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[Page 95]

The Religious Life of the Jews of Drohobycz

Yehuda Ben Avraham

Translated by Moshe Lubianiker



The Jewish residents of Drohobycz worked hard, day and night, and were completely involved in their businesses and their work. However, when mincha[1] time came, a congregation made out of these same preoccupied and busy Jews filled the synagogues and batei midrash (houses of study). Many of them were not satisfied just with the service and remained attached to the bookshelves to continue studying: some the Gemar[2], others the Mishna[3], and some Ein Yaakov[4], each according to his ability. A Jew arriving in Drohobycz on the midnight train or even later would rather enter a kloiz[5] than a hotel. In winter, he would find the kloiz heated and lit, boasting a free cup of tea and a homey atmosphere, where he could feel that he was among brethren, not strangers. The batei midrash served both for study and prayer. The chanting of the Gemara filled the study halls of Drohobycz night and day. During the day, youngsters and young married men (who were financially supported by their in-laws) delved into learning the Torah. In the evening, baalei batim[6], merchants, industrialists, and craftsmen joined them and the classes were devoted to Abaye and Rava[7].

The kloiz of Sadigura[8] had its special place in the religious life of the Jews of Drohobycz. It was located in the courtyard of the late Tsadik Rabbi Chaimoniew, ZT”L[9]. Another of the (famous) batei midrash was that of the Boyen Hassidim and there were many more. In these hassidic Courtyards the special hassidic atmosphere of Drohobycz was created and cultivated. After a hard day's work, a Jew would go to the kloiz where he could unburden his heart of worries, forget his everyday problems, and absorb the light of the Jewish spirit. In the kloiz holy meals (mitzva meals)[10] were arranged, a lechaim would be drunk for the yohrzeit[11] of a departed Rebbe. There, the congregants celebrated all their joyful occasions. In the kloiz, one would be acquainted with those in need and those who could lend a helping hand. The Jews discussed world affairs and community concerns, including choosing a new Rabbi.

Politics played an important part in the lives of the Jews. The kloiz also took political positions. Candidates for the City Council of Drohobycz sought the approval of the Jews of these courtyards.

The haredim [12] called the main synagogue of Drohobycz, the Ashkenazi Synagogue. Its service was the same as in other synagogues. No organ was played, the women prayed in a separate area, and only men sang in the choir.

Once a year, on May 3, a Polish national holiday, Rabbi Dr. Avigdor would give a lecture in the Polish language. In the year 1920-21[13], the yeshiva where my father, HARHAG[14] Rabbi Avraham Kitaigorodski, ZT”L, served as Headmaster of the Upper School, moved from the building known as Talmud Torah (under the leadership of the chief Rabbinical judge Rabbi Zeev Velvele, ZT”L) to the building of the main synagogue (under the leadership of Chief Rabbi Dr. Avigdor).

The Jews of Drohobycz had a strict method of Hebrew education. The program included reading in Hebrew (ivri) , afterwards the study of the Torah (Pentateuch) and the Posek (the study of Prophets and the other books of the Bible). Finally the Gemara and the Poskim[15] The education system of Drohobycz had three schools for that purpose: the elementary school heder – for young children; the middle school[16] – for the study of the Pentateuch with Rashi's[17] commentary, the Shulchan Aruch[18], Jewish Law and the Mishna; And the high school (known as the Metivta[19]) where the Gemara and (Talmudic) commentaries were studied. The Metivta was a Rabbinical educational institute intended for those who engaged exclusively in the study of the Torah. I remember the yeshiva that my father, ZT”L, presided over as headmaster, first in the Talmud Torah building where he resided, and then in the main synagogue. Even the poorest of Jews wanted their sons to learn the Torah even if it meant scrimping for food. This is the way a Jew was educated throughout the generations in the Diaspora, and in Drohobycz as well.

My father, ZT”L, passed away at his home, lying very ill in his bed, while lecturing a group of intellectuals, merchants and craftsmen on the Eight Chapters of the Rambam[20]. Among his accomplishments was the education of an entire generation of students and the spreading the word of the Torah publicly. The community, headed then by Dr Tennenbaum, honored his memory and his loss was felt heavily by the entire city. He was buried alongside the Tsadik of Karlin,[21] ZT”L.


Footnotes
  1. Mincha: the afternoon prayer service usually held an hour before sunset. Return
  2. Gemara: the main body of the page of the Talmud, occupying its center and printed in formal block letters. The Gemara is an interpretation of the Mishnah. Semantically, the words “ Talmud ” and “ Gemara ” are actually synonymous deriving from words meaning, “study”or “learning”. Talmud is Hebrew, whereas Gemara is in the Aramaic dialect of the Babylonian Talmud. Return
  3. Mishnah: the collection of interpretations of the legal portions of the Torah and a codification of traditional Jewish practice. The Mishnah and the Gemara constitute the Talmud. Next to the Scriptures, the Mishnah is the basic textbook of Jewish life and thought, coveringsuch things as agriculture, the Sabbath and religious festivals, marriage and divorce, and civil and criminal matters. The final compilation of the Mishnah was made under the direction of Judah Ha-nasi from the work of the Tannaim , a group of sages of the first and second centuries. Return
  4. Ein Yaakov: acompilation consisting of all of the legends but none of the legal material in the Talmud, by Ya'akov ibn Habib (1460-1516) usually regarded as being of lesser importance than the more “serious” rabbinical texts. Return
  5. Kloiz (Yid): house of worship or study. Return
  6. Baalei batim (Heb): Literally “owners of houses”, meaning persons in authority. The author implies that these were engaged in commerce and industry in contrast with full time scholars. Return
  7. Abaye and Rava: Two of the most prominent Babylonian Amora'im (Fourth Generation). Abaye, who died in 339, headed the academy at Pumbedita. Rava (bar Joseph bar Hama) who died in 352, founded an academy at Mahoza. The disputes and discussions of these two scholars, students of Rabbah (Rabbah bar Nahmani, died in 330), are found on almost every page of the Babylonian
    Talmud.     Return
  8. Sadigura or Sadiger: a branch of the Ruzhiner dynasty of Rabbis, sometimes called the “Golden Dynasty” that began with Rev. Abraham Yaakov of Sadiger (b. 1820). The dynasty divided in the last decade of the nineteenth century and one of the branches settled in Drohobycz. Return
  9. ZT”L: Zekher Tsadik Lebracha: “the memory of the righteous should serve as a blessing”, a traditional phrase used when referring to learned rabbis who are deceased. Return
  10. Mitzva meals: suppers held on the occasion of religious festivities or for the purpose of raising funds for the community. Return
  11. Yohrzeit : the anniversary in the Jewish calendar of the date of a person's death. Return
  12. Haredim : ultraorthodox Jews. Return
  13. The Jewish year 5680 beginning in the autumn of 1920. Return
  14. Harav Hagaon : The genial Rabbi, an honorary title given to teaching Rabbis. Return
  15. Poskim: a collection of questions and answers on the Halacha gathered from thousands of books and pamphlets published by authoritative :abbis whose opinions are regarded as the spirit of the law regarding the Halacha. Return
  16. Equivalent to junior high school. Return
  17. Rashi: Rabbi Solomon Bar Isaac of Troyes (1040-11O5), probably the best-known medieval Jewish scholar. Return
  18. The Shulchan Aruch (Set Table) is a compendium of those areas of the Halacha (Jewish religious law) that are applicable today. Composed by Rabbi Yosef Karo in the 1560's, and supplemented by Rabbi Moses Isserlis of Kracow in the 1570's it is generally accepted as authoritative and represents the Halacha as followed by Ashkenazi Jews. Return
  19. Literally “the best of the best”. Return
  20. The treatise by Maimonides on ethics. Return
  21. Reb Aharon of Karlin (1802-1872): son of Rebbe Asher of Stolin, father-in-law of the Sadigura Rabbi and the founder of the Karliner dynasty which still thrives today. Return

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