Mena

Mena (Polish), Myena (German), Мена (Ukrainian), Мена – Mena (Russian)

Mena is a historic town located in Chernihiv region of northern Ukraine, center of Mena district. The city’s estimated population is 12,900 (as of 2005).

Mena became a part of Russia Empire in 1667, in XIX – beginning of XX century it was center of Mena Yezd of Chernigov Gubernia.

Many details about the Jews in Mena were taken from interviews with Ziama Pergamentshik, who lived in Mena before the war and survived the Holocaust. He gave an interview to Shoa Foundation in the 1990s.

Beginning

Records from the early 19th century describe the general population in Mena at around 6,000 people. The Jewish population of this time is not mentioned but reference is made to the existence of a synagogue and another Jewish house of worship.

Jews began to settle actively in Mena after the construction of the Liubavo-Romenska railway in 1873, which passed through Mena. The Liubavo-Romenska railway was one of the main routes for exporting grain from the Russian Empire. The Jews mostly lived on Shevchenko Street, which stretched from the centre of the town to the railway station.

According to the 1897 census, 6,277 people lived in Mena, more than a quarter of whom were Jews.

The main activities of the Jewish population in the 19th and early 20th centuries were in trade and crafts. In 1902, the rabbi in Mena was Itshok- Isaac Lurvin (1865 -?) and in 1904-06, Shneur-Zalman Ginzburg (1876 -?).

Many Jews were involved in the purchase and resale of tobacco. Tobacco cultivation has been widespread since the 18th century, so Mena was called the capital of tobacco. This activity was pursued by small traders and merchants of the first guild, who had large warehouses in Mena. Jews would come from Mogilev, Shklov, and Gomel to buy tobacco.

The business directory of 1903 lists few names of Jewish entrepreneurs from Mena:
Bank: Elyashberg Evsey Vulf.
Factory: Zak Mordehai Girsh.
Drugstore: Lihterman Yacob Mordk.
Grocery stores: Gelberg Yankel Kalm., Levyant Nahim Leib.,
Tin: Gordinova Minya Zalm., Rahmilevich Simha Hatzk.,
Haberdashery: Narinskiy Manya Mois.,
Fish and kerosine: Ratnet Sim. Evs.
Tobacco: Ufa Moses Leib., Futer Mord. Dav.,Shtein Isaak Shloim., Goldshtein Ezra Aaron., Elyashberg Evsey Vulf.
Grain: Faitelson Lipm. Yank.

In 1914, the Jews owned a pharmaceutical warehouse, an inn, 31 stores, including all four of the town’s groceries, all five of the manufacturing shops and both tanneries.

In 1925, natives of Mena founded Jewish agricultural collectives in the Kherson region; “Put’ Ilyicha” (the Path of Lenin) with 87 colonists, and “Arbeth” with 73. In the 1920’s, the rabbi in the town was Yisroel Medvedev.

There were 1,321 Jews (18,2%) living in Mena in 1926.

Before the Revolution of 1917, there were two synagogues in the town. One was closed in the 1920s and turned into a bakery, and the second in 1935-1936. Zelig “de shames” (surname unknown) was the head of the synagogue. One of them was located on the territory of the modern police station, and the other was located near the old market.
Until the beginning of the WWII, Jews gathered for prayers in private homes in different places. Then, for matzo baking, Jews gathered together and made matzo for several families at once.

Old houses in Mena, 2020:

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In the 1930s, there was no longer any heder. Melameds in the town were intimidated by the Soviet authorities and did not teach children. Before the war, there were about 200 Jews living in the town. Only 15-20 people survived the Holocaust.

In 1937, among several arrested people in the town was a local activist named Vera Slutskaya.

According to the 1939 census 586 Jews lived in Mena and the surrounding region. Small communities were existed in villages Berezna , Blistova and Makoshino.

Before WWII the unofficial gabay was Oges Yakov Aronovich and unofficial rabbi – Shmul(was killed by the Nazis).

Before the war, the following Jewish children studied at the school: Agranovsky Fima, Nekritin Leva, Lyubinskiy Yasha, Mendelovich Shaya and Yasha (mother’s name was Haya, father was not there).

Holocaust

At the war’s outbreak, many Jewish families found a way to evacuate to the east of the country. The main evacuation routes were railroads and water transport by the river Desna towards Bryansk. Those who remained in the city either had not been able to take a long journey or had been convinced of the “civilized” behavior of German soldiers. Many older adults remembered the Germans who occupied Mena in 1918 and did not want to evacuate. Also, for evacuation, money was needed, and most Jews in Mena were poor.

Nazi occupied Mena in September 8, 1941.

The German commandant’s office listed all the Jews and forced them to wear yellow circles on their clothing. After that, policemen and Germans began systematically abusing Jews, forcing them to work, beating and robbing them, and raping many Jewish women.
Local non-Jews threw a gun clip into the house of a tailor named Shmerlin and reported to the Germans that he was hiding weapons. The Germans came to his home and shot the entire family.

On October 15, 1941, the Nazi units and local policemen shot 124 Jews (according to other sources, 31 Jews) at the local Jewish cemetery. The mass killing continued throughout November and December.
From the night of November 30th to December 1st, 1941, the Germans began to go to Jewish homes and shoot everyone they found there. The Pergament family and many other families perished this way. Among the killed was Mones the Butcher, who was 104 years old. The local residents pointed out the Jewish homes. Part of the Jews were taken to the Jewish cemetery and shot there. 
There are two fraternal graves at the cemetery, one smaller and the other larger. The victims of the second, largest shooting are buried in the larger one.

On November 29, 1941 near railway bridge on the Desna River in Makoshino  50 local Jews were killed.

On December 15, 1941 on the territory of the monastery in village Dominitsy of Menskiy district The Germans shot and killed 34 children from the local orphanage. Among the dead were five Jewish boys and girls.

On December 20, 1941 in Mena all  Jews of the village of Blistavy were executed.

The last mass shooting that occurred in Mena was held February 2, 1942 in an open field near the road to the village, Kukuvichi.

The blacksmith Nepomnyashchiy had two sons, Vova and Haim. When the Germans came to their house, Vova escaped and managed to survive. The rest were all shot.

Almost two years later, the Germans found the local school teacher, Halyavko Seraphima, and shot her in the village of Berezna with her three children, aged 3 to 8.

Of the dead we know the names of only 198 Jewish civilians who were killed in Mena’s Jewish cemetery, 45 of the names of Jews killed in Makoshino, 36 of Berezna, and 25 names of Jews which were killed in other locations. Altogether this accounts for only 30% of the total victims. 106 Jewish soldiers from Mena were killed at the front.

The following Jews from Mena escaped and survived by joining a partisan unit: Surovsky, Baskin, Vova Nepomnyashchy, Krasilshchikov (his family was shot). Several women also survived. One of them, Finkelstein, worked as a cleaner in a hairdresser’s after the war.

You can find these lists here (in Russian). In Mena Jews compose 88% of all killed civilians during WWII, Makoshino – 40%.

After the war many Jews returned from Red Army and evacuation. Old Jews continue to follow religious rules. Gabay was Aaron Gilyevich Lifshitz, shochet was Mones Tzaddik Dershteyn.

Jewish Community was officialy registered in 1995-1996 in only. First chairman was Vladimir Berman. Now Head of cCommunity is Ludmila Pavlovna Berman.

Geneology

 

Famous Jews from Mena

Hava Vladimirovna Volovich (1916–2000), was a Russian writer, actress, director and a Gulag survivor. Hava Volovich is known for her Memoirs, that are extremely valuable both historically and literary. Her notes from the prison-camp are being compared to Shalamov’s stories and The Diary of a Young Girl by Anna Frank.

Abram Davidovich Agranovskii (1896-1951), journalist.

Gersh Ezrovich Goldstein (1886-1938, Kazan), statesman, one of the OZET leader,

Moses Zevi (1909-?), ophthalmologist, MD, from 1921 – in Finland, author of scientific researches in ophthalmology.

Dov Nezer (1897-1989) was a Knesset member during the 6th convocation.

Gershon Agron (born Agronsky, 1893 in Mena – 1959 in Jerusalem) was an Israeli journalist and founder and editor of the Palestine Post newspaper (later known as The Jerusalem Post).

Holocaust mass grave

In Mena located 2 Holocaust burial:

– on the local Jewish cemetery

– near the road to village Kukovichi

Cemetery

The cemetery is located along Shevchenko Street, near house № 47, there is a turn towards 8th of March Street. Half of the fence is made of iron, the rest is wooden. There is located one grave of Civil war pogrom victim.

Photos from my visit in 2020:

Mass graves on the cemetery (with monuments but without inscriptions):

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Another graves on the cemetery:

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Photos from different sources, 2000’s:

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