Bubbe's Place: Stories

Pogroms

A pogrom is an organized massacre or attack upon Jews. There were many pogroms in the 1800swhen Nicholas I ruled Russia. Again in the early 1900s when the Japanese crushed the Russian army shamefully, there was a campaign of pogroms sponsored by government officials. These pogroms usually lasted about three days, before policemen broke them up.

The First World War ended with the Russian Revolution. The period that followed was a time of uncertainty and lawlessness. From 1919 to 1920 there were vast pogroms against Ukrainian Jews. Koshovato was in the heart of the Ukraine.

At first the Jewish families tried to stay in Koshovato. The young men organized themselves into a self-defense group (Shomrim). They bought rifles and pistols for protection. Sonya told me that her family was attacked so often in the beginning that they arranged to sleep in the fields of a friendly Christian farmer. He was afraid to let them hide in his barn, but he did let them hide in his fields. As darkness began to fall, they would slip away from their homes into the fields. Tova Gubenko caught a cold. Because she was sleeping on the damp cold ground, it got worse and worse. Soon she had pneumonia. Without medicines and proper care her lungs succumbed to tuberculosis.

One night the Cossacks attacked. They were furious to find empty houses. They wanted to kill Jews! They began to search for victims. The group hiding in the field could seem them approaching. A baby began to whimper. The Cossacks might hear the baby and turn toward them. The mother could not silence her baby. Finally she jumped up and raced toward the creek. She was intent on drowning her baby and herself rather than let her neighbors be discovered. A boy tackled her. The community would not allow her to kill herself and the baby. It was a miracle. The Cossack’s heard only them selves. They all lived through that long night.

Chaika (Ida) Korostoshevski married Benjamin Noskov during this period. After the wedding ceremony they returned to her father Israel's house. A toast was proposed. "May you share a long fruitful life together. Le'Chaim!" Just as they raised their glasses to their lips, they heard a piercing voice in the distance. "Jews hide yourselves! The Cossack’s are coming!"

Pandemonium broke out. Mothers snatched up their children as they ran. People scattered in every direction. The bride flew out one window. The groom dove out another. In the wild race for cover and safety, they lost each other. Hiding in the woods, Chaika cried forlornly. What could have happened to her young husband? They were finally reunited three days later when peace returned to Koshovato.

Not all bandits traveled in large groups. A single poor peasant perpetrated a series of small attacks in 1917. He came to town, shot his rifle to chase away the Jews, and robbed a house or two. On his third attempt the Shomrim caught him. Because the Jews were afraid of retaliation, they did not harm him. They just threatened him and let him go. Incidents did not always end so happily. A Gubenko cousin, a very large man, a blacksmith, refused to run away each night. He was so strong he felt sure that he could defend his home. In the morning he was found dead. Both his hands had been chopped off.

A particularly serious situation developed in 1919 when the terrible anti-Semitic General Petlura (a White Russian General) and his aide Denekin were retreating toward Odessa and the sea. Wherever they went, they killed Jews. They would stay in Koshovato for three days.

As they approached Koshovato, the Shomrim raced from house to house to warn the Jews to hide themselves. The Shomrim would be the last Jews to leave the town. Yussel Gubenko was arrested and beaten up. Young Meyer Korostoshevski aged 14 was wounded in both legs. Menashe raced home to help his family escape. They were gone and he was trapped by three of Petlura's men. They chased him around a tree and over the furniture in his father's house. The soldier's rifle butt crashed into Menashe's jaw. He collapsed. When they saw that his mouth was bleeding, they left him there and robbed the house. Thankfully they did not see the gun in his pocket. Had they discovered the gun, they would surely have killed him. After they were gone, Menashe hid himself in a nearby stable.

After that the Jews left Koshovato. Some went to America, or Kiev, or Moscow. Our family went to Boguslav where there was a larger Jewish community and a bigger defense militia. After a year the Jews were forced to run away again. This time our family moved to Tarashta still believing that there was safety in numbers.

Tarashta held terrible memories for three of the Gubenko sisters. When they began their odyssey, Tova Gubenko was sick with tuberculosis. Sonya nursed her mother, but without medication and proper good food, she could not restore her health. In 1921, Tova died in Tarashta.

Genesee Gubenko and her husband, Ben Zion Blinder, sold their meager belongings. With the proceeds they bought a horse and wagon. They would take their five children and make their way west. Ben Zion had glaucoma. They could not go to America. The health rules would keep him out.

Yetta Gubenko was pregnant. Her husband, Hershel Krafchenko had sold most of their belongings. He had a horse and wagon. He and Yetta would go to Romania and then to America.

As the two families prepared to leave, Trotsky's Bolshevik army commandeered their horses and wagons. Hershel and Ben Zion were forced to drive work crews to repair telegraph wires just outside the city. The workmen and their guards returned without Hershel and Ben Zion. "We were attacked by bandits! They kept the Jews," they explained

Quickly, the Jewish men went to search for them. They were found crucified on telegraph poles.