Class photographs
Photos de classe » BKArr2editfh
The faces of the children on each photograph are ordered from the top row, and from left to right
How fragile are the traces of the past ?
La fragilité des traces du passé
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Cette photographie des archives familiales que ma mère a conservée pendant la guerre n’était pas datée non plus. Il s’agit d’une photo que Rosa Portnoi savait avoir été prise au gymasium Yavne où elle a dû entrer en septembre 1933, l’année où son directeur le Dr. Rafael Holtsberg-Etsyon a quitté la Lituanie pour la Palestine. Au centre le Professeur Hinde Rabinovitch (Rabinowitz?) qui apparaît sur de nombreuses photographies de classe et était elle même diplômée du gymnasium Yavne (document BKAVA1382-212 : Rabinovičiūtė Hinda le 22 juin 1926 non encore entre possession). Elle a enseigné la biologie ainsi que l’allemand
This photograph from the family archives was saved by the author’s mother through the war and was not dated either. Rosa Portnoi remembered it has been taken in the Gymnasium Yavne where she has entered in fall 1933, the very year its director Dr. Rafael Holtsberg-Etsyon left Lithuania for Palestine. In the center, the Professor Hinda Rabinovitch (Rabinowitz?) who appears on a number of photographs and was herself a graduate from the gymnasium Yavne (document BKAVA1382-212 : Rabinovičiūtė Hinda in June 22, 1926). She has taught biology as well as German language.
On this picture beginning from bottom left :
1st raw
1) Rosa Portnoi (1921, Telz-2013, Paris), mother of the author.
2) Blumke Vareyes, daughter of a cousin of Merè-Hayè Meyerowitz ( married with Isaac Rozenbaumas), grand-parents of author.
3) Lererke (teacher) Hinda Rabinovitz former student of Yavne Gymnasium whose diploma was delivered in 1926
4) not identified
5) not identified
2nd raw
1) Hassie Bloch identified by several of our surviving students including her cousins.
2)Recognized by Reyzele Berkman as Polivnik, she could be Sara-Miriam Polivnik as her photograph on the document resembles very much to the young girl on the class photograph.
3) not identified
4) Hennie Bloch, Daughter of Reb Elimelekh Blokh. She was shot a few weeks before the end of the ghetto. Outside of the ghetto, she was helping the girls inside, was denounced and tortured.
Source: Khaye (Bloch) Ausband.
Different witnesses – among them Yochebed Vareyes – have confirmed that Hennia was caught while hiding in a farm, and didn’t want to give details about her terrible end.
See Hennie Bloch’s diploma with photograph from 1940.
5) Myriam Kravitski- Kravickytė Mirijama.
in April 2012, Rosa Ziv (Rosa Zifaite, file 1382-442, still to come) has firmly recognized Myriam Kravitski, the daughter of Ephraim Kravitski, the Lukniker rabbi (the rabbi of Lukno). As the name of Mirijama Kravickyte appears also in the list of the diplomas (file 1382-168) delivered on June 15th, 1940, we may identify her for sure on the photograph of her diploma. Myriam was also identified by Sonia Toor (Sarah Yosolovitz), as Miriam used to live upstairs of her appartment.
Her signature on the document of the Museum Alka on the 1933 visit corroborates this identification.
6) not identified
7) Malke Shuster was identified on this photograh as a friend of Rosa Portnoi, the mother of the author. Unfortunately, by now, it was impossible to find her name on any class archive of the school.
She survived and immigrated to Israel. Married Litvine.
She also appears on this previous class photograph
Rosa also cherished this portrait of her. Picture of Malke made before the war probably sent to her girl friend Rosa Portnoi from Israel. This photograph was kept it preciously her whole life by Rosa. She only gave it to the author when her eyes became so bad that she wasn’t any more able to see it.
