This photo was titled "The Elders of Kolk" when it was published on page 22 of The Forward on February 17, 1935. The full caption read: "The Elders of Kolk, a little Jewish town in Volhynia, posing for a photograph for the benefit of their Landsleit in the U.S. Standing in the rear is an American resident who visited his native town after an absence of years."


Click the photo to see it full size in a new tab or window.


The photo was taken in front of Kolki's Talmud Torah (local yeshiva) during a visit of a distinguished American visitor, originating from Kolki. This visitor wears glasses, a light color coat and a stiff Borselling [Borsalino] hat. Fifty distinguished Kolkers are shown in the photo, including the young Rabbi (Reb Yakil Save was probably gone then). It wasn’t easy convincing the Rabbi to "join the party," and he wouldn’t allow his picture to be taken. He only allowed his photo to be taken after the visitor told the Rabbi that he couldn’t collect money for the Talmud Torah amongst U.S. Jewry, unless he brings back a documented picture thereof. [The visitor may be Boris Brick, the grandson Pinchas Reznitcher, seated third from the left in the first row.]

Sitting, from right to left (first row):

Israel Sima, BenTzion Stowker (or Stavker), Leibl Perluk (he has a large family in Canada), Chaim Lerner, Yankl Zilberberg, Cov Buslik (lived and died in Israel), Alter Bar, Shloime Katzan, Avrum-Leib Zilberberg, Pinchas Koshkeles Reznitcher (a.k.a. Pinye or Pinie Reznicher) (Borris Brick’s grandfather), Manye (Der Chazan) Lerner.

Standing, second row (right to left):

Yiddle (Der Stoler) Koifman (2 children in Israel, his son who was a doctor, already passed away), Shloime-Berl Starsiler (not a surname but a nickname due to his original village: Starsil), Avrum-yosl Michls (not a surname, Der Melamed). Manes (Der Shister & Der Melamed Shlayen), Israel Gornshtein (Yeshiva Bucher), Gerson-Yosef Mazur, his father: Shloime Mazur, Elyukim Mazur, Israel Kupiler (name of a village) Fel, Yosl Shmoish (he had Chatin hair).

Standing, third-upper row (right to left):

Sanye Egber (Der Stoler, has a son, Moshe Egber, who came to live in Canada after WWII), 3 children (the lowest standing being the sone of Gershon-Yosef Mazur), Berl Klitzman, Moshe Katz (has a son, Monyek Katz, in the USA, while his brother, Chaim Katz, passed away 1 to 2 years ago, their father, bought a larger house in Lutzk and was killed by the Nazis), Berl Shneider, David Mazur (Elyukim’s brother), Yiddl Gorbatch, Motl Apteiker (Der Blecher), Chaim-Yosl Levin, Pinchas Stupak.

Next

Back to Kolki Main Page
Compiled by Andrew Blumberg
Updated March 17, 2026
Copyright © Andrew Blumberg

JewishGen Home Page | KehilaLinks Directory

This site is hosted at no cost by JewishGen, Inc., the Home of Jewish Genealogy. If you have been aided in your research by this site and wish to further our mission of preserving our history for future generations, your JewishGen-erosity is greatly appreciated.