A Jewish collective farm in the Stalingrad area which was in the hands of the Nazis until a few weeks ago is new being prepared for Spring plowing under the able leadership of a wounded Jewish Red Army commander assisted by several aged Jewish evacuees from Kiev, Poltava, and other Ukrainian cities, it was reported today by the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee here.
The commander, Chaim Davidovich, came to the Jewish collective, which is called Palasovka, last Spring to recuperate from wounds suffered in fighting along the Dnieper. Because of the scarcity of able-bodied men he assumed the post of manager of the farm and with the aid of women and aged evacuees he planted a good crop of wheat. Before the grain could be harvested, however, the Nazis launched their attack against Stalingrad and overran Palasovka. Davidovich ordered every-thing that could not be removed destroyed and himself, ferried much of the equipment and many of the settlers to safety across the Volga.
A short time ago the advancing Russian troops recaptured the area in which Palasovka is located and Davidovich and the other settlers returned. They found burned and demolished buildings and debris-laden fields. However, all the members of the collective pitched in and already, the report states, the farm is beginning to assume an almost normal appearance. Flour, potatoes, warm clothes, books and other equipment have been provided by the authorities to see the settlers through the winter and many of the ruined buildings have been repaired. “When Spring comes again. Palasovka will be scathing with life and roaring tractors and combines will be tilling the steppe,” the report concludes.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
