Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-09
Rabbi Smolensky Relates His
Experiences at Odessa
TO NEW YORK JEWS
TELLS OF HORRIBLE ATROCITIES
AND WIDEST PANIC.
Was Sentenced to Exile for Having
Revolutionary Papers in His
Possession.
Special Correspondence of The Star.

NEW YORK, December s. 1905.
The first of those who fought with the
Jewish defense organization during the re-
cent massacres at Odessa to arrive in this
country reached here several days ago, and
it a remarkable story which he told
before committee of the National Relief
Association at the Hebrew Citizens build
ing. His story was told in the presence of
Messrs. Henry Rice, Nathan BLUR, Cyrus L.
Sulzberger, DR.. Maurice Fishburg,. and it
sounded like tale Of the strangest book of
adventure. The teller of the tale had the
unmistakable evidence Of scars and bruises
on his face and the letters which he
! brought with him from famous Hebrew
editor in Russia and other well-known
persons at once gained fors him the SYM
pathy and the interest of well-known Jews
| here, who, it is understood, have already
taken steps to help him toward a new start
in life.
The young man is rabbi. a native Of
Caucasia and graduate of the University
of Teheran, Persia, where he secured de-
| gree of Phi. D. His father is the chief
rabbi of Baku and the author of several
well-known Hebrew books.
The name of this man Is Peter Salnan
Smolensky. and he is at present living at
1a7 Forsythe street, having secured lodg-
| ings there with family of the name of
| Rasner. To add to his remarkable career,
| the Rev. DR.. Smolensky had gone through
the most horrifying experiences in Odessa
during the time of the Jewish massacres
| and then barely escaped with his life.
He came to Odessa on the first day of the
| riots and witnessed the most horrible
scenes of the maSSacreS. He saw how aged
! men were beaten to death, children were
| tortured and Jewish property destroyed.
| The riots occurred on all the Jewish streets
| of the city, and he saw men and women
Jlrith fpht inCy q hnI TiY1O
| help and begging for protection. He Joined
| the members of the self-defense organiza-
| ton in their desperate fight against the
hoolgans and he is one of the very few
| who escaped with their lives. After the
| riots were over he made his way to War
| saw. and there friends affiliated with the
| revolutionary movement helped him to
| come to America
| The Rabbi Smolensky studied both at
| Teheran and st. Petersburg, and after re-
| ceiving his rabbinate degree he was ap-
pointed Rabbi of large congregation in
Tiflis. This position he held for eight
| months. About three months ago he was
arrested on the charge of participating in
the revolutionary movement and this end
ed his career as minister of the Titiis con-
gregation.
Sentenced to Exile.
A letter from the son of Maxim Gorky
and some revolutionry literature were
found on his person. The young rabbi
was tried and sentenced to exile for term
of seven years. Sixteen other young men,
Jewish and non-Jewish, were sentenced
with him. AS the prisoners were being
taken from the court to the prison the
guards were attacked by a large band of
revolutionsts and several of the prisoners,
including Rabbi Smolensky, managed to
make their escape.
About the same time that Rabbi Smo-
lensky was arrested at Tif1is his sister
Esther Smolensky. who was then student
of the Georgen Gymnasium of st. Peters
burg, was arrested for conspiracy in a plot
to assassinate General Trepoff. Together
with two Jewish girls Of Warsaw, also
studying at ST. Petersburg, she was ar
rested in front of Trepoff's house. One of
the girls carried a bomb. They were all
taken to the fortress of Peter and Paul.
| There they were kept for three weeks. At
| ter that there was a trial which lasted
| five days and all the three girls We're con-
demned to DEATH
! some time. Rabbi Smolensky became very
| uneasy. He wrote to a friend of the fam
| lily, Rabbi Blumenthal, in st. Petersburg,
| and in answer he received a letter from
| Rabbi Blumenthal saying that he neither
saw nor heard anything of Esther Smol-
| ensky for some time. Rabbi Smolensky at
| once came to st. Petersburg. When he
| arrived at st. Petersburg ii was two weeks
after his sister had been hung. The name
| of the other girls that were executed was
| Ledderhandler. At st. Petersburg he
again was suspected of participating in the
| revolutionary movement and again had
| trouble with the police. He saved himself
| by making a speedy escape from st. Pc
| tersburg. He made his way to Odessa
| under the most perlous circumstances
| travelling partly by rail and partly by
motor bicycle He reached Odessa on the
| first day Of the outrages against the Jews.
| When questioned about his experience
Rabbi Smolensky was unable to give the
| details of the massacre. He said that
| every one who was on the scene was blind
| ed and dazed and did not know what was
| going on. There was running and shouting
| and wild cries of despair everywhere. The
| self-defense organizations quickly changed
| their position from one street to another,
taking their stands wherever the danger
| was greatest. The whistles and wild
| shouts of the hooligans on the one hand
| and the cries for help from the Jews on
| the other was always the signal of the de-
tense organization to change It's position.
| The members of the self-defense organi-
| cation fought with all their might; fought
| even after they were fatally wounded but
| at last they were overwhelmed by the num-
Der Of hooligans, and one by one they fell.
| A Terrible Scene.
| "It was terror and destruction, cries for
help. fire and blood everywhere" says Rab-
| bi Smolensky. mo one knew what was
going to happen the next moment The
| streets were red with blood and strewn
with feathers Of the Jewish bedding. The
police and the soldiers looked on in In
difference when they did not help the hooli-
gans rob the Jewish people The heol-
gans took great pleasure in the destruction
of Jewish property and took delight In
| torturing the Jews before ending their lives
| The sight of all this fiendishness was
| enough to make one mad. and some of us
| really were half mad with desperation and
| despair. The desperation of the men of the
| self defense is indescribable. Some of them
| were overcome by the desire for revenge
| and they did not spare the enemy when
| ever they had the opportunity. Some of
| the self-defense men carried bombs and in
| one instance one of the bombs was thrown
| at a church. This enraged the hooligans
| and goaded them on to greater slaughter
| and destruction"
Rabbi Smolensky came to Warsaw after
| the Odessa massacre was over and he was
| friendly received by a number of we'll
| known Hebrew writers. He brings with
him a letter written in Hebrew from one of
the most prominent Jews In Warsaw a
| journalist and writer of wide repute This
letter recommends Rabbi Smolensky most
highly, and states that he is a scholar of
great ability and commands sixteen lam
guages.
Rabbi Smolensky has contributed extern
| written a book called Beautiful Sayings
| Like most of the native Jews Of eau.
| sively TO Hebrew publications and has