Additional revision lists for nine other towns in the Oshmiany District
remain to be translated. Needed is a coordinator for the Oshmiany District
Research Group. If you are interested in filling the post, or can recommend
someone who may be willing to serve, please contact Howard Margol:
HOMARGOL@aol.com
I shall be happy to work with a new coordinator until he/she is comfortable
in the role.

If you wish information about the Oshmiany District Research Group
and the data it has generated, please contact me.

I am trying to locate the following five members of the Oshmiany District Group whose email addresses are no longer valid: Jerry Caplan, Edward M. Kaplan, Allyson Levin, Ronna Newburger, Donald Stone. Any help with contact information will be much appreciated.

Olga Zabludoff
Temporary coordinator, Oshmiany District
Washington, DCage

Alec BERMAN originally BERKMAN was born in Vishnevoin 1886 . He had a
sister called Goodie
http://www.vaughanfamilytree.net/russell/berkman-berman-somehow-connected-.html
Here is what I have pieced together so far based on family interviews,
emails and FACTS from various documents

Goodie Berman - Marriage certificate - Goodie BERMAN (aka Lily) born
1882 married Joseph FOREMAN at the East London Synagogue 4th March
1906 her father is recorded as Simon Berman (Teacher) address South
Street, New North Road, Islington.

Alexander Berkman arrived in the UK around 1904/5 he was known as Alec
Berman from a sworn statement in his application for naturalisation he
stated that he went to work with his brother Lewis of South Street,
New north road as a tailor for three years.

Yishayahu Leib HaLevi was the Hebrew name of Alec Bermans father from
gravestone, so Yishayahu Leib HaLevi is Schaya Leib Berkman his wife
was Chaya Laya Berkman.

I have traced Simon BERMAN and his wife Kitty on the 1891 and 1901
census and by 1901 yes they lived at south street but Simon was a
Tailor and there was no mention of a Goodie and nobody (well the
people I have spoken too) in Simons direct descendants remember a
goodie. Simon was born in Ivyanyets (Ivenets), Minsk, Belarus and
according to family lore Simon came over around 1882 and married a
girl here!! (UK)

Kitty BERMAN (nee BERMAN b abt 1866) and Simon (Sakolovitz) BERMAN b
abt 1867 simon took his wife's name. I have not been able to find a
marriage certificate for Kitty and Simon. Although their first born's
birth certificate was corrected in 1915 from BELLMAN and I have seen
them recorded on the 1891 census as BEARMAN.

They had 6 children all born in London

Alec b19th Oct 1887
Leah b 7th Dec 1890
Esther 23rd Oct 1892
Sophy 25th Dec 1894
Mark 17th Nov 1896
Rose 11th Nov 1898

So at first looking at the dates I thought that Alec and Goodie could
be other siblings. Then I went to Kew and got Alec BERMAN/BERKMANs
naturalisation application and when asked in 1927. Have you any
brothers or sisters in foreign countries?

He answered

Brothers; Aron aba BERKMAN 30 was married in Poland, Rabbi Samuel
GERSHON (last name VERY difficult to read) 26 married in Poland Beny
BERMAN 48 married, residing in New York (USA)

So looking at the dates it is unlikely that Simon BERMAN was Goodies
father!! Alecs father is recorded as Schaya Leib BERKMAN and Yishayahu
Laib HaLevi

Beny Berman abt 1879
Goodie Berman abt 1882
Alec Berman (Alexander Berkman) abt 1886
Aron Aba Berkman abt 1897
Samuel Gershon abt 1901

Moving on; Alec BERMAN also stated in his application that he came to
England in 1905 and after a few days went to work with his Brother
Lewis BERMAN of South Street, New North Road, in which employment
(tailoring) he continued for three years.

So Alec Berman and his sister are connected to my Simon BERMAN
probably through his wife her father was Isaac.

With all this information I still can't connect Simon or Kitty with
Alec or Goodie (Simon and Kitty Berman are Russells gt gt
grandparents)

These are the things that are inconsistent

Goodie stated on her wedding certificate that Simon BERMAN was her
father, Could this just have been a mistake? Why might she have said
simon was her father?
Alec stated that he had a brother called Lewis I suppose Lewis could
possibly be Beny!! (looked on Ellis island and found nothing that
matched.)

Both Arnolds father and the declaration confirm a brother was already
here (Lewis in the documents and Pesach in the family, Alec also
attested that brother Beny was in New York by 1927)

one last nugget Goodie (Lily) may have re-married a Jack GOLDMAN but I
have as yet found nothing to help my research No lily and Jack Goldman
that fits.

There is a link here but as yet I SILL can't see it!!
This research started when I spoke to a 2nd cousin about family
history Edna STOLTZMAN (nee Edwina Harvey) and she said that her
grandmother Esther Berman had once said that her Husband Ians
grandfather Alec Berman and her were cousins.

When she first met her husband. Her grandmother told her that his (the
future husbands) maternal grandfather was her cousin (the grandmother)
and had lived with her family when he first came to England. I was
told by another relative that this man Alec BERMAN had a sister and a
brother who was a Rabbi and went back to Poland and perished in the
war. In another interview I was told there also may have been a
brother had gone to America.

Freda (Ians mum , Alec daughter) says that Alec had a sister that she
knew as 'Aunty Goody' and she doesn't remember her real name or her
married name. Apparently there was also a brother who lived in Poland
or Germany and he came here in 1936 and Alec said don't go back, stay
here but the brother went back and was lost in the camps. He was
apparently a Rabbi.

Arnold Berman (Alec Bermans grandson) told me "My grandfather Alec,
and his brother, who we think was called Pesach, worked for their
uncle when they first came over to England. The uncle was manager at
a large firm of mantle makers. The 2 brothers left because of low
wages and Pesach immigrated to the USA.

Arnolds family - Auntie Goody's real name we think was Tsipka, my
booba, Leah (Alec's wife) called her this, but my dad thinks that
maybe she called her this as part curse, because she didn't consider
that 'Goody' had supported her when she lost 2 children at young ages
(9 and11) from diptheria. her name may have been a longer form like
'Sopora'
http://www.vaughanfamilytree.net/russell/berkman-berman-somehow-connected-.html

1. Sarah Berkman ( perished in the Shoah) Sara nee Zeidelman lived in
Wilno, Poland.

2. Feiwel Berkman was born in Wiszniew in 1896 to Shmuel and Rakhel.
He was a wood merchant and married to Batia. Prior to WWII he lived in
Wilno, Poland. During the war he was in Bialistok, Poland. Feiwel
perished in 1942 in Bialistok, Poland. This information is based on a
Page of Testimony submitted on 15-Oct-1957 by his sister.

3. Israel Berkman; Israel Berkman was born in Wiszniew in 1901 to
Shmuel and Rakhel. He was a wood merchant and married to Feiga and had
one daughter. Prior to WWII he lived in Wilno, Poland.Israel perished
in 1941 in Wilno, Poland. This information is based on a Page of
Testimony submitted on 15-Oct-1957 by his sister.

4. Shmuel Berkman Birth: 1870
Vishneva, Poland Death: October, 1941 (71)
Vilna (Murdered by the Nazis)
Son of Anshel Berkman and Ida Berkman
Husband of Reichel Berkman
Father of Szepsol (Shabtai) Berkman, Feiwel Berkman, Israel Berkman,
Chana Berkman, Batya (Bertha) Dudai-Dudman Fania Rapoport and Hinda
Novogrudsky

5. Szepsel Berkman was born in Wiszniew in 1890 to Shmuel and Rakhel.
He was an accountant and married to Sara nee Zeidelman. Prior to WWII
he lived in Wilno, Poland. During the war he was in Wilno, Ghetto.
Szepsel perished in 1943 in Kovno, Lithuania. This information is
based on a Page of Testimony submitted on 15-Oct-1957 by his sister.

6. Batya Bertha Dudai-Dudman (nee Berkman)(1908 -1989) with family
and friends. She was the daughter of Shmuel Berkman and Reichel
Berkman Wife of Aharon Zvi (Arkadi-Hirsh) Dudman-Dudai

We are working on a documentary film that tells the childhood stories
of individual survivors of the Holocaust and we would like to use the
image of the Lag Baomer parade in Vishnevo we found on your site to
help illustrate one of the stories.

#vf-5
Lag Baomer parade in Vishnevo.
http://www.eilatgordinlevitan.com/vishnevo/v_images/62vish_b.gif
We would be grateful if you could help us by providing the information
about where you were able to locate the original photograph, or how we
may be able to obtain a high quality scan of the photograph.

Thank you for your time in responding to this inquiry. We appreciate
the hard work you put in to collecting the memories of the past.

Best Regards,

Artem Zuev
Assistant Editor
me@artemzuev.com
323-717-8027

Isaac Hertz
Director
310-584-8006
1522 2nd Street
Santa Monica, CA. 90401

From: Hayley Rothman <hayley.rothman@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Aug 23, 2011 at 7:11 PM
Subject: Vishnevo information - Family inquiry (Rudnick - Podbereski)
To: egl.comments@gmail.com

Hi Eilat,

First I'd like to thank you for your website! It has helped me very much in my ancestral research. I have some information and first-hand stories that I think might be helpful for your website.

I have been focusing most of my research on my mother's paternal grandmother's family. Her maiden name was Rudnick/Rudnik. She was born in Vishnevo in 1885 and immigranted to NY probably around 1900-1905. All of her siblings immigrated as well except for one brother, Joseph/Yosef. I have found old handwritten letters from him describing what life was like in Vishnevo from the late 1930's - early 1940's. There are 10 letters total. He and his entire family died when the Germans invaded Vishnevo in 1942. Only one daughter (Rebecca) survived, she ran into the woods and lived with the partisans. She eventually immigrated to Israel. The 10th letter is from her telling us what happened to her family and where she went after running away. I only have 2 letters translated. I am trying to find someone who is able to translate the other 8 letters. I want to be able to share her story and I think your website might be the one of the only places where it might be appreciated.

Also, I have searched the Vad Vashem Holocaust database and Rebecca submitted several pages of testimony and one was for her sister Sheina Rudnick who was married to a Itzchak Podbereski/Podberesky. I also see that there is a person(s) names Zusman and Zisla/Zisa Podbereski and Gedalia Dudman also giving testimonies for several of my family members. I noticed that these people are mentioned on your website. I was hoping to find information about these people and their relationship to my family.

I hope and look forward to hearing from you.
Best regards,
Hayley Rothman
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Yosef Rudnik was born in Wiszniew to Meir and Khana. He was a butcher and married to Kuni. Prior to WWII he lived in Wiszniew, Poland. During the war he was in Wiszniew, Poland. Yosef was murdered in 1942 in Wiszniew, Poland. This information is based on a Page of Testimony (displayed on left) submitted by his daughter.

Shimon Rudnik was born in Wiszniew. He was an agriculturist and married to Charna. Prior to WWII he lived in Wiszniew, Poland. During the war he was in Wiszniew, Poland. Shimon was murdered in Wiszniew, Poland at the age of 35. This information is based on a Page of Testimony (displayed on left) submitted by his sister
Sara Rudnik was born in Wiszniew. She was single. Prior to WWII she lived in Wiszniew, Poland. During the war she was in Wiszniew, Poland. Sara was murdered in Wiszniew, Poland at the age of 20. This information is based on a Page of Testimony submitted by her sister Riva BALTERISKI
Kuni Rudnik was born in Viszniev * in 1870 to Shimon and Rivka. She was a housewife. Prior to WWII she lived in Viszniev *, Poland. During the war she was in Viszniev *, Poland. Kuni was murdered in 1942 in Viszniev *, Poland. This information is based on a Page of Testimony (displayed on left) submitted by her daughter Riva.
Pinkhas Rudnik. He was a yeshiva student and single. During the war he was in Vishniva, Poland. Pinkhas was murdered in the Shoah at the age of 25. This information is based on a Page of Testimony (displayed on left) submitted by his sister Riva
Shifra Ruchnik was born in Vishniva. She was married to Khoni. Shifra was murdered in Vishniva, Poland at the age of 30. This information is based on a Page of Testimony (displayed on left) submitted by her sister.
ource Pages of Testimony
Last Name PODBERESKI
First Name SHEINA
Maiden Name* RIEDNIK
Gender Female
Place of Birth WISZNIEWICE,CHELM,LUBLIN,POLAND
Marital Status MARRIED
Spouse's First Name AIZIK
Spouse's First Name* YITZKHAK
Permanent Place of Residence WISZNIEWICE,CHELM,LUBLIN,POLAND
Place during the war WISZNIEWICE,CHELM,LUBLIN,POLAND
Place of Death WISZNIEWICE,CHELM,LUBLIN,POLAND
Type of material Page of Testimony
Submitter's Last Name BALTERISKI
Submitter's First Name RIVA
Submitter's First Name* RIVKA
Relationship to victim SISTER

Elka Dawidson was born to Chaim and Yehudit nee Rudnik. She was a child. Prior to WWII she lived in Wilno, Poland. During the war she was in Poland. Elka was murdered in the Shoah at the age of 15. This information is based on aShifra Ruchnik was born in Vishniva. She was married to Khoni. Shifra was murdered in Vishniva, Poland at the age of 30. This information is based on a Page of Testimony (displayed on left) submitted by her sister. Page of Testimony her sister Pola
.Lejb Rudnick was born in Wiszniew. Prior to WWII he lived in Poland. During the war he was in Wiszniew, Poland. Lejb was murdered in 1942 in Wiszniew, Poland. This information is based on a Page of Testimony (displayed on left) submitted by his granddaughter Pola.
Sara Rudnik was born in Wisznewe in 1922 to Yosef. She was single. Prior to WWII she lived in Wisznewe, Poland. During the war she was in Wisznewe, Poland. Sara was murdered in 1942 in Wisznewe, Poland. This information is based on a Page of Testimony (displayed on left) submitted by her community member.
Tzipora nee Rudnik was born in Wolozyn in 1900 to Leiba and Buna. She was a merchant and married to Moshe Bor. Prior to WWII she lived in Wiszniew, Poland. During the war she was in Wiszniew, Poland. Tzipora was murdered in 1942 in Wiszniew, Poland. This information is based on a Page of Testimony (displayed on left) submitted by her daughter, a Shoah survivor.
Cheina wrote"
We whispered to each other and the men said we must escape, no matter what. When we left Itzganzova, someone yelled, “Hurrah hurrah.” It was my cousin Berl. The men started running and a few succeeded but Berl was shot. He had a bullet in his intestines and he fell next to me, gravely wounded. He lay on the ground, begging, “Cheina, save me.” But I stood frozen next to him, my eyes saw it, but I could not come any closer to him. And soon a death rattle came over him. He shook with unbearable pain right next to me until his soul departed. When we returned to Bogdonova after an hour and a half, we saw him lying there at the place where he fell, but now he had no shoes and no coat, as the local people had taken them. From all the other men, all succeeded to escape except Hanan Ohishiskin, who was now with us. So now we were seven girls and one guy being taken to be killed. What did each one of us think while we were going to our deaths? To tell you the truth we were so confused and frozen with fear that we could not comprehend our situation. To say it simply, it's as if our ability to think was diminished and oblivion filled our skull. Our feet walked android-like.
When we passed near the Jewish cemetery, one of us, Riva (Rivka) Rodanick, started crying and begged the Feldpebble (rank of some kind?), “Please have pity on us and kill us right here in the cemetery.”
“No” answered the Feldpebble, “The game must take place on the same stage.”

On December 16 2013 my mother Mina (Milikowsky) Podberesky passed away at the age of 92. She was likely the last living survivor of the Nazi liquidation of the Vishnevo ghetto in 1942.
 
Sam Podberesky

From: <straczynski@aol.com>

My name is Joe Straczynski, son of Charles, who I believe you corresponded with and posted material from on your website concerning the massacre at Vishnevo.
 
There is no simple way to say this, so I will simply say it: you have been used by my father (recently passed) in a way that is both very serious and profoundly evil.
 
In going over his effects, and from past discussions with relatives, it became very clear to me that he was not an innocent bystander at Vishnevo, but was, in fact, one of the participants.  In the bio he posted (which I actually wrote at his behest while I was still in high school, but which he later claimed as his own) he mentions living and working among the German soldiers at the Bogdanova train station.  What he does not mention, but which I have uncovered, is that the soldiers there practically adopted him: they made him a uniform, gave him a Swastika, and he would go out with them beating Jews.  On the day of the massacre, he eagerly went with them, and at one point, by all accounts I have been able to piece together, helped man the machine gun placed atop a WW1 memorial bunker.
 
My father, for all the years I knew him and afterward, was a rabid anti-Semite, blaming Jews for everything wrong in the world.  He kept the uniform his entire life, and made virtual shrines of his Nazi memorabilia (a photo of one of these, which came to me after his passing, is attached).  Growing up in the same house with him, I often heard him rhapsodize about the Nazis and his time with the German soldiers, though he would stop short regarding Vishnevo, details I was only able to piece together much later.
 
When he posted online the Vacation story that I wrote on his behalf, from his verbal descriptions, I noticed it showing up on Google searches, but never gave it much thought until I saw that he had even further amended/altered the Vishnevo sections to distance himself from the situation, especially after some survivors, on a couple of sites, challenged his description that he was standing on the bunker by himself when they were there and saw that this was where the machine-gun fire was coming.  He quickly signed off several of those sites, never to return.
 
I believe he came to you for several reasons.  First, as a brutal man (a wife beater and racist), his pathology was such that he would always try to elicit sympathy from the very people he abused.  That fed into his needs.  Second, I think he was afraid that some might figure out his true role in the massacre, and was looking to you to help edit out or eliminate anything on your site that might point to his involvement or location at the site of the massacre.  Do you recall getting any such emails from him "correcting" reports or comments about that bunker or his position? 
 
He was also trying to use his "experiences" at the massacre to try and solicit reparations/fees from the German government.  He was a noted scam artist who could be very convincing and seem very sympathetic, but that was nowhere near the truth of the matter.
 
I hate to bring this unhappy news your way, but I felt someone should correct the record and try to undo some of the damage he has done.  My father was probably the most evil man I have ever known, and I regret that you fell into one of his many, *many* deceptions.
 
Regards,
 
 
joe straczynski

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Daniel L. Srebnick <dan@islenet.com>
Date: Tue, Aug 4, 2015 at 3:18 PM
Subject: Geographical coordinates of Vishnevo
To: egl.comments@gmail.com

Hello:
 
I have some family who may have come from Vishnevo and I am trying to determine whether the location of the town then is the same as now.
 
According to you website, the coordinates are: Latitude: 541/408' Longitude: 261/414', but this is not a notation that I have seen or understand.  I am sure that the first part is 54 N 26 E, but I don’t know if the remainder is in hours, minutes, seconds or is supposed to be decimal.  Do you have any additional information or can you clarify?
 
The current town of Vishnevo is at 54.7167N 25.5333E according to another source.
 
Thanks for any clarity that you can provide.
 
Regards,
 
Dan Srebnick
Dear Daniel,

In 2005 I have been to Vishnevo
(Latitude 54°08´, Longitude 26°14´ as I posted on the Vishnevo shtetlink page. It should be also read as  54 1/4 08' Longitude: 26 1/4 14', my mistake is not spacing it right on my other Vishnevo page)
. It is in the same location that it was always ( between Vilnius/ Vilna and Minsk, on the Belarussian side of the border near Volozhin) . Former president of Israel Shimon Peres, who was born in Vishnevo when it was under Polish control, also visited the place about the same time.  There was a S/ Shrebnick family in the general area;
See pictures of some family members; http://www.eilatgordinlevitan.com/kurenets/k_pages/srebnik.html
Also; From: CV Plus <sales@cvplus.com.au>
Date: Thu, Jan 1, 2015 at 2:37 PM
Subject: Shrebnick
To: egl.comments@gmail.com
Hi Eilat
 
Thank you for your efforts.
 
My grandmother was a Shrebnick who married a Benjamin Foreman in about 1918.  from what I can find on the web. I am trying to find descendants who know something of the family history.
 
My dad, who has passed away, was orphaned at age 15 months and so had no idea.
 
Do you have any advice on how I should proceed?
 
Thank you
 
Regards
Alan Foreman