Part one of excerpts and photos from letters written by Dora Volovelska who perished in Ghetto Brest, Belarus, in 1942. The letters were sent to her half sister in New York.

1. Voices from Dora’s Letters
Brest-Litofsk, Belarus 1936-1940
Dora/Dvora Volovelska , 1920-1942
Perished in Ghetto Brest, Belarus
Part One:
The
Family

2. December 1936
(excerpts from Dora’s letter in red)
“I beg your pardon for my long not
writing. So it is, each man is occupied by
his own work, and sometimes forgott even
about sister. But when I recollected about
you I feel that I am not in order according
to you. Now when the father writes you a
letter and I have time (it is the time of
Winter holidays) I write you also a few
words”.

3. And well might she forget a
sister - Dora was born (1920)
into a crowded house. A large
family but one she was
constantly saying goodbye to:

4. Mother
Father
Paternal
Grandfather
Step
Grandfather
Half
sister
Half
sister
Half
sister
Half
brother
Half
sister

5. Libby / Lillian – U.S.A (photo -1925)
• Dora could not have had
any real memories of her
eldest half sister who
immigrated to New-York
circa 1924. Dora was born in
1920…
• “Thank you very much for
the pictures, I was very
happy with them. I showed
them to my friends and
they did not believe I have
such beautiful sister. You
look very fine and young”.

6. Moshe
• Unverified picture of
the only brother.
• Immigrated to
Argentina circa 1926
• Not mentioned in
Dora’s letters.

7. Beileh / Bejia / Berta
• Born in 1911.
• Immigrated to
Argentina on Feb. 24,
1927
• (not yet clear if the stamp March
1927 signifies arrival or actual
departure from port, probably
Gdansk).
• Passport Photo.
• Travelled on the
Alcantara.

8. Dora sends Lillian
Beilah’s address
as a married
woman (the
address is of the
family business).

9. Feige / Zipora (Passport Photo)
• Born circa 1912.
• Immigrated to Israel in
1933 with a husband, a
baby, books in Hebrew
and a fiddle.
• “None of them does
not live in such troubles
as I. The same is with
Bluma and Feige in
Palestine and also with
you in U.S.A.”

10. Zipora (in dark dress) with friend, 1927
• Zipora pleaded with her
father to accept a
steamer ticket for Dora
and send her to “Eretz
Israel” too. Her father
refused.
• “From Palestine we
have none letter. We
hear very bad news
from here, this also
brings new troubles.”

11. Bluma
Bluma was born circa 1917.
Immigrated to Israel in 1935.
The last half-sister to leave.
(Photo with Dora, 1935)

12. Bluma (cont.)
• “Bluma is a very
beautiful girl (so she
was when she goes to
Palestine, now I do not
know). Now she is in
Palestine, she must
work hard and care for
herself and what has
she there? The same is
with you. But better
not to speak”.

13. The Grandfathers
• Tsoidek / Cadyk
• Paternal Grandfather
• Lived with the family,
became senile but
remained strong. He
would beat the
children.
• Year of death currently
unknown.

14. The Grandfathers
• Shia Krum
• Father of the late first wife, Haya, who lived
with the family even after Nochim Meir
married Dora’s mother.
• No picture found
• Year of death currently unknown

15. Dora’s Mother
• “I am surely glad to hear from you good news,
but my joy is mixed with a deep mourning
because there passed nearly two months that
my love mother died. The pitiful father he had
built twice the life and what remained him.
The children disseminated over the world , we
remained two lonely lubu ???. Such is the
lot”. (undated letter)

16. Dora’s Mother – Cont.
• We only learned of her name, Taube, from the
Nazi Ghetto Records. All of the half siblings
that fled home early referred to her as “The
Evil Stepmother”.
• Dora writes of her mother’s illness in March
1939. From the context of the letters she
passed away during the summer of 1939.

17. Only two family
members were left
when the Nazi’s came.

18. Dora and her father, Nochim Meir
(photo circa 1935)

19. To be continued…
This is part one of a work in progress.
• To read Dora’s complete letters go to
http://visualisingideas.edublogs.org/category/w
ho-were-you-dora/
Posted by Naomi Ganin-Epstein