Slutsk ( officially transliterated as Sluck, be, Слуцк; russian: Слуцк; pl, Słuck, lt, Sluckas,

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

: סלוצק ''Slutsk'') is a city in

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...

, located on the Sluch River south of

Minsk Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the admi ...

. As of 2022, its population is 61,802. Slutsk is the administrative center of

Slutsk District Slutsk District ( be, Слу́цкі раён, russian: Слу́цкий райо́н) is a second-level administrative subdivision (raion) of Belarus in the Minsk Region. Notable residents * Alena Kish (1889 or 1896, Ramanava (now Lenina) vi ...

Geography

The city is situated in the south-west of its Region, north of

Soligorsk Salihorsk ( be, Саліго́рск ; russian: Солиго́рск , Soligorsk) is a city in Belarus. In 2018 its population was 106,627. History The city is one of the country's newest settlements; its construction began in 1958. In May 1963 ...

History

Slutsk was first mentioned in writing in 1116. It was part of the

Principality of Turov and Pinsk The Principality of Turov, also called Principality of Turov and Pinsk ( be, Турава-Пінскае княства, russian: Турово-Пинское княжество, uk, Турово-Пінське князівство) or Turovian Rus ...

, but in 1160 it became the capital of a separate principality. From 1320–1330 it was part of the domain of the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Li ...

. Later it was owned by the

Olelkovich The House of Olelkovich ( be, Алелькавічы, lt, Olelkaičiai, pl, Olelkowicze, uk, Олельковичі) was a 15th–16th-century princely family from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Their main possession was the Duchy of Slutsk–K ...

and Radziwiłł families, which transformed it into a center of the

Polish Reformed Church The Polish Reformed Church, officially called the Evangelical Reformed Church in the Republic of Poland (Polish: ''Kościół Ewangelicko-Reformowany w RP'') is a historic Calvinistic Protestant church in Poland established in the 16th century, ...

with a gymnasium and a strong fortress. Following the 17th century, the city became famous for manufacturing

kontusz belt Kontush belt ("kontusz sash" or the ''Slutsk sash''; lt, kontušo juosta, be, слуцкi пояс) was a cloth sash used for girding a kontusz (a robe-like garment). It was one of the most distinctive items of male dress of Polish and Lithuan ...

s, some of the most expensive and luxurious pieces of garment of the

szlachta The ''szlachta'' (Polish: endonym, Lithuanian: šlėkta) were the noble estate of the realm in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth who, as a class, had the dominating position in the ...

. Because of the popularity of the cloths made here, belts worn over the

żupan Żupan (; lt, žiponas, cz, župan, sk, župan, hu, kabát, be, жупан, uk, жупан) is a long lined garment of West or Central Asian origin which was worn by almost all males of the nobility in the multi-ethnic Polish–Lithuanian ...

were often called '' of Slutsk'' despite their real place of origin. Slutsk was part of

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

after

Second Partition of Poland The 1793 Second Partition of Poland was the second of three partitions (or partial annexations) that ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth by 1795. The second partition occurred in the aftermath of the Polish–Russian War ...

in 1793. It was occupied by

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

in 1918 and by

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

between 1919 and 1920 during

Polish Soviet War Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

. In 1920, it was the centre of a major anti-

bolshevik The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...

uprising known as the

Slutsk defence action The Slutsk uprising () or the Slutsk defence ( be, Слуцкі збройны чын, links=no, translit=Slucki zbrojny čyn) was an unsuccessful armed attempt to establish an independent Belarus. It took place in late 1920, near the end of the ...

. Until

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and the

Slutsk Affair The Slutsk affair refers to the massacre of thousands of Jews and others that occurred in Slutsk, Byelorussia in the Soviet Union, in October 1941, near the city of Minsk while under German occupation during World War II. The perpetrators we ...

, the city was predominantly

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

; however, now the population includes no more than 100 Jews. Slutsk was occupied by the

German Army The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...

on 26 June, 1941, and placed under the administration of

Reichskommissariat Ostland The Reichskommissariat Ostland (RKO) was established by Nazi Germany in 1941 during World War II. It became the civilian occupation regime in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and the western part of Byelorussian SSR. German planning documents initia ...

. The period of German occupation ended on 30 June, 1944, when troops of the

1st Belorussian Front The 1st Belorussian Front (Russian: Пéрвый Белорусский фронт, ''Perviy Belorusskiy front'', also romanized " Byelorussian") was a major formation of the Soviet Army during World War II, being equivalent to a Western army ...

recaptured the town during the Minsk Offensive of the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

. On 2 October 1967, a riot occurred during which the local court building was set on fire, resulting in the death of a judge and a police officer. The riot, unprecedented in post-WW2 Soviet Belarus, was triggered by the conduct of a murder trial, which was perceived to be unjust by the local residents.

Massacre of Jews

During the German occupation of Slutsk, the Jewish inhabitants were systematically targeted for killing. The first Jewish victims were killed in the garden on Monakhov Street during the initial days immediately following the arrival of the Germans on 27 June, 1941. The victims numbered between 70 and 120, according to different sources. Four months later, on 27 and 28 October 1941, one of the largest single massacres occurred, known as the

Slutsk affair The Slutsk affair refers to the massacre of thousands of Jews and others that occurred in Slutsk, Byelorussia in the Soviet Union, in October 1941, near the city of Minsk while under German occupation during World War II. The perpetrators we ...

, when Jews were herded towards pits in the Gorovakha ravine, approximately west of Slutsk, where they were shot. According to German sources the total number of victims was 3,400, while Soviet sources cite 8,000. These killings were carried out by two companies of the German 11th Reserve Order Police Battalion and the Lithuanian 2nd Battalion, which was a German-sponsored

Schutzmannschaft The ''Schutzmannschaft'' or Auxiliary Police ( "protective, or guard units"; plural: ''Schutzmannschaften'', abbreviated as ''Schuma'') was the collaborationist auxiliary police of native policemen serving in those areas of the Soviet Union and ...

or Auxiliary Police formation established in

Kaunas Kaunas (; ; also see other names) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the largest city and the centre of a county in the Duchy of Trakai ...

, soon after the Nazi occupation of

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

. A further massacre was carried out over several days during the spring of 1942, when the inhabitants of the "field ghetto" of Slutsk were taken to the forest near the village of Bezverkhovichi, west of Slutsk, where they were shot or murdered in gas vans. According to survivors, the victims were driven to the execution site in two to four trucks on Mondays and Saturdays. The last Jews of the field ghetto were murdered on the

Passover Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holidays, Jewish holiday that celebrates the The Exodus, Biblical story of the Israelites escape from slavery in Ancient Egypt, Egypt, which occurs on the 15th day of the Hebrew calendar, He ...

, 2-3 April 1942. The total number of Jews murdered at Bezverkhovichi is estimated to have been between 3,000 and 4,000. One of the last significant massacres of Jews occurred on 8 February 1943, with the liquidation of the "town ghetto" of Slutsk. The Jews were driven in trucks to the former estate of Mokhart, popularly called Mokharty, east of Slutsk, where they were shot from behind in mass graves by personnel of the

security police office. During the liquidation, some Jews fought back, shooting at the German and Latvian soldiers. In response, the Germans burnt the ghetto to the ground. Postwar court proceedings cite a minimum of 1,600 victims, of which 1,200 were murdered at the graves at Mokharty, the rest in the ghetto itself.

Jewish community

The first indication of Jews in Slutsk is from 1583 when the city was part of Lithuania.Adam Teller, "Slutsk," ''YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe'', (19 October 2010), accessed 25 January 2015
Formal recognition came in 1601. By 1623, Jews owned 16 homes. In 1691, Slutsk became one of the five leading communities of area of Lithuania. By 1750 there were 1,593 Jews. Although this number represented a third of the cities population, 75% of the town's merchants were Jews, and a similar proportion accounted for Jewish ownership and merchandizing of alcohol. After annexation by Russia in 1793, growth of the city slowed, in part due to it being bypassed by the railroad. By 1897 the Jewish community numbered 10,264 inhabitants, or 77% of the city population. They played a central role in the cities markets, particularly in agricultural produce. Slutsk was not insignificant in terms of Torah study. Among the rabbinic figures who served there were Yehudah Leib Pohovitser, Chayim ha-Kohen Rapoport, Yosef Dov Ber Soloveichik (1865–1874), and

Isser Zalman Meltzer Isser Zalman Meltzer ( he, איסר זלמן מלצר) (February 6, 1870 – November 17, 1953),Isser Zalman Meltzer "Even HaEzel" (1870 - 1953) was a famous Lithuanian Jewish and Belarusian Orthodox rabbi, rosh yeshiva and posek. He is also kn ...

. The famous

Slutsk-Kletsk Yeshiva Mesivta Rabsa Eitz Chaim DiSlutsk ( he, מתיבתא רבתא עץ חיים דסלאצק), colloquially known as the Slutsk-Kletsk Yeshivah was an Orthodox Jewish yeshiva in Europe, founded in Slutsk, then part of the Russian Empire, and later mov ...

was founded in Slutsk in 1883 by Rabbi

Yaakov Dovid Wilovsky Rabbi Yaakov Dovid Wilovsky (February 7, 1845 – October 2, 1913), known by the acronym Ridvaz or Ridbaz, was a renowned rabbi, Talmudic commentator and educator. Biography Wilovsky was born in Kobrin, Russia on February 7, 1845. Wilovsky held ...

. Another outstanding scholar of learning in the Talmud and Torah who was also a Hebrew poet and became a Hebrew educator in the United States was Ephraim Eliezer Lisitzky, who was born and grew to his teens in Slutsk before emigrating to the U.S. According to legend the Baal Shem Tov visited Slutsk in 1733 at the invitation of Shmuel Ickowicz. Despite this, the town was known for its anti-

hasidic Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of contem ...

misnagdim ''Misnagdim'' (, "Opponents"; Sephardi pronunciation: ''Mitnagdim''; singular ''misnaged''/''mitnaged'') was a religious movement among the Jews of Eastern Europe which resisted the rise of Hasidism in the 18th and 19th centuries. The ''Misna ...

. The

Haskalah The ''Haskalah'', often termed Jewish Enlightenment ( he, השכלה; literally, "wisdom", "erudition" or "education"), was an intellectual movement among the Jews of Central and Eastern Europe, with a certain influence on those in Western Euro ...

and modern Jewish political parties also were represented among the population.

People

* Mikhail Basalyha – Belarusian painter * Uladzimir Basalyha – Belarusian painter *

Isaac Dov Berkowitz Isaac Dov Berkowitz ( he, יצחק דב ברקוביץ; 16 October 1885 – 29 March 1967), was a Hebrew and Yiddish author and translator. Biography Isaac Dov Berkowitz was born in Slutsk, Russian Empire. He immigrated to the United State ...

– Jewish and Israeli author *

Eliyahu Feinstein Eliyahu Halevi Feinstein, also known as Reb Elye Pruzhaner, (b. Slutsk, Russia 1843 - d. Pruzhany, 1929), was a leading rabbinic authority of his time. Education Feinstein was born in Slutsk, in the Minsk Governorate of the Russian Empire (present ...

– rabbinic authority *

Yaakov Yosef Herman Yaakov Yosef Herman (1880–1967) was an Orthodox Jewish pioneer in the United States in the early 20th century. A native of Slutsk, Belarus, he immigrated with his parents and younger sister to New York City at the age of 8 and was left on his ow ...

–

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...

Jewish pioneer in America *

Semyon Kosberg Semyon Ariyevich Kosberg (''Семён А́риевич Ко́сберг'' in Russian) (October 1(14), 1903, Slutsk - January 3, 1965, Voronezh) was a Soviet engineer, expert in the field of aircraft and rocket engines, Doctor of Technical Scienc ...

– Jewish Soviet engineer *

Shneur Kotler Yosef Chaim Shneur Kotler (1918 – 24 June 1982) was an Orthodox rabbi and rosh yeshiva of Beth Medrash Govoha (also known as the Lakewood Yeshiva) in Lakewood, New Jersey from 1962 to 1982. During his tenure, he developed the Lithuanian-style ...

–

rosh yeshiva Rosh yeshiva ( he, ראש ישיבה, pl. he, ראשי ישיבה, '; Anglicized pl. ''rosh yeshivas'') is the title given to the dean of a yeshiva, a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primar ...

Lakewood yeshiva Beth Medrash Govoha ( he, בית מדרש גבוה, Sephardi pronunciation: ''Beth Midrash Gavoha''. lit: "High House of Learning"; also known as Lakewood Yeshiva or BMG) is a Haredi Jewish Lithuanian ''yeshiva'' in Lakewood Township, New Jerse ...

*Harry Lefrak – father of

Samuel J. LeFrak Samuel J. LeFrak (February 12, 1918 – April 16, 2003) was an American real estate tycoon. He was a noted landlord who chaired a private building firm, the LeFrak Organization, which was ranked 45th on the ''Forbes'' list of top 500 private compa ...

, builder and realtor *Shmuel David Leibowitz-Father of Boruch Ber Leibowitz * Boruch Ber Leibowitz – leading

*Yisroel Leibowitz-leading Rabbi in Vilna from 1926 *Chaim Sholom Leibowitz-Son of Yisroel Leibowitz - Editor Of Birkas Shmuel, magnum opus of His Uncle Boruch Ber Leibowitz *

– Rabbi of Slutsk from 1903 to 1923 *

Anastasiya Prokopenko Anastasiya Prokopenko, nee Samusevich ( be, Настасся Валер’еўна Пракапенка (Самусевіч); Łacinka: Nastassia Samusievič Prakapienka; born 20 September 1985) is a Belarusian modern pentathlete who competed a ...

, world champion and Olympic bronze medalist in

modern pentathlon The modern pentathlon is an Olympic sport consisting of fencing (one-touch épée), freestyle swimming, equestrian show jumping, pistol shooting, and cross country running. The event is inspired by the traditional pentathlon held during the anci ...

Gregory Razran Gregory H. Razran (4 June 1901, in Slutsk – 31 August 1973, in St Petersburg, Florida) was a Russian American expert on Russian psychological research. He left Russia in 1920 and studied at Columbia University gaining a doctorate in 1933. He move ...

, (1901-1973), Russian American psychologist * Princess Sophia of Slutsk, medieval Eastern Orthodox saint *

Fabijan Šantyr Fabijan Šantyr (also spelled Fabiyan Shantyr, ; 4 February 1887 - 29 May 1920) was a Belarusian poet, writer and public figure who has been regarded as “the first victim of he Bolsheviks">Bolsheviks.html" ;"title="he Bolsheviks">he Bolshevik ...

(1887 - 1920), Belarusian poet, writer and public figure who is regarded as “the first victim of he Bolsheviksin…Belarusian politics and literature” *

Edward Sperling Edward J Sperling (1889 – July 22, 1946), born Ezra Sperling, was a 20th-century writer, humourist, and Zionist. Early life Ezra Sperling was born in 1889 in a Jewish community in Slutsk, Belarus, then part of the Russian Empire. As a boy, he ...

– Jewish writer and humorist *

Mikola Statkevich Mikola Viktaravich Statkevich ( be, Мікола Віктаравіч Статкевіч, russian: Николай Викторович Статкевич, translit=Nikolai Viktorovych Statkevich; born 12 August 1956) is a Belarusian politicia ...

– Belarusian politician *

Meyer Waxman Meyer Waxman (; 1887 – March 7, 1969) was an Imperial Russian-born American rabbi, historian, and scholar. He best known for his six-volume work ''A History of Jewish Literature'', published in 1960. Biography Waxman was born in Slutsk, and rec ...

– Rabbi and author *

Mikhail Yakimovich Mikhail Ivanovich Yakimovich ( be, Міхаіл Іванавіч Якімовіч; russian: Михаил Иванович Якимович, born December 12, 1967) is a former Belarusian handball player. Throughout his senior career, Yakimovich ...

– Belarusian

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...

player *

Lidia Yermoshina Lidia Mikhailovna Yermoshina ( be, Лідзія Міхайлаўна Ярмошына ''Lidziya Mikhaylauna Yarmoshyna''; russian: Лидия Михайловна Ермошина ''Lidiya Mikhaylovna Ermoshina''; born 29 January 1953) is a Bel ...

– Belarusian politician *

Shaul Yisraeli , image = הרב שאול ישראלי.JPG , caption = Rabbi Shaul Yisraeli , image_size = , title = , birth_name = , birth_date = July ...

–

religious Zionist Religious Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת דָּתִית, translit. ''Tziyonut Datit'') is an ideology that combines Zionism and Orthodox Judaism. Its adherents are also referred to as ''Dati Leumi'' ( "National Religious"), and in Israel, the ...

rabbi

Twin towns — sister cities

Slutsk is twinned with: *

Brovary Raion Brovary Raion () is a raion (district) in Kyiv Oblast of Ukraine. Its administrative center is the town of Brovary. Population: . On 18 July 2020, as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, the number of raions of Kyiv Oblast was reduced to ...

, Ukraine *

Kalevalsky District Kalevalsky District (russian: Ка́левальский райо́н; krl, Kalevalan piiri) is an administrative district (raion), one of the fifteen in the Republic of Karelia, Russia.Constitution of the Republic of Karelia It is located in th ...

, Russia *

Moshenskoy District Moshenskoy District (russian: Мошенско́й райо́н) is an administrativeLaw #559-OZ and municipalLaw #370-OZ district (raion), one of the twenty-one in Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is located in the east of the oblast and borders with ...

, Russia * Ryazansky (Moscow), Russia *

Rzhev Rzhev ( rus, Ржев, p=ˈrʐɛf) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Tver Oblast, Russia, located southwest of Staritsa (town), Tver Oblast, Staritsa and from Tver, on the highway and railway connecting Moscow and Riga. It ...

, Russia * Serpukhovsky District, Russia * Shaki, Azerbaijan *

Sisian Sisian ( hy, Սիսիան) is a town and the centre of the urban community of Sisian, in the Syunik Province in southern Armenia. It is located on the Vorotan River, 6 km south of the Yerevan-Meghri highway, at a road distance of 217 km southeast ...

, Armenia *

Staromaynsky District Staromaynsky District (russian: Старома́йнский райо́н) is an administrativeLaw #126-ZO and municipalLaw #043-ZO district (raion), one of the twenty-one in Ulyanovsk Oblast, Russia. It is located in the northeast of the oblast. ...

, Russia Former twin towns: *

Tczew Tczew (, csb, Dërszewò; formerly ) is a city on the Vistula River in Pomerelia, Eastern Pomerania, Kociewie, northern Poland with 59,111 inhabitants (December 2021). The city is known for its Old Town and the Vistula Bridge, or Bridge of Tczew ...

, Poland On 8 March 2022, the Polish city of Tczew ended its partnership with Slutsk as a response to the Belarusian involvement in the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

References

Gallery

File:BLR Slutsk Railway Station 1.jpg, Slutsk train station File:20_Slucak_Auto_ruch.jpg, Slutsk bus depot in the 1920s File:350707Slucak063.jpg, Slutsk Homeland Museum File:Słucak_Kamercyjnaja_vučelnia.jpg, Commercial college File:Battle_of_Slutzk_1919.JPG, Painting of the Slutsk Defence Action File:Słucki zbor. Слуцкі збор (1901-17).jpg, Calvinist Church and high school File:Ghetto Slutsk 2c.jpg, Site of the Slutstk Ghetto (today a playground and park) File:Slutsk Gymnasium east.jpg, Slutsk high school File:Słucak, Senatarskaja. Слуцак, Сэнатарская (N. Orda, 1880).jpg, The high school, "The oldest school in Slutsk" File:23 Slucak Bielaruski sielanin.jpg, Native Belarusian man File:25 Slucak Sialanie vioski Lucniki.jpg, Slutsk family File:27 Slucak Zyd talmudyst.jpg, Studying Talmud in Slutsk File:Slucak173.jpg, The Slutsk River

External links

Home page of the city of Slutsk
* {{Authority control Slucak Populated places in Minsk Region Slutsk District Slutsky Uyezd Dregovichs Nowogródek Voivodeship (1507–1795)