Shalom Levin with his parents; Yehoshua (born in 1880 to
Yosef and Chaia) and Miryam, and sisters; Sonyah Hoffman and Leah Klein (on the right, today she lives
in Israel). The older brother, Aryeh, was the "pioneer". When this
photo was taken he was in Tel Aviv, preparing for absorbing the whole family.
From a
phone call to Leah in May of 2007; … My father; Yehoshua Levin, was born in Rakov to Yosef and Chaia.
He was sent to
study in a Yeshiva. He married Miryam (nee Shijenuk? maybe it was only the
married name of her sister) who was born in
Vileika. For the Vileika site;
http://www.eilatgordinlevitan.com/vileyka/vileyka.html
My father Yehoshua was an only son but had a few older sisters who lived in
Rakov, Smorgon and Vilna.
My mother Miryam had a mother who lived in Vileika, a brother in Vilna, and
sisters in Vileika. I never met my grandmother. My older sister visited her a
few times in Vileika.
My father Yehoshua was a Yeshiva bachur who spent his days diligently studying
the Torah. After they were married they settled in Rakov. The father of
Yehoshua had a business in Rakov, which supported the young couple. My father
was ready for a life of studies.
Daughter Sonia was born in 1910.
Son Aryeh was born in 1912
Son Shalom was born in 1916
Daughter Leah ( me , the youngest) was born in 1920.
During the 1920s' my grandfather Yosef passed away and my father Yehoshua was
forced to run the
business that his father left him. His Torah studies were not a proper
introduction to running a business. The business failed and Yehoshua
was forced to look for other ways to support his family. In 1930 we moved to
Smorgon were Yehoshua sister; Nechama Chertok lived.
Yehoshua worked for his brother in law ( Moshe) who had a very successful
business, dealing with Flax.
Both sons were sent to study in Yeshivas. They were reluctant
students; they much preferred the secular socialist Zionist Youth
movements, and Hebrew studies. Aryeh joined the Hachshara and made
Aliyah. My parents were not able to afford to pay for their daughters
studies and I was sent to the public Polish school in Smorgon. My
best friend in Smorgon ( and later in Israel) was Batia Rodensky ( the
sister of the actor Shmuel Rodensky )
A friend of Aryeh from Smorgon, who also made Aliyah, returned to
Smorgon for a visit and fictitiously married Sonia so she could come
back with him to Palestina.
After encountering much difficulties from the British Aryeh was
finally able to obtain papers for our parents to join him in 1936.
They were able to bring me with them since I was still under age ( I was 16).
Before we left they visited the brother of my mother Miryam.
He passed away from illness shortly after.
As soon as the family arrived Aryeh enrolled me in Hebrew
classes in Gimnasia Herzelia.
My grandmother (Miryams' mother) passed away in Vileika a few years before the
war.
Rivka Shinyuk was Miryams' sister. In June 23rd, of 1941, as the
Germans attacked Russia, Rivka and her two younger children escaped
from Vileika by train. The train was full with the Soviet officials
(there was a train station in Vileika, a busy municipal city during
the Soviet Years 1939- 1941 ). The train took them deep into Soviet
territory, away from the war.
for Rivkas' picture;
http://www.eilatgordinlevitan.com/vileyka/vil_pix/vilp_55_b.gif
Rivka and her children survived the war in Russia and joined Rivkas'
older children in Israel a few years after the war. Her youngest daughter is
alive and well.
From the net;
Dr. Shalom
Levin was born in Rakov in 1916. He attended the Mir Yeshiva and the Tarbut
school. He later attended a school for teachers in Vilna. He was a member of
Hachalutz Hazair.
Shalom took an active part in the
movement. He was one of the leaders of Hachlutz in Poland. His younger brother
Aryeh was the trailblazer of he family. He made Aliyah first (eventually living
in Beer Sheva) the parents and two sisters followed after a few years. Shalom
was the last to come, he made
aliyah in 1937 with Hachalutz Hazair.
Shalom Levins’ Polish passport. It was found in the 'Passports'
collection in the Archives of the Jewish Historical Institute of Poland (Warsaw). The
archives consists of 3,754 Polish passports issued primarily during the 1930s
to Polish citizens going to what was then British Mandate Palestine.
‘
He joined "Plugot HaYam" which in 1939 became Kibbutz Afek. He was a
teacher in Kfar Yehoshua, Kibbutz Dgania and Jerusalem. He was also a
"noter" (guarding the Kibutzim and Moshavim) as part of the Yizrael
valley
special police ( "Hayeshovim"
police).
During the war of independence he took part in the defense of
Jerusalem. Later on he became a "Cultural officer" in the IDF.
He attended the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and received a Masters
degree in the History of Israel, bible studies and literature. He was
the General Secretary of Teachers Union, 1955-1980 and President of
International Federation of Teachers Unions, 1963-1968.
In 1976 he received a PhD. in the philosophy of education.
Member of Organizing Committee of the Histadrut, 1977-1981
He was a teacher in the School for Teachers named for Eshkoli, in
Jerusalem. He was also a teacher in the Teachers' Seminary in Petach
Tikva named for Shein and the Levinsky educational institute in Tel
Aviv. President of the Teachers Union (1980)
Lecturer in the education department of the Tel Aviv University.
Member of Central Committee and Secretariat of Mapai
Member of Central Committee of the Labor Party
Member of the Knesset 7 and 8 (1969- 1977)
Shalom received awards and honorary degrees; amongst them the Masada
award from Germany and an educational award from the Mayors' office in
Tel Aviv.
Shalom
encouraged the student to study the holocaust and fight against
anti-Semitism.
There
is award named after him for studies of the Shoah and the fight against
anti-Semitism.
Shalom
passed away on Passover eve, April 14th, 1995
Publications;
"Morality and Molding Moral Character" (Heb) (1978)
Many articles on education in various publications
A yad Vashem
report by Yehoshua Levin;
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Kantarovicz Sarah |
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Yad Vashem
reports by Shalom Levin;
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Elijahu Chertok was born
in Lukasei (rakow), Poland in 1900 to Moshe and Nekhama. He was a merchant
and married to Ester nee Remez. Prior to WWII he lived in Wilno, Poland.
Elijahu perished in the Shoah. This information is based on a Page of
Testimony (displayed to the left) submitted by his relative Shalom Levin, 5
Mosinzon Street- Tel Aviv
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Yad Vashem reports by his brother; Aryeh
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Cantarovicz Berka |
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He married
Dima ( Dimona nee Shelly, born in 1920 passed away in 1989)
Son Yoav
Lavie was born in 1946.
Daughter
Naama Erez was born in 1952.
A note from
his son;
Thank you
for this information!
I know that
the relatives of Eliyahoo Chertok live in the US. Becoming an American citizen,
their grandfather had changed his surname to Charnoff. Adam Charnoff, one of
them, lives in NYC.
I presume
that the relatives of Cantarovicz are the Cantors. Dan Cantor lived in Florida
(a well known Jewish donor). Mel Cantor lives in NYC, his probable address is
…. Greenwich St. #6N,
If I am not
wrong, my father lived for a while with Eliyahoo Chertok when he was a young
boy in Vilna, during his studies in Tarbut.
How did you
get the copy of Yad-Vashem Daf-Ed that was reported by my father? (Yes, this is
his hand-writing)
Yoav