What to Read About Jewish Pochep?

Here is a selection of books that tell the story of Pochep or were written by authors who lived there:

"From Pochep with Love"

"From the Shtetl to America: Jacob Rassen's Lifetime Journey"

„No Buts, Becky!“

„Besides & Other Stories“

"Anthology of Hebrew Literature"

Beth Galleto, 2017

edited by Joshua Rassen, 2009

José Patterson, 2017

Uri Nissan Gnessin, 2005

Zoya Kopelman, Hamutal Bar-Yosef, 2000

Beth Galleto has been researching her family history for over 30 years. Her grandparents emigrated from the Russian Empire in 1911. In this book, she describes the lives of two Jewish families in Pochep in the 19th and early 20th centuries and how they started new lives in the United States and other countries.

Jacob Rassen (1905–1986) was born in the small Lithuanian town of Pumpenai. During World War I, while still a child, he spent four and a half years with his family in Pochep. His memories were recorded by his son, Joshua Rassen, and published as a book. The third and fourth chapters of the memoirs are dedicated to Pochep, where Jacob describes life in the town before and after the Russian revolution.
He studied at the Pochep yeshiva under Rabbi Yehoshua Nathan Gnessin and later attended the local gymnasium. Rassen recalls many fascinating details, such as the peculiarities of Yiddish in Pochep—the language had a "Russian" accent and a unique way of pronouncing the letter "r."
Additionally, the author shares his recollections of the 1917 revolution and the beginning of the Civil War, events he witnessed during his time in Pochep.

Set in 1908, this book follows the story of 10-year-old Becky Feldman, whose family has recently moved from Russia to London. Becky is surprised to learn that her widowed father has turned to a matchmaker and plans to remarry. She tries to thwart her father's plans with cunning. Gradually, we learn that her friend Miri's family came from Pochep. The book mentions riding in a cart to the fair in Pochep and the abundance of goods there. Pochep plays an important role in the plot twist of the book.

This collection of stories is by an author who spent a significant part of his life in Pochep and was inspired by Russian literature. Gnessin was a well-educated man who spoke several languages. His prose resembles impressionist paintings, full of lyrical descriptions of nature, metaphors, and lively colloquial speech (which had to be invented since Hebrew was not yet commonly spoken).

This collection includes works by various authors, featuring several stories by Yosef Haim Brenner and Uri Nissan Gnessin, who studied at the Pochep yeshiva (Jewish religious school). It is likely the only translation of Brenner and Gnessin into Russian. Although they were born and spent significant parts of their lives in the Russian Empire, Russian was not their native language. This anthology provides a unique opportunity to appreciate how Hebrew literature resembles Russian classics.

The publication is a translation from Hebrew into English.

The publication is a translation from Hebrew into Russian.

This book presents a series of stories from the perspective of a girl named Hannah, who lived in Pochep at the beginning of the 20th century. Despite the unrest in pre-revolutionary Russia, Hannah finds reasons to be happy. She learns to cope with difficulties, such as giving up new clothes for piano lessons. Hannah vividly describes Pochep at that time: her home, school and its director Maria Valerianovna, the town square on weekends, and her uncle's shop where they sell chocolates from Holland. Hannah doesn't know where Holland is because she's never been anywhere but Pochep. Based on the author's own life, "I Remember" is a fascinating personal story about growing up in the early twentieth century.

Fara Lynn Krasnopolsky, 1995

"I Remember"

© 2024 All rights reserved

Non-commercial project «Pochep you never knew: the forgotten Jewish history of a town».
All rights to materials located on the website shtetlpochep.ru are protected in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation, including copyright and related rights.
The rights to photo and video materials presented on the site belong to their legal owners. Reproduction of materials from shtetlpochep.ru or their fragments is possible only with the written permission of the editors.
Any changes to the texts, titles, or names of authors when reprinting are prohibited.
When using any materials from the site, a hyperlink to shtetlpochep.ru is required.

e.zhilina@shtetlpochep.ru

AUTHOR - EKATERINA ZHILINA

*

* פוצ'פ (hebrew) - Pochep