My father was born in Brisk and appeared in the registry of Volchin – in between a shtetl and a village, as almost all Stavskis in the world were registered in those registries and got their passports and ID's in that shtetl. I still remember one visit in that shtetl. I arrived there early in the morning, on a cloudy day, after the Holiday of Sukkott and I already missed the Starosta [the head of the community] who conducted the registration in his house. He had left with his horse and carriage, with his merchandize, to wander around the villages. I waited for his return until evening. I went out to walk around the shtetl, watch its inhabitants, the way they carried around, their doing business, and their conversations, and trace from afar the first signs of the approaching carriage with the Starosta. The inhabitants greeted me by my family name – if one came to the shtetle there he was doubtlessly registered there. The older people inquired about my first name, my father's name, the place where I lived and my profession, and wanted more and more references to the end of all generations…

In the evening the man I was waiting for returned. He was tall and broad shouldered (like most of the Stavskis. Not in vain did they have deep roots in the earth of the shtetl). He had a black beard turned grey and wore a thick coat called plashtz [Polish: coat], leather belt, lamb-skin hat and heavy boots. After catering to his horses and giving them food (he followed the Rashi's commentary to the verse: And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full.) [Dvarim=Deutoeronomy-11; 15], and after ritual hand-washing and praying Minkha [afternoon prayer], he greeted me. We approached the matter that brought me to that forsaken place. After very few minutes we reached a compromise. The demands of this Jew were very few. He rolled the sleeves of his quilted waistcoat signed his name with his coarse hand, added the seal of the authorities with the two headed eagle and handed me a certificate testifying like thousand witnesses that I am actually I, (with my body marks including the mole on my left cheek), and granting me a free passage in the area were the Jews were permitted to live.

This village-shtetle was adjoined to Visokoye Litovsk poviat [Polish: county] subjugated to its authority. Visokoye Litovsk in its turn was tied with bureaucratic ties to Brisk – Brest Litovsk – the district where all registered would be “subordinates” and summoned to priziv, military conscription. We were also summoned for conscription: the members of my family – all five sons – except the one who withdrew from us and bought himself another name. I was the fourth.