By Ilya Magid

Jewish Self Defense

(Moshe Goloshinsky told me this story)

At the time of Civil war (1917-1920) gangs traveled around the Ukraine. They attacked Jewish shtetls and organized pogroms. The shtetl Shpola, near town of Cherkask, had a population was 15 thousand Jews, 7 synagogues, a sugar plant and some flour plants, etc. Jews from the shtetl decided to organize the Self-Defense. After the war (1914-1917) there were enough arms for defense of the shtetl. They had even a cannon. Jews elected a council of self-defense. Among of the members of the council were a dentist, two brothers, the owner of several flour plants, and etc. All young persons were drafted into the Self-Defense. Conscripts had training on the market plaza.

The gangs knew about the self-defense force and were afraid to attack that shtetl.

After the civil war there was an order to give up all weapons to the Government. The council of Self-Defense decided that they would not give weapons to them. In the yard of one of the members of the council they dug a big cellar, lined it with cement, and stored all the weapons. In 1927 the wives of two brothers in the council of Self-Defense argued. One of those wives was a communist and informed the GPU (later KGB) about the hidden weapons. (In that time there was only one synagogue and government privatized all plants).

A battalion of soldiers quickly arrived at the shtetl, surrounded it and organized a firing line. Nobody in the sthtetl opposed them.

All members of the council were arrested. Nobody knew about their destiny.

Editor Steven Siegel

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