Britshan: Britsheni ha-yehudit be-mahatsitha-mea ha-aharona
Original Yizkor Book edited by Yaakov Amizur Written by Former residents of Brichany Published in Tel Aviv 1964, in Hebrew with 296 pages Translation Project Coordinator: Roberta Jaffer Hard Cover, 11” by 8.5”, 366 pages with all illustrations.
About This Book
Brichany, Bessarabia (now Briceni, Moldova) had been a thriving market town serving some 20 surrounding villages in northern Bessarabia. It was principally a Jewish town with a Christian quarter. In June 1940, the Red Army entered the city . Most of the “bourgeois”, or “enemies of the people”, were arrested and sent to Siberia where they died in labor camps or were murdered. Although the middle and lower class residents were spared deportation, they suffered as their property and businesses were confiscated and a year of famine ensued. Brichany had lost its strong leaders and activists. No one organized resistance. On July 21, 1941, the Red Army left, and on July 22 the Romanians entered Brichany. The Holocaust had arrived. Only 1,000 of its former 10,000 Jewish residents survived. Fewer than 100 Jews live in Briceni today.
This book contains the memories of those who survived and those who had left Bessarabia before World War II. Through this English translation, researchers and descendants of survivors and emigrants can learn about the culture, social institutions, and leaders of Brichany. A map is included so that you can walk the streets in your mind's eye as you read the first-person accounts and descriptions of a once-vibrant Jewish community.
Place Details
Briceni, Moldova is located at: 48°22' North Latitude, 27°05' East Longitude
Alternate names for the town are: Brichany [Rus], Briceni [Rom], Britshan [Yid], Bryczany [Pol], Bricheni, Briceni-Târg, Bricheni Targ, Briceni Sat, Bricheni Sat, Berchan, Brichon, Britshani
Nearby Jewish Communities:
Grimăncăuţi 1 miles N
Bulboaca 5 miles E
Corjeuţi 10 miles S
Cepeleuţi 11 miles ESE
Lipcani 15 miles WSW
Staraya Ushitsa, Ukraine 15 miles N
Rădăuţi, Romania 16 miles SW
Ocniţa 16 miles E
Sokyryany, Ukraine 16 miles ENE
Studenitsa, Ukraine 17 miles NNW
Edineţ 17 miles SE
Rujniţa 18 miles ESE
Neporotovo, Ukraine 19 miles NNE
Ruseni 19 miles SE
Lipnic 20 miles E
Voloshkova, Ukraine 21 miles ENE
Kalyus, Ukraine 21 miles NNE
Kytaihorod, Ukraine 23 miles NNW
Donduşeni 25 miles ESE
Darabani, Romania 26 miles WSW
Ol'khovets, Ukraine 26 miles NNE
Sokilets, Ukraine 26 miles N
Pociumbăuţi 28 miles SSE
Yaryshiv, Ukraine 28 miles ENE
Bajura, Romania 28 miles WSW
Khotyn, Ukraine 28 miles WNW
Velikiy Zhvanchik, Ukraine 28 miles N
Gîrbeni, Romania 28 miles SW
Havîrna, Romania 29 miles SW
Zhvanets, Ukraine 30 miles WNW
Ataky, Ukraine 30 miles WNW
Verbovets, Ukraine 30 miles NNE