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Spektor Family
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Badana nee Pitov was the daughter of Keila nee Spektor/ Levitan, she
was born in Kurenets c 1902. Badana came to Eretz Israel in 1924 and
married Yaakov Dori (1899–1973) (Hebrew: ???? ????‎) who was the first
Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

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City Kaunas
Photographer Gorshayn
Description Portrait of Gaon Rav Yitschok Elchonon Spektor, a religious leader for Russian Jewry. (From an album of photographs from an orphanage named after him.)

Date 1927
City Kaunas
Photographer Gorshayn
Description Portrait of boys at prayer at the Rabbi Yitschok Elchonon Spektor Orphanage: boys wearing 'tfiln' (phylacteries) praying from prayerbooks; (l) a boy with a 'tales' (prayer shawl) stands before a 'neyrtomed' (eternal light). (From an album.)
Rav Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor of Kovna
Chief rabbi of Kovno, Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Spektor (1817-1896)
Was born in Rosi in Grodno region
 (from the internet)
Chapter 12 from; The Rosh Yeshiva Remembers
Chief rabbi of Kovno, Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Spektor (1817-1896)
By Rabbi Asher BergmanÂÂ
Rabbi Paysach Krohn, in the first book of his classic Maggid Series, relates the story of Rav Yitzchak Elchonon Spektor, the Kovno Rav. Under Russian law, all young men were obliged to enlist in the army. Besides the obvious ubiquitous threat of violent death, maintaining any semblance of religious observance in the army was virtually impossible. The only way out was an exemption from army service. Yaakov, a student who was much beloved by his rebbi, Rav Yitzchak Elchonon, applied for an exemption. Moscow did not immediately respond to the request, and each day Yaakov's friends, together with their beloved Rebbe, Rav Yitzchak Elchonon, waited to hear any news of whether Yaakov's exemption was accepted. One afternoon, Rav Yitzchak Elchonon was engrossed in a Rabbinic litigation. He sat together with Rav Elya Boruch Kamai, the Rav of Mir, and a third distinguished Rav. They were litigating a complex problem involving two wealthy businessmen. Both side was willing to compromise, and for hours the three Rabbis attempted to find an amicable yet halachically acceptable resolution. Suddenly, the door opened and a young man stuck his head into the room. As soon as he saw Rav Yitzchak Elchonon, he excitedly addressed him. "Rebbi!" he exclaimed. "We just got the news, Yaakov was granted an exemption!" Rav Yitzchak Elchonon breathed a sigh of relief and said with a radiant smile, as he showered him with blessings. "May G-d bless you for bringing this wonderful news. May you merit long years and good health. Thank you ever so much!" The boy left smiling, glad that he had made his rebbi so happy. Immediately the Rabbis resumed deliberations in an attempt to resolve the din Torah. A few minutes later, another student opened the door. Not knowing that his rebbi already knew the news, he apologized for interrupting saying he had something very important to share. Then he announced with joy, "Rebbi, we've gotten word that Yaakov is exempt!" Rav Yitzchak Elchonon replied with just as much enthusiasm as he had the first time. "How wonderful!" He showered him with blessings as well. "May G-d bless you for bringing this wonderful news. May you merit long years and good health. Thank you ever so much!" The boy closed the door and left, beaming with joy that he had made his rebbi so happy. Five minutes later, yet a third boy entered the room. "Rebbi, did you hear? Yaakov is exempt!" Once again Rav Yitzchak Elchonon smiled broadly and blessed the boy for the wonderful news.. He thanked him and blessed him in the exact manner as with the previous boys. Six times, different boys came in with the same news, each one anticipating the happiness their rebbi would feel at the news, each one not aware that others had preceded him. Rav Yitzchak Elchonon smiled at each boy, expressed his gratitude and made him feel as important as the first one. The Ponovez Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Eliezer Schach, of blessed memory, once explained in a talk to his students that the attention to the honor of a fellow Jew is one of the most important lessons we can learn. Therefore the Torah repeated and repeated each and every Nasi with the same enthusiasm to teach us the importance of respect for the individual. And now
http://64.233.161.104/custom?q=cache:GNpus9w3f7oJ:torah.org/learning/drasha/5762/naso.html+spektor+kovno&hl=en&ie=UTF-8 Drasha - Naso - 5762 - Torah.org The Spektor Family of Kurenets
The Story of Dina (also Dinkah/Dinka) nee Spektor Dreilich, from Yehudah Cheres’ book, And the Shtetl is BurningI was born in Kurenets in the Vileyka-Vilna area. At the time I was born it was part of Poland. Kurenetes was a small town and most residents were pretty poor. The majority were Jews that supported themselves with stores. There were a few that worked in offices, in education, and social services. The town was surrounded by villages where most of the population was of Belarussian origin. The high officers and the authorities at the time when I was growing up were Polish people who were sent from the western part of Poland to run the place.
The Jews spoke amongst themselves Yiddish and seldom Polish. The youth studied Hebrew and very much wanted to live the Hebrew culture. The youth movements were very developed and there was a strong attachment to the Land of Israel. Most of the children studied in the Hebrew school, Tarbut, and were deeply ingrained in the language and the Zionist ideology. Since the town was small, almost everyone knew the entire population. A few words about the Cheres family who I’m writing about: I knew the parents very well as well as the three daughters and Yehudah, the youngest and only soon. The father, Shalom Cheres, who came from Dolhinov, was a simple Jew, very honest and hard-working, and very dedicated to his family. He was a glazier, and would use a horse and buggy to come to the different villages to fix the windows and also to sell certain glass products. The family, like most families in town, lived a modest life, but despite that, they always seemed to be very happy. The older girls, Dvoshka (Dorothy) and Itka, studied in the school Tarbut. My father (Nathan Spektor, Z�L) was a teacher of Torah in the school, as well as my older sister Esther Spektor, who later on joined the staff at the Tarbut school. Hundreds of children of the town were educated by here, but tragically, most of them perished in the Holocaust, and she was amongst them.
The sleepy, relaxed sort of life continued until the year 1939, when the war started, and even then, after the Russians came, things didn’t change much. But then, when the Germans attacked Russia, our world was turned upside down. Shortly after they entered the town, they announced new rules against Jews, and from then on, they started systematically killing the population, and many of the local, non-Jews became their collaborators. The main actzia (killing) took place in 9/9/1942, three days before Rosh Hashanah. On that day, about one thousand forty people were killed, which was most of the population of Jewish Kurenets. More than a hundred people succeeded in escaping and hiding in basements, attics, and some of them were later caught by local farmers who brought them to the Nazis, who killed them. Others escaped. Amongst them was the Cheres family, who survived greatly because of the familiarity of Shalom Cheres with the environs of the forest. They survived there for almost two years of deprivation, living in a state of starvation and through two very cold winters, hiding outdoors until the area was freed in the summer of 1944.
I, Deena, was amongst the few who survived. I was in the camp in Vileyka with my sister Sarah, my brother Koppel, and my brother Eliyau. Both of my brothers were strong like lions, and since we were all in very good condition and able to work any kind of job, the Germans used us for hard labor. From the ghetto, we escaped with a few other Jews, although my brother, Koppel, was amongst the leaders of the escape, and everything was prepared for an orderly escape, things didn’t turn out so, and we had to escape all of a sudden. The Nazis and the locals who helped them ran after us, using dogs, and they shot at as, killing many, including my brother and sister. I was wounded but survived as the only remnant of my entire family, the last of the Spektor family that does not exist anymore. With the little bit of might left in me, I was able to run to the forest with other survivors and together we survived the hard years in the forest until the war ended. After the war, many of us were able to go to Israel, and to build a new life there, and rehabilitate ourselves. I kept in touch with every survivor, amongst them the Cheres family. Since Shalom’s wife was caught in the forest and killed, the father Shalom, with his four children, went to Germany after the war and met another woman who he married and had a daughter with.
After I married, Shalom would visit our family often in Herzelea. He would often talk about his son, Yehudah, who later immigrated to Israel. He particularly loved his daughter-in-law Wanda. In Israel we are still in great contact with all the Kurenets natives and survivors. Here in Herzlea where I live, I have a good friend, Chaiat Tzirolnik Sheingood. She’s also a Kurenets native and a survivor who is left as the only remnant of her family. She’s also in touch with the Cheres family. We all greatly appreciate Yehudah Cheres for all his activities for the sake of our own Kurenets, and now his involvement, great involvement in the issue of making a street named after Kurenets in Israel.  From Eilat Gordin Levitan: I called Dina from Herzelia , Israel. Here is What Dina nee Spektor told me:
My father Natan Spektor was born in Dolhinov. As far as I know he was an only child, at some point he moved to Kurenets and married my mother who was from the Frankfort family of Soly, now in Belarus. She also had relatives in Oshmiany and the U.S.
My father was very involved in the community life in Kurenets. For some years he was the head of "Gmilut Chesed"- a charity organization. He was a teacher for bible studies in "Tarbut" school. He was also a teacher in the Polish public school.
When the war started I was sixteen years old, I had two brothers and two sisters. My oldest sister, Ester had graduated form a seminar for teachers in Vilna. She was a teacher in the Kurenets "Tarbut" school and engaged to be married to a young man from Soly.
Sometime after the Germans invaded our area we had an opportunity to work in the German camp in Vileyka. We saw it as the only chance to survive. My sister Ester refused to leave my parents and perished with them and about 1040 of their neighbors, on 9-9-1942.Â
My brothers Kopel and Eliyahu, my sister Sara and I were in the Vileyka camp for about a year. Many wrote in their memoirs about my brothers — here is someâ€þÂ
We were students of the daily Hebrew school, Tarbut and members of the socialist Zionist youth movement, HaShomer Hatzair. We spoke Yiddish and Hebrew fluently and dreamed of Aliyah to Eretz Yisrael. We were affected by Hitler's rise to power and information about the sad situation of the Jews. Poland also saw a rise in anti-Semitism in the thirties and we were closely watching the Spanish Revolution. All of these factors affected us. We believed in the justice of socialism and desired to accomplish it by living in an Israeli kibbutz. But we were young boys, still a long way from being able to make this a reality. Most of us were born between 1922 and 1924 and our troop leader, Kopel Spektor, was our strongest influenceâ€þ
Our original troop leader, Kopel Spektor, was a man of all seasons- an athlete, a bookworm, a mathematician, and a generous and dedicated person. He was like a father to us. During the days of the Soviets, he was a technician and a cartographer in the central train station in Molodechno, 30 kilometers from Kurenets. He was a graduate of a technical institution in Vilna and an extremely capable manHis job compelled him to travel throughout the USSR. When he came back from his trips he was very disappointed. He asked Benjamin Shulman to congregate in his house. It was the winter of 1940. We sat in the dark and listened to his sad statements. He told us about Minsk, the capital of Belarus,It had a large Jewish population. He only found one Jewish school there, and when he went to the one Jewish Theater to see "Fiddler on the Roof", they had changed the essence of Tuvia and made him a fighter against Czarism. He found a lot of mixed marriages there and people pulling away from Judaism. Our dream that the Jewish problem would be somehow resolved in the Soviet Union and that the Jewish entity will be recognized as a separate minority was abolished. In conclusion Kopel said, "The Jewish population in the Soviet Union will mix with the general population and in no time there will be no independent Jewish entities"
At the end of the evening Kopel passed the flag to Nyomka Shulman and suggested that we should find a way to get in touch with the movement headquarters in Vilna.
June 1941-â€þ.They called us to take part in the congregation, and we all decided to arrange watch groups. Mendel, the son of Henia Motosov, marched us to the house of Reshka Alperovitz, the former headquarters of the Soviet police. We found rifles and ammunition there. The rifles were divided among the young people who knew how to use them. Shostakovitz, the Belarussian doctor that was later a German sympathizer, was at that moment on the side of the Jews. He organized patrols of gentiles and Jews to patrol the town. I was stationed at a watch point near the railroad, together with Eliyahu Spektor. The farmers started coming with horse and buggies. We told them that they couldn't enter town and that if they did, we would shoot them. They all left, and for two days, there was silence in the area. But then the town's gentiles started robbing the Soviets' storage areas and a few of them also robed some Jewish homesâ€þ
â€þKopel Spektor had just returned to Kurenets, so we asked him to secretly meet us in a hideaway on June 30. This was our first meeting since the German occupation. The main question on our mind was "What are we going to do?". We all came to the same conclusion: we must fight the Nazis. We were only 17 and 18, and we were still naive enough to believe that there was something we could do. We believed in the slogans of the Youth Movement about our collective and personal responsibilities. Kopel knew that the situation was grave, but didn't try to stop us. All he said was "I so hope that you will succeed". We devised a practical plan. Firstly, we were to collect weapons and organize a Partisan group. Secondly, Shimon Zirolnik suggested that we print flyers urging people to fight the Nazis. Nachoom Alperovitz, who prior to the 'Soviet time', had worked in a printing office, decided to organize this. Lastly, and most importantly we would try to find other people that could join us. We hoped, in particular, to contact the Russian resistanceâ€þ.
-Zalman Uri GurevitzÂ
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Kopel would plan our activities and teach us about socialism and Eretz Israel. He would teach us to sing Hebrew songs and Chasidic songs, and we danced many folk dances, the most popular of which was the Horah. Our meetings were not only held in the school, but also in the fields and in the forests. Particularly, we liked to walk to the big boulder, which were two huge rocks in the middle of a field that we always wondered how they got there.
Sometimes, Elik and Motik Alperovitz would invite us to the barn that belonged to Reuven Zishka, their father, and there we would hold the meetings. During our vacation, we would walk to the village, Mikolina, near Dolhinov, a distance of about 20km. There we would spend many days in what we called either our summer camp or our winter camp. We would meet members of the HaShomer Hatzair from the Dolhinov Ken (unit), from the Dockshitz ken, and the Krivich ken.
By 1940 the meetings of our Youth Movement became increasingly covert. Therefore, in many ways this began our underground activities. The core of the Youth movement for us was our leader, Kopel Spektor, although he didn't spend much time in town. Kopel finished his Techniyon studies in Vilna with very high grades. When the Soviets realized his skills, they sent him to work in Molodechno where he had a lab. He was working on an invention. He made something to do with trains. Â
He was beloved by all of us teenagers and we waited impatiently for the times he would come to Kurenitz
Nachum Alperovitz â€þHow shocked I was when Hertzel told me that you could not even try the gun because it did not have the barrel with bullets. Â
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My heart broke. My spirit was lifted again thanks to Kopeleh Specter who was an absolute genius, and in his hands, the gun became lethal. He fixed the gun according to the exact rules. Now all I needed were bullets. Therefore, again I started running around looking for the correct bullets amongst my Christian acquaintances. Finally, I got three bullets....Â
â€þAfter horrible arguments, we managed to elect a committee for the escape. The members of this committee were Mordechai, son of Havas Alperovich, who now lives in Israel; Hertzel Alperovich, may he rest in peace; Yosef Zuckerman, who now lives in Israel; Kopel Spector, may he rest in peace; our manager Shuts; Yonah Riar, from Ilya, both live in Israel; and I. The mission seemed very difficult. How would we be able to get the women and children out? .....The gun worked. From near the train tracks, I heard sounds someone walking and saying, "God, what did you do to us? Mommy and daddy, your situation is better. You already live in a better world." I tried to see who it was. At first, I saw a shadow on the snow and slowly I saw a short person wearing boots with a dark coat and messy hair. It was a woman who was limping. All of a sudden, I recognized Dinkah Spektor. She stopped, confused, and scared. She fell on the ground saying, "Where am I?" The snow around her was red from the blood coming from her leg. The blood kept coming, so I took my shirt and tore the sleeve and put it on the wound. I started covering her bloody footsteps and transferred her to another location. She told me that together with many of the camp workers, she already passed the train tracks and on the other side, they met German soldiers who shot all the escapees. She told me who ran with her and who she knew was killed. How she survived, she did not know. Instead of running to the Kurenets area, she somehow returned to the other side of the tracks back to Vileyka. She did not see my wife and son. I put some snow on her wound. Quietly, she twitched from pain. I thought that I should take the other sleeve and put it on her wound. Unexpected, I heard more steps, quick steps. I peeked from the hiding place, it was Doba Alperovich. Her jacket was open and her hair was messy. I yelled to her and she stopped but couldn’t see me. I yelled to her again and she saw me and started crying from excitement. She also thought that she was on the other side on the way to Kurenets. Lacking any energy and depressed, we decided that when night came we would cross the tracks. From the bushes, we could see the road. I saw some people riding bicycles. I crawled closer to the road and saw that it was a farmer that I knew from the Soviet days. He greeted me, "Hello," and told me that I must quickly go to the other side of the forest since the Germans were coming to this side. He blessed me and quickly departed. I returned to the girls and told them. We decided to somehow go near the road to Molodetchna. Dinka had horrible pain. Doba and I supported her and walked toward the road....
Zev Rabunski
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.....Our escape started at exactly four o'clock in the afternoon. We went together with Kopel Spektor, his brother Eliyau, and his sister, Sarka, may they rest in peace. I want to tell you about them for all the good they had done for us. The escape was very difficult for me and my wife. We had to carry our baby and I asked Kopel, "Don't desert us at this time. Please help us. It is very difficult for us with the baby."
He immediately answered, "Yosef, we will never desert you. We remember all you have done for us." He was talking about the time I helped him buy a gun. Since our escape from the Vileyka camp was unplanned, he didn’t have time to take his gun. Until Kopel, Eliyau, and Sarka were killed, they ran with us, and every few minutes, we switched who would carry the baby in their arms. The snow was very deep, and we were running and falling, running and falling. The road was full of bushes and thorns that stuck out of the snow, so the journey was a truly thorny oneâ€þ Yosef Zukerman
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Dina told me that when she arrived at the forest she met with Yitzhak Einbender who was a leader of a partisan unit and he helped her with her wound and other things. He was later killed near Dolhinov.Â
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Another story that mentions Dina/Dinkah Spektor:Â
Excerpt from Zev Rabunski’s The Struggle to Survive:Â
(The complete story can be found here: http://www.eilatgordinlevitan.com/kurenets/k_pages/stories_struggle.html)Â
I warned him not to go to the train tracks. All of a sudden, we heard the sounds of a German voice, "Rashkas Slinchas." We started running and I lost Yitzhak and his child. I did not hear any more German voices but I could hear many shots that were getting closer and closer. I lied there all by myself and a thought came to me. I never shot my gun. What if the gun does not work? I must try. Among all the shots, no one would hear my shot. From all the ammunition that I had collected through time, I was only able to take seven bullets. I pulled the trigger and shot. The gun worked. From near the train tracks, I heard sounds someone walking and someone saying, "God, what did you do to us? Mommy and daddy, your situation is better. You already live in a better world." I tried to see who it was. At first, I saw a shadow on the snow and slowly I saw a short person wearing boots with a dark coat and messy hair. It was a woman who was limping. All of a sudden, I recognized Dinkah Spektor. She stopped, confused, and scared. She fell on the ground saying, "Where am I?" The snow around her was red from the blood coming from her leg. The blood kept coming, so I took my shirt and tore the sleeve and put it on the wound. I started covering her bloody footsteps and transferred her to another location. She told me that together with many of the camp workers, she already passed the train tracks and on the other side, they met German soldiers who shot all the escapees. She told me who ran with her and who she knew was killed. How she survived, she did not know. Instead of running to the Kurenets area, she somehow returned to the other side of the tracks back to Vileyka. She did not see my wife and son. I put some snow on her wound. Quietly, she twitched from pain. I thought that I should take the other sleeve and put it on her wound.
Unexpected, I heard more steps, quick steps. I peeked from the hiding place and saw it was Doba Alperovich. Her jacket was open and her hair was messy. I yelled to her and she stopped but couldn’t see me. I yelled to her again and she saw me and started crying from excitement. She also thought that she was on the other side on the way to Kurenets. Lacking any energy and depressed, we decided that when night came we would cross the tracks. From the bushes, we could see the road. I saw some people riding bicycles. I crawled closer to the road and saw that it was a farmer that I knew from the Soviet days. He greeted me, "Hello," and told me that I must quickly go to the other side of the forest since the Germans were coming to this side. He blessed me and quickly departed. I returned to the girls and told them. We decided to somehow go near the road to Molodetchna. Dinka had horrible pain. Doba and I supported her and walked toward the road. All of a sudden, we heard horses running, and the sounds of Belarussian and Latvian voices. We fell on the ground in the bushes. I held my gun ready. We could see them. They were policemen. We all decided that we would commit suicide if they caught us. Dinka was begging that she should be shot first since she was wounded anyway and would not survive. Doba was begging that she should be shot first. Dinka was shaking so much while talking that she sounded as if she was stuttering. We were all watching the killers’ every step hence we would not fall in their hands alive. I was almost ready to use the gun, but Dinka stopped me, "Maybe you should wait a minute." Doba said, "They are coming right by us. What are you waiting for?" unanticipated, I saw the police going in our direction turn to the right. They continued looking for people in a further direction from us, so now we had some hope of escape. Finally, we could not hear their talking. It was getting much darker and the air was getting colder.
A meeting at midnight.
We waited for the late night to come so we could pass the train tracks, but we were not lucky. The night was very clear, the moon was shining, and the snow was very bright. We stayed lying on the ground and our clothes froze and became hard. I looked at my watch, it was 10pm. I decided that we must leave. I was also starving. I helped Dinkah get up. She was lying on the ground and it was impossible for her to move. I tried to encourage her to get some strength telling her that we must go to the other side of the tracks, because if we stayed here until daytime, we would be dead. From among the trees, we could see the lights of the houses where other people sat safely in their homes. We walked and the snow was making a swish sound beneath our feet. This made us very upset. We were very fearful. We thought that someone was waiting behind every tree. We reached the edge of the forest. We hid under a bush, looking at the train tracks that were about 50 meters away from us. All of a sudden, we saw red flares then green flares then other colors. The Germans were busy watching. They were not going to sleep. We went to another area and we saw shadows of people on the train tracks. We heard sounds of talking but could not understand. It was already midnight and the watchmen were busy patrolling. Without warning, we heard the sound of breaking snow as if someone was running.
We were lying on the ground quiet and scared. Could the Germans be searching so late at night or could it be Jews? We were very fearful. From afar, we could see the barracks with the red flag and swastika. We could see two shadows going toward the barracks. It must have been the watchmen returning from the patrol. Then we saw the running people returning to where they came from, stopping in certain spot and searching for something. For some reason, in my heart I was very sure they were Jews who were lost like us. I started running and the girls tried to catch me being fearful that they would lose me in the dark. The two shadows must have heard our sounds. They stopped, as if they hesitated, I stopped and waited too. A woman’s voice started calling, "Don’t shoot!" It was like an electric shock going through my body. I recognized the voice, I could not talk for a second. I then yelled, "Rosa!" My son immediately recognized me and yelled, "Abbah!" He ran to me and we all started hugging and crying from excitement. The second shadow was of Batshevah, the wife of Yitzchak Alperovich, with her children. Doba and Dinkah started hugging Batshevah and her children. I told Batshevah that around 5pm, I saw in the forest her husband with her son but I had lost them. I carried my little son. He hugged me very tight and said, "Now we won’t leave you daddy. Now we will be with you." Somehow, he felt much safer now, believing that I could protect him. Life seemed much dearer now, I had a reason to live and fight and try to get out of here.

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Spektor Rivka

Rivka Spektor nee Frankfurt was born in Soly to David and Henia. She was a housewife and married to Natan. Prior to WWII she lived in Kornitz, Poland. During the war she was in Kornitz, Poland. Rivka perished in 1942 in Kornitz, Poland at the age of 50. This information is based on a Page of Testimony (displayed on left) submitted on 01-May-1999 by her daughter.

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Spektor nee Gurevitz Jacob
Jacob Spektor was born in Kurzeniec, Poland in 1878 to Zalman Uri and Sara nee Zimerman . Prior to WWII he lived in Wilna, Poland and was married to Rachel nee Brik. Jacob died in the Shoah. This information is based on a Page of Testimony submitted on 30/08/1973 by his
daughter Rivka nee Spektor LABKOVSKI
Source Pages of Testimony
Last Name SPEKTOR
First Name JACOB
First Name YAAKOV
Father's First Name Zalman URI
Gender MALE
Date of Birth 1878
Place of Birth KURZENIEC,WILEJKA,WILNO,POLAND
Spouse's First Name RAKHEL
Spouse's First Name LEA
Spouse's Maiden Name BRIK
Place of Permanent Residence WILNA,WILNO,WILNO,POLAND
Type of Material Page of Testimony
Submitter's Last Name LABKOVSKI
Submitter's Last Name SPEKTOR
Submitter's First Name RIVKA
Relationship to victim DAUGHTER
Date of Registration 30/08/1973
Spektor Rachel
Rachel Spektor nee Brik was born in Haiduchishki, Poland in 1880 to Yosef and Malka. Prior to WWII she lived in Wilna, Poland. Rachel died in the Shoah. This information is based on a Page of Testimony submitted on 30/08/1973 by her daughter
Submitter's Last Name LABKOVSKI
Submitter's Last Name SPEKTOR
Submitter's First Name RIVKA
Relationship to victim DAUGHTER
Date of Registration 30/08/1973
Reznik Zlata
Zlata Reznik nee Spektor was born in Wilno, Poland in 1906 to Yaakov and Rakhel. She was married to Reuven. Prior to WWII she lived in Wilno, Poland. Zlata died in the Shoah. This information is based on a Page of Testimony submitted on 30/07/1973 by her sister Spouse's First Name REUVEN survived in South Africa. Twin children perished.
Submitter's Last Name LABKOVSKI
Submitter's Last Name SPEKTOR
Submitter's First Name RIVKA
Relationship to victim sister
Specter Minia
Minia Specter nee Tzimerman was born in Kurenitz, Poland in 1912 to Yitzkhak Tzimerman and Feigel nee Gelman. She was married to Shmuel (survived). Prior to WWII she lived in Kurenitz, Poland. During the war was in Kurenitz, Poland and had a baby who perished. Minia died in 1942 in Kurenitz, Poland. This information is based on a Page of Testimony submitted on 01/01/1992 by her brother Yechezkel Zimerman (Charles Gelman) from New haven, United states
Specter Shimshon
Shimshon Specter was born in Kornitz, Poland in 1941 to Shmuel and Minia Tzimmerman. He was a child. Prior to WWII he lived in Kornitz, Poland. During the war was in Kornitz, Poland. Shimshon died in 1942 in Kurenitz, Poland. This information is based on a Page of Testimony submitted on 01/01/1992 by his uncle from United states
Yechezkel Zimerman (Charles Gelman) from New haven, United states
Spektor Icyk
Icyk Spektor was born in Dolhinow, Poland in 1900. He was a grocer and married to Nekhama nee Vilkomirski. Prior to WWII he lived in Dolhinow, Poland. During the war was in Swiecianka, Poland. Icyk died in 1942 in Swiecianka, Poland. This information is based on a Page of Testimony submitted on 08/01/1956 by his brother-in-law
Name of 1st Child DAVID
Age of 1st Child 14
Name of 2nd Child YSHAI
Age of 2nd Child 12
Name of 3rd Child GOLDA
Age of 3rd Child 10
Name of 4th Child YEKHEZKEL
Age of 4th Child 8
Place of Permanent Residence DOLHINOW,WILEJKA,WILNO,POLAND
Profession GROCER
Place During Wartime SWIECIANKA,SWIECIANY,WILNO,POLAND
Place of Death SWIECIANKA,SWIECIANY,WILNO,POLAND
Date of Death 1942
Type of Material Page of Testimony
Submitter's Last Name VILKOMIRSKI
Submitter's First Name SHAUL
Relationship to victim BROTHER-IN-LAW
Date of Registration 08/01/1956 Meshek Yagur, Israel

Spektor Szmul YOSEF
Szmul Spektor was born in Kurzeniec, Poland in 1883 to Abe. He was a merchant and married to Sara nee Berlin. Prior to WWII he lived in Swir, Poland. During the war was in Swir, Poland. Szmul died in 1943 in the Shoah. This information is based on a Page of Testimony submitted on 06/11/1955 by his daughter
Submitter's Last Name LEVITAN
Submitter's First Name KHAVA
Relationship to victim DAUGHTER
Date of Registration 06/11/1955
Spektor Sara
Sara Spektor was born in Kurenets, Poland in 1917 to Natan and Rivka nee Frankfort. She was a seamstress and single. Prior to WWII she lived in Kurenets, Poland. During the war was in Kurenets, Poland. Sara died in 1943 in Wilejka, Poland at the age of 26. This information is based on a Page of Testimony submitted on 01/05/1999 by her sister
Submitter's Last Name DREILIK
Submitter's Last Name SPEKTOR
Submitter's First Name DINA of Hertzelia
Spektor Eliahu
Eliahu Spektor was born in Korenets, Poland in 1924 to Natan and Rivka nee Frankfort. He was a pupil and single. Prior to WWII he lived in Kornic, Poland. During the war was in Kornic, Poland. Eliahu died in 1943 in Wilejka at the age of 19. This information is based on a Page of Testimony submitted on 01/05/1999 by his sister
Submitter's Last Name DREILIK
Submitter's Last Name SPEKTOR
Submitter's First Name DINA of Hertzelia
Kopel Spektor was born in Kurenitz, Poland in 1919 to Natan and Rivka nee Frankfort. He was a technician and single. Prior to WWII he lived in Korenitz, Poland. During the war was in Kornitz, Poland. He died in 1943 in Wilejka at the age of 24. This information is based on a Page of Testimony submitted on 01/05/1999 by his sister Submitter's Last Name DREILIK
Submitter's Last Name SPEKTOR
Submitter's First Name DINA of Hertzelia
Spektor Ester
Ester Spektor was born in Kornitz, Poland in 1914 to Natan and Rivka nee Frankfort. She was a teacher. Prior to WWII she lived in Kurnitz, Poland. During the war was in Kornitz, Poland. Ester died in 1942 in Wilejka, Poland at the age of 28. This information is based on a Page of Testimony submitted on 01/05/1999 by her sister, a Shoah survivor
ister Submitter's Last Name DREILIK
Submitter's Last Name SPEKTOR
Submitter's FirstName DINA of Hertzelia
Spektor Elia
Elia Spektor was born in Korzeniec, Poland in 1923 to Natan and . He was single. Prior to WWII he lived in Korzeniec, Poland. During the war was in Kurzeniec, Poland. Elia died in 1942 in Kurzeniec, Poland. This information is based on a Page of Testimony submitted on 05/05/1957 by his friend, a Shoah survivor
Babiner Rachel
Rachel Babiner nee Spektor was born in Kurzeniec, Poland in 1892 to Khaia. She was a housewife and married to Efraim. Prior to WWII she lived in Kurzeniec, Poland. During the war was in Kurzeniec, Poland. Rachel died in 1942 in Kurzeniec, Poland at the age of 50. This information is based on a Page of Testimony submitted by her relative, a Shoah survivor
Type of Material Page of Testimony
Submitter's Last Name LEVITAN
Submitter's First Name KHAIA
Relationship to victim RELATIVE
Is the Submitter a Survivor? YES
Spektor Sara
Sara Spektor nee Berlin was born in Swir, Poland in 1890 to Cwi and Frejda. She was a housewife and married to Shmuel. Prior to WWII she lived in Swir, Poland. During the war was in Swir, Poland. Sara died in 1944 in Auschwitz. This information is based on a Page of Testimony submitted on 06/11/1955 by her daughter
Submitter's Last Name LEVITAN
Submitter's First Name KHAIA
Spektor Khula*
Khula Spektor was born in Krivichi, Poland to Dov. She was a child. Prior to WWII she lived in Krivichi, Poland. During the war was in Krivichi, Poland. Khula died in Krivichi, Poland at the age of 14. This information is based on a Page of Testimony submitted on 04/07/1999 by Khaim Teiger from Israel, a Shoah survivor
Spektor Shlomo*
Shlomo Spektor was born in Krzywicze, Poland to Barukh. He was a child. Prior to WWII he lived in Krzywicze, Poland. During the war was in Krzywicze, Poland. Shlomo died in 1942 in Krzywicze, Poland at the age of 9. This information is based on a Page of Testimony submitted on 04/07/1999 by Khaim Tuger from Israel, a Shoah survivor Spektor Moshe
Moshe Spektor was born in Krybieczy, Poland to Barukh and Ita. He was a child. Prior to WWII he lived in Krybieczy, Poland. During the war was in Krybieczy, Poland. Moshe died in 1942 in Krybieczy, Poland at the age of 12. This information is based on a Page of Testimony submitted on 04/07/1999 by his acquaintance from Israel, a Shoah survivor
Spektor Shabtai*
Shabtai Spektor was born in Krivitch, Poland to Dov. He was single. Prior to WWII he lived in Krivitch, Poland. During the war was in Krivitch, Poland. Shabtai died in Krivitch, Poland at the age of 16. This information is based on a Page of Testimony submitted on 04/07/1999 by Khaim Teiger from Israel, a Shoah survivor
Spektor Yehudit*
Yehudit Spektor was born in Dolhinov, Poland. She was married to Barukh. Prior to WWII she lived in Krivitch, Poland. During the war was in Krivitch, Poland. Yehudit died in 1942 in Krivitch, Poland at the age of 35. This information is based on a Page of Testimony submitted on 04/07/1999 by her admirer from Israel, a Shoah survivor
Spektor Dov
Dov Spektor was born in Krivitch, Poland to Moshe and Khava. He was married. Prior to WWII he lived in Krivitch, Poland. During the war was in Krivitch, Poland. Dov died in Krivitch, Poland at the age of 52. This information is based on a Page of Testimony submitted on 04/07/1999 by his admirer from Israel, a Shoah survivor
Spektor Moshe
Moshe Spektor was born in Krivitch, Poland to Dov. He was a child. Prior to WWII he lived in Krivitch, Poland. During the war was in Krivitch, Poland. Moshe died in Krivitch, Poland at the age of 12. This information is based on a Page of Testimony submitted on 04/07/1999 by his admirer from Israel, a Shoah survivor
Spektor Khava
Khava Spektor was born in Krivitch, Poland to Barukh. She was a child. Prior to WWII she lived in Krivitch, Poland. During the war was in Krivitch, Poland. Khava died in Krivitch, Poland at the age of 7. This information is based on a Page of Testimony submitted on 04/07/1999 by her admirer from Israel, a Shoah survivor
Spektor Guta*
Guta Spektor was born in Dolhinov, Poland. She was married to Dov. Prior to WWII she lived in Krivitch, Poland. During the war was in Krivitch, Poland. Guta died in 1942 in Krivitch, Poland at the age of 40. This information is based on a Page of Testimony submitted on 04/07/1999 by her admirer from Israel, a Shoah survivor
Spektor Khula* Krivichi Wilejka Wilno Poland Page of Testimony
Spektor Shlomo* Krzywicze Wilejka Wilno Poland Page of Testimony
Spektor Moshe Krybieczy Wilejka Wilno Poland Page of Testimony
Spektor Shabtai* Krivitch Wilejka Wilno Poland Page of Testimony
Spektor Yehudit* Krivitch Wilejka Wilno Poland Page of Testimony
Spektor Dov Krivitch Wilejka Wilno Poland Page of Testimony
Spektor Moshe Krivitch Wilejka Wilno Poland Page of Testimony
Spektor Barukh Krivichi Wilejka Wilno Poland Page of Testimony
Spektor Khava Krivitch Wilejka Wilno Poland Page of Testimony
Spektor Sara Swir Swieciany Wilno Poland 1890 Page of Testimony
Spektor Rachel Wilna Wilno Wilno Poland 1880 Page of Testimony
Spektor Elia Korzeniec Poland 1923 Page of Testimony
Spektor Jacob Wilna Wilno Wilno Poland 1878 Page of Testimony
Reznik Zlata Wilno Wilno Wilno Poland 1906 Page of Testimony
Babiner Rachel Kurzeniec Wilejka Wilno Poland 1892 Page of Testimony
Specter Minia Kornitz Wilejka Wilno Poland 1912 Page of Testimony
Specter Shimshon Kornitz Wilejka Wilno Poland 1941 Page of Testimony
Spektor Icyk Dolhinow Wilejka Wilno Poland 1900 Page of Testimony
Spektor Szmul Swir Swieciany Wilno Poland 1883 Page of Testimony
Spektor Guta* Krivitch Wilejka Wilno Poland Page of Testimony
Spektor Barukh Krzywicze Wilejka Wilno Poland list of victims from Yizkor books
Spektor Guta* Krzywicze Wilejka Wilno Poland list of victims from Yizkor books
Spektor Moshe Krzywicze Wilejka Wilno Poland list of victims from Yizkor books
Spektor Shlomo* Krzywicze Wilejka Wilno Poland list of victims from Yizkor books
Spektor Khava Krzywicze Wilejka Wilno Poland list of victims from Yizkor books
Spektor Dov Krzywicze Wilejka Wilno Poland list of victims from Yizkor books
Spektor Gizela* Krzywicze Wilejka Wilno Poland list of victims from Yizkor books
Spektor Shabtai* Krzywicze Wilejka Wilno Poland list of victims from Yizkor books
Spektor Chalka Krzywicze Wilejka Wilno Poland list of victims from Yizkor books
Spektor Moshe Krzywicze Wilejka Wilno Poland list of victims from Yizkor books
Spektor Sara Kurenec Poland 1917 Page of Testimony
Spektor Ester Kornitz Wilejka Wilno Poland 1914 Page of Testimony
Spektor Kornitz Wilejka Wilno Poland 1919 Page of Testimony
Wilkomirski Nechama Dolhinow Wilejka Wilno Poland 1900 Page of Testimony
Pages of Testimony by the same submitter (

Place of Residence
Name Town District Region Country Birth Date Source
Alperowicz Chaja Kurzeniec Wilejka Wilno Poland 1918 Page of Testimony
Breger Dawid Swir Swieciany Wilno Poland 1912 Page of Testimony
Alperowicz Nekha Kurzeniec Wilejka Wilno Poland 1939 Page of Testimony
Berger Izrael Swir Swieciany Wilno Poland 1910 Page of Testimony
Babiner Efraim Kurzeniec Wilejka Wilno Poland 1893 Page of Testimony
Berger Zwi Swir Swieciany Wilno Poland 1900 Page of Testimony
Spektor Sara Swir Swieciany Wilno Poland 1890 Page of Testimony
Babiner Rachel Kurzeniec Wilejka Wilno Poland 1892 Page of Testimony

From; Ruby Family History Project
http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:KaLq2eOBNZAJ:www.rubyfamily.blogspot.com/

+*ukaz+jewish+last+names+in+the+russian+empire&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=us

New info on Chaim Rabinowitz's wife and daughter

Email from Walter on Sept. 20:

I had a nice discussion this morning with our relative in Rehovot,
Shmuel Elchanan. He noted that his father submitted testimony to Yad
Vashem in 1955 as to the existence of a daughter of Chaim Rabinowitz
(our great-great grandfather), the son of Rabbi Isaac Elchanan
Spektor. Her name was Bluma Rabinovich the daughter of Chaim and Feiga
Rabinovch and she lived from 1871-1944 in Kovno (Kaunas), having been
killed by the Nazis either in the Kovno Ghetto or in a death camp.
Shmuel, who himself lived in the Kovno Ghetto, remembers her very
well, as a school teacher who never married. He remembers that she was
a very kind woman. So Bluma was either the sister or half-sister of
Joseph Rabinowitz, our great-grandfather who emigrated to New York. I
need to check to see if we have a record as to whether Feiga was
Joseph's mother as well.

Shmuel mentioned a book entitled Ethical Wills: A Modern Jewish
Treasury, published in New York in 1983 by Shocken Books that includes
the will of Rabbi Spektor, in which he asks that his rabbical post be
given to his second son Tzvi Hirsch Rabinowitz, as well as a letter
that Shmuel's own mother wrote in the Kovno Ghetto in June 1944, which
was somehow miraculously acquired by his family in Palestine.

Shmuel told me that when he and his family arrived in Haifa aboard a
ship in November 1945 as olim (new immigrants) they were greeted at
the pier by Aharon Spektor, either the son or grandson of the brother
of Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Spektor, who immigrated to Palestine during
the mid-19th century. That brother whose name I have in my notes at
home, became a pharmacist in Jerusalem. Aharon Spektor was known as
the mukhtar (an Arabic term that might be translated as unofficial
mayor) of Carmel, the Jewish community atop Mt. Carmel, which is now
part of Haifa. As such he was sanctioned by the British authorities to
carry a revolver, which he had with him when he mmet Shmuel and his
family at the dock.

Posted by Dan Ruby at 9:39 AM

 

1 comments:
Dan Ruby said...
Wow, this is wonderful new information, which I've plugged into my
family tree file. A few observations:

* Joseph Rabinowitz was born in 1855, so Bluma would be 16 years
younger. So your speculation about them being half-siblings seems
plausible. Feiga may or may not also be Joseph's mother.

* Rabbi Spektor's mother-in-law (wife Soro Yesersky's mother) was
named Bluma. So if Chaim Rabinowitz named a daughter Bluma in 1871
(just three years before he died), he would have been honoring his
deceased grandmother.

* The name Feiga also appears more than once. Our knowledge of Rabbi
Spektor's brother Yakov David Spektor's family is spotty. Through
JewishGen, I have some information, though it should be regarded as
unconfirmed. Yakov had a daughter Chaya, who had a daughter Feiga
Rachel, who maried Nachum Weissfish and had 11 children. That Feiga
would have been a non-blood-related niece to Chaim's first or second
wife Feiga.

* If Aharon Spektor was descended from Yakov David Spektor, it is
improbable he is a son, since that would make him 85 or older in 1945.
If he was a grandson, he would have been 50 or older at that time. If
he was a great grandson, he could have been anywhere from 20 to 70 or
so in 1945. Since the Spektor name passed on to Aharon, we know that
Chaya must have had a brother, who was either the father or
grandfather of Aharon.

From: Joan Shrager <jshrager2@comcast.net>

Hello,

I live in Pennsylvania, USA. My grandfather and his family were from Berdichev. He came to America in 1907. His name was originally Meyer Litvok. He was the eldest son of the town’s kosher butcher, Aaron Litvok or Litwak. The family consisted of  Yacob (Jack), Mottel (Max), Schmerel, Bassi (Bessie), and Ruchel (Rose). His mother was "Sossa Toube"?  Spektor who died at an early age when her children were very small.

Family lore has it that Rabbi Itzhak Elchanon Spektor was my grandfather's mother's father or possibly Uncle. 

I am very interested in learning if indeed we are related to Rabbi Spektor as my cousins(children and grandchildren of my grandfather's siblings) and I were told when we were little. Most of us are in our 60's and 70's now and the voices from Berdichev are only in our hearts. I am now past 75 and would love to pass this information on to my sons and grandsons. 

I'd be most appreciative if you could point me in a direction.

Thanks,
Joan Shrager

Spector

Rabbi Yitzhak Elchanan Spector
MyHeritage Family Trees
Esther Belkin Web Site, managed by Esther Backaleinik Esther Belkin (Contact)
Birth:
1817 - Hrodna, Hrodzyenskaya Voblasts’, Belarus
Death:
Mar 6 1896 - Kovno, Lituania
Parents:
Israel Isser Spektor, Rachel Spektor
Siblings:
Abraham Aaron Spektor, Jacob David Spektor, Yakov David Spektor, Moses Joseph Spektor
Wife:
Sora Raizel Spector Yeserski
Partner:
Spector Davidson
Children:
Haim Arye Aryeh Spector, Rachel Spektor Salzovsky Spector, Freda Leah Saltzer Spektor, Miriam Dvora Federman Spector, Tzvi Hirsch Spektor Spector, Binyamin Spektor Rabinowitz