Workman's Circle Branch Number 260: A Photo of the Baranowitcher-Lechowitcher Lodge in 1923"

A Group Photo taken in 1923 of Workmen's Circle Lodge 260 -
Baranowitcher and Lechowitcher and Mirer
This page and the images on it are copyright, this is a protected publication not a release to the public domain. The Webmaster takes this opportunity to thank again Sharon Racusin who shared her family's photographic memories.

This photo shared by Sharon Racusin is identified on its face by the information that it was the "15th Anniversary of the Baranowitcher-Lechowitcher Br. 260 A.R.,Dec 16th 1923", that is Branch 260 of the Arbeiter Ring, known in English as the Workmen's Circle.

We have found some of the information about that organization created by the Yiddish Writer's Guild as one entry on its list of Jewish Lodges in New York City in 1938. That record tells us that the group was founded in 1909 which coincides nicely with the data on this photo. It also says that the group was founded with 30 members in 1909 and in 1938 had 100 members. More, unlike this photo which only links the modern towns of Baranovichi and Lyakhovichi, it links emigrants from the town of Mir, to the original two towns. Perhaps we will find that a merger took place at some point, or perhaps the name was changed to reflect an always present but unnamed contingent from Mir. One can also speculate that perhaps the lesser known but closer town of Mush or Mysh was confused with Mir or typoed for Mir when indexed in the 1930s, and that this Arbeiter Ring brought together the three geographically linked towns of Baranowitz, Lechowitz, and Nova Mush. And finally, either this event was especially well attended, or its membership went up before it went down to the 100 recorded in 1938.

You can see the photo and then click on its title to see a much larger more detailed image. You can additionally click on the Internet Explorer enlarge icon in the bottom right hand corner of the larger page. It will give you all the time you need to study the large image in depth. Then get back here, and get to work! The photo is repeated just below, this time divided by gridlines. Each of the sectors on the grid is numbered and then a close-up of that sector is also at the head of each group of seats separated out below. We need you to help name specific people! Tell us why you think it is them. Show us other pictures of that person to help us understand. Tell us why you think that they would be at a Workmen's Circle Lodge function for townsmen from Baranovichi, Lyakhovichi, and Mir. Do you have other ephemera from this group that we can post? Other photos of your identified relative? Other documents that tie them to the towns named here? Please share!

Baranowitcher-Lechowitcher Chapter of Workmen's Circle, 15th Anniversary Dinner, 1923
Workmen's Circle Branch #260,
Baranowitcher-Lechowitcher-Mirer, NYC
The Yiddish Writers Guild in a WPA project of 1938, said the group was founded in 1909 with 30 members and in 1938 had 100. This picture mentions Baranowitch (today's Baranovichi) and Lechowitch (Lyakhovichi), but the Writer's project indicates that there was a strong contingent from Mir. Help us find out more about this group! Begin by helping us identify the people in the group close-ups on the side and then the individuals below.

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15

Individual Portraits we'd like to Identify

Click on any image below to go to a larger version. To determine the Sector of the page look at the grid above and the closeups of those sections. We rearranged this page in our May 2008 update to make the page less wide and both the group pictures and the individual portraits are in this center column. But use the group pictures differently. Look at the people sitting nearby for clues!

People in the Lower Sectors - The Closeups
Sectors 11-14 and the bottom rows of 6-10

Tamara Musycant wife of Sam who is sitting next to her.
Section 11
Thanks to her great-granddtr Sharon Racusin

Sam Musycant,
husband of Tamara who he is sitting next to. aka Shlomo son of Nisele der Klezmer and was a musician like his father in Lyakhovichi
Section 11Thanks to Sharon Racusin

Section 12 - man

Sam Mandel,
husband of Necha sitting to his right
For many years head of Bnai Isaac Anshe Lechowitz
Sector 13 Thanks to George Mandel, their son,

Necha Mandel
wife of Sam Mandel on her left
Section 14 Thanks to George Mandel, their son

Section 6 lower right hand corner - man

Section 7 lower left hand corner

Section 7, lower right

Sector 8, lower left, woman

Sector 8, lower right

Sector 14, lower right

Sector 6 family group

Sector 6 - Man to right of family group

Sector 6 on right

Sector 7 on right of children

Sector 8 top left

Sector 8, man in "middle row", on left

Section 8, man on top right

Sector 8, woman top right

Sector 9, man bottom left

Sector 9, woman in front

Sector 10, man in front

Sector 10, man on left, rear

Sector 10, boy in middle

Sector 10, Woman 2nd from left

Sector 10,man on left

Sector One

Sector 1 - Top Row, man on right

Sector 1 - top row (there is a man in back of him obscured)

Sector 1 -next to top row, woman in rear

Sector 1, back row of seats, woman on right

Sector 1, third seat in back rows (next to little girl)

Sector 1- seats in rear, man in middle of back row (in front of standing man)

Sector 1 - woman in center of back rows

Sector 1 - man third from left on back row of seats

Sector1 - woman second from left on back row of seats

Sector 1 - Top Row, man all the way to left

Sector 1 - Bottom row on right

Sector 1 - little girl, 2nd on bottom row

Sector 1 - center of bottom row

Sector 1 - 2nd from left, bottom row, largely blocked

Sector 1 - bottom row, all the way to right

Sector Two

Sector 2

Sector 2-9

Sector 2

Sector Three

Sector 3, man in top right corner

Sector3 man and woman, top row 2+3 (these are among the most difficult to view, I hoped that together they might help identify the other)

Sector Three Top Row, number 4 from right, woman

Sector Three Top Row, 2nd from left, woman and child

Sector Three Top Row, man and child

Sector Three -2nd Row from Top - Man at right end of row

Sector Three -2nd Row from Top - Man 2nd from right end of 2nd (from top) row

Sector Three -2nd Row from Top - Man 3rd from right end of 2nd (from top) row

Sector Three -2nd Row from Top - Man third from left next to woman

Sector Three -2nd Row from Top - Woman, 2nd from left

Sector Three- 2nd or 3rd Row from Top, all the way to the left, between pole and woman

Sector Three- 3rd Row from Top, all the way to the right, woman (man on her right is partially blocked)

Sector Three- 3rd Row from Top, two seats from the woman listed just previously but the intermediate person is obscured

Sector Three- 4th Row from Top, man all the way to the right

Sector Three- 4th Row from Top, man second from right

Sector Three- 4th Row from Top, man third from right

Sector Three- 4th Row from Top, man all the way to left in row

Sector Three - 2nd row from bottom, man all the way to right

Sector Three -2nd row from bottom, woman second from left

Sector Three -2nd row from bottom, woman all the way to the left

Sector Three- bottom row, man all the way to right

Sector Three- bottom row, woman 2nd from left

Sector Three - bottom row, man third from left

Sector Three - bottom row, man all the way to left

There are obscured people in this section for whom we can not get a clear portrait. If the context or other familiarity indicates a particular person to you, please share with the webmaster!

Sector Four

The larger number of people over a wider area led to this sector being shown at a larger size to help distinguish participants. The woman in the lower left corner appears in sector 3 in the numbered photo but is included among this grouping. The boy on [his father's?] shoulders in the top right corner and the woman who appears to be with them, both appear in sector 5 but to keep the family group together are included here.

Sector 4 - Family group in top row all the way to the right

Sector 4 - Family group in top row 2 group from the right

Sector 4 - Top Row Man in back

Sector Four - Top Row, Couple (there is a man sitting or standing behind them)

Sector Four - Top Row, 2 women with man behind them

Sector Four - Top Row, Man and boy on the left

Sector Four - Top Row, Man all the way to left, last on row

Sector Four - Next to top Row (partial row) Couple on left

Sector Four - Next to top Row (partial row) Man in Center

Sector Four - Next to bottom row, man all the way to right

Sector Four - Next to bottom row, woman second from right

Sector Four It is not clear that this is a couple but showing both may help us better identify the damaged portrait.

Sector 4 -3d from left next to bottom row

Sector 4 -2nd from left next to bottom row

Sector 4 - Woman all the way to left on bottom or next to bottom row

Sector Four -lower right

Sector Four - 2nd from right on bottom

Sector Four - Lower right, man and boy

Sector Four - bottom center

Sector Four - 2nd from left on bottom

Sector Four - bottom row all the way to the left

Sector Five

This grouping also includes a large number of people at a wide angle. The woman who appears with her [son and her husband?] in the corner of Sector 4 is repeated here with that same boy and a little girl who is on the other side of her.

Sector Five, Woman in top right corner

Sector Five, Top row, man 2nd from right

Sector Five, Top row, woman 3d from right

Sector Five, Top row, man in center

Sector Five, Top row, young woman or girl

Sector Five, Top row, 3d from left

Sector Five, Top row, 2nd from left

Sector Five, Top row, Family group all the way to left

Sectors Six and Eleven
The portraits in the upper part of Sector 6 are provided below, the remainder of Sector 6 and Sector 11 are in main table "closeups" at the top of this section
You are looking at a close-up of Sam and Tamara Musicant. In Lyakhovichi, Sam was called Shleime and he and his father were noted Klezmer musicians.

Sector 6

Sector 6 -2nd woman from left in second row from top

Sector 6 - woman all the way to left in 2nd row from top

Sector 6- Man in center 2nd row from top

Sector 6 - Man all the way to right (in front of woman looking sideways)

Sectors Seven and Twelve
The portraits in the upper part of Sector 7 are provided below, the remainder of Sector 7 and Sector 12 are in main table "closeups"

Sector 7
Couple at table

Sector 7
couple in back

Sector 7
father and son at table

Sectors Eight and Thirteen
The portraits of Sectors 8 and 13 are in main table "closeups"

Sectors Nine and Fourteen
The portraits in the upper part of Sector 9 are provided below, the remainder are in main table "closeups"

Sector 9

Sector 9 (this woman appears in sector 8 but may be part of this family grouping)

Sector Ten appears in section of table with closeups at the top of the center column on this page

Creating a resource for collaborative research
on the history of the Jewish community
in what is today Lyakhovichi, Belarus

Shtetl Links: Lyakhovichi

Emigrant Group Records

Group Close-Ups
Look at who was sitting near your family at this 1923 Dinner!
May 2008 - We have moved the Group Close-Ups into the Center Column to reduce the width of this page

NAVIGATION TOOLS

Individual Portraits we'd like to Identify

Creating a resource for collaborative research on the history of the Jewish community in what is today Lyakhovichi, Belarus

Shtetl Links: Lyakhovichi

Emigrant Group Records

Group Close-UpsLook at who was sitting near your family at this 1923 Dinner! May 2008 - We have moved the Group Close-Ups into the Center Column to reduce the width of this page

NAVIGATION TOOLS

Individual Portraits we'd like to Identify

Creating a resource for collaborative research
on the history of the Jewish community
in what is today Lyakhovichi, Belarus

Group Close-Ups
Look at who was sitting near your family at this 1923 Dinner!
May 2008 - We have moved the Group Close-Ups into the Center Column to reduce the width of this page