Chaim Meir Chodosh
Chaim Meir Chodosh | |
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 Chodosh after WWII | |
| Born | April 1, 1904 |
| Died | November 24, 1996 (age 92) |
| Nationality | Jewish |
| Occupation(s) | Partisan leader, entrepreneur |
| Spouse | Luba Alperovitch |
| Children | Judith, Emmanuel, Leonard |
| Parent |
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| Relatives |
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| Awards | Refused Hero of the Soviet Union award |
| Signature | |
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Chaim Meir Chodosh (Yiddish: חיים מאיר חדש; Russian: Хаим Меир Ходош; 1904–1996) was a Jewish partisan[1] who helped lead resistance efforts in the Minsk Region during the Holocaust, saving hundreds of Jews by guiding them into the forests. After the war, he became a leader in the Ziegenhain DP camp,[2] Kassel DP camp,[3] and Landsberg DP camp.[4]
Due to his hatred of communism, he refused the Hero of the Soviet Union award after the war, choosing instead to immigrate to the United States.
Early life
[edit]
Chaim Meir Chodosh was born into a prominent Litvak family[5] in Orpa, an old shtetl in what is now Belarus. His father, Rabbi Dr. Chevel Chodosh, was a well-known scholar, and his great-grandfather, Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Chodosh, established the family's estate, "Orper Hof", which became the mainstay of the village.[6] The Orpa estate, given as a gift to Rabbi Mordechai by the Potocki family, was a self-sustaining community spanning over 15 disntines (approximately 40,500 acres). Chaim managed the daily operations while his brother Motke handled business travel.[6]
An inventor, Chaim created tools for local gentry and developed a wind-resistant fabric called Gevant, similar to fulling in America.[7]
Military service
[edit]In 1925, Chaim was drafted into the Polish army as a medic. On September 1, 1939, he was recalled to serve in the Polish cavalry. His unit was stationed in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, southeast of Bialystok. After the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact divided Poland, Soviet authorities seized the Orpa estate, forcing the Chodosh brothers to work under what he later described as impossible quotas. This experience cemented Chaim's contempt for communism.[6]
Holocaust heroism
[edit]In June 1941, Germany invaded Soviet-occupied Belarus, including Orpa.[8] When the Nazis ordered Jews to report to the village square, Chaim organized an emergency meeting at the estate and urged the community to flee into the forest. Using his knowledge of the terrain, he led hundreds of Jews to safety, teaching them survival skills such as finding water, building zemlyankas, communicating with bird calls, building fires, and identifying edible plants.[6] While in the forest, Chaim joined the partisans,[1] conducting sabotage missions throughout the war. On one occasion, this included the destruction of a train carrying ammunition to Nazi camps, an operation where he was shot in the shoulder. Despite being offered the Hero of the Soviet Union award, he refused to relocate to Russia after the war, rejecting life under communism. Instead, he immigrated to the United States.[7][9]
In early 1946, Chaim and his family fled to the American zone in Berlin, Germany, where they were placed in a Displaced Persons (DP) camp. Later, they moved to the Ziegenhain DP camp[2] in the Frankfurt district. Chaim quickly became a leader, founding a synagogue using a Torah written by his father-in-law that he had saved during the war. He also served as the camp's volunteer Chief of Police, uncovering and stopping corruption in the camp's administration.[6] Chaim revitalized the DP camp by establishing a meat processing plant, grocery store, ice cream parlor, soda factory, live theater, and movie house. These businesses provided essential goods and services to survivors.[6]
In 1949, when the Kassel DP camp[3] was closed, Chaim's family moved to the Landsberg DP camp in Bavaria. There, he continued his entrepreneurial efforts, overseeing grain fields and establishing additional businesses. Despite planning to immigrate to Israel, family circumstances ultimately led him to immigrate to the United States in 1951.[6]
Family
[edit]Chaim married Luba, the daughter of Rabbi Yehuda Chaim Alperovitch, the Hasidic Rav of Rechke. They had three children: Judith, Emmanuel, and Leonard.[6]
His first cousin, Chaim Ber Gershonovich Chodosh, became a famous Soviet scientist, and was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labour, Order of the Badge of Honour, and the "Honored Scientist of the RSFSR" medal.[10][11]
Legacy
[edit]
In 2017, Donald Hecht dedicated the Yeshiva Knesset Hagdola Dining Hall in Modi'in Illit, Israel, in his memory. The dedication ceremony was attended by numerous Rabbis, including the great-grandson of the Chofetz Chaim, Rabbi Itzhak Zaks.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Sowjetische Partisanen in Weißrußland: SR, April 2006". www.ruf.rice.edu. Archived from the original on 2012-07-18. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
- ^ a b For more information about the Ziegenhain camp: "Ziegenhain Displaced Persons Camp". United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
- ^ a b For more info: "Kassel Displaced Persons Camp". DP Camps. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
- ^ For more information about the Landsberg camp: "Landsberg Displaced Persons Camp". United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
- ^ "Chadash". Eilat Gordin Levitan. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Goldman, Judith. The Living Compass, Chapters 3-24.
- ^ a b "Kurenets Archival Information". Eilat Gordin Levitan. Retrieved 2024-11-17.
- ^ "Invasion of the Soviet Union, June 1941". United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
- ^ "Chaim Chodosz". Ancient Faces. Retrieved 2024-11-17.
- ^ "Wikidata entry for Chaim-Ber Gershonovich Chodosh". Wikidata. Retrieved 2024-11-17.
- ^ "About Neurosurgery". Irkutsk Regional Clinical Hospital. Retrieved 2024-11-17.