Oswiecim; Auschwitz Memorial Book
(Oświęcim, Poland)

50°02' / 19°14'

Translation of
Sefer Oshpitsin

Edited by: Ch. Wolnerman, A. Burstin, M. S. Geshuri

Published in Jerusalem, Oshpitsin Society, 1977


 

Acknowledgments

Project Coordinators

Sharon Kaplowitz

Joseph Schachter (emeritus)

 

Our sincere appreciation to Adam Druks, of the Oswiecim Landsmannshaft,
for permission to put this material on the JewishGen web site.

Our sincere appreciation to Sandra Krisch for the editing of the translations.

This is a translation from: Sefer Oshpitsin; Oswiecim; Auschwitz memorial book,
Editors: Ch. Wolnerman, A. Burstin, M. S. Geshuri. Jerusalem, Oshpitsin Society, 1977 (H,Y)


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Oshpitsin database

 

Translator's Preface
 
Foreword / Prof. E. Katzir, President of the State of Israel 9
Foreword / H. Justus 11
Preface [in Yiddish] / The Editors 13
 
The History Chapters / Meir Shimon Geshuri  
 
On Oshpitzin that Preceded Auschwitz 17
Once there was an Oshpitzin… 19
On the Chronicles of the Oshpitzin Palace 26
Synopses of Chapters 3 to 8 32
Oshpitzin During the Initial Period of Austrian Galicia 69
The Continuation of Oshpitzin Jewry's Exile in Galicia 77
Jewish Farmers in the Oshpitzin District 83
Oshpitzin Jewry and the Onset of the Springtime of Freedom 89
Oshpitzin and its Tzadikim in the Hasidic Movement 95
Oshpitzin's Rabbis and Chachamim 100
Jewish Community in Oshpitzin and Its Institutions 107
Jewish Oshpitzin, from Insularity to Expanding Horizons 113
Oshpitzin and Environs on the Demographic Scale 119
Oshpitzin as Reflected in Various Journals 126
An Historical Chronology of Oshpitzin 141
 
A Jewish Town / Eliezer Schenker  
 
Oshpitzin as Reflected in Various Journals 126
Historical Chronology of Oshpitzin 141
Stones Tell the Tale 147
History of Jewish Oshpitzin and its Folktales 151
The Town and its Personalities 155
The Holocaust Begins 161
Berlin 169
The Great Synagogue is set ablaze 173
The King of the Jews by Courtesy of Himmler 178
Translator's notes and remarks on the Schenker article 186
 
  
Community Institutions / Chaim Wolnerman  
 
The Synagogues and Batei Midrash 190
The House of the Bobower Hasidim 199
Benevolent Societies and Organizations 209
Factories and Workshops 215
The Peddlers' Association 217
The Municipality and the Jewish Community 220
 
Rabbis and Heads of Yeshivot  
 
On the Publication of an Oshpitzin Rabbi's Book 227
Rabbi Menachem Menli Soifer of Oshpitzin 230
Rabbi Elazar Mintz / Dr. Gershon Mintz, Jerusalem 233
Rabbi Dr. Ephraim Yisrael Bleicher 234
Rabbi Chaim Zvi Kupferman / C. Z. Wolnerman 235
Rabbi Binyamin Rosenblum / Ch. Zion 236
Rabbi R’ Mordechai Rottenberg, HY”D 237
Rabbi R’ Eliezer Halevi Rosenfeld 240
The Rebbe, R’ Shloime'le from Sassow in Oshpitzin / Uri Hanis [Hanish?] 244
Rabbi R’ Eliyahu Bombach HY”D 249
Rosh Hayeshiva Rabbi R’ Usher Zelig Landa 253
Rabbi R’ Eliyahu Rosen HY”D / Rabbi Ze'ev Gottlieb, Glasgow 255
Rabbi Dr. Reuben Farber / M. Ungerfeld 257
Roshei Yeshivos and Melamdim / Ch. Ben-Yosef 259
Hasidism in Oshpitzin [Yiddish] / Yehuda Kinderman 261
Melamdim in Town / Chaim Nebenzahl 265
 
Political Parties and Youth Movements
 
The Zionist Movement / Yakov Better and Shmuel Bochner 269
Hechalutz / Shmuel Bochner and Natan Goldfinger 271
Hashomer Hatza'ir / Rachel Shoham 273
The Mizrachi Movement 274
The Po'alei Agudas Yisrael Federation / Ch. Zion 277
The Kadima Sport Association / Naftali Kleinberger 281
Kadima / Yehoshua Feiler 283
The Jewish Youth Organizations / Yisrael Fertig 284
Beis Yakov and B'nois Agudas Yisroel / Ch. Avi-Yona 290
 
Personalities and Figures
 
R’ Shaul Dovid Englard 295
R’ Moshe Hirschsprung HY”D 295
R’ Michele Blumenfrucht HY”D 296
Yakov Better / Ch. Z. Simchoni 297
About R’ Avrohom Gross 298
R’ Pinchos Greier HY”D 299
Dr. Moshe Goldberg / Hans Loew Z”L 300
R’ Chaim Goldberg HY”D / Ben-Yosef 302
Eliezer Gleitzman Z”L / Rabbi Yedidia Frankel, Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv-Yaffo 303
In Memory of Eliezer / Nathan Scharf 304
And Ahron Held His Peace / Ben Zion Chaim 305
R’ Yitzchok Huppert Z”L / Dr. Yakov Golan 306
R’ Moishele Wulkan (Little Moishele) 307
The Late Moishe Wulkan 308
R’ Mordechai Wildman / Ch. Berish 310
In Memory of Dvora Weinheber / N. Scharf 311
R’ Chaim Silbiger / Sarah Herrendorf 312
My Father-in-law R’ Chaim Silbiger / Zvi Eliash 313
R’ Yehuda Hakohen Silbiger Z”L 315
R’ Nosen Hakohen Silbiger / Shlomo Silbiger 316
R’ Shulem Kahana 318
Hans Loew / Alexander Goldberg 319
R’ Hershel Enoch / Estherson 321
Moshe Shmuel Frisch / Chaim Wolnerman 323
Avrohom Feiler / Yehoshua Feiler 327
Akiva Zwerling 328
R’ Avrohom Halevi Ringer / A. Avinoam 329
R’ Hershel Stiel / Natan Goldfinger 331
R’ Yechiel Schindel and Family / Yitzchak Levi 333
Moshe Ahron Schindel 333
My Extended Family / Ruven Rottenberg 334
The Good Shmuel / Chaim Wolnerman 336
Eliezer Leo Schenker 337
The Late R’ Chaim Zvi Wolnerman 339
 
Memoirs and Impressions
 
From My Memoirs (section on Oshpitzin) / Gershom Bader 341
The City of Oshpitzin / Yakov Seifter, Cleveland 355
Rabbi and Doctor /Aviezer Burstin 362
Oshpitzin / Uri Hanis 366
My Hometown / Natan Goldfinger 371
Fragments of Folklore / Natan Scharf 377
My Town Oswiecim – A City of Blood and Tears / Rabbi Moshe Weiss 381
Memoirs of My Father's House / Regina Bendzinsky nee Enoch 385
The Beloved, Sweet People /Alexander Scharf 388
Childhood Vistas /Alexander Goldberg 391
Water Carriers / Chaim Wolnerman 394
Portraits of Altruists / Asher Weiss 396
En Route to the Homeland / Yitzchak Tzivoni (Farber) 399
Stories My Father Told / Gita Loewy-Weissler 403
A True Story / Fela Recht (Jerud) 406
Two Episodes / Yehuda Schneider 407
The Wife of the Former President of Poland – A Townswoman 409
A City and its Chalutzim / Prof. Dov Sadan 411
 
The Surrounding Area
 
Zator / Ch. Simchoni 417
The Beginning and the End of My Shtetl Zator / E. Elias 421
Brzezinka / Mordechai Schindel-Frey 423
Brzeszcze 429
Libiaz 430
Chelmek 431
 
The Holocaust
 
If I Should Happen… / Uri Hanis 435
The Lessons of “Auschwitz” / Rabbi Shlomo Goren, Chief Rabbi of Israel 436
A Nightmare / Rabbi Yitzchak Yedidia Frankel, Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv-Yaffo 441
Have We Learned the Lesson of the Shoah? / Rabbi Y. M. Ahronson, Member of the Chief Rabbinate, Petach Tikva 446
A Holy Community and a Place of Martyrdom / Dr. Yosef Burg, Minister of the Interior 449
So That You Will Tell / Gideon Hausner, Minister of Israel 451
A Visit in Auschwitz and Warsaw - May 1966 / Abba Eban, MK 452
Auschwitz, The City and the Warning / Menachem Begin, MK 455
The Jew Confronts the Dread of Auschwitz / Shmuel Tamir, MK 456
There is No Monument for Jews at Auschwitz / Moshe Prager 458
Remember Auschwitz / Leib Rachman 464
Yisgadal Ve Yiskadash Sh'mei Rabba / Yechiel Granatstein 466
The Duty to Tell / Shammai Golan 468
A Can of Sardines / Aviezer Bursztyn 470
The Revolt of the Sonderkommando in Birkenau 475
My Participation in the Revolt at Auschwitz / Reisel Gruenapfel-Meth 478
Rosa Robota 480
In the Midst of Hell / Zalman Gradowski 482
Jewish Heroism – or Like Sheep to the Slaughter / Chaim Brenner 486
I Wandered Like a Lost Sheep / Ze'ev Peltzman 489
The Hasidic Dance in Oswiecim / M. Mark 494
From Darkness into Light / Chana Ziegman 499
My Days of Wandering / Chana Kaufman-Weichman 501
Living in Sorrow / Gella Burger 503
 
Bibliography 505
Memorials to Israel's Fallen 543
A Memorial to the Pioneers 557
Memorials to Holocaust Victims 563
Letters of Regret 617
Acknowledgments 620
Afterword / KaTzetnik 621

 


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