Jewish Life in Bessarabia
Through the Lens of
the Shtetl Kaushany
Yefim A. Kogan
Kaushany, 1950s
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the
requirements of the Masters of Jewish Liberal Studies degree
at
Hebrew College
May, 2012
2
This paper is dedicated to my dear mother and father.
My mother, Khinka Kogan (Spivak),
was born in Bessarabia and now lives in Tzur-Shalom, Israel.
She inspired me and my whole family with great stories about her ancestors,
friends and many residents of the shtetl Kaushany.
My father, Buma (Abram) Kogan
(ל״ז)
, of blessed memory,
who drew my genealogical tree many years ago,
and helped me to understand what family is all about.
I also dedicate this work to all Jews of Kaushany.
Adviser: Dr. Barry Mesch
, Provost and Stone/Teplow Families' Professor
of Jewish Thought at
Hebrew College
3
TABLE OF CONTENT
I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................... 6
W
HY
K
AUSHANY
? ....................................................................................................................... 7
K
AUSHANY WEBSITE AT
J
EWISH
G
EN
K
EHILA
L
INKS PROJECT
...................................................... 8
S
OURCES OF INFORMATION USED IN THE STUDY
........................................................................... 9
H
OW TO WRITE AND
PRONOUNCE
K
AUSHANY IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES
? .................................. 9
W
HERE
K
AUSHANY IS ON THE MAP
? .......................................................................................... 10
G
ETTING HELP FROM
M
OLDOVANS AND
U
KRAINIANS LOCAL RESIDENTS
.................................. 13
A
CKNOWLEDGEMENTS
............................................................................................................... 14
II. KAUSHANY BEFORE 1918 ..........................................................................16
U
P TO THE
16
TH
CENTURY
......................................................................................................... 16
F
ROM THE
16
TH
CENTURY TO
1812 ............................................................................................. 17
T
HE
R
USSIAN PERIOD
,
1812
–
1918 ........................................................................................... 23
J
EWISH AGRICULTURAL COLONIES
............................................................................................. 25
J
EWISH GENEALOGY OF THE
19
TH
CENTURY
,
K
AUSHANY
........................................................... 26
E
XCERPTS FROM
F
AMILY HISTORIES
:
K
OGAN
,
S
PIVAK
,
AND
S
RULEVICH
.................................. 31
III.
1918-1940, JEWISH LIFE IN THE SHTETL KAUSHANY ..................36
D
EMOCRATIC
R
EPUBLIC OF
M
OLDOVA
,
1917-1918 ................................................................... 36
U
NDER
R
OMANIAN RULE
........................................................................................................... 37
T
HE MAP OF THE
J
EWISH
Q
UARTERS OF
K
AUSHANY
,
1930
S
...................................................... 38
L
IFE IN
K
AUSHANY
.................................................................................................................... 39
F
RIDAY
...................................................................................................................................... 41
R
ELIGIOUS LIFE
,
SYNAGOGUES
,
RABBONIM
................................................................................ 41
4
J
EWISH
CEMETERY
..................................................................................................................... 44
Z
IONIST ORGANIZATIONS
........................................................................................................... 46
S
UNDAY
–
M
ARKET
D
AY
........................................................................................................... 47
B
USINESSES
,
OCCUPATIONS
,
PROFESSIONS
................................................................................. 48
D
OCUMENTS FOUND ABOUT THE
J
EWISH AFFAIRS
...................................................................... 50
C
USTOMS
,
WEDDINGS
................................................................................................................ 51
P
OOR AND
R
ICH
......................................................................................................................... 53
E
MIGRANTS FROM
K
AUSHANY
................................................................................................... 55
E
DUCATION
................................................................................................................................ 55
C
ULTURE AND
S
PORT
................................................................................................................. 58
P
OLITICAL
L
IFE
.......................................................................................................................... 59
IV.
INSTEAD OF CONCLUSION: THE END OF THE JEWISH
COMMUNITY IN KAUSHANY ..........................................................................61
J
UNE
28,
1940
–
T
HE
S
OVIET INVASION OF
B
ESSARABIA
........................................................... 61
J
UNE
22,
1941
–
THE BEGINNING OF THE
G
REAT
P
ATRIOTIC
W
AR
............................................. 65
T
HE FATE OF THE
J
EWS WHO REMAINED IN
K
AUSHANY FROM
J
ULY OF
1941 ............................. 67
O
THER
K
AUSHANERS WHO
PERISHED IN THE
S
HOAH IN
M
OLDOVA
,
U
KRAINE
,
K
AZAKHSTAN
... 68
J
EWS WHO EVACUATED TO THE
E
AST OF THE
S
OVIET
U
NION
..................................................... 68
J
EWS IN THE
S
OVIET
A
RMY WHO FOUGHT AGAINST
N
AZIS
........................................................ 69
L
EV
B
RUTER SAVED BY AN
U
KRAINIAN FAMILY
........................................................................ 70
T
HE
W
AR ENDED
.
W
HERE TO GO
? ............................................................................................. 71
T
HE END OF THE
J
EWISH
C
OMMUNITY
....................................................................................... 72
C
AN
ANYTHING ELSE BE FOUND ABOUT
J
EWISH LIFE IN
K
AUSHANY
? ........................................ 73