Hirsh Reles (1915-2004), Yiddish writer, born in shtetl Chasniki, Vitebsk oblast Hirsh Reles Hirsh Reles and Dmitri Slepovitch Hirsh Kantor, born in Minsk, 1909 Ester (Fira) Abramovna Blushchinskaya, born in 1920, Berdichev, Ukraine, widow of Moshe Teyf, Yiddish writer (with Dr. Nina Stepanskaya) Moisey (Moshe) Abramovich Svirnovskiy (1909-2004), Jewish actor, former singer in the Minsk Choral Synagogue choir, during the last years of his life - leader of the Chesed Rakhamim Choir Moshe Svirnovskiy
Shlomo-Abram Yankelevich Berkhifon (1915-2003), Radoshkovichi, Minsk oblast, the last khazan of the Minsk region Samuil Zakharovich Linkovskiy, Nina Stepanskaya''s father, born in 1926 in Vitebsk Samuil Linkovskiy playing Russian waltzes in Jewish manner (with krekhtzn) on the accordion Eddi Moiseevna Tyrmand, born in 1920 in Warsaw, Poland with Eddi Tyrmand Galina Derizko, born in Volozhin, 1947 our respondents in Grodno
recording an interview in Grodno Hana Vulfovna Kaminskaya, b. in Chernigov oblast, Ukraine, 1941, lives in Grodno Sofya Semenovna Baytsh, born in Lublin, Poland, 1935 Skobeleva (Liberman) Maria Mendelevna, born in Grodno, 1938 Issir Rozenblum, born in Volkovyshek, Poland, 1919 performing a concert for the Jewish community of Vitebsk (to revive their memory), Dec.,2001 Jewish community of Vitebsk
Hoda Hirshevna Zaveleva (Yudovina), 1926-2004, b.in Beshenkovichi, Vitebsk oblast, performed a lot of rare Yiddish songs Bella Hirshevna Idelsohn, Hoda''s sister, born in Beshenkovich, Vitebsk gubernia, 1916 Hoda and Bella Sara Leybovna Yudovina, Hoda''s niece, born in Vitebsk, 1940 Khatzkel Yudelevich Shalk, actor and singer, b. in Vitebsk, 1926 Khatzkel Shalk Elizaveta Rafailovna Pasternak, born in Vitebsk in Chagall''s house, 1929
Bronya Yakovlevna Levina, born in Beshenkovich, Vitebsk oblast, 1925 lecture on Jewish music given by Dr. Nina Stepanskaya in Lida Gehat Baron, born in Ivye, Lida region, Grodno oblast, 1927, after WW2 repatriated to Israel Faina Efimovna Dvilyanskaya, born in Bobruisk, 1925, currenty lives in Lida Passionaria (Asia) Danilovna Saulkina, born in Lida, 1936, head of the local Jewish community coming to Novogrudok, Lida region Lev Isaakovich Baranchik, born in Novogrudok (Navaradok), Grodno region, 1924. His family is the last Jewish one in this town
Lidia Aleksandrovna Baranchik, Lev''s wife, born in Novogrudok (Navaradok), 1926 Vladimir Zinovyevich Kogan, the last klezmer (trumpet player) of Bobruisk, born in Bobruisk Two sisters from Pinsk singing together Nina Stepanskaya interviewing the sisters Maria (Malke) Radyshch, 95, sang a song "Beriozkale" Haim Krasilskiy, one of the last remaining native Pinskers, a chazzan in the local synagogue With Haim Krasilsky and his wife
Yankev Sverdlov, Brest, born in Shakovshchina, Vileyka region Mikhail Lantsevitskiy (Brest), born in Bycien, Poland (now Belarus) Yankev Sverdlov and Mikhail Lantsvitskiy (Brest, June, 2005) Odom Orlinskiy (Mozyr, 2006), born in Baranowicz, Poland (now Belarus) In Orsha Jewish community Elya Kagan (b.1914), Orsha, June, 2006 Isaac Gurevich playing marching tunes on the brass barytone
Igor (Isaac) Gurevich, head of Orsha Jewish community, klezmer (Orsha, June 2006) our eldest respondent (102 years old) from Orsha

Expeditions across Belarus

In 1997, I started recording elderly Jewish people who could contribute their recollections of Jewish music culture and perform music and songs related to the Litvakian (Lithuanian-Belarusian) region of Eastern Europe. In 2001, we joined our efforts with Dr. Nina Stepanskaya. And now, with generous support of the Hanadiv Charitable Foundation (UK) we are continuing to carry out this utmost important work.
On this page, you may take a look at some of interesting and vivid moments of our fieldwork.
To read a pop-up commentary, put your mouse on a photo thumbnail. To look at a larger picture, click the thumbnail.
Note: This page is being constantly updated, so try to check it out from time to time
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