The Religious Leaders of Komjat

Velikiye Komyaty, a very small shtetl, did not have a Rabbi.  Instead, the Shochet, who must be a pious man, was the judge or leader of the Jewish community.   Besides being knowledgeable of Jewish law, he was also specially trained and licensed to be the ritual slaughter of animals, following the laws of shechita as it relates to kashrut. 

In small and remote communities, like Velikiye Komyaty, the rabbi and the shochet were often the same person. The position of shochet, as a G-d-fearing person of integrity, is a very respected one in the Jewish community. 

Rabbi Shmaya ben Eliezer Klein, who died in 1900, was a great personality in Komjat.

Nachman Rapaport was the shochet in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. He was a very kind, gentle and respected person. It is believed that he died between 1910 and 1916.

Rav Shimon Rottenstein had an important religious position in Komjat prior to his death in 1918.

Rabbi Avraham Chaim Halevi Weisz, son of Moshe Weiss of Ilnitza, followed him as Dyan and Shochet. Avraham Chaim was the teacher for the Satmar Rebbi Teitlebaum.

His son Refoel Weisz filled the position when Avraham retired in 1938.

Mor Deutsch was the Dyan of the synagogue, prior to the Holocaust.

The Synagogue in Velikiye Komyaty- A Wooden Synagogue

The synagogue is located in a small courtyard in which several families lived, including the rabbi/shochet.  There are two entrances to the synagogue, one in the front for the men and another, on the side, for the women.  The women sat in the balcony, accessible by a staircase, which was just above the vestibule.  Opposite the entrance there is a round metal window with a Star of David. Small pieces of stained glass still remain in parts of that structure.  Below the stained glass window, is a very simple ark consisting of a wooden cabinet with 2 doors and one drawer. The ceilings of the synagogue were very low. The interior was white washed. The ark was very simple. People owned their own pews which were made of wood. The synagogue was not heated. In the winter the smaller building, the Beis Medrash, which was next to the synagogue, was heated and was used for prayer and study.  

Photographs of the Synagogue and Beis Medrash taken during my trip to the Ukraine in 1998.

Back to Top