shtetlinks

VOLUNTEER FIRE BRIGADE (CIRCA 1925)
OF THE LITTLE SHTETL SETA
(pronounced Shat in Yiddish)

situated to the east of Kedainiai

and halfway between Kaunas and Panevezys


According to Yad VaShem's Blackbook of Jewish Localities, it had a population of 440 Jews before World War II. The survivors of the Holocaust could probably be counted on the fingers of one hand - if still alive today.

This Volunteer Fire Brigade was all Jews. The population of Seta was about two-thirds Jews and one-third Goyim.

According to the late Seta Fire Brigade member JANKELE BLOCH, who lived in Johannesburg, South Africa up until his death in June 1998 at the age of 97, he could recall only one family of Goyim who were friendly with the Jewish population of the "shtetl".

Of the 31 members as per this photograph, the person submitting it only knows of 4 persons who settled in South Africa in the late 1920's or early 1930's. The rest probably perished in the Holocaust.

Some of the members identified by JANKELE BLOCH and some survivors, are as follows:

BACK ROW: 1) Unknown, 2) MEISHKE RODBLATT, 3) BORKE MILNER, 4) ? MILNER, 5) BEN ZION GINSBURG, 6) JANKELE GREENBLATT.

SECOND ROW: 7) ABKE ?**, 8) CHILKE BLOCH**, 9) ELKE ?, 10) Unknown, 11) Unknown, 12) JANKELE RODBLATT, 13) LEIBKE MILNER.

THIRD ROW: 14) NOCHKE GLICK (medic), 15) FEIVKE GOLDMAN, 16) CHAIMKE ?, 17) LEIBKE KOLANCHICK, 18) MOTKE SCHNEID, 19) Unknown from another shtetl, 20) ZISKE KOLANCHICK, 21) CHILKE DER GLESER, 22) JUDKE KATZ, 23) SHMULIK KOLANCHICK, 24) CHONKE ? (signaller).

BOTTOM ROW: 25) FEIVKE (DER SMID) AHARON, 26) MISHKE GLASS*, 27) MEIKE REIS (Meer Vulf RICEMAN), 28) HIRSHEL STRAUSS (commander), 29) JANKELE BLOCH (deputy commander)*, 30) SAIKE MILNER, 31) LEIBKE WOOLF*.

Nochke Glick's sister aged ±85 is still alive in Israel as of July 1994. She came to Palestine in her late teens, in the mid-20's, starting off in a kibbutz. Her married surname was Asher, and it is possible that a daughter of Feivke (the Smid) Aharon reached Israel.



* Those known to have settled in Johannesburg: ** There is still a bit of confusion on No.'s 7 & 8 - the opposite could be the correct identity.



Provided by:

Joseph Woolf, Born in Seta 1928
Moshav Ilaniya, Lower Galilee, Israel

Son of the late OLGA WOOLF (nee KATZ), who died in Johannesburg 1992, and the late LOUIS (LEIBKE) WOOLF, who died in Johannesburg 1962; Grandson of the late JANKEL and SONIA TAUBE WOOLF of Seta; Grandson of the late JOSEPH and MERKE KATZ of Seta.


Copyright © 2000-2018 Ada Green

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