Zeival Smushkevich

Zeival Smushkevich was the son of Aron Smushkevich.

1865 – 1941

Zolotonosha, the Ukraine

Zeival Smushkevish was born in the Poltava region (the Ukraine) in1865 when he lived all his life. He was tall and a handsome man with blue eyes and brown hair which turn gray in old age. After death of his wife he was a widower with son Yankil. He was married second time to Basya-Dvoyra and they lived in small town Pyratin, then they moved to another small town Zolotonosha. They, like many people at that time, had a big family: tree daughter and five sons. He and his wife worked very hard to brought up their children. Despite hard work the family lived in poverty. They were good parents but they did not have a possibility to provided enough food to their children. His wife gave their children milk only where they were sick. She often could not give them good food and told them that nobody could see what you put in your stomach. They lived a difficult life but Basya tried that their house was clean and cozy.

Zeival was a very kind and affectionate person, his children often went to him with their problems and even his daughters shared their little secretes with him. He forgave people offences and he had never had a grudge against somebody. He told his children that if somebody offends them to forget it and make (do) them good and they would be ashamed of it.

Zeival was a very honest man. After the Revolution the rich relative of his wife gave him to save his money (rubles in gold). It was a difficult time, the family did not have enough money to buy food but it was out of question to spend other person money.

His brother Leibal who went to the USA for a better life invited Zeival to immigrate. But Zeival had a big family and he was afraid of immigration.

Zeival and his family lived a typical life for Jewish families in the shtetl but Zeival and his wife wrote dates of birth all his children. It’s rare for Jewish families in the shtetl.

Zeival made his living to carry provisions (food products) by horse for private businesses. Sometimes he worked as a manager at a factory of his wife rich relatives.

After the Revolution in 1917 he carried food products for cooperation. Also to get additional money he gathered medicinal herbs and then sold them. Zeival and his wife taught their children independence. Their grandson Vladimir Kotlyarenko and their granddaughter Polina Golub recalled that their mother Feiga Smushkevich was sent for training and then to work for dressmaker in age 13. Their mother earnings (3 rubles per week) helped the family to live.

After the Revolution their children had a possibility to left the Pale of Settlement. Young generation of his family moved to Moscow. Their children studied, got professions, worked and created families in Moscow. They wanted their parents to move to Moscow and live with them but Zeival and his wife did not want to leave place when they live almost all their life and they stayed in Zolotonosha. But children tried to go and see their parents almost every year. Sometimes the big family gathered in the parents’ home and Zeival and Basya gave their children and especially grandchildren their love.

When War World II started all children wanted that their parents came to Moscow and another relatives who lived in Zolotonosha invited them to evacuate together. But Zeival and Basya remembered the Germans during World War I. They thought that the Germans could not hurt old persons. In 1918 the Germans stayed in their house and did not offended them. Besides It was difficult for them to evacuate because in 1940 Basya had a stoke and she was partially paralyzed.

The Nazi occupied Zolotonosha in the first months of the War. It was the end of July or beginning of August 1941. After couple days of an occupation the Nazi gathered all Jewish men and forced them to dig ditches on the outskirts of Zolotonosha. This ditches became a mass grave for Jews. Zeival and Basya were killed together with another Jews. It was a tragedy for their children when they knew a fate of their parents after liberation of Zolotonosha from the Nazi. Zeival and Basya were gone but they stayed alive of the memories of their children and now their grandchildren.

Now part of Zeival descendants has stayed in Moscow and another part has immigrated to the

USA.