Jeremy Grant and Misha
Aizen at the Zbruch River
This
is the foot-bridge over the river Zbrutch leading to Podvolochisk. The original structure was a wooden one, as
can be seen from old photographs. The old bridge marked the border before the
First World War between Tsarist Russia and the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Merchants, mainly Jews, would come from both sides of the river and meet on the
bridge to trade. Alternatively a Volochisker could
pay 30 kopeks for a one-day-pass over the bridge to Podvolochisk
in Galicia.I am standing here with Misha Aizen, the head of the
present-day Volochisk Jewish community, an ex-Red Army hero, a well-known local
headmaster, and a very generous man who, together with his wife, put me up in
their modest home and was my guide throughout my visit. He provides Matzos and
other Jewish items sent on from the Joint Distribution Committee to the twenty
or so Jews who remain in Volochisk and the surrounding area. He speaks no
Yiddish or English, but will gladly introduce you to Chaim and Dora Barenfeld, the last two Yiddish speaking Jews of Volochisk,
"biz hundert un tsvantsik",
who remember the pre-war years. They are well worth a visit.
Return to Jeremy visits Volochisk
Return to home page, Volochisk
Photographs
and Text copyright by Jeremy Grant 2000
This page is
authored and maintained by Renee Gottesman and Helen May.
We welcome
all corrections, additions, and comments.
Copyright by Helen May & Renee Gottesman 1998
Last updated
July 1, 2012
This page is hosted at no cost to the public by JewishGen, Inc., a
non-profit corporation. If it has been useful to you, or if you are moved by
the effort to preserve the memory of our lost communities, your
JewishGen-erosity would be deeply appreciated.
Shtetlinks Directory -- JewishGen
homepage
Return
to index of Jeremy's photos