Person:Judah Asimov (2)

The Asimovs were leading citizens in Petrovichi, socially & economically. There, Judah set up a co-operative organization for buying and distributing food, which he ran for 5 years.

He helped organize a library in the town, and he and his wife, Anna Berman Asimov, took up amateur theatre. She was apparently a good actress.

He also brought the first real doctor to Petrovichi in 1915, named Dr. Gugel. There had been no doctor in Petrovichi at the time -- only a registered nurse called a "feldsher."

Judah's Grandfather Mendel loved him very much. Judah was his first-born grandchild. (There had been a girl born earlier, who died in infancy.) Mendel used to hold Judah in shul, and Judah felt that Mendel would have given his life for him.

Judah was one of eight children, though two died in infancy: a girl in 1894, and a boy in who died at 6 months in 1904.

Judah was born about a block away from Anna Rachel Berman. (See notes in their wedding section.)

Judah and Anna left Petrovitchi for Moscow on Dec. 24, 1922, by a hired horse and buggy. They traveled to the Pochinok Station with their 2-year-old son, Isaac, and their nearly 6-month-old daughter, Marcia, who had a bad cough. The family went to Liverpool and boarded the USS Baltic, which landed at Ellis Island in Feb. 1923.

Judah's recollections, written in 1969, say they arrived on Feb 3 and were allowed to leave the ship on Feb 7. Records from the original ship's manifest (ellisisland.org) say they arrived on Feb. 13, 1923.

The Baltic's manifest lists the family from "Petrowitschi" as follows: Juda, Hana Rochel, Aisik & Manis Asimy.

As for the ship: BALTIC 1903 The BALTIC was a 23,876 gross ton ship built in 1903 by Harland & Wolff, Belfast for the White Star Line. Her details were - length 709.2ft x beam 75.6ft, two funnels, four masts, twin screw and a speed of 17 knots. There was accommodation for 425-1st, 450-2nd and 2,000-3rd class passengers. Launched on 21st Nov.1903, she sailed from Liverpool on her maiden voyage to New York on 29th Jun.1904. In 1909 she rescued survivors of the collision between the REPUBLIC and the FLORIDA off the US coast, in which the REPUBLIC sank. On 12th Dec.1918 she commenced her first voyage after the Armistice, from Liverpool to New York and in 1927 her accommodation was altered to carry 393-cabin class, 339-tourist class and 1,150-3rd class passengers. On 17th Sep.1932 she commenced her last voyage from Liverpool to New York and Liverpool and on 17th Feb.1933 sailed for Osaka, Japan where she was scrapped. [North Atlantic Seaway by N.R.P.Bonsor, vol.2,p.763]

1. ↑ Newsday, Aug. 6, 1969.
2.   Judah Asimov's written recollections (1969).