Поиск по сайту

THE TOWN OF OUR CHILDHOOD

Naum Ilyich Achiezer.
Teacher of physics at Limensk school.

Iosif Markovich Hutoretsky.
Student and instructor at Limensk school.

The town of Cherikov is located on the bank of the river Sozh. It was mainly populated by Jews. The relations between the Jews and the Belarusians were friendly. Jews did not have land (except for small gardens) and were mostly involved in craftsmanship and trade.

I was born in Cherikov in 1914. My father was what Sholom-Aleichem called "the person of the air". There was not a single occupation that he did not try. In 1904, when the Russian-Japanese war began, he immigrated to the USA with his two brothers. There he worked at the Ford factory. After saving some money, he returned to Cherikov in 1908.

Alexander Zalmanovich Koganov.
One of the first graduates from Limensk school.

I was the eighth child in the family. I do not remember my mother. When I was two, she went insane and was sent to a psychiatric ward of Mogilev.

After the revolution father went from village to village, fixing pans and bowls. Later he became a "melamed" and taught children.

My brothers and sisters were growing up and leaving the family. They all moved to Baku. My brother Haim and I did not leave Cherikov. We began living separately in a small house near the post office. The elders helped us financially. We also did some work.

In 1930 I finished school and went to study in Mogilev. After that I returned to Cherikov, where I began working as a journalist.

After the civil war Cherikov was filled with orphans, who had nowhere to live in. An outstanding Belarusian teacher, Modest Nikolayevich Lepeshinsky, opened a child labour commune in Cherikov. Soon several hundred children were studying in it. They were studying hard at school and working in the spare time. My elder brother and sister also graduated from this school in Limensk. They became engineers.

Unfortunately, the commune did not exist for a long time – Modest Lepeshinsky died abruptly and there was no one to replace him. The teachers started to leave and the school was closed down.

That Cherikov of the old times is still in my memories…

Vladimir Altschuler
"Mishpoha" journal, No. 2, 1996

Jewish settlements in Mogilev region

Mogilev• Antonovka• Batsevichi• Belynichi• Belynkovichi• Bobruisk• Byhov• Chausy• Cherikov• Dashkovka• Dribin• Esmony• Glusk• Golovchin• Gorki• Gory• Grozdianka• Hotimsk• Kirovsk• Klichev• Konohovka• Kostukovichi• Krichev• Krucha• Krugloye• Lenino• Lubonichi• Martinovka• Moliatichi• Mstislavl• Naprasnovka• Osipovichi• Rodnia• Rudkovschina• Samotevichi• Sapezhinka• Selets• Shamovo• Shepelevichi• Shklov• Slavgorod• Staroselie• Sukhari• Svisloch• Vereschaki• Zaverezhie• Zhilichi•

Main

New publications

Contacts

Site map

Vitebsk region

Mogilev region

Minsk region