Antopol
Encyclopedia
Antopal is a town in Belarus
is located at Latitude 52.12.06 N and Longitude 24.47.11 E. It is at an altitude of 518 feet. The approximate population
for a 7 kilometer area from this point is 2,469 people.
Antopol is situated in the Polesian Plain, near the towns of Kobryn
and Brest
(Brest-Litowski), nearby the river Pripyat
flows into the Dnieper River
. The Polesian Plain is a region of lakes and moors, well suited for agriculture. It changed hands frequently between Poland and Russia. Between the two world wars, western Polesia was part of Poland. The local population consisted of Belarusians
(76%), Ukrainians
(18%), Poles
(4%) and Jews
(2%).
Jews
lived in Polesia
in the 14th century. They settled in Antopal in the middle of the 17th Century. The town has an old Jewish Cemetery and a bathhouse. During the Swedish occupation (1706) many Antopal Jews were killed. On the road to the town there are rows of Jewish graves, called "The Swedes."
Two emissaries from Jerusalem visited Antopal in the 1880s and mentioned the Jewish community in their records.
In 1847, there were 1108 Jews in Antopal and in 1897 about 3140, out of a total population of 3870.
From time to time, fires broke out in the town. In 1869, almost the entire town was burned down and then rebuilt. Before the 2nd World War, there were 5 Beth Midrash
in the town and also a Hassidic "Stibl." The old synagogue burned down during the 1st world war and a new synagogue was built in its place.
Presiding Judge of Antopal and the nearby town of Horodoff, Rabbi Haim S. Zalman Bressler, Rabbi Pinkas Michalek and Rabbi Mordechaie Wizel Rosenblatt. Rabbi Moshe Neeman Akiva of Antopal went to Israel and survived the Safed
riots of 1834.
Like many other Polesian Jews, the Jewish inhabitants of Antopal made their living from agriculture. They were landowners and leaseholders. They grew corn and potatoes and had vegetable gardens. Peasants living in the vicinity worked for Jewish farmers. Agricultural cooperatives were founded in Antopal. Before the 1st World War, there were 21 Jewish farms in Antopal. After the war, the economic situation of the Jewish farmers worsened and they received assistance from the J.C.A. (Jewish Colonisation Association).
Jews were occupied in fattening geese and imported sickles and scythes from Vienna. Many Jews were carters and hawkers. Under Polish rule, between the two world wars, the economic situation of the Jews deteriorated due to heavy taxes and the hostile attitude of the authorities. At that time, many of the community's young people emigrated.
At the outbreak of the Second World War (September 1939), there were 2300 Jews living in Antopal out of a population of 3000.
The Germans occupied the region in June 1941. They deported the Jews to a concentration camp from which they were taken to a death camp in Bronna Gora. Hundreds of thousands of Polesian Jews were cremated in furnaces originally built for a local limestone quarry.
In an Aktion (Liquidation Action), that started on October 15, 1942 and lasted for four days, the Jews still living in the Antopal Ghetto were all killed by the Germans.
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
is located at Latitude 52.12.06 N and Longitude 24.47.11 E. It is at an altitude of 518 feet. The approximate population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
for a 7 kilometer area from this point is 2,469 people.
Antopol is situated in the Polesian Plain, near the towns of Kobryn
Kobryn
Kobryn or Kobrin is a city in the Brest voblast of Belarus and the center of the Kobryn Raion. The city is located in the southwestern corner of Belarus where the Mukhavets River and Dnepr-Bug Canal meet. The city lies about 52 km east of the city of Brest. Kobryn is located at Latitude...
and Brest
Brest, Belarus
Brest , formerly also Brest-on-the-Bug and Brest-Litovsk , is a city in Belarus at the border with Poland opposite the city of Terespol, where the Bug River and Mukhavets rivers meet...
(Brest-Litowski), nearby the river Pripyat
Pripyat River
The Pripyat River or Prypiat River is a river in Eastern Europe, approximately long. It flows east through Ukraine, Belarus, and Ukraine again, draining into the Dnieper....
flows into the Dnieper River
Dnieper River
The Dnieper River is one of the major rivers of Europe that flows from Russia, through Belarus and Ukraine, to the Black Sea.The total length is and has a drainage basin of .The river is noted for its dams and hydroelectric stations...
. The Polesian Plain is a region of lakes and moors, well suited for agriculture. It changed hands frequently between Poland and Russia. Between the two world wars, western Polesia was part of Poland. The local population consisted of Belarusians
Belarusians
Belarusians ; are an East Slavic ethnic group who populate the majority of the Republic of Belarus. Introduced to the world as a new state in the early 1990s, the Republic of Belarus brought with it the notion of a re-emerging Belarusian ethnicity, drawn upon the lines of the Old Belarusian...
(76%), Ukrainians
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
(18%), Poles
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
(4%) and Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
(2%).
Jews in Antopal
The following is from the Encyclopedia JudaicaJews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
lived in Polesia
Polesia
Polesia is one of the largest European swampy areas, located in the south-western part of the Eastern-European Lowland, mainly within Belarus and Ukraine but also partly within Poland and Russia...
in the 14th century. They settled in Antopal in the middle of the 17th Century. The town has an old Jewish Cemetery and a bathhouse. During the Swedish occupation (1706) many Antopal Jews were killed. On the road to the town there are rows of Jewish graves, called "The Swedes."
Two emissaries from Jerusalem visited Antopal in the 1880s and mentioned the Jewish community in their records.
In 1847, there were 1108 Jews in Antopal and in 1897 about 3140, out of a total population of 3870.
From time to time, fires broke out in the town. In 1869, almost the entire town was burned down and then rebuilt. Before the 2nd World War, there were 5 Beth Midrash
Beth midrash
Beth Midrash refers to a study hall, whether in a synagogue, yeshiva, kollel, or other building. It is distinct from a synagogue, although many synagogues are also used as batei midrash and vice versa....
in the town and also a Hassidic "Stibl." The old synagogue burned down during the 1st world war and a new synagogue was built in its place.
Presiding Judge of Antopal and the nearby town of Horodoff, Rabbi Haim S. Zalman Bressler, Rabbi Pinkas Michalek and Rabbi Mordechaie Wizel Rosenblatt. Rabbi Moshe Neeman Akiva of Antopal went to Israel and survived the Safed
Safed
Safed , is a city in the Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevation of , Safed is the highest city in the Galilee and of Israel. Due to its high elevation, Safed experiences warm summers and cold, often snowy, winters...
riots of 1834.
Like many other Polesian Jews, the Jewish inhabitants of Antopal made their living from agriculture. They were landowners and leaseholders. They grew corn and potatoes and had vegetable gardens. Peasants living in the vicinity worked for Jewish farmers. Agricultural cooperatives were founded in Antopal. Before the 1st World War, there were 21 Jewish farms in Antopal. After the war, the economic situation of the Jewish farmers worsened and they received assistance from the J.C.A. (Jewish Colonisation Association).
Jews were occupied in fattening geese and imported sickles and scythes from Vienna. Many Jews were carters and hawkers. Under Polish rule, between the two world wars, the economic situation of the Jews deteriorated due to heavy taxes and the hostile attitude of the authorities. At that time, many of the community's young people emigrated.
At the outbreak of the Second World War (September 1939), there were 2300 Jews living in Antopal out of a population of 3000.
The Germans occupied the region in June 1941. They deported the Jews to a concentration camp from which they were taken to a death camp in Bronna Gora. Hundreds of thousands of Polesian Jews were cremated in furnaces originally built for a local limestone quarry.
In an Aktion (Liquidation Action), that started on October 15, 1942 and lasted for four days, the Jews still living in the Antopal Ghetto were all killed by the Germans.
External links
- Antopal. Jewish Cemeteries (English)
- Antopal. Synagogues (English)
- Antopal. Holocaust (English)