katzenelson: his life and works	Zippora Katzenelson	XLIV
Yaakov Binyamin Katzenelson		XLIV
Moshe Avraham Osherowitz	Kalman Osherowitz	XLV
Pessach Kaplan	Chasia Turtal-Abrazhansky, Y.H. Biletzki	XLV
Gershon Eliasberg		XLVI
Shalom Cohen		XLVI
Rina Garabalsky	Chasia Turtal-Abrazhansky	XLVII
Alter Greenfeld		XLVII
Yossel der Zalamanker	Leah Lubshansky-Kornfeld	XLVII
Feivel Nisselevitz	Yaacov Abramowitz	XLVIII
The Porush, Kalman Marashiner	Yaacov Abramowitz	XLVIII

The Holocaust

The road to suffering	Malka Pomerchik	XLIX
On the Brink of Destruction	A townsman	XLIX
The heroism of Korelitz young men		LI
The “Bielshchiks”	Herzl Nachumovsky	LII
What they went through	Frumeh Gulkowitz-Berger	LV
What they went through	Frumeh Gulkowitz-Berger	LV
Idel Kagan	Michael Walzer-Fass	LV

Aftermath

A visit to Korelitz after the war	A townsman	LVII
The Korelitzer Society of America Inc.	Morris Kesslem, Guttel Simon	LIX

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