Odessa Jewish Nursing Home

by Eva Krasnov and Anatolij Drozdovskij

1903 Postcard of the Jewish Nursing Home

There are sadly few Jewish architectural examples in the vast variety of the odessika (Odessa-related) Filokartiya (English: Deltiology, hobby of collecting art / photo postcards): three synagogues from different angles, a cemetery wall on the Lyustdorf road, and a nursing home (Note: in Russian, bogadelnya was not just a nursing home, it was a nursing home for the poor only. I have no knowledge of how or whether the meaning has evolved.) And the postcard of the Jewish nursing home, issued in 1903 (“Sherer, Nabgolts and Co,” Moscow, #105) was out of luck – it was named “Jewish public hospital” by mistake.

The buildings of the Jewish hospital on the corner of Myasojedovskaya street and Gospitalnaya street, much more meaningful and interesting, for some reason, did not become subjects for the Odessa postcards, whereas the modest one-storied structure on the edge of Moldavanka, on Staroportofrankovskaya street, 6, erected in 1883 specifically to house the Jewish nursing home, was such honored. The location of this philanthropic Jewish institution is present in all the Odessa address-calendars and reference publications, which makes it obvious that the Jewish nursing home shown on the postcard remained at the above address from the time of its construction to the time of the revolution.

The Jewish nursing home, as well as the Jewish hospital, functioned successfully during many years thanks to charitable contributions. The lists of rich Jewish families that donated enormous sums of money, far exceeding the obligatory “desyatina” (10% of business profit – from Russian desyat = 10), to the upkeep of both institutions are the same, to a large degree. The middle class of the Jewish community also made its contribution to the support of sick and infirm Jews – we will talk about it later.

Thus, in 1880 the Odessa Jewish society decided to “establish a shelter for care of elderly of both genders” “in commemoration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the reign of the Emperor Alexander II.” The construction of one-storied building on the lot assigned by the city at the address mentioned above began in May 1883 and finished in December of that year. The delay in construction had been planned by the action group beforehand because during that period (from 1880 to 1884) the fund for the upkeep of the nursing home in the future was being accumulated from the Jewish box collection budget (box collection = charity collected from individuals in boxes)!

The grand opening of the nursing home took place on December 22, 1883. Since by that time the “tsar-liberator” was no among the living, the sign on the gable of the nursing home had to be changed to “In commemoration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the reign of the deceased by God’s will Emperor Alexander II.” This sign is readable on the postcard where the Jewish nursing home is depicted, and this is another proof that the title of the postcard “Jewish public hospital” was indeed an error, because the history of the hospital is in no way connected with the name of the “tsar-liberator.” In addition, the building in the beginning of the Staroportofrankovskaya street has survived until now (it’s a residential building now) and can be easily compared to the picture on the 100-year old postcard.

The city land where the former staroportofrankovkij ravine used to be was assigned at no charge for construction of other charitable institutions. That is why the Jewish nursing home was surrounded on one side by the shelter (Staroportofrankovskaya street, 8) built by the Society of care for the indigent in the same period on the money donated by the merchant A.M. Brodsky (Abram Markovich Brodsky, 1816-1884, merchant of the 1st guild) and on the other side – by the city cheap diner, opened in commemoration of the 90th anniversary of the city of Odessa, where the city indigents were fed (Staroportofrankovskaya, 4.)

The reports of the Odessa city Jewish nursing home for 1887 and 1890 that we have at our disposal provide interesting information about the life of this institution.

In spite of the proximity to the cheap diner, the residents of the Jewish nursing home were fed separately, probably, only kosher food. In any case, based on the reports, the staff of the nursing home included a cook, her assistant and a “kostryulnitsa”, dishwasher (from Russian, kastryulya =pot). One of the income items in the report for 1890 is 212.66 silver rubles “paid by the shelter for meals provided to Jews that resided at the shelter.” This means that indigent Jews that found themselves at the neighboring shelter, came to the nursery home diner to get kosher meals.

The items available to the nursing home residents that included “vodka, wine, sugar, tea, beef feet, liver, fat (don’t think pork! – comment by author), fish, preserves, firewood, candles” were donated by not the richest Jews (20 to 30 silver rubles.) “From B. Firshtenfeld, beef feet and liver – 36 rubles 98 kopecks; from doctor Rozen – 5 pud (16 kilo) of fish – 25 rubles; from Klarfeld – 6 pounds of fat – 2 rubles 40 kopecks; from NN – one jar of preserves – 5 rubles.” Vodka and wine was donated, according to that time measurements, by pail: “Form Klejman and Gokhbojm – 2 pails of vodka – 20 rubles; from Tsiviling – one pail of vodka – 12 rubles; from M. Barskij – 6 pails of wine, estimated 12 rubles.” “From M. Bajngurt – one pud twenty pounds of sugar – 10 rubles; from Rabinovich brothers – 8 pounds of tea – 10 rubles; from NN – one pound of tea and 14 pounds of sugar – 3 rubles 20 kopecks.” If there was a shortage of any food or household items, it was purchased, and the cost of the donated items constituted approximately 10% of the total spent on food.

Donors gave the nursing home spoons, knives, forks, brass candleholders, tin boxes, Jewish books, and medications. “From G. Starodub – 2 dozen spoons and forks, estimated 2 rubles 70 kopecks; from G. Rakhat – one dozen knives – 3 rubles; from G.M. Fisherovich –20 tin boxes – 13 rubles” and so on.

Richer Jews donated significant funds in cash to the nursing home. For instance, in 1890 it received 2050 silver rubles from Maryam Iosifovna Michiner, and the same amount from the well-known in the city benefactress Luisa Ashkinazi. Doctor Drej left 1000 rubles to the nursing home in his will, Leonid Rashkovich – 200 rubles. A touching line in the 1890 report: “Received from Rosya Brodskaya, resident of the nursing home, 1 silver ruble.” By the way, there are no other such small donations listed in the report.

All income and expenses were strictly accounted for, at the end of each year the council of trustees issued a report published by the city printing houses (cost of print – 30 rubles 60 kopecks!)

The main reserved fund of the nursing home collected during its construction was 80 thousand silver rubles (“Odessa, 1794- 1894.”) As of January 1, 1887, the reserves of the nursing home consisted of bonds issued by: Odessa city credit society, city of Odessa, debt obligations of the Bessarabiya Tavricheskij commercial bank – it came to 106,250 rubles. This amount included 4000 rubles in interest-bearing securities donated inn 1887 by well-knows Odessa entrepreneurs Mr. A.C. Barzhanskij and E. M. Ashkinazi. (Adolf Solemonovich Barzhanskij, 1851-1900, pianist and composer) As of January 1, 1890, the account of the nursing home reserved fund increased to 111,350 rubles and had not changed throughout the year. Evidently, the reserved fund increased from year to year thanks to the donations and sensible expenses. Annually, the upkeep of the nursing home used the interest from the reserved fund in the amount of about six thousand silver rubles. The city government also added to the nursing home capital: in 1887 the Odessa city administration transferred 2000 rubles to the nursing home account, in 1890 – 3000.

The head of the nursing home was, in our opinion, the supervisor / director; he received the highest salary – 600 silver rubles in 1887. The report for 1890 shows two supervisor: Mr. Kupferberg and Mrs. Simonovich, whose salary in total was somewhat lower. Besides the above listed kitchen staff, the nursing home also employed a custodian, guard and four servants. And the difference in compensation based on gender is clearly evident: the male staff received 96 rubles annually, the female staff – only 68! The work of a laundress was estimated in 120 silver rubles annually because they had to wash the clothes for all the residents – 90 people!

The nursing home was supposed to house 80 residents but, based on the reports and considering the “turnover” it housed simultaneously sometimes 90, sometimes 106 residents of both genders. A book published by the 100th anniversary of the city of Odessa says that in 1894 the nursing home housed 160 residents.

How did the residents of the nursing home live? Based on the information provided by the reports, 12 of the first residents of 1884 were alive and well in 1890. The oldest resident of this group, the Odessa meshchanin Volf-Lejba Shulberg, was 88 in 1890; the youngest, a meshchanin from Chigirin Gershko Mendelevich Kaminsij, was 73. Perhaps, the presence in the female group of the nursing home of the Odessa meshchanka Tsipa Shulberg, age 81, helped the oldtimer, she might have been his wife or sister. Those born in Odessa constituted one-third of the residents, others originated from various towns of the Pale of Settlement. The mortality of the residents was about 15% a years, and it was much higher for men. “The nursing home invited Dr. Akin to provide medical help to the residents, for philanthropic reasons he offered his services free of charge.” To assist in simple cases, it invited less philanthropic male and female nurses who charged for their services. Owners of Odessa pharmacies donated some of the medications. In 1911 the residents of the nursing home were served by well-known Odessa physicians A.A. Yasinovskij and Y. L. Fishman. (Alexander Alexandrovich Yasinovskij; his son Mikhail was one of the most famous Soviet physicians who treated the high echelon of the Soviet power)

But let’s go back to the everyday life of the nursing home residents. Annually, the management allocated funds for “acquire and mending of linen and household items.” In 1890 it spent 1848 rubles to acquire “ 70 short winter coats for men, 92 pair of shoes, 57 skirts and women’s sweaters, 70 kipahs, 139 pillow cases, mattresses and other items according to the list.” So, the residents did not walk around in rags, they slept on metal beds, prayed in the prayer house at the nursing home.

The nursing home building underwent maintenance every year, in 1890 the walls were plastered, stoves repaired, the lot around the building was improved: the sidewalk was “constructed” and a street lamp installed. The cost of sustaining one resident in 1884 came to 141.70 rubles, in 1890 – 128.37. Based on the information in the reports and considering the duration of the residency in the nursing home, the life of the residents was not bad at all. The credibility of this information was confirmed by the respected members of the council of trustees that signed the reports we are analyzing: Dr. S.M. Margulis, S.G. Tiktin, S.S. Gurovich, I. B. Kalinovskij and others.

The social status of the residents of the nursing home was rather uniform: the vast majority belonged to the class of meshchane (small business owners). It is impossible to determine what their skills or professions were. Only a few have notations: retired musician Shmul Lejbovich Nekhamkis, retired low-rank soldiers Abrum Lejba Gajsinskij and Sisman Ajzikovich Gruzhanskij, resident from a colony of the Khersonskaya guberniya Pesya Shrejfel, retired navy-man Shaja Elevich Garmider, soldier’s wife Rejzya Gershkovna Kuchman. Details about the life before nursing home is provided for one resident, telling us who he was in his younger years and what his life was like. Abject poverty and illnesses brought Vigdor Srulevich Shtejn, a 61-year old meshchanin of the Minskaya guberniya, Pinskij uyezd, town of Pogost-Zarechnyj to the nursing home on November 10, 1887. In 1890 he was still there. This man was an outstanding self-taught mathematician and was hired as a tutor by the well-known Deribasov family in Odessa to teach Alexander Deribasov. Vigdor Shtejn left a deep impression on his student who dedicated a chapter of his wonderful book “Old Odessa” to his eccentric teacher; the book was published many years after his lessons, in 1913. The modern research of a known Odessa historian and writer Rostislav Alexandrov “The forgotten Shtejn” is also dedicated to this man.

The Jewish nursing home could have functioned much longer, its future was secure, but the nationalization carried out by the Soviet Union completely cut off its sources of existence – the bonds became worthless, banks closed, donors emigrated or lost everything, and so on. The rebirth of the Jewish philanthropy started in the beginning of the 1990s with the opening of the Philanthropic Jewish Center “Gmilus Khessed” that provided care and attention to the thousands of pensioners and disabled of the city and the oblast. The Center provides significant moral and material support to its wards by distributing food and medications, organizing concerts, excursions, charity events.

Eva Krasnov
Anatolij Drozdovskij
Odessa, in June 2006.