The Shtetl Volochisk
This
is a view of the old town of Volochisk. It is taken from the hill which leads
up to the railway line crossing the river past an old border post over a metal
bridge to Podvolochisk. Behind this hill is a second
hill on top of which is the old Jewish cemetery. In the foreground are some old
houses which used to form the basis of the town. Half of the town was once
inhabited by Jews, but most of their houses were burnt down by the Germans
during the war. As you come along the path down the hill from the cemetery you
can still see conspicuous spaces where these homes once stood, and you can
still meet the old old woman who remembers how her
Jewish neighbors were dragged out of their places and their buildings burnt. Of
the three synagogues Volochisk once possessed, none appears to be left. The
head of the Jewish Community in Volochisk told me that the main shul was converted by the communists after the war into a
social club, but subsequently knocked down. The spires of the Russian Orthodox
Church are visible in the background. To the left of the photograph are the
pasture lands which slope gently down to the river Zbrutch.
To the right is the main road which leads all the way to the railway station, a
couple of miles away. Around this station, is clustered the much larger modern
town of Volochisk with its market-square and Soviet-style tenements.
Return to Jeremy visits Volochisk
Return to home page, Volochisk
Photograph
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
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