Voices from Dora’s LettersBrest-Litofsk, Belarus 1936-1940

Dora/Dvora Volovelska , 1920-1942Perished in Ghetto Brest, Belarus

Part One: The

Family

December 1936 (excerpts from Dora’s letter in red)

“I beg your pardon for my long not writing. So it is, each man is occupied by his own work, and sometimes forgott even about sister. But when I recollected about you I feel that I am not in order according to you. Now when the father writes you a letter and I have time (it is the time of Winter holidays) I write you also a few words”.

And well might she forget a sister - Dora was born (1920) into a crowded house. A large family but one she was constantly saying goodbye to:

Mother

Father Paternal Grandfather

Step Grandfather

Half sister

Halfsister

Half sister

Half brother

Half sister

Libby / Lillian – U.S.A (photo -1925)• Dora could not have had any

real memories of her eldest half sister who immigrated to New-York circa 1924. Dora was born in 1920…

• “Thank you very much for the pictures, I was very happy with them. I showed them to my friends and they did not believe I have such beautiful sister. You look very fine and young”.

Moshe

• Unverified picture of the only brother.

• Immigrated to Argentina circa 1926

• Not mentioned in Dora’s letters.

Beileh / Bejia / Berta

• Born in 1911.• Immigrated to Argentina

on Feb. 24, 1927• (not yet clear if the stamp March

1927 signifies arrival or actual departure from port, probably Gdansk).

• Passport Photo.• Travelled on the

Alcantara.

Dora sends Lillian Beilah’s address as a married woman (the address is of the family business).

Feige / Zipora (Passport Photo)• Born circa 1912.• Immigrated to Israel in

1933 with a husband, a baby, books in Hebrew and a fiddle.

• “None of them does not live in such troubles as I. The same is with Bluma and Feige in Palestine and also with you in U.S.A.”

Zipora (in dark dress) with friend, 1927

• Zipora pleaded with her father to accept a steamer ticket for Dora and send her to “Eretz Israel” too. Her father refused.

• “From Palestine we have none letter. We hear very bad news from here, this also brings new troubles.”

Bluma

Bluma was born circa 1917.Immigrated to Israel in 1935.The last half-sister to leave.

(Photo with Dora, 1935)

Bluma (cont.)

• “Bluma is a very beautiful girl (so she was when she goes to Palestine, now I do not know). Now she is in Palestine, she must work hard and care for herself and what has she there? The same is with you. But better not to speak”.

The Grandfathers

• Tsoidek / Cadyk• Paternal Grandfather• Lived with the family,

became senile but remained strong. He would beat the children.

• Year of death currently unknown.

The Grandfathers

• Shia Krum• Father of the late first wife, Haya, who lived

with the family even after Nochim Meir married Dora’s mother.

• No picture found• Year of death currently unknown

Dora’s Mother

• “I am surely glad to hear from you good news, but my joy is mixed with a deep mourning because there passed nearly two months that my love mother died. The pitiful father he had built twice the life and what remained him. The children disseminated over the world , we remained two lonely lubu ???. Such is the lot”. (undated letter)

Dora’s Mother – Cont.

• We only learned of her name, Taube, from the Nazi Ghetto Records. All of the half siblings that fled home early referred to her as “The Evil Stepmother”.

• Dora writes of her mother’s illness in March 1939. From the context of the letters she passed away during the summer of 1939.

Only two family members were left

when the Nazi’s came.

Dora and her father, Nochim Meir (photo circa 1935)

To be continued…

This is part one of a work in progress.

• To read Dora’s complete letters go tohttp://visualisingideas.edublogs.org/category/who-were-you-dora/

Posted by Naomi Ganin-Epstein