The "Interesting Meetings Club" gathered for another meeting dedicated to the liberation of Proskurov from the German-fascist occupation. They remembered not only the events of the turbulent times, but also the heroes of Proskurov who participated in the fighting and were from the Jewish community: Volodymyr Weiser and Isaac Prysayzyn. Many interesting facts about the latter's life and front-line path were revealed from the speech of a relative of Isaac Zilovich - a client of the Khmelnytskyi Charitable Foundation "Hesed Besht" Oleksandr Henvin.
The club meeting was opened by Lyudmila Shvartsman. She announced the topic of the meeting and prepared the audience for the screening of the documentary film "The Freed Proskurov". We offer you a revised version of this film. (click here). The original has no sound, so some moments were commented on by the presenter. Watching the video, one cannot but regretfully contemplate the damaged houses, broken roads and German signs with the names of our streets on the houses. The club members had no problems recognizing the houses that have survived to this day, the landscapes that still preserve the memory of those times. Now it is hard to believe that there was once a war here, but it was and it should be remembered.
About the Hero of the Soviet Union Vladimir Zelmanovich Vaiser was told by his cousin Betya Isakivna Kryshtun. The feat of the tank commander is engraved in the history of war and victory. Our website and the newspaper Shalom Aleichem have repeatedly published materials about Vladimir Vaiser. This time the audience learned more about the youth and pre-war years of the future Hero of the Soviet Union.
But pilot Isaac Prysayzin was not given the "Hero". Yes, he was "not given" it, since our compatriot Mykola Gastelo had performed a similar feat much earlier! This is evidenced by both archival documents and oral confirmations. However, the pilot's nationality prevented the then command from recognizing him as a Hero. However, the memory did not pass away just like that: there is a street in the city named after Prysayzin. And, as you know, streets are not named after completely ordinary people.
Local historian and volunteer of the Hesed Besht Children's Charity Foundation Leonid Zapadenko told more about Isaac Prysayzin. He drew the attention of the audience that the Prysayzin family lived in Proskurov with his grandfather and great-grandfather. They were native Proskurov Jews with the characteristic flavor of our townspeople. In general, Leonid Petrovych constantly emphasizes that "...we all come from the Proskurov Shtetl..." The task of the "Interesting Meetings Club" is to introduce its participants to extraordinary personalities who also "come from the Proskurov Shtetl."
