Title

Pinkas of the Burial Society of Bershed, Founded 1845-46 [Transcription]

Year of Publication/Creation

1845-1846

Language(s)

Hebrew

Description

The title page depicts a Magen David composed of Biblical verses relating to the purpose of the society. [Image 1]

After a short introduction, a poem appears, which was written in 5606 (1845-46). The first letters of each line form the words: Yisrael ben Yeḥezkel-Tsvi, Ḥabura Kadisha d’poh, kehila Bershed (Yisrael the son of Yeḥezkel-Tsvi, the Local Burial Society of the Jewish Community of Bershed). [Images 7,9]

Three statutes describing the purpose and rules of the society. [Image 11]

A resolution to repair the cemetery fence, which was signed by members of the society. It is followed by the endorsement of the Hasidic Rebbe, Rabbi Shlomoh, son of Rabbi Moshe [Giterman, died 1848, who first lived in Savran and then in Chechelnik]. [Image 12]

In the 1890s, Baron David Günzburg of St. Petersburg, Russia hired Avraham Sharfshteyn to transcribe the original pinkas for his private library. The current location of the original pinkas is unknown, if it at all still exists. Sharfshteyn notes that he omitted entries recording the acceptance of new members into the society and the signatures of member who signed on statutes, etc. [Image 13]

A product of a cooperative agreement between the Russian National Library and Touro University’s Project Zikaron in 2019. This pinkas is part of the Günzburg Manuscript Collection at the Russian National Library in Moscow. This overview was prepared by Rabbi Yitzchok Stroh of Brooklyn, New York, in 2020.

Category

Geographic Places

• Bershad (Bershed), Ukraine (read online)