Two Jewish brothers who are peacefully tending a herd of cattle intended for the Red Army somewhere in the interior of Russia are lauded in the press today for their successful evacuation of the sorely needed livestock from Stalingrad, and for their heroism in saving hundreds of Jews in the town of Kameni Brod, in the Zhitomir district, earlier in the war.
When the Nazis suddenly invaded Kameni Brod, they shot most of the Jews in the town and seized seventy-five Jews who they announced would be executed the following day. Abraham and Shaye Mirochnik, aged fifty and fifty-eight, respectively, succeeded in escaping from the town and went in search of Red Army units or partisan bands. Fifteen kilometers from town they met up with a guerrilla band, to which they told their story. The next morning the guerrillas attacked Kameni Brod, freed the seventy-five Jews and enabled about 450 Jewish and Ukrainian families to depart.
The Mirochnik brothers were assigned to driving a herd of cattle into the interior. Despite heavy bombardment and exploding mines they drove the cattle through burning villages until, after several months, they reached a village near Stalingrad, Here they remained until the Nazis attacked Stalingrad, when they resumed their trek, again under heavy enemy fire, and after two months brought their herd and their families to safety farther in the interior.
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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.
