Last night I ran into a letter to my late father dated sometime in 1971 from Jewish Community Services in Hartford, saying that a women in Israel named Bronia Lifschitz (nee Kagan, one variant of my grandfathers last name) had heard that my father was her first cousin and trying to get in touch with him. I had never heard of this. I googled Bronia Lifschitz and found this tragic account written in 1967 of her experiences in Rokitno (also known as Rovno) during the Holocaust. My grandfather Isaac emigrated from Rokitno in 1906 . The Road Of Suffering Bronia Lifshitz (Kogan) (Givatayim) Translated by Ala Gamulka On the eve of that fateful day, we knew that, the next morning, we had to go to the market square. My mother Sheindl had a bad feeling. Her heart told her the end was near. She prepared us for judgment day and told me and my sister Bella to save ourselves. We did not need to worry about her. Our neighbor, Fanya Klorfein, told my mother off for panicking everyone. There was no basis for it. She felt that since the first two roll calls ended well this one would also be like them. My mother was not convinced by these worthless consolations and she could not sleep. We did not sleep a wink all night and we prepared for judgment day. One cannot describe the suffering we went through that night. Jews have always consoled themselves with the saying: “Even when a sharp sword is placed on a persons neck, compassion is still possible”. However, the coming extermination was so certain that we could not console ourselves with this saying. In the morning we put on our best clothes as if we were going on a festive outing. (It turned out that these clothes saved us because they kept us warm and also served as an exchange for food). I stood near my mother and my sister and near us stood my aunt, Esther Cherpichnik. When the police arrived, my mother began to sob and said: “Children, they are coming to kill us!” She pushed us and said: “Run, my children, run. Save yourselves!” To this day I feel the push on my back. My senses were blurred. I began to run frightened and lost my mother and sister. I later found out that my mother ran to a peasant called Claudia. She had stored some belongings there. I was told that the woman informed on my mother to the police and that they took her back to the market square. My sister with her two-year old son in her arms escaped to a peasant called Stankevich and hid in his garden. She, too, was taken back to the market square. As I ran between the bullets, I was caught in an iron bar sticking out of the fence. I do not remember who freed me from this trap. I do remember that I continued to run with my last strength. I reached the forest where I met Aharon Lifshitz, the three Golubovitz brothers and a few others. We walked together. A troubling question filled my head: Where is my family? What was their fate? I felt guilty because I had saved myself. I very much wanted to return to Rokitno to die together with my mother and sister. However, the hope that in spite of everything, they had managed to escape from the market square, kept me from performing this desperate act. We walked a whole day without any food or drink. Towards evening we found a well of dirty water. Felix Golubovitz took off his hat, filled it with water and gave us a drink. We heard that in the village of Budki-Borovski there were good peasants who hid Jews. We went there and we came to Liucik Zalevski. When I arrived I asked the good man to go with me to the village of Borovey. We had hidden goods there at the home of the priests brother. We left at night. The road was very difficult. He was afraid to be caught by criminals who roamed the area. Zalevski went back and I stayed alone in Borovey. I was separated from my group. When I came to the priests brother, he and his wife began to threaten me. They told me to leave immediately because they were in contact with Germans who visited them regularly. They were prepared to give back some of our belongings. However, they wanted me to leave immediately. I cried bitter tears and I begged them not to abandon me because I did not know how to reach a place where I could find Jews. They told me that their farm hand would accompany me. I took two suits and some cloth and we were on our way. We came to his house and I stayed in the attic a whole day and half the night. At midnight the man came and told me the time was right to be on our way. Later on he stole the suits and cloth. I was suspicious from the beginning and when he reached the forest he stopped and said: “You are on your own from here on”. It was pitch black outside. With tears in my eyes I begged him not to leave me. I did not know the way. How could I walk in the dark? Wild beasts could attack me or the killers would find me. He answered stubbornly: “If you are not tired of your life- run now!” I was covered with a blanket to protect me from the cold. He took the blanket from me and in cruel voice repeated: “Run now!” I asked him to give me back the blanket because I could freeze in this extreme cold. When he heard my begging he took out an axe, put it to my forehead and said: “If you wish to stay alive, do not ask me for anything”. I was afraid that he would fulfill his threat and I escaped. I sat down in the thick of the forest and I wept silently. I resolved to wait for morning. At daybreak I arose and began to walk. I did not know in which direction to go. I saw railroad tracks and I said to myself: If I cross them I may cross the border. I am already lost. I should go wherever my feet carry me. I suddenly discovered houses. I passed a few of them because my heart was beating hard. Eventually, I stopped at a house. An inner voice whispered to me: “Go inside and you will be safe”. I traversed the fence and I saw a huge scary dog. To my great surprise, he opened his eyes, looked at me, but he did not budge from his place and continued to doze. When I knocked on the door a petrified peasant came out. He was totally surprised. How did the dog remain silent and allow me to enter? It was something unusual. I was worthy of coming inside the house for that reason alone. The peasant offered me a meal. I told him my story and he was in shock. He told me not to be afraid. He was a Shtundist and the Shtundists love Jews. He promised to accompany me at night to my destination. I lay all day hidden in the yard. At noon he came with a bible and read a few chapters to me. He saw me as a mysterious figure. His frightening dog only spared spirits and miracle workers. The fact that the dog did not bare his teeth proved that it was a sign from G-d that I should live. While I was hiding in the yard the Ukrainian police conducted a thorough search in his house. This too was a sign from above because he originally had intended to hide me in his house. He only changed his mind at the last minute. At night he went with me to Budki-Borovski and brought me to Yuzik Zalevskis house. He was renowned as a savior of Jews. Zalevski accepted me willingly and arranged a hiding place for me in a potato cellar. He hid me in a crate that resembled a coffin. I shrunk myself into this living tomb. There was no air and no light and I thought I would faint. I called for help. Zalevski came immediately and found me unconscious. He took me out of the crate, rubbed my temples with snow until I came to. As soon as I felt better, he put me back in the crate because it was dangerous to be seen in daylight. At night I would come out for a breath of fresh air. I lay in this coffin for three months. I was certain that I would come out a cripple. One day Yuzik came to me and said: “You can come out. The partisans came and they are accepting members into their ranks. Go to them and they will receive you well.” After three months of darkness I thought daylight was a miracle – something from a distant world. I felt as though, for the first time in my life, I was seeing this precious light. It bothered my eyes and I had difficulty adjusting. I was very happy because I was fortunate enough to see the sun again and to breathe fresh air. Great elation overcame me. In my heart there was hope that if I was fortunate enough to come out of this darkness into daylight, I would also be free again. I joined a group of Jews hiding in the village and we went together to the partisans. However, they only wanted a few men. The women were not wanted. I had no choice but to return to Zalevski. The situation had worsened. Germans and Ukrainian militia had appeared in the village looking for partisans. He asked me to hide in the forest until the storm passed. In the forest I met Avraham Eizenberg, the Burd brothers and Niuska Kokel. We were dirty and very weak. We could not stand up. We fell after walking a few steps. We wanted the end to come. Death seemed to us the redemption from unspeakable suffering. Avraham Eizenberg brought us potatoes and other food. We broke our fast and we slowly recuperated. One day the happy news came. The Soviets were coming closer to our area. A few weeks later we were free. The enemy was defeated. Rokitno was liberated and we could return as free people. In January 1945 we returned to Rokitno. I looked at the terrible destruction and I saw what was left of our Rokitno where we had spent our best years. jewishgen.org/yizkor/rokitnoye/rok301.html#page308
Posted on: Thu, 03 Apr 2014 18:08:05 +0000
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