I wandered into Disna by chance in the year 1921. I had been mobilized into the Polish army for the border guard. And as Disna was on the Polish-Soviet border, they sent me off to Disna.
Our unit stayed in Kopchevo. And as is the custom among soldiers, I took advantage of any free time to go into the city looking to strike up acquaintances. Gradually the town of Disna grew on me.
I was in Kopchevo three years. We were a very find bunch of Jewish soldires. And then Passover came. We turned to the Disna community. The head of the community, Reb Shmerl Zalman Yafeh of blessed memory, received us warmly and divided us up among the households of the city.
Our hosts were greatly pleased with us and took us to visit friends, and even invited us to the theater. On the intermediate days, as our captain knew one could work on these days, he did indeed put us back at our posts and ordered us to chop wood for the troops. Of course this annoyed us greatly.
When Reb Shmerl Zalman heard about it, he went to see the captain, and asked that we release his soldiers till the end of the holidays.
-- How much wood would the soldires be able to cut over a four day period? -- He asked.
When the captain told him, he asked Moshe Bimbad to bring the wood to Kupchevo and they released us. We had a good time on the holidays and I was the guest of the widow Manie Bimbad. The Bolsheviks killed her husband on the Dvina.
After the holiday I went back to the camp. I had decided that when I was released I would marry a Disner girl and stay there. I started talking with the Disners.
While gurading the border post, I often caught people who would steal across the border. One night I caught a pair with pig's hair, pelts, and other goods. And who was in the wagon, if not Leiser Lakach of beloved memory? Another night I caught Reuben Lakach. Since they were Jews I let them go. They paid me well for this.
At the beginning I was befriended in Disna by the Dlugin family, Pilsudski St. 22. I would buy bread for our soldiers from them. In the family there were pretty daughters and I had cast an eye on one of them. When I was released in the year, I did indeed marry her. Since I was married I needed a job. With my mother-in-law's help I opened a shop for food and costume jewelry. But it didn't succeed. I installed my wife in the shop and went off by myself to look for work. For a while I worked on the log rafts which were sent up the river from Disna to Druye. I earned a good amount. But the work ended suddenly. And I was off again looking for work.
And then I found out that the Disna authorities planned to replace the wooden sidewalks in the city with concrete ones. The wooden ones were rotten and in the rainy season, when you put down a foot, from under the boards a wave of mud would come up and soil everybody who was in the area. There was cement ready, but no artisan had yet been found. At home, before I was in the troops I had been a concrete pourer, and a
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good worker. I suggested to the magistrate that they give me the work. They approved my request and I signed a contract. The mayor went with me in the city to buy iron and other materials. Moshe Berson, the smith, made the forms and I went to work.
In the town things were merrier. Not just because of the sidewalks, but because of the income, that that the work brought in. Fifteen families benefited from my atelier. The foreman brought in sand from the shore of the Dvina, as well as water and stone. The ones I oversaw took the finished slabs to their place. Meanwhile all the householders ordered sidewalks from me to put by their houses. Next to each house in Disna one block was placed which had my name: "Max Aryeh" and even today, a Jew who hasn't heard about "Max Aryeh" is not from Disna.
When I had finished laying the slabs by the houses I started with the shops. By the year 1930 Disna was beautified by concrete sidewalks. And one more I was out of work. I went back to my native city, and opened a costume jewelry store.
In 1939, when the war brok out, I ran off from the Germans to Disna. My brother-in-law Asher Milner of blessed memory received me graciously and thanks to him I remained alive and was able to come to Israel.
I have been here since 1949, but I will always remain a true Disna Jew. Honor to their memories!
