The Heavens Are Empty: Discovering the Lost Town of Trochenbrod

by Avrom Bendavid-Val

  The Holocaust by Bullets: A Priest’s Journey to Uncover the Truth Behind the Murder of 1.5 Million Jews. By Father Patrick Desbois; Published by Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 2008. In this book, Father Desbois describes his mission to document the murder of the Jews of Ukraine, particularly western and southern Ukraine, by German killing units (Einzatsgruppen). Some of the details of his findings helped me sort through disparate reports of what actually happened in Trochenbrod and arrive at the probable facts of that case. Father Desbois’s organization is Yahad-In Unum, www.yahadinunum.org.

  Ilustrowany Przewodnik po Wolyniu (Illustrated Directory of Volyn), 1929. I have an excerpt of pages from this document—including a photo of a Volyn landscape—that describes Sofiyovka, Kivertzy, Rozische, and other towns in the Trochenbrod area. I have no record of how this came into my hands.

  Ksiȩga adresowa Polski (Polish Address Directory, 1929. By W. M. Gdanskiem; published by Towarzystwo Reklamy Miedzynarodowe, Warsaw, Poland. A portion of this directory, containing businesses by town in Volyn Province, including Sofiyovka, was first provided to me in 1999 by Dr. Yale J. Reisner, who was working for the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation in Warsaw, Poland.

  Mennonite Historical Atlas, Second Edition. Text and some maps by Helmut T. Huebert, and maps by William Schroeder; published by Springfield Publishers, Winnipeg, Canada, 1996. An excerpt from the Atlas dealing with Volyn, together with several maps, was sent to me in 1998 by Helmut T. Huebert.

  My Townlet–Trachenbrod: A Chain of Memories. By David Shwartz; published in Yiddish and English by Elisha Press, Tel Aviv, Israel, 1954. David Shwartz was born in Trochenbrod in 1880. He was already married to his wife Miriam when he left Trochenbrod alone in 1907 and began earning money in Columbus, Ohio. He returned to Trochenbrod and brought his wife and children back to Columbus just before World War I broke out. He visited Trochenbrod again, with his wife, in 1934. He wrote his memoir in 1939, but only printed it as a booklet fifteen years later. David died in 1960, Miriam eight years after him. David and Miriam Shwartz left behind what is today a large family of grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and other relatives.

  Pinkas Hekehilot (Encyclopedia of Jewish Communities from their Founding until Just after the Holocaust and Second World War), Volume 5, Volyn and Polesia. By Shmuel Spektor; published in Hebrew by Yad Vashem, The Holocaust Martyrs and Heroes Remembrance Authority, 1990, Jerusalem, Israel. I was guided to this volume and additional materials in 2009 by Michlean Amir, reference archivist at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

  Russia to New York. By Jeanne Glass Kokol. Jeanne Kokol was born in Trochenbrod in 1913 as Shaindeleh Ruchel Gluz. She came to the United States in 1921. She wrote this memoir for her family in about 2002, and died in Florida in 2007. Thomas C. Spear gave me this memoir in 2008, after obtaining it from Irving Kokol, Jeanne’s son. Thomas’s and Irving’s great-great-grandfathers were brothers.

  Shmilike Drossner’s Trachenbrod. An oral history by Shmilike Drossner, primarily but not only about how Jewish holidays were observed in Trochenbrod before World War I; told to and transcribed by Samuel Sokolow in the 1970s. In 2008, Burt and Ellen Singerman and Robbie Ross Tisch separately gave me copies of this oral history.

  Sofievka (Trochenbrod). An article originally written in Hebrew and submitted to the Yad Vashem (Shoah memorial) archives in Jerusalem by Gad Rosenblatt (see Esh Achazah BaYa’ar—A Forest Ablaze, above). Marvin Perlman (see Ani Maamin: Eidut V’Hagot—I Believe: Testimony and Meditations, above) gave me an English translation of the article in 1998.

  Trochenbrod (Sofiyevka). An article by Eliezer Barkai (Burak) published in Hebrew in the journal Yalkut Volyn, (“Anthology of Volyn”) Issue #1; published by Archion Volyn B’Eretz-Yisrael (Volyn Archives in Palestine) and Irgun Yotzei Volyn B’Eretz Yisrael (Organization of Emigrés from Volyn in Palestine), Tel Aviv, April 1945. This article can be read in Hebrew or English on the Bet TAL Web site, http://bet-tal.com. The article was first brought to my attention in 1999 by Dr. Yale J. Reisner, working for the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation in Warsaw.

  Trochenbrod: The Life and Death of a Shtetl in the Ukraine. By Morton L. Kessler; a thesis paper submitted for an M.A. degree to the Graduate School of John Carroll University, Cleveland, 1972. Morton Kessler was the son of an immigrant from Trochenbrod; his paper was based in part on a large number of interviews with immigrants from Trochenbrod living in the United States.

  Other sources that I drew upon for this book include:

  • Photographs of Trochenbrod and Trochenbroders that I obtained from Laura Beeler, Marlene Berman, Marilyn Weiner Bernhardt, Miriam Antwarg Ciocler, Betty Potash Gold, Phyllis Grossman, Alyn Levin-Hadar, Ryszard Lubinski, Burt and Ellen Singerman, Anne Weiner, and Hailan V’Shoreshav (cited above);

  • The Antwarg, Blitzstein, Burak, Foer, Gilden, Gluz, Gotman, Kerman, Kimelblat, Pearlmutter, Potash, Roitenberg, Schuster, Sheinbein, Szames, and Zucker families, who provided me with firsthand Trochenbrod stories or stories handed down from their forebears;

  • Film footage of twenty interviews with people born in Trochenbrod or living in nearby villages, shot in Israel, the United States, and Ukraine by Itai Tamir and a Transfax Film Productions crew (www.transfax.co.il) for the Israeli Bet TAL organization (http://bet-tal.com), which graciously made the footage available to me;

  • Videotapes of elderly individuals reminiscing about their lives in Trochenbrod, which were given to me by their respective descendants;

  • Maps—Austro-Hungarian, German, Polish, Russian, Soviet, Ukrainian and U.S. military—spanning the period 1706–2006;

  • Videotape of four trips to the site of Trochenbrod by groups primarily of Israelis, including the visit in 1992 of Israelis and two Americans to erect the black marble monuments at Trochenbrod and at the mass grave site;

  • Interviews with people born in Trochenbrod who now live in Israel, Brazil, North America, Poland, and Ukraine;

  • Interviews with a number of Ukrainians living in the Trochenbrod area who remember Trochenbrod from their childhood or youth;

  • Conversations with Ukrainians who now live or used to live in villages near the site of Trochenbrod;

  • My own photographs and video footage of the site of Trochenbrod and the surrounding area;

  • Explorations of the Trochenbrod terrain by foot and tractor with my friend Ivan Podziubanchuk and his family from the nearby village of Domashiv, during my nine visits to the area in the period 1997–2009.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I want first to thank Jessica Case, my editor at Pegasus Books. Jessica happily took me and my manuscript under her wing and devoted untold hours skillfully helping refine the manuscript and bringing the book to the widest possible English readership. She has been a wonderful partner from whom I’ve learned a great deal, and has been a pleasure to work with.

  Another person who has been instrumental in helping me bring the story of Trochenbrod to life is my literary agent, Jonah Straus. Jonah immediately understood what this book was and could be, was enthusiastic about it, and worked hard to find the right publisher and an international readership. He, too, has been a pleasure to work with.

  I want also to thank Michael Millman, Senior Editor, Praeger Publishing, and all the others at Praeger who considered and encouraged this book.

  It’s amazing—and wonderful—how many people gave of themselves for this project. It’s only because they gladly shared so much so freely that I was able to put this book together, and help Trochenbrod live on beyond our lifetimes. I can’t thank them enough.

  In Israel there was:

  Michal Barry, who helped with Hebrew-to-English translation during interviews with Shmulik Potash;

  Chaim and Mira Binnenbaum, who helped coordinate with Israeli interview subjects;

  Joseph Blau, who helped with research and Hebrew-to-English translation;

  Yehuda and Uri Dotan, who provided key video and photographic material;

  Tuvia Drori, who sh
ared his Trochenbrod stories over the course of many years;

  Moshe Goler, who provided information about the Argentine Trochenbrod-Lozisht community;

  Sarit Harpaz, who helped coordinate with Israeli interview subjects;

  Henia Katzir, who shared her family’s Trochenbrod stories and photos and provided information on the early days of the Israeli Trochenbrod-Lozisht community and the postwar activities of her father, Eliezer (Burak) Barkai;

  Moti Litvak, who helped coordinate with Israeli interview subjects;

  Shmuel Potash, who shared his stories of Trochenbrod and his journey from Poland to Israel;

  Noam Rosenblatt, who provided translation and liaison help concerning Gad Rosenblatt’s partisan years;

  Nachman Rotenberg, who shared his Trochenbrod stories, knowledge, and photos;

  Itai Tamir, of Transfax Film Productions, who shot and made available important footage from Israel, Ukraine, and the United States;

  Hana Tziporen, who shared her stories and photos of Trochenbrod and her journey from Poland to Israel; and

  Chaim Votchin, who shared stories of his partisan years.

  In North and South America there was:

  Sol Ackman, who provided documents and information about the Baltimore–Washington, D.C., Trochenbrod community;

  Michlean Amir, reference archivist at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, who offered valuable research guidance;

  Laura Beeler, who provided Trochenbrod-related family photos;

  Alexandra Belenkaya, who helped with Polish-to-English translation;

  Marvin Bendavid, my brother, who accompanied me on my first trip to the site of Trochenbrod and has supported my research efforts ever since;

  Naftali Bendavid, who helped with filming, interviewing, critiquing, and editorial advice;

  Leah Bendavid-Val, who helped with photographing, interviewing, and critiquing, and who traveled with me in Ukraine. Leah also made major editorial contributions and has been a very supportive partner in this project and in the rest of my life;

  Oren Bendavid-Val, who helped with filming, interviewing, critiquing, and advising, and who also traveled with me in Ukraine and Belarus;

  Marlene Berman, who provided Trochenbrod-related family photos;

  Doreen Berne, who provided information about David Shwartz and permission to incorporate his words;

  Charles and Marilyn Bernhardt, who provided Trochenbrod-related family photos;

  Miriam Antwarg Ciocler, who shared Trochenbrod-related family artifacts, photos, and photos of Trochenbrod artifacts;

  Anne Weiner Cohen, who provided photos and information about the Baltimore–Washington, D.C., Trochenbrod organization;

  Father Patrick Desbois, who, with authority and a depth of detail unavailable from any other source, explained how the Einzatsgruppen operated. (I talked with Father Desbois in the United States, but his headquarters are in Paris—see http://yahadinunum.org.)

  Rose Blitzstein Elbaum, who provided an electronic version of the David Shwartz memoir;

  Esther Safran Foer, who shared family stories and photos of Trochenbrod and the war years there, and who introduced me to Father Desbois;

  Geri Wolfson Fuhrmann, who provided family print and oral Trochenbrod histories;

  Mary Lou Garbin, who provided maps and research guidance on the Mennonites in the Trochenbrod area;

  Betty Gold (Basia-Ruchel Potash), who shared her memories of Trochenbrod and the war period with me in great detail over an eleven-year period, and who helped to communicate with Ryszard Lubinski;

  Jeremy Goldscheider, who was a partner in many filming and interviewing efforts;

  Ronald Goldfarb, who encouraged my pursuit of publication of this book;

  Phyllis Grossman, who provided Trochenbrod-related family photos;

  Dr. Toby Helfand, who helped with Yiddish-to-English translation;

  Betty Hellman (Peshia Gotman), who shared her memories of Trochenbrod;

  Helmut T. Huebert, who provided research guidance and assistance, maps, and excerpts from the Mennonite Historical Atlas;

  Ivan Katchanovski, who provided insights into events in the Trochenbrod area during World War II and help with Russian terms;

  Chaim Kimelblat, who provided information about Jewish resettlement in South America;

  Merrill Leffler, who gave invaluable advice and guidance for improving the manuscript for this book;

  Alyn Levin-Hadar, who shared Trochenbrod family history and photos;

  Andrea Liss, who facilitated communication with her grandmother, Ida Liss, a native of Trochenbrod;

  Ida Gilden Liss, who shared her memories of growing up in Trochenbrod;

  George L. Maser, whose prewar map of the Trochenbrod region helped spur me to further research;

  Israel Milner, who provided information about the Philadelphia Trochenbrod-Lozisht organization;

  Laura Praglin, who provided family print and oral Trochenbrod histories;

  Szoel Rojtenberg, who shared his memories of Trochenbrod;

  Burt and Ellen Singerman, who provided Trochenbrod-related family photos;

  Olya Smolyanova, who helped with Russian-to-English and Ukrainian-to-English translation;

  Gary Sokolow, who shared Trochenbrod-related photographic and print material;

  Sam Steinberg, who helped with Yiddish-to-English translation;

  Anne Weiner, who provided Trochenbrod-related family photos;

  Olga Zachary, who helped with Ukrainian-to-English translation;

  Agnieszka Zieminska, who helped with Polish-to-English translation; and

  Eliana Zuckermann, who hosted me and coordinated interviews in Rio de Janeiro.

  In Ukraine, Russia, and Poland there was:

  Mikhailo Demchuk, who shared his memories of Trochenbrod and the war years;

  Ustyma Denysivna, Ljubov Ivanivna, and Sofia Panasivna, who as a group in Horodiche shared their memories of Trochenbrod;

  Alexander Dunai, who for ten years was my devoted driver, translator, researcher, guide, friend, and fellow adventurer in Ukraine—I could not have managed without him in that period;

  Anatoliy Hrytsiuk, head of the Volyn Regional Council, and staff for their hospitality and their administrative and logistical support during field activities;

  Ivan Kovalchuk, who shared his memories of Trochenbrod and the war years;

  Anna, Eva, and Ivan Kurnyev, warm and generous Lutsk friends, who helped with field research, photography, research facilitation, and local communication in Ukraine;

  Ryszard Lubinski, who with great generosity, openness, and warmth shared his memories and photos of Trochenbrod during lengthy interview sessions in Radom, Poland;

  Panas Mudrak, who shared his memories of Trochenbrod and the war years;

  Loiko Mykytivna (Eva Kurnyeva’s mother), who shared her memories of Trochenbrod and the war years;

  Vladislav Nakonieczny, who shared his memories and thoughts about Ukraine in the war years, the Communist era, and the early post-Communist era;

  Vira Shuliak, who shared her memories of Trochenbrod and the war years;

  Sergiy Omelchuk, a native of Lutsk, who helped with field research, photography, local communication, transportation, and logistical arrangements, who provided local representation for this project in the Lutsk-Trochenbrod area and has been a dear, reliable, and trusted friend since 2006;

  Ivan and Nina Podziubanchuk, who together with their children Maria and Bogdan (most recently joined by new arrival Illya) have been taking me by tractor-wagon to the site of Trochenbrod, arranging interviews with old-timers in the villages of Domashiv and Yaromel, showing me villages and special places in the Trochenbrod region, connecting me with local officials, acquiring Trochenbrod artifacts and giving them to me as gifts, feeding me scrumptious rural Ukrainian meals topped off with homemade vodka, and generally being great friends for well over a decade;

  Yale J. Reisner, who, from his position as Director of Research and
Archives at the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation Genealogy Project at the Jewish Historical Institute of Poland, in Warsaw, generously provided me with my first Trochenbrod documents, documents that helped fire my imagination and interest;

  Nikolai Romanov, who helped with Russian-to-English translation;

  Meylakh Sheykhet, who in Lviv helped me understand Jewish prewar and wartime life in eastern Poland, now Ukraine, and the present-day complexities of trying to recapture elements of it;

  Evgenia Shvardovskaya, who at the site of Trochenbrod, in Israel, and in Lutsk shared her memories of Trochenbrod; and

  Yankel Szyc, who on my repeated visits to Poland served as my driver, guide, and translator.