Rebekah was one of the people who, having clearly defined their professional path at the beginning of their lives, follow it without turning off, completely devoting themselves to their beloved work.
She was born on February 15, 1911 in Polotsk in the family of an staffer. She graduated from a seven-year school in 1925, a year later general she finished education courses.
Rebekah began her professional career very early, at the age of sixteen. But wherever she worked, her work has always been associated with the library and information. Before joining the State Library of the BSSR named after V.I. Lenina (now - the National Library of Belarus) Rebekah Isaakovna headed the library of the Komsomol club in Polotsk, headed the library of the Ushachsky People's House, the Party Cabinet of the Loyevsky RC CPB.
In 1933, after getting married, she moved to Minsk and was hired by the State Library of the BSSR named after V.I. Lenin for the position of librarian in the reading room. Seven years later, she became the Head of the Library Subscription Department. She worked there until the very beginning of World War II, the first days of which found Rebekah at an examination session at a library technical school in Moscow, where she studied at the correspondence department. The war forced her to evacuate, leaving her hometown and favorite work.
Rebekah Shtilman performed the duties of an informant at the Moscow-Poveletskaya station Since October 1941, she worked as a librarian, and later as an instructor in the Party Cabinet in Turin.
At the end of the war, Rebekah Shtilman was awarded the medal "For Valiant Labor in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945" and a diploma "For selfless work during the Great Patriotic War."
Rebekah Shtilman, together with her daughter, moved to her husband's place of service in the village of Vilga in the Karelo-Finnish SSR in November 1945. The family returned to Minsk immediately after his demobilization in July 1946. There they resumed their professional activities as the head of the department of scientific book and interlibrary loan at the State Library named after V.I. Lenin.
Rebekah Shtilman graduated from the correspondence department of the Leningrad Library Institute named after N.K. Krupskaya with a degree in library science.
Her documents testify that her contemporaries characterized her as an excellent leader and an excellent specialist in her field, who, in addition to fulfilling her official duties, has time to take an active part in the public life of the library staff. Rebekah Shtilman repeatedly became a Chairman of the Local Committee, she was Deputy Secretary and Secretary of the Party Organization.
For the high professionalism of Rebekah Shtilman repeatedly expressed gratitude from the management of the library. Her labour activity was marked by many awards: the badge "For excellent work" of the Ministry of Culture of the USSR, the Certificate of Honor of the Ministry of Culture of the USSR and the Central Committee of the Trade Union of Cultural Workers, the Certificate of Honor of the Ministry of Culture of the BSSR and the Central Committee of the Trade Union of Cultural Workers.
Rebekah Shtilman enjoyed well-deserved authority and respect among her colleagues. This beautiful woman is remembered today very warmly, with love and gratitude by her contemporaries-colleagues, calling her their teacher in professional and human terms. “Everyone who knew her personally and had the opportunity to work under her leadership was nice for people, since the kind and wise Rebekah was akin to their mother”, this is how Valentina Leonova describes her colleague.
The total work experience of Rebekah Shtilman was 39 years, 25 years she dedicated to the State Library named after V.I. Lenin.
Rebekah Shtilman finished her life in the late 80s of the twentieth century.
Bibliology Research Department
The veterans and employees of the National Library of Belarus the news section “Our History: a Portrait Gallery”.
