From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Briceni (Yiddish Brichon, Russian Brichany) is a city in Moldova. It is the capital of the Briceni district.
The town is also called: Brichany, Berchan, Briceni, Briceni Sat, Briceni Târg, Bricheni, Bricheni Sat, Bricheni Târg, Britchan, Britchani, Britsiteni.
A second shtetl, around 30 miles (50 km) away to the east, is also known as Brichany or Briceni. Some sources appear to treat the two Brichany/Briceni shtetls as the same place.
- The first Brichany is at 48° 22´ north latitude and 27° 06´ east longitude, which put the shtetl 200 km northwest of Chişinău, the capital of Moldova.
- The second Brichany/Briceni is at 48° 22´ north latitude and 27° 42´ east longitude, which put that shtetl 108 miles (174 km) north northwest of Chişinău -- and on the northeasternmost border of Moldova.
[edit] Jewish timeline
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| 1817 |
The town had 137 Jewish families. Another 47 had previously left when the village was partly destroyed by fire. |
| 1847 |
Jewish school opened. |
| 1850 |
Brichany had one of the largest Jewish communities of the region. |
| 1885 |
Jewish hospital founded. |
| 1897 |
There were 7,184 Jews in Brichany (96.5% of the total population) |
| 1898 |
The town had 7,303 Jews from a total population of 8,094. There were 972 Jewish artisans, most of whom were furriers who produced and exported up to 25,000 fur overcoats and caps per year. 25 families were dedicated to gardening and to producing tobacco. About 700 Jews were day laborers, earning 10-30 kopeck per day. |
| 1924 |
125 Jews were occupied in agriculture on 64 km² (approx. 1,600 acres) of land, most of it (5 km²) held on lease. |
| 1930 |
5354 Jews (95.2% of the total population). There was a Hebrew Tarbut school. |
| 1940 |
Jewish population grew to about 10,000. |
| June, 1940 |
Brichany was annexed to the USSR. Most Jewish property and community buildings were confiscated. The only synagogue was saved because the Russians decided to use it as a granary. About 80 Jews, mostly community leaders, were exiled to Siberia. |
| July 8, 1941 |
German & Romanian troops passed through the town, murdering many Jews. Jews from the neighboring towns of Lipkany and Sekiryany were brought to Brichany. |
| July 28, 1941 |
All Jews were dispatched across the Dniester and several were shot en route. When they arrived in Mogilev, the Germans "selected" the old people and forced the younger ones to dig graves for them. From Mogilev the rest were turned back to Ataki and then on to Sekiryany. Hundreds died en route. For a month they stayed in the ghetto, only to be deported again to Transnistria. All the young Jews were murdered in the forest near Soroca. |
| After 1945 |
Only about 1000 Jews returned to Brichany at the end of the war. |
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