This is a photo taken of my great uncle Birche Bartnovski and my father Abram Bartnovski circa, 1920. Just prior to World War II Birshe was operating the families Smith Shop in Zabludow. My grandfather died of influenza in February, 1919 when my father was age six. Birshe was his only uncle in Zabludow. Below is a quote from the Zabludow Yizkor (memorial) Book that tells of Birshe's murder by Nazi troops on June 26, 1941. I have no information as to what ultimately happened to his wife and three children other than, "they are among the six million".
"I stopped by the house of Birche Bartnovski, the smith; darkness, night. From far away I see a burnt town. The whole area was empty, only the edge of the Catholic church and the round dome of the Pravoslavic church were erect. I knock on the door of my good acquaintance Birche. His house survived the fire. I waited a minute, from the inside I hear movements and then cries and children’s sobbing. I feel a deep sadness. The door is open, in front of me Reba Baker’s wife stands, a moment passed until she recognized me. She is telling me, broken and filled with tears; two days ago the Germans took Birche from the house, they took him to the bridge by the river near the house and shot him in front of his wife and their three children".
Quote by Shmuel Bernstein From Zabludow Yizkor (memorial) book This photo was taken in May, 2001. It shows the area of the Bartnovski's Smith shop where Birshe and his family lived in Zabludow. It can be seen that the buildings appear to be original. The small bridge in the lower portion of the photo is where according to Shmuel Berstein in the Zabludow Yizkor Book, my great uncle Birshe Bartnovski was shot dead by the Gemans in front of his wife and children on June 26, 1941.
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