Grandma Shoshana (Shosha di americaner) Yaakovson with her three grandchildren, Moshe (right), Zelda (center) and Masha (left) Gerber, Baranowicze, c. 1933.
The Reznik family on a visit to the cemetery next to the grave of their mother Malka Reznik before the two sisters emigrated to Eretz Israel, Mir, 1924.
Friends on a hike, Mir, summer 1939. Left to right: Rachel Kaplan, Yisrael Reznik, unidentified, unidentified, Rachel (née Reznik) and Gershon Eskolsky.
Melech Reznik on his bicycle, Mir. Melech, the son of Avraham and Chasya Reznik, was murdered during the aktion of 9 November 1941 in Mir.
The Jurszan family, Mir, c. 1925 – the father Feivel, his wife Batya (née Schuster) and their eight children. Sitting, left to right: Moshe (b. 1918), their youngest child Yitzhak (who fell as a partisan), Reisel (b. 1916))
Z. L. Hoffman, a philanthropist born in Mir (sitting 3rd from left) who came on a visit from the US with Jewish representatives, in the courtyard of the town council, Mir, 1926. Among those sitting: Shaul Roskowski (right), Binyamin Goldin (3d from left)
The Mir bus, c. 1938. Both buses that passed through Mir were owned by the Kravitz brothers from Nieswiez. Right: Chaim Gelber, sign painter, paints a sign on the bus.
A group of Mir residents on a hike in the Jablonowieca Forest, Mir
Malka Koch and her son Erel (Aharon), Mir, 1926. A greeting card sent for the New Year to family overseas.
Malka Koch and her children, Mir, c. 1935. Standing: Erel (right), Isser (left). Sitting: Chana (right), Leibel (left).
Youth by the Mir fortress, winter 1936
Group of youth, Mir, 1936. Farewell photo for Reuven Jeremicki (second row, right) before his emigration to Eretz Israel.
Leibel (Aryeh) Levin in the Polish army, c. 1936
Dov (Berezke) Reznik (left) and friends, Mir
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Holocaust Survivor Testimonies: The Interwar Period in Mir
With the establishment of independent Poland, Mir became a Polish town in the Nowogródek District. Jews returned and reestablished businesses that had been damaged by the war, but their economic situation remained dire. The largest traders had all but disappeared, and most of the Jews – shopkeepers, peddlers and smalltime merchants – found it difficult to eke out a living.
Nevertheless, the Mir Yeshiva that had left during the war returned to the town, and Jews went back to earning money from renting out rooms to and providing services for yeshiva students. Most of the families also had children overseas, some of whom supported their relatives in Mir. Communal Jewish institutions in the US also aided Mir's Jewish community in its restoration efforts. Veteran charity organizations such as "Linat Tzedek", "Bikur Cholim," "Hachnasat Orchim and "Lechem Aniyim" renewed operations, as well as two aid funds that provided loans to shopkeepers and factory owners, and helped needy yeshiva students with small loans against collateral.
This organization recruited volunteers to spend the night beside the beds of sick people so that their families could get some rest. The organization also gave the needy medicines and financial aid for recovering from an illness or injury.
Political activity also reawakened and became vibrant once more. One after the other, parties and movements from across the political spectrum began to establish themselves in Mir, including youth movements and the "Youth Circle for Independent Education" (Jugendkreis).