Bielsk Podlaski Virtual Cemetery


  yaacovajzik.jpg (54967 bytes)

Given Name Father's Name Surname Date
Ajzik (Isaac)
 Yaakov Elchanan Blumental 1947

A composite of the photo above with this photo (which notes that the plaque no longer exists) yields the following:

Ajzik
          Blumental

Here lies
R. [Reb.] Ajzik son of
Yaakov Elchanan
Blumental
Died
4th Sivan 5707
May 23, 1947

Ajzik is on a List of 658 Jews who lived in Bielsk Podlaski before the war, and their fate, found on the Yad Vashem website. The Polish text about him in the list translates to "Blumental Ajzyk, born 1889 - in 1941 he was deported by the Soviets to Russia, survived and returned to Bielsk (Arch. Pań. in Bialystok, team: Municipal Court in Bielsk Podlaski, ref. no. 3/25/98)." Ajzik is also mentioned in a letter dated August 14, 1945, that was published in the Bielsk yizkor book on page 445. Written by Chuna Tikotzky to Libe Elson, it says:

"Until today, three Jews have returned from the concentration camp: the younger Piasek, Leyzer Davidovitch, and the pioneer. From Russia, I returned, as did Yitzchak Chrabolowski. So we are five solitary men, without wives and families… Aside from us, there are about 50 Jews living in Bielsk who came from the surrounding towns, because Bielsk offers more security. All the towns around Bielsk are “clean of Jews.” There are still a few Bielskers who survived. These are young people who served in the Red or the Polsih army, or there are a few families who are still in Russia. Such is the family of Aizik Blumenthal, Barkhat, and Kalman Freidkes. I am in contact or correspond with all of them. We hope that they will soon come back here. Yes, so, too, the family of Hirsch Kadluvuski from Ban Street. He, his wife, and his children live in Russia."

Yad Vashem has a photo (left) of a gravestone marking this same grave. A more recent photo shows how it eroded over time. The painted metal plaque may have been added in response to the erosion.



Modifying the perspective of the older photo in Photoshop enabled reading of the text.



Thanks to David Ziants for providing the Hebrew text, transliteration, and translation. Blue text indicates text that seems to belong but is not present in the photo. Red text in brackets with a question mark indicates a guess at the difficult to read photo. Red text in brackets without a question mark indicates letters that are on the inscription, but don't seem to belong.

Text as transcribed from the inscription:



Transliteration of text:

L0: Po Nikbar  פה נקבר (standard abbrev pay, nun)
L1: Ish yashar holech [tam?] b'za'arat mishpachto [al?] mot
L2: Morainoo haRav (abbrev.) Ze'ev Eizik ben Ya'akov Elchanan [B?]loomental
L3: Niftar b'shanat taf shin chet, arba’a yamim l'chodesh Sivan
L4: Tihiyeh nishmato tz'ror b'tzror hacha'yim (standard abbrev. taf, noon, tzadi, bet, hay)

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE HE English translation of text:

L1: An upright man whose going was [perfect?] on the sorrow of his family [on the] death of
L2: Our teacher the master Ze'ev Eizik [Isaac] son of Ya'akov [Jacob] Elchanan Bloomental
L3: Passed away in the year [assume the inscriber intended taf shin chet then 5708 which is equivalent of 1948 for that date] 4 days into the month of Sivan
L4: May his soul be bound into the bond of life.

From the painted plaque we know he passed away on the 4th Sivan 5707, for which the civil date is May 23, 1947 if he passed away before dark or May 22, 1947 if he passed away after dark.

Source of black and white gravestone photo: https://collections.yadvashem.org/en/photos/21207
Used in accordance with Yad Vashem's Terms and Conditions.
Archival Signature 4620/183
Retrieved on: March 11, 2024

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Copyright © 2002 Andrew Blumberg

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