The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1920-11-04
MRS. DIAMOND AND Chill
DREN TELL OF HORRIBLE
S0FFERINCS IN RUSSIA

Mrs. NJ. Diamond and her two chill
dren, Sarah and Matt Diamond, ar
rived in Minot Saturday after Ia
weeks trip from their old home in
the province of Minsk, which lies 400
miles east of the old Russian western
boundary. Mrs. Diamond is the
mother of Rev. |. Diamond, who has
been in, charge of the Minot Jewish
Synagogue for the past four years.
The mother and the two children were
accompanied from New York by the
Rev. I. Diamond and brother, LYMAN
Diamond, one of the proprietors of
the Chain Grocery Co. of this city,
who were accompanied to New York
by their wives.
The Diamonds tell of terrible hard
ships of the Jews in Minsk, ever since
the world war started in 1914. Matt
Diamond, who is II years old, was
too young for military service but he
was called to work in the field under
the direction of the invading armies
The last five years of his life brot
forth hard work, hunger and suffer
ing. Conditions were not too bad
under the late Car and even when
Karensky took control but when the
Bolsheviki and Poles captured their
province they were treated like ami
mails and thousands died. In March,
I191S, the 'Bolsheviki drove back the
Poles. The Diamonds lived in the city
of Slutzk, city of $4,000. A bolshe
wiki officer who was a common labOfeI
before the war and who could neither
read nor write, was placed in charge OF
the city. He used the Diamond home
| for his headquarters and made Mrs.
Diamond act as his cook, while Matt
Diamond was sent to the fields and
his sister was also given work. They
Received no pay and only the poorest
kind of food The farmers lana was
,pareeled out and given to anyone who
wanted to work it, but the products
were divided up. The farmers had
no bread or meat and lived or, pota
toes. Hundreds of Jews in. their city
were killed without knowing why. If
Jew angered soldier, the Jew was
killed and the soldier would never be
tried. The Diamonds finally fled to
Warsaw There they applied for pass
ports and the boy and girl had to take
turns standing in line, waiting for the
American consul to act on their apli-
cation to come to America. There
were 10000 ahead Of them in the line
and they waited six weeks, the girl
standing in line during the day and
the boy at night. Mrs. Diamond re
lieved them SO they could eat.
New Disappointment
Just as, they were within three days
of the American consuls office, the
offices were moved to Danzig and they
followed. The trains were SO crowd
ed that they could not sit down and
were compelled to stand during the
l2-hour journey. 1t took them three
weeks to get the American consul to
issue passports and secure accommo-
dations. From Danzig to New York
they made one stop at Liverpool, but
the Journey was not as difficult as
the retreat from Minsk to Danzig.
! Since the spring Of 1913 until they
reached Liverpool, Mrs. Diamond says
they never tasted bread or meat anu
no one in their home city, Minsk, has
any idea when peace will again be re-
stored and conditions returned again
to normal Hundreds of thousands OF
Jews are anxious to come to America
and those, who have friends u this
country who can-send them money to
come are waiting anxiously for the
funds. No one wants to remain there
and they are al hoping for futuTe
home in this country.
Mrs. Diamond and her daughter will
return to New York. and live there
but the son will live in Minot.