This is a photo taken of my great uncle Birshe Bartnovski and my father Abram Bartnovski circa, 1920. Just prior to World War II Birshe was operating the family's Smith Shop in Zabludow. My grandfather died of influenza in February, 1919 when my father was age six. Below is a quote from the Zabludow Yizkor (memorial) Book that tells of Birshe's murder by Nazi troops on June 26, 1941. According to Abe Baker of Chicago Birsh's teenage son Shmuel was shot by the Germans along with him. I have no information as to what ultimately happened to his wife and two other children other than, "they are among the six million". Birshe's son Shmuel Bartnovski, no doubt was named after my great grandfather. Accoring to Abe Baker Birshe also had a daughter Naomi.
Below is a quote about Birshe's murder from the Zabludow Yizkor (memorial) book,
" 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 sobbing. I feel a deep sadness. The door is open, in front of me Reba Becker’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 Abe Baker and Eber Perelgut in Chicago Abe is on the left. He is from the Becker family in Zabludow. His parents had a Bakery located right on the market square. Abe lost his parents and four sisters in Auschwitz - honor their memory! As a child Abe was very good friends with Birshe's son Shmuel. On the right is Eber Perelgut. Eber was taken from Zabludow into the Soviet Army in October of 1940. Eber's uncle was married to my great Aunt Choshke. Eber remembers my family and their blacksmith shop in Zabludow very well.
I took this photo in June, 2001. It shows the small bridge over the little Rudnia River where according to the Zabludow Yizkor (memorial) Book my great uncle Birshe Bartnovski was shot dead by the Germans in front of his wife and children on June 26, 1941. It appears that the Bartnovski Blacksmith shop was on the far side of the bridge, on the right hand side of the road.
This is a pre WW II vintage horse shoe from the area of the Blacksmith Shops in Zabludow. It was given to me by a very nice Polish women who lives in a house very near this bridge, which was a blacksmith shop owned by her stepfather Jan Kuklinski. He bought the property from a Jew, Icko Baran in 1938.
Bartnowski History Zabludow Synagogue Maps Town History Zabludow Landsmanshaftn Zabludow Holocaust Page Links Zabludow "Ancient" Pnkas Web: 2003 Tilford Bartman
