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Approximately the first sixty pages of the Hebrew text are a general history of Radoshkowitz, beginning in the eighteenth century. After that, the book becomes a series of personal memoirs dealing with people, places and events, which may be important to genealogists. Illustrated with photos throughout. Belarus -- Radashkovichy. OCLC: 19204246 "I first came to Radoshkowitz at the age of ten, with my father, who took the post of rabbi. In the following years I came to know and to love it. The main street stretches diagonally from north to south. The street is tree-lined, and is part of the road from Vilna to Minsk. The side streets lead to fields and forests and some nondescript gentile neighborhoods. In the center are the markets and stores, and until the big fire in1851 some of the wealthiest residences stood there. They were replaced by plain, walled buildings which fit into the drab business section. Opposite, at the low end, stretched the spiritual center: synagogues and houses of learning. The old synagogue, tall and always dark, was a remnant of the Gothic era. It was in poor condition, and many a boy climbed through its unsafe back rooms for a smoke near the tower. On the day of the big fire, this building went up in flames and burned like a huge torch. After a big effort to collect funds for a new building, it was replaced with one made of stone and plaster, which in a short time developed holes and cracks, which were never tended to. Minsk, forty kilometers away, a town steeped in modern trade and culture, left its imprint on Radoshkowitz. Our people were pleasant; Hebrew and general education were part of us. Private Hebrew teachers and government public schools where Russian was taught, coexisted. Meetings with the gentile lords were short and cordial. They discussed meat, tariffs, profit distribution, repair of the bath house, etc. And in the evening people would meet in each others' homes for conversation, to play cards, etc. The young would roam the countryside and were very fond of swimming in the rivers. There was a feeling of satisfaction and calm which generally prevailed. And when I would return to Radoshkowitz from studies away, and see from afar the top of the Catholic church, a sense of peace and contentment would envelop me as I was coming home. A dozen years passed. The church still stands as a reminder of the loss which will never return". Seller Inventory # kh0j
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