Pinkas Bedzin, Poland (original) (raw)

A Memorial to the Jewish Community of Bendin

(Będzin, Poland)

50°20' / 19°09'

Translation of Pinkes Bendin

Edited by: A. Sh. Stein, Association of Former Residents of Bedzin in Israel

Published in Tel Aviv, 1959 (H, Y, 431 pages)

The Jerusalem of Zagłębie	The Editor	6
A word from the publishers		8

PART 1 – Yiddish

A. The History of Jews in Będzin

About the Zagłębie Almanac and its author	D. L.	9
Almanac Zagłębie	Szymon Rotenberg	10
A Będzin Jew as an officer in the Polish Legion during Napoleon's leadership	Prof. Dr. Majer Bałaban	33
Jewish miners in Zagłębie	Dr. Emanuel Ringelblum	34
The Jewish historical past in the area of Zagłębie and surroundings	M. Kantor-Mirsky	36
The pinkasim [record books] of the Będzin societies	Moisze Manela and Sz. Rotenberg	37
A quarter of a century of Jewish Będzin chronicles	M. B. Berg	54
The rise of the Yiddish printed word in Zagłębie	L. Szpigelman	64
Będzin's self-administration	Dr. R. Rechtman	69
Będzin's Jewish community in liberated Poland	J. F.	71
The Jewish professional movement in Będzin	M. V. Kaminsky	72
The rise of the Będzin Jewish gimnazye [high school] “Yavne”	J. Wygodzki	75
Gymnastics and Sports Association “Hakoach” [the strength]	Sz. Rozenblum	84
The Yiddish Dramatic Society “Muze” [muse]		88
The “Hazamir” [songbird]	L. Goldsztajn	90
The Geographic Society		94
The Academic Circle “Ognisko”		94
The Merchants Union		95
The Retailers Union		96
The Artisans' Union		98
The Guilds of the Artisans' Union		99
The Pioneers' Kibbutz Named for Ber Borochov		100
Będzin writers and artists		101
Memories of a Jew from Będzin about the Polish insurrections of 1831 and 1863	Dr. A. Szacki	108
50 years trade and industry	Dawid Liwer	109
_Linas haTzedik_– Moyshe-Skeynim	A. Gold	118
The Gmiles Khesed Fund	D. L.	119

B. Memories

The Second and Third Aliyah and Będzin Pioneers	D. L.	120
The Six Halutzim Pioneers of the Third Aliyah	Yisroel Openhajm	121
Memories of the Third Aliyah	Shmuel Liwer	122
Seven Będzin Halutzim travel to Eretz-Yisroel by car	Dawid Avi-Menachem	124
Characters and episodes of former Będzin	Motek Hampel	126
Jewish education in the beginning of the twentieth century	Abram Gold	133
The Jewish Workers Movement	Yehiel Kaminski	134

C. Way of life

Shuls, Shtiblech and Minyanim	Dawid Liwer	136
Zagłębie (poem)	Abram Blatt	141
Menachem'ke emigrates to Eretz Yisrael	Dawid Malec	142
My first illegal trip from Kraków to Będzin in 1905	Jakob Kener	143
There was a town Będzin	Josl Harif	146
Będzin types:
1) Mr. Mosze Winter	Szymon Israelowicz	148
2) The psalm Jew	Dawid Ben Klonimus	148
3) The big winnings	Motek Hampel	148
4) Będzin – The “singing” town		149
5) Crazy Sara	Chana Szental-Raviv	150
Legends about Będzin	Tobiasz Israel Kaminski	151
“Zagłębie life”	M. H.	153
Dos Yiddishe Wochenblat [Jewish weekly]	Lipman Berkowicz	155
Będziner dialects	Dawid L.	156
A few ideas gathered from Będzin newspapers	Motek Hampel	157

D. Characters

Dr. Salomon Weinziher	Abram Liwer	169
Eliezer Rubinlicht	D. L	170
Mr. Mendel Rozenzaft	Dawid Liwer	171
Cyrele (Cesia) Szajn	Abram Liwer	172
Szymon Fürstenberg	M. Hampel	173
Icchak Wygodzki	A. Liwer	175
Mosze Kaminer	Icchak Tencer	175
Tewel Klajnman	Abram Liwer	176
Icchak Mordechai Pejsachson	M. Hampel	177
Roze Jakubowicz	Dawid Liwer	178
Abram Goldberg	Mordechai Hampel	178
Mosze Apelbaum	Dawid Liwer	180
Abram Goldkorn	Avi Menachem	181
Abram Szymon Rotenberg	D. L	182
Mordechai Berisz Rotenberg	Liw.	182
Dawid Zitman	D. L.	183
Dawid Micmacher	D. L.	183
Jicchak Rudoler	D. L.	183
Chaim Dawid Grosman	D. L.	184
Dr. Chaim Perl	Dawid	184
Herman Szer	D. L.	184

E. Doom

Holocaust in Będzin	Dawid Liwer	185
Sons of Będzin in resistance activities in Auschwitz	Dawid Liwer	193
A Night after the War in Będzin (June 1946)	Szmul Liwer	194
A deciding meeting	Dr. Feywl Widerman	197
Homeless (poem)		199
My prayer (poem)	Avraham Blat	199
Zaglembian communities in death	M. Tsanin	200
Of mass graves (poem)	Juda Fefer	201
Generations… (poem)	Shloyme Grosman	202
Notes from the Warsaw Ghetto	Dr. E. Ringelblum	204
The grave (poem)	J. Abrami (Lustig)	205
Leave me free (poem)	Juda Fefer	205
There Was a Condemned Street (Behind the Mountain)…	Szmuel Klajnman	206
A Tragic Religious kehila	Moshe Benyamin Klajnman	207
After the Liberation	Eliezer Merin	209
The Będzin Refugees Committee for Jews Driven Out of Germany	Motl Gold	210
A Eulogy	Mordechai Hampel	212

PART 2 – Hebrew

Synagogue		213

A. Chapters from the Past

The history of “Ma'asaf Zagłębie”	M. H.	215
The history of Jewish Będzin	S. Rotenburg	216
In the Days of the Polish Rebellion in 1831	Dr. Szacki	219
The Struggle of the Jewish Worker with the Czarist Rule	Arie Szwajcer	220
The first six pioneers of the Third Aliyah	Jakob Lasker	222
The first six	“Ha'aretz Veha'avoda”, 1919	224

B. Orthodox Będzin

Of Righteous Men and Hasidim	M. S. Geshuri	225
Houses of the great and the minor “Admorim”	M. S. Geshuri (Brukner)	228
Kloyzes in Będzin	M. S. Geshuri (Brukner)	235
A History of Hazzanut in Będzin	M. S. Geshuri (Brukner)	249
Cantors in Będzin	M. S. Geshuri (Brukner)	250

C. Political Parties

The Central Zionist Organization	Dawid Liwer	257
The Religious Zionist movement (Mizrachi – Young Mizrachi)	Zew Landau	258
How the young women's organization “Bruria” was founded	Sara Sztajnberg	259
The Rift and the Young Zionists Party	D. L.	259
The “Poale Zion” Party	Jakob Majerowicz	261
The “Poale Zion” party as depicted in the party newspaper	M. H.	263
The “Poale Zion Smol” [left-wing Zionist workers]	M. H.	265
The Zionist Workers party “Hahitachdut”	D. L.	268
The “Hatzohar” Movement	Juda Fefer	271
The “Wizo” organization	M. H.	273
“Bund”	Mordechai Hampel	274
“Folkspartei” (The People's Party)	M. H.	276
“Poale Agudat Israel”	Mosze Binjamin Klajnman	276

D. Youth Organizations

“Hechalutz” [The Pioneer]	M. Hampel	278
How I was thrown out of the “Hachshara” (pioneer) training camp by the police	M. H.	279
“Hashomer Hatsair”	Dr. Chaim Wolgryn	280
“Hashachar” organization	Mordechai Hampel	281
The “Gordonian Pioneer” youth organization	Mordechai Hampel	283
“Gordonia” during the years of the war	Mordechai Krzesiwo (Keshev)	287
“Freiheit” – “Dror”	Eliezer Karni (Krzeznicki)	289
A Regional meeting of “Freiheit” in Będzin		291
“Zionist Youth”	Mordechai Hampel	292

E. Culture and Education

Representatives of the Hebrew language revival movement in Będzin	Mosze Rozenker	294
“Tarbut” organization	M. H.	295
The “Yavne” Gymnasium (secondary school) named after Fürstenberg	Mordechai Hampel	295
Będzin supports the Jewish Scientific Institute	Icchak Pesachson	297

F. Experiences

At the gates of mercy (a poem)	Abram Blat	298
In the bowels of the earth (impressions from a trip)	Yitzhak Ben-Zvi	298
Dreaming and wide awake	Dawid Malc	300
Like a lost lamb	Szlomo Cemach	302
A visit to Zagłębie	Joel Mastbaum	304
Memories from days past	Mosze Frenkel	305
My teacher and mentor	Szymon Rus	306
Visits of dignitaries in Będzin	Mordechai Hampel	306
Echoes of the Opening of the Hebrew University	Mordechai Hampel	320
The Balfour Declaration and San Remo	M. H.	321
An Anti-British demonstration	M. H.	321
“Hakoach”	M. H.	322

H. Personalities

Rabbi Isachar Berysz Graubart zatz”l	M. H.	323
Memories of The Great Rabbi Isachar Berysz Graubart zatz”l	Chaim Vilner	324
Rabbi Yekutiel Zalman Graubart z”l	M. S. Geshuri	325
Rabbi Zvi Chanoch HaCohen Levin zatz”l		326
Rabbi Menachem Hager z”l	Mordechai Hampel	327
Rabbi Dan Yitzchak Lifshitz z”l	D. L.	327
Reb Yehoshua Telner z”l		328
The Moreh Tzedek Rabbi Chanoch David	D. L.	328
The Dayan Reb Ytzchak Isaac Manela	Avraham M.	329
Rabbi Yosef Engel	M. S. Geshuri	329
Reb Mendel Shapira		329
Reb Berysz Prager	Dr. Gur-Aryeh (Tarlo)	330
Cwi Natan Wiloga	M. S. G.	330
Reb Chaim Szajn	M. Hampel	331
Reb Szalom Klajner	Zew Landau	331
Nuta Londner	Mordechai Hampel	332
Reb Szlomo Icchak Rynski	D.	333
Dawid Gutensztajn	Dawid L.	333
Pinchas Lajb Buchwajc	Dawid L.	334
Chawa Hutner	D. L.	335
Dow Berysz Zylberszac	D. L.	335
Hilel Zabner	M. S. G.	335
Chaim Josef Zając	M. S. G.	335
Reb Jakob M. Gutman	L. D.	336
Miriam Tenenbaum	D.	336
Aron Hampel		337
Mosze Openhajm		337
Chana (Hanka) Bornsztajn	Tzvi Tzur (Tzuchtelzon)	337
Dawid Szapira (Juda Yafet)	Dawid	338
Dawid Szapira (Juda Yafet)	M. S. G.	339
Liwer's sons		340

I . Shoah (Holocaust)

Będzin in her destruction	Dawid Liwer	342
That which will not be forgotten…	Arie Liwer	347
The Underground in Będzin and its Vicinity	Dawid Liwer	356
“Hashomer Hatsair” – The Guard of the People's Dignity	Chajka Klinger (Rozenberg)	360
Homeless (a poem)	translated by Abram Lewinson	362
Sons of Będzin in resistance activities in Auschwitz	Dawid Liwer	363
In the bunkers	Aron Brandes	364
The community committee	K. Tzetnik	366
The academic intellectuals	Attorney, Dr. Ruwen Rechtman	369
“Are there Germans there?”	Mosze Benjamin Klajnman	370
On a mission to Będzin	Sara Erlichman	371
Będzin in the annals of the Holocaust		372
The suit	Stanislaw Wygodzki	373
The Zagłębie Martyrs monument in Israel	M. H.	375

J. In memory of those who fell in the defense of Israel

Jecheskiel Muntzik	Mordechai Hampel	377
Dov (Beryl) Hayshrik	Mordechai Hampel	377
Moishel Sandishov	Mordechai Hampel	377
Juda Klajner	Mordechai Hampel	378
Szmuel Dawid Vardi (Rozencwajg)	“Hapoel Hatsair”	378
Szlomo Rembiszewski	Mordechai Hampel	378
Zvi Kutner	Mordechai Hampel	379
Jonatan Weisbord	J. Londner	380
Reuven Elbaum		380
Yechezkel Szlomo Auerbach		381
Yeshayahu Ehrlich		381
Yaakov Nehemiah Gottleib		381
Aviv Gutman		382
Aharon Weitzman		382
Aron Handelsman		382
Israel Aron Zlotnik		383
Dawid Tishler		383
Yehuda Lasker		383
Josef Lancman		384
Joel Zew Lustiger		384
Szlomo (Shlomek) Metz		384
Cwi Kuchman		384
Szmul Nudelman		385
Arie Fridler		385
Alter Rechnic		385
Baruch Pszenica (Chita)		385
Josef Majer Parnes		386
Szmul Bialka (Weiss)		386

K. Organizations of former Będzin residents throughout the world

1. Bedziners in Israel	Mordechai Hampel	387
2. Former Będzin residents in Israel	Mordechai Hampel	390
3. The Będzin Committee in Paris after the Second World War	Mosze Rotenberg	392
4. Będziner and Zaglembie Union in France	Mordechai Gold	393
5. Będziner in Australia	Yoyne Lustig-Abrami	394
6. The Będziner-Zaglembie Union in Canada	The Committee	397
7. The Będziner-Sosnowiecer Union in America	Ab. Feldman	398
Yizkor	Mordechai Hampel	400
Będziner landslayt (original pages) [ ](BedNec402.html)		402
Będziner landslayt in memory of their relatives (transliterated)		402
Index		417
Errata and comments		429
Bibliography		430
List of photographs		431