Family Stories and Memoirs
Translated by Leonid Kogan (Germany)
The material is provided with the support of
Michael Mitsel (JDC in NY), Sheinman Evgeniya (USA)
Protocol № 15
in New York JDC,
Collection # 19 twenty firsts, File # 233.
Archive of the "Joint" in New York, a collection of 1919-1921., Case № 233
Aaron BARU: Minutes № 15
Mr. Aron Baru, 37, a photographer from the town Emilchina Novograd Volhynskij district, Volhyn Province. I will tell what happened in this town during the pogroms. Before the war, Christian and Jewish populations have lived together in peace. Christians - the farmers, and some - artisans. Jews - merchants and part - artisans.
Before Passover, 1918, Wednesday at 12 am, a whole gang of Petliurists arrived consisting of
15 armed men who banged on the shutters to open them. They had a list of wealthy Jews. When they came for the money of Mr. Nukhimu (Nukhim) GORODETSKIJ, there was the cry.
Mr. G. gave them 630 tsarist rubles, and clothes for 100 thousand rubles. He was left without clothes. They came into many wealthy Jewish homes and robbed them. In the morning arriving on horseback, a new gang of 70 Petliurists arrived. They demanded the oats for the horses. We went for the money then to Alter German. He had none and went to his father-in-law Moshe Broyzman. Mr. Broyzman put his money into the chimney. Bandits tracked down where the money was hidden and took everything: 40,000 gold rubles.
At Yosl FELDBEJN they took the whole oats. From Moshe Levi and Aaron Kipnis they also took all the grain. After that they took all the grain from other traders and started shooting in the streets. They happened to be passing Haykel Broyzman, 40 years old, and they shot him. Then they shot Pejsi Schuster and his nephew Duvid Gozman. Bandits split into two groups: one went round from house to house and robbed, the second shot on the streets. They shot 11 Jews: tailor Shimshon BARATS, merchant Zisya-Mayer KOP and Yosl, father Usher-Lejbs (age 75), singles Motley-Haim Yeshayes, Srul Goldfain-Leib (55 yrs.), Moshe Kaplan of Olevsk. The shtetl sent him a Emilchino to buy food. He had with him was 70,000 tsarist rubles. Two girls had been raped. The pogrom lasted for two and a half days. They plundered all the shtetl. Before the pogrom in January 1919, a few peasants, led by Kalenik went to Yosl LEJBMAN. They did catch him and killed his wife and two children 8 and 11 years old with a small hatchet, and a German woman-servant, who was sitting in a chair. Father-in-law, Azrilya AJNBINDER, who came overnight to sleep, was also killed by a hatchet.
We now turn to wickedness before Passover. On Wednesday, Thursday, they robbed and killed. The postmaster, Anthony PETROVICH, a good Christian, telegraphed to Zvyagel to have sent aid. Galloping on horseback, 40 Petlurites, united with bandits and then began a pogrom. They said: "You sent for us so that we protect your kikes. You should pay. On Friday morning, they set fire to the old circle of 15 stores with goods and not allowed the stores to be saved. The damage amounted to about 2 million rubles. On Friday evening all the Petlurists left in the direction of Novograd Volhynski.
At Passover, during the first seder, a former inspector YAROSHUK arrived with 70 Petliurists. They robbed small shtetls of Slovechno, Veledniki, Luginy and villages on their way to Emilchino. Arriving at Emilchino, the inspector wanted Jews to honor the soldiers. He sent a messenger to the Jews, and demanded indemnity and food for their soldiers. This requirement, he sent the rabbi Mikhel ROJTBLAT. To him went the delegation of Jews Avrumche Bukshteyn, Moishe Berek, and Bucha Shapiro.They began to ask the inspector: to give him everything, but he must disarm his assistants, who began to rob the house. The inspector promised to disarm them. He called his thugs and took their weapons.During the month was quiet. But again, a revolt against the bureaucracy of local farmers under the leadership of former Colonel MODESTOV. In the insurgent gangs were 300 people. They came to us in Emilchino and arrested the former leader of Yarushko. Then they began to plunder. Mayors of the settlements listed above turned to the Bolshevik intelligentsia with the money and asked to take measures against new dangers. The assembled group, included a well-known non-commissioned officer SAGAN, a Christian. He spoke against the rebels, and declared that if they were within a few hours did not leave the city, they will come out with guns and chase them. The requirement was met. Yarushko was soon released, and at exactly 11 o'clock, they went out of town. By the way, they robbed and beat passing Jews. They killed the boy from Zvyagel, Moishe POLTARIK and Itzik FRELIKHMAN, citing the fact that they had provided information to the Bolsheviks. The death sentence was signed the former judge MOKRITSKIJ.
After Passover, bandits set off in the neighborhood. In the Dmitrovka village they killed 14 members of the VOLTSE-TEJKES Jewish family. After the departure of the rebels, Yarushko headed the city's own government. The Bolsheviks came back on Rosh Hashanah in 1919. At this time, the rebels began to burn bridges, incapacitate the railway lines. The Bolsheviks then began to recede. To us came the 9th Tarashchanskji Regiment. On Saturday morning they started shelling the shtetl. Then they came back to town. One Jew, Moshe RUDNIK, was suspected of giving signals to the rebels, and they shot him. The soldiers then went into the houses to rob, beat and kill. They then took away all possessions and set fire to the town. 25 houses were burnt down. The house of Yarushko was also set on fire, but extinguished by the peasants. The rebels then withdrew from the town. The Bolsheviks were angry with the shtetl residents for assisting the rebels. Now, after the fire, they issued an ultimatum: if they did not send a delegation to ask for forgiveness, they will burn the rest of the houses. The head of the settlement went and apologized to them. It became quiet. They sent for the Jewish and Christian population, so they supplied the cattle. After the Jewish holidays, they announced the mobilization of men under 40 years old. The youths asked the Poles in Gorodnitsa, 50 miles away, to occupy Emilchino. They told them all the secrets of the terrain and the fact that the Bolsheviks had no more than 70 people. The Poles took Emilchin after fierce battles in two weeks after Sukkot. The Bolsheviks during their retreat shot Duvida SHKLOVSKY (35) and looted the place. The Budyonny Army counting 5000 riders came and looted the rest of what is left of the last robbery.
The storyteller left the place in October 1920, he sneaked across the border, nearly drowned in the Sluch river. In January 1921 he arrived in Poland.
