Evin began to write poems, of his loves, observations of life in Birzhai, Lithuania, and relfections, in his twentieth year. His 700+ page manuscript, written in Hebrew with occasional use of Yiddish, ends when he succeeds in being able to flee to the United States in 1938. Here follows three randomly chosen excerpts. Arbiter is seeking funding for a translation of the entire corpus for partial publication on this website (a pre-Holocaust blog!) and further dissemination along with the author's photographs and relevant family correspondence.
In the 1930s, Birzhai had a population of 12,000 (half were Jewish). A town idyllically set amidst lakes, rivers, forests of fir trees with chocolate fertile earth, only two Jews returned to remain after the executions of Jews and their deportation to the Kovno (Kaunas) ghetto during World War II. This unique diary documents the transformation of a young man while his world slowly disintegrates.
4/III 1935
And so lies the day in everything and I'm wandering, tired, still
tired from aimless wandering on the paths.
In everything there is a drowsiness.
The cracked stone is sleeping.
The gravel will pierce my heel.
A gentle breeze pulled the shade.
A light song will come to me but will not give me contentment.
Unfortunate wanderer, where are you arriving, what for?
Come to me and rest and so we will make a (custom [habit?].)
My ears will hear the voice of the hidden. The forest swallowed
me with its refreshing shadows and I will go to the forest and
I will search for the hidden, but whispers, and I'll find a little
bird on me, the bird which twitters of the Enlightener.
20/III 1934
Yesterday I was idle all day. In the evening I returned home at
an early hour. I saw her walking with a Gymnasia student who is
very gifted with literary abilities. Up to this year I read. Today
is a very cloudy day. Spring is coming early, the room in the
apartment is cleaned out of winter. Also in the house, in the
courtyard and together with it comes Passover. The arrival of
the holiday is in the house. They take out the double windows
and open them wide. In everything is a great change. In the place
of death and cold comes life again. The Passover holiday has entered
the house, Spring to the whole world.
22/III 1934
On the third day, in the evening, we met. We strolled, we conversed
and these days there was nothing new with the exception of this
- that we helped Leah Rubin and others to bake matzos. Often I
escorted Leah to her house. She said that in the past years, people
used to come to her on Passover to play 'nuts' [a game] and she
felt great joy. Indeed with all the Passover events she was not
satisfied with this. And still, yes, there was a little satisfaction.
The Gymnasia had Easter vacation. I asked Y. if she also goes
to confession. She said she slipped out from it, no one knows
that she doesn't go, not even her parents. And for this big sin
there is no absolution! Sarah told me that Leah's mother told
her that I am walking with a Catholic girl. In general many speak
about it - they saw me on Friday evening. I have to be careful
[Shmuel's father was a rabbi, both the town shochet- ritual slaughterer
and an eminent scholar] the gossip shouldn't spread. The days
are grey and warm. I walked to the 'Palace' [castle ruins by the
lake]. The snow is already gone, slabs of ice remain. The lake
[Stav] is still covered with ice. In the river the water is flowing
and pieces of ice drift down.
The Tabakin family [friends, one of the only two Chassidic families
among 600 Jewish families in town] went away, only the youngest
[Chaim] was left, and we are talking about [making] an evening.
Our group of friends are indifferent. It could be that we'll not
take advantage of the right time. I drew again: preparing a picture
of Anlazarov [sic?, a Zionist killed by the Irgun in Palestine].
photos of Birzh (Birzhai) Lithuania, c. 1937, by Shmuel Evin
A 19th Century Hebrew Harvest Augury from Yemen by James Irsay