Youth Organizations

Youths from the Katowice “Zionist Youth”, in a summer camp in Jordanów

There were three different sport clubs for the Jewish youth in Katowice to enjoy. These clubs, which included 'Bar-Kochva', 'Maccabbi' and 'Z.K.S' operated in varied time periods between World War I and II. There is not enough information to define why there were three separate clubs, as one would have sufficed. There did not appear to be any level of remarkable achievements in athletics. The sports clubs not only provided its members an opportunity to play sports; but they also provided a social outlet and a chance to learn about Zionism.

Bar-Kochva

It is understood that 'Bar-Kochva' had been active from 1923 to 1928. The club was known to host a variety of gymnastic activities and athletics specifically, with separate groups for men, women and children. There was even a tennis section! There were some difficulties with the club keeping regular activities, most likely due to lack of proper space. It was not easy for 'Bar-Kochva' to be registered for gym hall hours.

The same report from 1932 also states that the head instructor traveled to Warsaw to practice for the “Maccabia” (the Jewish Worldwide Olympic games”), and was temporarily replaced by Ms. Lizel Tajtelbach. The report, edited by Dr. Beter , also mentioned the constant support and solutions provided by municipality member Mr. Waichman and Dr. Szajer.

[Page 125]

In the bulletin's issue #118 from December 1936, an official notice was published by “Maccabbi”, which consisted of a full authorized report on the club's running activity. It informed readers about the general assembly meeting on December 10^th, in which a new administration was selected. The report stated the Hockey section was admitted to the Polish official union of ice-hockey, and the team even participated in the B league Silesian championship. There were two kinds of member-certificate cards that members received through the Polish union of ski club: Black- merited them with discounts on train tickets and Yellow- for border passing.

Z.K.S.

The Z.K.S club was considered unique mainly due to its Soccer team. The first press notice about it was published in the February 1933 issue of the “The Bulletin” announcing a 'Grand Prom' organized by the club. The prom was held at the Union Restaurant and had two orchestras play during the evening. The press release was signed by M. Zajdler.

A general assembly meeting in February 1933 also explained that a new administration team was elected, which included a new chairman, secretary and members of different positions.

In April 1933, there appeared coverage of the club's new athletic team. The following year (1934) notices about a 'Spring Prom', a Purim feast and another administrative assembly are published. Most of the club's actual sports activity hadn't found a way into the “public bulletin's” issues. Nonetheless, in one issue of the “Upper Silesian Immigrants in Israel” news gazette, in an interview with Hainz Badet, he spoke about his excellent soccer team and mentions players: Kinstlinger, Baderian, Hecht, Gotreich, Hochzeit, Holender, and the brothers Karliner.

[Page 126]

Our family's origin is in middle Silesia. After the referendum of 1924, Silesia was split into two parts: one annexed to Germany, and the other to Poland. We moved to the Polish side. I was used to going to a German school in my city of birth, and, therefore, continued to learn in one when we moved to Katowice in 1926.

The first signs of young Jews getting organized within Zionist-oriented groups appeared in 1928. At the time, I was a singer in the grand synagogue's choir, and remained so until I was 15. Our first mentor in Hashomer Hatzair [ed. Note: the Labor Zionist organization] was Maks Szternlicht from Bielsko, who was a student at the Katowice Technical College. The beginning was unpretentious: We were given a room to use once a week for our meetings, by Mrs. Weiner, a Zionist and owner of a bookstore in town.

I remember the visit of the poet Natan Bistricki to Katowice. We were asked to welcome him at the B'nai B'rith hall, and his enthusiastic speech in Yiddish encouraged and boosted our devotion to Hashomer.

At the time, the other youth groups showed an increased intensity in their activity as well. The local branch of the Zionist federation has managed to rent a spacious apartment where, bound to a schedule, each group was allowed to run its meetings. Later on, this arrangement was canceled, and we had to find our own location – frequently wandering between temporary ones.

In these same years Israel was closed to immigration – one of the organization's core ideals – and, therefore, many members gave up and left the group. During the same period I was head of the center. We bonded and continued on without any material support. In the end we managed to rent a small house in a residential courtyard, we renovated it and continued our activities amongst the youth in schools. The main theme of our activities was centered in Eretz Yisrael. We endeavored to learn as much as we could about the events in the country, from the rebuilding project to the rioting. We were also active in collecting money for Keren Kayemet Leyisrael [Foundation fund]. On Lag b'omer we would go outside the town to celebrate and the anti-Semitic “Endecks” didn't dare to bother us.

At its best, our group consisted of 80 members. I would like to point out the visit of guide Chana Ungar from Lwow and the continuing activity of local head Wiola Zandkarten as meaningful highlights. We had several Zionist adult-supporters, none of them who provided donations, but who helped occasionally in other ways. Of them, I can recall Berensztajn Sztark and Mrs. Ruth Berliner.

I played sports, and along with two friends played in a mixed handball team. Most of the teams belonged to the Hitler youth groups, known as Volksdeutshe. Occasionally, they pestered me, but I always responded.

I was head of the Hashomer Hatzair branch until making aliyah in 1939 through the illegal immigration movement; we left Poland by train and arrived in Constanza, a Romanian port town, where we were not allowed to leave the train. A week later, we were released and allowed aboard the ship Tiger Hill. By that time, we learned from the radio about the German invasion of Poland.

We sailed the sea for more than a month, because we were not allowed to dock and renew our supply anywhere. Eventually, we were instructed to sail to the Beirut area, where 300 families and their children were transferred to our ship. Overloaded, we tried to reach the Israeli coast near Herzliya, but were stopped and shot at by the English baywatch, with two passengers being killing. Two days later, we managed to sneak in at the Tel Aviv coast, and the 300 of us who managed to escape were warmly welcomed and hosted by residents of city.

[Page 127]

During this whole period, I wasn't able to keep in contact with my family. After a short while, I was informed, through the Red Cross, that they were in the Chrzanow ghetto. My young brother, who earlier escaped to Lwow, was my only way to contact home. But my home was no more. My father z”l was murdered in Auschwitz. My mother z”l and my sister were enslaved in a labor camp until they were freed by the Americans, and shortly after managed to reach Israel. I did not receive any reliable information about my brother's fate. Back then, I was told that he was seen, the the February [1945] before the war ended, in the infamous death march in the Sudetes.

Nathan Bistrizki - Zionist leader from Israel, in Katowice in 1933 Duba Buchztajn - in the first row, second from the right

  Katowice, Poland     Yizkor Book Project     JewishGen Home Page

Copyright © 1999-2009 by JewishGen, Inc.
Updated 7 Nov 2009 by LA