his son Moses Eisenstadt (died 25 October 1795). According to a local legend, the philosopher Salomon Maimon had lived there for several years, and was intimate with Moses Eisenstadt. Until 1623 the town was a part of the powiat of Brześć; after that date it was transferred, together with the neighbouring towns, to the district of Pinsk. According to tradition, the town originally was located on the opposite bank of the river, on the road leading to Lyakhovich; but after the destructive fire of 1705 it was rebuilt, at the instance of the Voivode, on its present site. In 1793, Kletsk was acquired by the Russian Empire as a result of the Second Partition of Poland. The town was repeatedly destroyed by fire in the 19th century, including in 1817, 1845, 1865, and 1886. In 1903 Kletsk had a total population of about 8,000, of which about 6,000 were Jews. From 1921 until 1939, Kletsk (Kleck) was part of the Second Polish Republic. The town was a parish (gmina) centre in Nieśwież county (powiat) of Nowogródek Voivodeship. On 17 September 1939, Kletsk was occupied by the Red Army and, on 14 November 1939, incorporated into the Byelorussian SSR. From 26 June 1941 until 4 July 1944, Kletsk was occupied by Nazi Germany and administered as a part of the Generalbezirk Weißruthenien of Reichskommissariat Ostland. During the German occupation, a large massacre of local Jews took place in the town on 6 October 1941, with about 4,000 people murdered. The remaining Jews of the area (approximately 2,000 people) were massed in a local ghetto and then sent to various extermination camps by 21 August 1942. The Holocaust brought an end to a vibrant Jewish life. Among the monuments of the Jewish past destroyed during World War II were a Jewish cemetery, a large synagogue founded by Prince Radziwiłł in 1796; a bet ha-midrash built in the early 18th century and fifteen smaller houses of prayer. After the liberation of Kletsk by the Red Army on 4 July 1944, the town resumed its status as a part of the Byelorussian SSR. Since 1991, it has been a part of the independent Republic of Belarus. Coat of arms The coat of arms of the town of Klieck in Minsk Region, Belarus, was officially adopted in its current version in 1999. Symbolism The ducal crown symbolizes the special status Klieck had as the centre