Let there be Druya!
My maternal grandmother OHS was born in Druya, a town on the border of White Russia and Latvia, not far from Dvinsk. When she came to America and heard me mention the name Shemtov, she would say that she remembered Shemtovs in Dryua "they were rich and had a big house." I asked one of the "know it all" contributors to this blog if indeed Shemtovs are from Dryua? His response was: "how can you say they are from Dryua, they are from Ukraine" (the highest form of insult). Still I found my own sources of the subject and indeed not only Shemtovs but Drizins are all from my village. A knowledgeable man wrote:
R. Bentzion Shemtov was born to R. Kasriel and Basya of Druya. They indeed had been a wealthy family as your grandmother recalled. According to some of the Shemtovs Kasriel may have descended from Georgian Jews, hence the unusual Belorussian names Shemtov, Kasriel...
R. Bentzion's mother Basya descended from the Tzemach Tzedek's father R. Sholom Shachna. After the Tzemach Tzedek's mother Rebbetzin Dvorah Leah passed away, his father remarried a Karliner einekel and had two daughters, i.e. the Tzemach Tzedek had two half sisters and Basya Shemtov descended from one of them.
R. Avrohom Drizin was born to his parents R. DovBer and Yehudis of Miory. They were descendants of quite a few generations of Chabad Chassidim. The Drizins had also been a wealthy family. When R. Avrohom was young he studied in the Cheder in Druya and befriended Benzion. Later when Avrohom went off to learn in Lubavitch he sent his friend letters trying to convince him to join him in Lubavitch. Bentzion was convinced and the rest is history. R. Avrohom later married Sarah the daughter of R. Schneur Zalman Moshe HaYitzchoki.
This picture is of my (Tzemach Atlas) grandmother�s grandfather Reb Avrohom Leviyan from Druya.
UPDATE: Look at the area map. North of Vilnus AKA Vilno is Daugavpils AKA Dvinsk. To the East of Dvinsk (under number 15) is Druja (be careful because if you go the West of Dvinsk you end up in Panevezys), now look under Druja at the edge of the map is Mior. My grandmother always said that she is from Latvia and indeed Dvisk is a Latvian town. Culturally it is Lithuania (in the jewish tradition). In terms of government it was part of Vitebsker Gubernia or Byelorussia. You can see on the map that Druja is at the intersection of Lithuania, Latvia and Byelorussia. But technically Druja is in Byelorussia.
R. Bentzion Shemtov was born to R. Kasriel and Basya of Druya. They indeed had been a wealthy family as your grandmother recalled. According to some of the Shemtovs Kasriel may have descended from Georgian Jews, hence the unusual Belorussian names Shemtov, Kasriel...
R. Bentzion's mother Basya descended from the Tzemach Tzedek's father R. Sholom Shachna. After the Tzemach Tzedek's mother Rebbetzin Dvorah Leah passed away, his father remarried a Karliner einekel and had two daughters, i.e. the Tzemach Tzedek had two half sisters and Basya Shemtov descended from one of them.
R. Avrohom Drizin was born to his parents R. DovBer and Yehudis of Miory. They were descendants of quite a few generations of Chabad Chassidim. The Drizins had also been a wealthy family. When R. Avrohom was young he studied in the Cheder in Druya and befriended Benzion. Later when Avrohom went off to learn in Lubavitch he sent his friend letters trying to convince him to join him in Lubavitch. Bentzion was convinced and the rest is history. R. Avrohom later married Sarah the daughter of R. Schneur Zalman Moshe HaYitzchoki.
This picture is of my (Tzemach Atlas) grandmother�s grandfather Reb Avrohom Leviyan from Druya.
UPDATE: Look at the area map. North of Vilnus AKA Vilno is Daugavpils AKA Dvinsk. To the East of Dvinsk (under number 15) is Druja (be careful because if you go the West of Dvinsk you end up in Panevezys), now look under Druja at the edge of the map is Mior. My grandmother always said that she is from Latvia and indeed Dvisk is a Latvian town. Culturally it is Lithuania (in the jewish tradition). In terms of government it was part of Vitebsker Gubernia or Byelorussia. You can see on the map that Druja is at the intersection of Lithuania, Latvia and Byelorussia. But technically Druja is in Byelorussia.
posted by Tzemach Atlas at 8:12 PM
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