This blog is the culmination of a long search for information about the 1905 Odessa pogrom – about who died in the pogrom, where they lived and what their lives might have been like. The Russian pogroms against the Jews occurred in a time when people kept silent about such things so there are no stories and very few facts about those who died. The silence itself affected the families for generations. The blog began as a home for a list of 300 Jews in the Odessa rabbinical death records, which have rarely been accessed in the Odessa archives and never appeared online before. It then developed as a place to imagine the lives of the people in Odessa in 1905 who were caught up in the pogrom.
Links to the list of those killed in the 1905 Odessa pogrom in English and Russian:
https://odessasecrets.wordpress.com/2015/06/19/
odessasecrets: the 1905 pogrom 
I found that reading The Five by Jabotinsky – a novel about Odessa Jewish family in the first decade of the 20th century – really gave a sense of what life was like. sounded like my grandparents family in many ways.
Howard Krosnick
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I came upon this site by accident, and was surprised to find a narrative about my great aunt, Golda Field, and her family. Something I wrote in Avotaynu was also quoted at length (thank you). I know a little more about the Pogrom that came down to me as family stories, and would like to clarify a few points in the excellent narrative here. Please feel free to get in touch.
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I am reading the Odessa stories by Isaac Babel at the moment, and the images of Moldovanka leapt so vividly to my mind that I set up to do some research online.
Such a beautiful work you have done on here!
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I looked up my last name and uncovered more than I thought I ever could about my family through this. I’ve been following the Goichman family(my family) and unearthed many family secrets….specifically Anna, whom I’m named after. Thank you to whoever wrote this, I need more information, I’m starved for any family history, please reach out.
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I just stumbled across your blog today and am so inspired by it. Thank you for making these records accessible and for treating history with such care.
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Thank you for your excellent work. I found two possible connections, however I haven’t done enough research to confirm them. A family member was named Bessie Oxenhandler, but she was born in 1884, years before the child Bessie whom you describe in your blog. Also, my family may be related to Sura Leibov Kolditskaya, who was murdered in the Odessa pogram. Seeing these names has inspired me to find out more–I thought everyone was lost long ago.
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What a surprise when reading my family relatives from Odessa named Kofman 🙂 I really would like to know people who wrote this article to be in touch with. Regards
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I think I am a family from Brazil that is supposed to be parent of Weitzman familly, the one survivor of 11 years, who was in Elis Island and migrate to Peru.Aron Weitsman, but in one of migrations from Ellis or Peru or even Brazil, my last name chanceg to Veitsman. My grandfather Jacob was born in Romenia and in 1935 he migrate form Lituania
with his familly to Peru.
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My great uncle Julius Resnikov was born in a cellar during the 1905 pogrom. His mother, Slawa Tsatskin was sheltered by the locals as her mother was a much like midwife. Jacob Resnikov had left to go to the UK leaving his pregnant wife and baby daughter behind. After the birth Slawa made her way to UK using people smugglers and was reunited with her husband. Slawa had a sister married to David Zimmerman. They lived at Gospitalnaja street W96-15 5. family rumour has it that the Zimmermans went to USA but I cannot find any records to substantiate this. Has anyone got any clues on the Zimmermans?
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Wow! I would love to connect. My great grandmother was Sarah Nochman/Davidson.
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Hi, I am a fam of Alan Furst. Currently reading ‘Dark Star’. As with all of Alan’s works I need to constantly google to know more about the background, places, or persons referred to in his novels. His reference to 1905 Odessa pogrom related google landed me in your blogspot. I am so touched and poignant at your post and even more with the letters that follow. For many reasons I would like to visit Odessa sometime but that may not happen. Best wishes to you and for an extraordinary experience of transporting me to early 20th horrible century. – Raja
phantom363@gmail.com
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Do you know the identity of the figure in Leonid Pasternak’s painting “Torments of Creative Work”?
I thought it was Leonid himself, but it doesn’t look like photos you have of him. Thanks.
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I,likewise,came upon this site by accident and fortuitously learned so much today about my father, Daniel Kudler his siblings and my family history. I would like to thank whoever wrote this article about my aunt Mindel KUDLER. I would very much appreciate the author emailing me to discuss their findings.
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I came across this blog while searching on info about a former neighbor of mine, Jacob Skilken, who was Max Skilken’s son. Jacob (1910-1994) was from Dayton, OH, taught school in Newton, MA and retired to Yarmouth, MA, where we met as neighbors. He moved to Las Cruces, NM toward the end of his life. So interesting and sad to learn of his family’s past and how, like many Jews, they were persecuted. Jacob was a very well-educated and outspoken man on issues of social justice, and as a teen I had many interesting conversations with him.
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I just found your blog and signed up for it. I’ve been reading up o the pogroms because I am trying to find out what kind of truth there is to family stories. It was said that my great grandfather Nathan Kalman (Naftali Kelmansky) because he killed a Cossack.. He left Odessa and arrived in NY in September 1906 at age ~19. He sailed with his sister-in-law Goldie and her six children. They went to meet her husband, his brother, Jacob (Yankel) Kemansky who was a cantor and had arrived in February 1906. I just learned from one of his great grandsons that the story he knew was that Yankel had been hurt by a Cossack and had a scar on his face from it. While my father doesn’t remember Yankel with a scar, I found a 1942 old man draft card which notes he had one on his head. I am wondering if they could’ve been involved. Other siblings of Nat and Yankel’s followed in 1907 and his mother and another sibling who I can’t trace came in 1911. They said they left a sibling behind, Sose Wolberg, and gave Odessa and something that looks like Grosen Bautbol or Lautsol as an address, I do not know what her husband’s name was or occupation.
So, my relatives weren’t killed in the pogrom but I would very much like to find out if they are named in any historic records. I’d also like to track the sister, but that is another story. Any help you can provide or if I can share with you anything I have — I’d be grateful. Thank you.
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sorry, correction Nat was 18-ish when he arrived. Yankel, the hazzan, would’ve been about 29 or 30 and had 6 kids.
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Hello
My name is Moty Moshe Likwornik.
I live in Jerusalem but I’m travelling to Odessa at least 8 times every years to study about the Jewish history. I’m also organizing groups that I’m guiding there in French and Hebrew.
Your blog is really amazing and I will be very glad to be in touch with you.
Very best regards
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My great-grandmother Slava Tsatskin, married to Jacob Resnokov, gave birth to her second child during the pogrom. She was hidden in a cellar. Jacob escaped overland to Wales. When Slava had recovered she made her way overland, with the aid of people smugglers, to join Jacob. I often ask on line if anyone is related to the Resikovs of Odessa, the Tsatskins or the Zimmermans; all my ancestors from Odessa. Peter Weinstock
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I’ve just learned one of my ancestors was wood trader in Odessa. He started to build first Odessa houses with wood in the 1830. I would be happy to learn more here about this very well-known odessite family. His name was Fischel Zalman Kofman nickname “Shmill or Shulim”.
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