Aginsky husband and Kreine nee Damesek, Hirshel and Mottel Photo credit: Ken Domeshek
By Ken Domeshek, Texas, USA
A year ago, I was given a photograph collection from an elderly distant relative whose parents were both born in Nesvizh (in present-day Belarus). Unfortunately, the names of many of the people in these photos are not known.
This includes two class photographs (click on the left box below) from the Jewish Folks School (also called the Borochov School) in Nesvizh, which according to the Yizkor Book, was started in 1918. The photograph of boy students has Russian on the back, which says “For the memory for the teacher to have from all the students of the Jewish Folks School”. It was addressed to B. (or P?) Domechek (as spelled by the translator) and is dated January 14, 1919. Based on that date, this photograph is presumably either the first or second class of that school. Bella Sara nee Damesek was my distant relative’s mother and the Yizkor Book records that she was one of the first three teachers in that school. Subsequently, Bella Sara left Nesvizh for New York City.
The second photograph is similar to the first. It depicts a class of girl students and four teachers. Both photographs have the same photography studio background, which suggests they were taken during a similar timeframe. The “girl students” photograph is not addressed or dated, but the Yiddish on the back provides a clue. It says “Best wishes to the teacher of the third group of the new Hebrew Folks School”. To be the third class, it might have been taken in circa 1920/1921, assuming that each class represents one year.
Around 20 years later, almost all of the Jews in Nesvizh perished during two massacres. That probably included most of the people in these two photographs. If possible, they should be remembered.
Click on the images to enlarge them:
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- Nesvizh Jewish Folk’s School circa 1919 Photo credit: Ken Domeshek
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- Aginsky husband and Kreine nee Damesek, Hirshel and Mottel Photo credit: Ken Domeshek
Since Nesvizh descendants might recognize some of these faces, there is another Nesvizh puzzle that I would like help solving. The right box above shows a photograph of my great aunt Kreine nee Damesek, her twin boys Hirshel and Mottel, and her husband named Aginsky (also spelled Oginsky). Aginsky’s first name is not known. Based on the Yizkor Book, it could have been David. However, Aginsky was a large family in Nesvizh, so the husband may or may not have been David. According to landsmannschaft membership records, some Aginsky people were in New York City in the early 1900s. Despite having their names and addresses, I have not been able to trace a living relative. I want to find an Aginsky descendant who can confirm the first name of the husband (he was a locksmith). A distinctive clue to identifying him could be that his sons were identical twins. Kreine and husband Aginsky survived the first selection and were in the Nesvizh ghetto. I’m not sure about the twin boys (plus there was a daughter named Yehudit, who is not in this photo). This family has not been remembered in Yad Vashem and before I submit Pages of Testimony and photographs, I would like to correctly identify Aginsky and his family by his first name.
If you think you might be able to help solve these mysteries – you can contact Ken Domeshek directly at [email protected] or email us here: [email protected]