Tombstone of Yechiel Michel Goldman

Photo credit: Miriam Weiner of Routes to Roots

Tombstone of Mordechai Goldman

Photo credit: Miriam Weiner of Routes to Roots

Maxim Peisakhov, our photographer’s son, tried to locate Gittel’s gravestone by digging through the underbrush

Dirt, leaves, and brush covered the remaining gravestones.

Baruch was foraging hard in the brush looking for his mother’s grave but was ultimately unsuccessful

This grave marker commemorates a father and son who perished in the Holocaust and the mother who died years afterward.

Tombstones of Paulina’s parents, Chaya Sura Goldman and Itsak Samuelovich Goldman

Photo credit: Miriam Weiner of Routes to Roots

Brucha Goldman Tovbin, 1898-1966, daughter of Israel. Tombstone placed by son S.S. Goldman

Photo credit: Miriam Weiner of Routes to Roots

Shmuel, Moishe, and Palka Goldman, died in Holocaust.

Photo credit: Miriam Weiner of Routes to Roots

Chana Goldman, daughter of Abram, 1907-1985

Photo credit: Miriam Weiner of Routes to Roots

Golda Goldman, daughter of Leizor, 1883-1968

Photo credit: Miriam Weiner of Routes to Roots

Farm animals were allowed to roam freely amongst the newer graves, too

In a fenced-in section, we found the graves of two of our famous ancestors, Rabbi Mordechai Goldman (1824-1900) and his father Rabbi Yechiel Michel Goldman, son of Moshe (1788-1854).

Photo credit: Miriam Weiner of Routes to Roots

When word got out that we were in the cemetery, Jewish townspeople came and asked Baruch to recite prayers for the dead at the gravesides of their relatives.

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In a fenced-in section, we found the graves of two of our famous ancestors, Rabbi Mordechai Goldman (1824-1900) and his father Rabbi Yechiel Michel Goldman, son of Moshe (1788-1854).

In the women’s section Baruch and I searched diligently for Gittel’s grave. My mother had paid for a new marker for the site when she visited Novograd Volynsk during her honeymoon, so we figured that it would stand out from the older markers. We came upon gravestones that were placed within a year or two of Gittel’s death, only to discover that the markers for her year had been uprooted and probably used to pave roads. This was quite a disappointment, especially for Baruch.

Paul with Vigory, the head groundskeeper at the Novograd Volynsk cemetery

Baruch’s health was failing and I didn’t realize this at the time. Sometimes he would grab onto me very tightly and on other occasions I actually held him up. Within the year he was diagnosed of pancreatic cancer. But at the time I assumed that he was emotionally overwhelmed.

The poor condition of the cemetery distressed me so much that I asked Vitaly about hiring somebody to clear it. I also wanted the fallen gravestones returned to their upright position so the markers could be read. Vitaly spoke to Vigory, the cemetery caretaker, and they agreed on a price of a few hundred dollars. However, it was soon recognized that this was too big a task for Vigory alone and he asked if he could hire a couple other workers to help him. This sounded reasonable and we upped the price to $500.

I had a good feeling about this friendly man. Vigory wore a yarmulke out of respect and asked permission to burn wood and other debris on the cemetery grounds where there were no grave markers. In the weeks that followed our visit, he and his helpers cleared out and burned much of the overgrowth and fallen trees.

I wondered if $500 was sufficient remuneration but Vitaly assured me that workers in the area normally earned about $30 a month. For the three months or so that it took Vigory and his team to complete the job they would be earning significantly more than usual.

A newer section of the cemetery is in use by the entire population. The more recent graves have images of the deceased etched on the markers. This is common among both the Jewish and Gentile populations.

There were tombstones of other Goldmans in the cemetery but the relationship of these Goldmans to Paul Gass’s family is unknown.

VITALY CHUMAK, THE MIRACLE WORKER

Throughout our travels Vitaly smoothed the way at every obstacle and tried to meet the special requests and schedule changes that my uncle and I piled on him—not an easy matter given the dearth of local services. For example, Baruch was quite unhappy about the water pressure problem in our hotel room. So Vitaly arranged for Baruch to have a shower in a private home.

Baruch and I lacked protein in our diets because we eat only kosher meat. In Ukraine the standard fare is greasy pork, and fish products that would be considered fish bait by American standards. Vitaly understood the problem and one day, he rose early and tracked down the owner of the chickens that grazed in the Jewish cemetery. He convinced the owner to sell him the eggs. Vitaly also found freshly made goat cheese and milk. The resulting breakfast was delicious.

In Ukraine, if you have American dollars, you can purchase luxury items such as VCRs, televisions, and cars. If you don’t have money, you have an extremely difficult time just putting food on your plate. Every day is a struggle. Few jobs are available, especially for Jews, and what is available pays poorly. We found that in general, government officials dressed in expensive suits but the typical man or woman on the street was dressed shabbily.

People earn a living in strange ways. For example, in the bigger cities, there are lots of policemen. Each appears to be assigned to certain areas. The policemen are constantly writing tickets and the people are constantly paying them off. Once Vitaly was pulled over in the countryside for speeding. Vitaly got out of the car and as he chatted in a friendly manner, he pulled out his wallet and handed over some cash to the officer. Afterward, Vitaly commented that public officials didn’t get paid enough to support their families so he didn’t mind the payoffs.

     
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