Majdan
[HEBREW]
The small town of Majdan is located
approximately 50 miles south east from Ushorod (Ungvár) in the Ukraine, thus on
the other side of East Slovakian border of today, in the district of Máramaros
of these days.
Mount Werchobina is rising 4200 feet high on the
one side of the town and the stream Rifinka is flowing at the other side of it.
The appearance and the characteristics of this little town is very similar to
the small places described by the Jewish writer Scholem Alejchem 1) in his
books.
Unfortunately, I cannot describe Majdan from my own view. My family had left it
already when I was five years old. As far as I know, 73 Jews lived in Majdan in
the year 1830. These Jews founded the Jewish Congregation and in the following
years they constructed there the first synagogue as well. Previously to that
they performed their prayers in a simple hut. The census of 1941 shows that at
that time 830 Jews lived in and around Majdan.
Shortly before that Hungarian troupes occupied Karpatho-Russia with German
support. The Hungarians even surpassed their German partners by deporting in
1941 most Jews to the Polish city of Kamenetz-Podolszki 2) where most of them
perished.
The local language was Ukrainian. The Jews conversed between themselves in Czech
or Yiddish. Many non-Jews understood Yiddish.
The district had a varied history. Prior to First World War, it belonged to the
Austro-Hungarian Empire. Following the Peace Treaty of Trianon, it was
transferred to Czechoslovakia 3). In 1939 it was occupied by Hungary and after
the II. World War it was attached to the Soviet Union. Since the decay of the
Soviet Union it belongs the area belongs to the Ukraine.
I was born in the little township of Majdan on July 13, 1926. I received the
name Shlomo in memory of my great-grandfather, Shlomo Silber.
1) Schalom Rebbinowitz (1859
Perejaslav-Chmenitzkij/Ukraine 1916 New York)
Classic of Jewish literature
2) City is the Ukraine (southwest from Winniza) scene of mass-executions; the
victims were mainly Hungarian Jews
3) June 4, 1920

Grandfather Itzhak Silber
(Reb Itze)
My grandfather on my mothers side Reb Itzhak
Silber was better known by his pet name Reb Itze He was born in 1859 in Berzan
(Galizia, Poland). Orphaned at the age of eight, he grew up under the care of
the Rabbi of Berzan. In the course of the time he succeeded in securing the
benevolence of the Rabbis supporters, as he devoted himself to the intensive
study of the Talmud.
In addition, he studied the elegance of the holy
language. Although his mother-tongue was Yiddish, he conducted his
correspondence mainly in Hebrew, As a youth, he slept on a bench and got up
quite early to take part in the lessons given by the Rabbi. Already as a young
man he was honored and respected because of his erudition and learning. In
worldly subjects my grandfather was a self-thought person and proved his
increasing inclination to the art of foreign languages.
He married Sara Leah, daughter of Abraham-Josef
Steinmetz from the small town of Dibowa (in the district of Majdan). They had
nine children: Alter, Shlomo, Jakob, Ezra, Hana, Malka, Zwi-Hershel, Baruch
and Rivka.
The sons soon left the house of the parents in
order to take up study in a Jeshiva. IN addition to the studies of Talmud, they
also obtained worldly educational qualifications and knowledge of foreign
languages.
My grandfather was an extremely handsome man, I remember him when he was sixty.
With his portly appearance he fascinated everybody, including the non-Jewish
neighbors. His long, well cared-for white beard gave his appearance especial
dignity. His sparkling blue eyes radiated benevolence and kindness. He was well
respected and popular in the neighboring small townships. Grandfather wore the
attire of the Chassids 4). He had a broad-rimmed black velvet hat, with the seam
of his small black cap just protruding from below his hat, a black caftan with
the small tallith 5) below it, and trousers stuck into white socks. He always
took care of his clean appearance.
When in the Twenties the Rabbi of Majdan passed away, the congregation did not
look elsewhere for a replacement. They did not need one; Reb 6) Itze fulfilled
all the requirements. He also acted as a (kosher) butcher, sanitary meat
inspector and mohel, a man qualified to conduct circumcisions for Majdan and the
district.
If he was asked to perform a kosher butchering in
a village in the district, he usually rode there on horseback. He stuck the
knife box into the leg of his boot. On cold winter days he wore a fur coat and a
fur hat, like the local peasants.
Grandfather had the reputation to be a versatile
person with a multitude of functions. For example, he mixed herbal medications
from natural ingredients and had prepared a powder to stop bleeding. He used
this powder when he performed circumcisions as a mohel. During the First World
War, the same powder came to good use in the treatment of the wounded. Whenever
he passed the streets of the town, he was greeted by Jews and non-Jews alike,
like a holy man.
Among East-European Jews it was customary not to call immediately a doctor to a
sick child. First, the opinion of a highly respected man a Rabbi, a person
well-versed in the Thora, or the kosher butcher was asked, in order that he
should exorcise the possible effects of a curse, the malicious glance. Mostly my
grandfather was called. He sat down next to the sick child, and threw glowing
coals into a glass of water. If the coals rose to the top, then this indicated
that the child was not suffering from the effects of malevolence. But it was bad
news if the coals sank to the bottom. People tried to protect their children
against the malicious glance. At every expression of praise or compliment, they
hastened to add a formula of speech without malevolence (Unberufen.)
Grandfather had a handbag, similar to the one
doctors take with them to house visits. The bag contained a set of cupping
glasses and other utensils. He placed the cupping glasses on the back of the
patients suffering from bad colds or backache. The wise comments among the Jews
went somehow as follows: S wet helfn wie Toiten Bankes (It will help like
cupping glasses for a dead man) however, the Goyim considered him as a wonder
healer who was the only one who was able to help the sick.
One day, a peasant turned up at my grandfathers
house, accompanied by his daughter. The young girl sobbed and groaned with pain,
she was hardly able to stand on her legs. The peasant asked my grandfather for
his help. My grandfather referred them to towns doctor. But the peasant
insisted upon my grandfather, He should treat his daughter. As my grandfather
realized that he cannot simply get rid of them, he asked the girl to lay down on
the wooden bench. He immediately saw that the girl was suffering from a
dislocated foot. He rotated her foot left and right, constantly probing. Does
it hurt? Does it hurt? He got hold of the aching foot , rotated it and heard
it to crack. The girl stopped crying. My grandfather suggested to her to rest
for a week and promised her shell soon get better. The peasant wanted to pay
for the treatment but my grandfather refused to accept anything. Next day, the
peasants wife turned up with a basket full of foodstuffs that she put down in
front of my grandfathers door as she knew it very well that he would not accept
it anyway.
My grandfather was also a talented artist who could draw very well. One of his
many works was a map, showing the occupation of the Holy Land by Joshua, drawn
on a piece of parchment in 1883, when he was 24. On one side of the map he
described the 108 locations from the Desert Zin to Jafo. On the other side of
the map he represented the area of settlement of every biblical tribe with a
different color. He made up the dies himself from natural ingredients.
At the time when he still visited the Jeshiva, he had to get up very early to
benefit from the Rabbis words. As he did not possess an alarm clock at that
time, he decided to make one for himself. He carved the components of the clock
out of wood, inserted an alarm mechanism and attached to ties to it. One of them
was tied to a clocks weight, the other to his own wrist. The weight dropped at
the preset time and the tape pulled his wrist, so he knew it was time to get up.
He visited the Jeshiva when he was 15. The Head Teacher recognized his
abilities. One day he told him he wanted to show him something. He conducted him
to his room and pointed out to him one single grain of wheat with tiny letters
written on it. The Head told him a story. A Jewish traveler came to the Jeshiva
from a faraway country and instead of a Kwittel (a slip of paper) he handed
over this piece of wheat. (It is to be known that a Jew on visiting a Rabbi,
brings along a slip of paper with his request and hands it over accompanied by a
small donation.)
The Rabbi asked my grandfather: Itzele, can
you too make such a work of wonder? Itzele remained silent but one week later
he handed over to the Rabbi another grain of wheat with even smaller letters
written on it.
Many years passed since the story with the grain of wheat. My grandfather became
the kosher butcher of Majdan. On reading a religious book, he came up an
intriguing question. Is it allowed to keep in the house a grain of wheat as a
decoration during the Pessach-week? True enough, the wheat corn was not for
food, nevertheless
Them he suddenly remembered the corn of when of his youth
and decided to make a similar corn. He wrote on it the Hebrew names of each day
of the week, the 12 tribes, the three forefathers and his signature. Altogether
114 letters. He kept this piece of miniature work in a glass display cabinet.
Majdan was occupied by Russian troops during World War I. The soldiers searched
for food in every cottage. Had they found anything, they confiscated the lot.
They also called at my grandfathers house. The officer leading the search party
discovered a trap door in the floor and asked my grandfather what was hidden
behind it. Old books, answered my grandfather. The officer commanded his men
to evacuate the hiding-place. In doing so, the discovered the glass cabinet with
the miraculous corn of wheat. The officer immediately realized war kind of
treasure he discovered. He took away the cabinet with him and remarked: This
will be passed on the Museum in Kiev! 9) To be sure, Kiev was the capital of
the Ukraine.
His son Shlomo served in the Austro-Hungarian
Army, of His Majestys the Emperors Franz Joseph 10) during World War I. He
fought in the front lines and received the appropriate military medal. Having
not heard anything from him for a long time, the family was very concerned lest
he became a prisoner of war. At long last a telegram arrived from him telling
the family that he received a short absence of leave but not allowed to come to
Majdan as the front lines moved very close to the little town. At any rate, he
was allowed to travel to the Hungarian town of Sátoraljaujhely where his brother
Alter lived.
My grandfather decided to travel to Sátoraljaujhely as well, in order to see his
son. Grandmother said she wanted to come too. After all, she was also entitled
to see her son. But Grandfather did not want to take her along. In that year the
winter was exceptionally severe, heavy falling snow, snowstorms were impairing
visibility. In addition, their little daughter Rivkale was still breast-fed, so
she would have been taken with them as well and the next railway station was 30
miles away from Majdan.
But all the efforts to persuade her came to
nothing: my Grandmother and Rivka accompanied Granddad on his travel to
Sátoraljaujhely. The only possible means of transportation was a horse-drawn
sleigh. Grandfather hired a two-horse one. Bricks heated up in the fire were
placed on the floor well wrapped up, to keep the passengers warm.
They arrived to the Railway Station Voloz by the evening. It turned out that
there was no place for them in the train as all seats were taken. With the aid
of some acquaintances, which they met at the railway station, they obtained
seats in the I. class compartment. The Jews belonging to the passengers of this
carriage got together to say their evening prayer. My Grandmother used her
chance to breast-feed Rivka. My Grandfather went to the toilet before the
prayers, and by opening the toilet door he heard a loud whistle. In the next
moment, the train collided with the one coming the opposite direction.
Grandfather was thrown out and hurt his leg. The cries of the injured people
were terrible. Grandfather crept along among the people expelled from the train
by the force of the collision. He discovered Grandmothers robes but when he saw
her body, he realized the full extent of the dreadful tragedy. A little farther
alongside, he heard a little baby crying. He crept along in the correct
direction and found his daughter Rivkale. As she was well wrapped up, she
survived the fall.
The news of the tragedy soon reached the two sons
Shlomo and Alter. They arrived soon to the scene. They wanted to accompany
Grandfather to the Hospital but he declined to go. He was afraid that hed be
forced to desecrate the Sabbath and/or to eat unclean, not kosher food. In
addition, he wanted to take part in his wifes funeral.
Observant Jews dislike to see a respectable man,
like Reb Itze live without a woman for a long time. After three years of being a
widower, he was suggested to remarry and to take Haja-Etja Prisant, born Eisner,
a war widow and a mother of six children as his wedded wife. Shortly before this
marriage, Grandfather gathered around himself all his family and declared that
hell now remarry and asked his children to accept his new wife and to call her
Mime (Aunt).
Grandfather Itze dressed himself in a festive attire on the day of his wedding,
He put on his festive fur cap, his Streimel and traveled to the little town of
Lipshina in order to go under the wedding canopy i.e. baldachin. He returned
home after the wedding with his new wife and her smallest son Mendele. The rest
of her sons visited already the Jeshiva and her only daughter lived with her
aunt. Mimes six kiddies immigrated in the Thirties together with my Uncle Zwi
to Palestine and opened a prosperous joinery that became later the well-known
factory of cabinet-makers, Prima. Grandfathers marriage was blessed with
three more children; Mottele, Sassil and Dresel. Everyone loved Mime, like a
real mother. My own mother was in close contact to her, until the start of
Shoah.
I was brought up at the house of my Grandfather
until my age of five. I can still recall some of the events that occurred. I had
great respect for him and I was full of joy when I heard that Grandfather shall
visit us in Nyirbátor and that I can see him after such a long time. Grandfather
had first visited his son Shlomo in Debrecen and then came to spend the Sabbath
with us. My mother was livid with excitement because of the expected visit, she
polished the house until everything sparkled and prepared Grandfathers favorite
meals. On Friday, we went to the railway station to pick up the guest. My mother
was moved to tears when Grandfather exited the train. We got his luggage and
rode in a horse-drawn carriage home. After a short rest, I went with my
Grandfather to the Mikve 11). Having arrived to the Synagogue to be present at
the Divine Service, my Grandfathers old friend Rabbi Naftole said a few hearty
welcoming words to him and offered him a place of honor,. During the traditional
third Sabbath meal at the end of Sabbath he was honored by Rabbi Naftoles
request to talk about the Weekly Section. 12)
Short time after my Grandfathers return to Majdan, I found my mother in tears
upon my return from the Cheder, the Jewish elementary school. First, I could not
understand what was the matter with her, why was she so upset, until she told me
that my Grandfather died.
My Grandfather died at the age of 74 years. Blessed be his memory.
4) The Devout, a member of the Chassidim, a
religious movement founded by Israel ben Elieser, the Baal Shem Tow (approx.
1700 to 1760 in todays South West Ukraine)
5) a white shawl with fringed corners worn under the outer garment
6) Sir; Jewish form of address applied to men
9) In the meantime, a splendid, spectacular
Museum had been opened in Kiev in the honor of the Great War to protect our
Mother Country (the Second World War).
10) 1830 through 1916 (1848/ 1967)
11) Ritual bath to submerge
12) Section from the Five Books of Moses to be read on that certain day
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