From “My Memoirs” of Oshpitzin
[Yiddish]
Gershom Bader
The Viennese Crash, Playing the Lottery, and the Magic Table
A short time after I was born, my parents lived in Oshpitzin, where Hitler
erected the large crematoria to incinerate the Jews.
Later, in 1873, when I was five years old, a “plague” threatened all
of Galicia – and Galicianer Jews fought against it with three tried Jewish
remedies: Repentance, Prayer, and Charity. At the same time two important
events took place in Austria, which mark the onset of the Austrian Crisis,
which marked the beginning of the process, which led to the subsequent collapse
of the monarchy.
The development of the Austrian Monarchy assumed new forms in those days. After
the defeats it suffered by the Italians in 1866 and Prussia, the government
undertook the development of its economy on a new basis. Internal political
conduct underwent great change as well. Kaiser Franz Josef, who until then
believed that a country could be ruled by the sword and jails, began to regard
his peoples with other eyes and attempted to respond to the requests of the
broad masses.
The Austrian Government arranged for a “World Fair” in Vienna. It
seemed that the Vienna regime was carrying this out to show what the greater
civilized world had accomplished for the development of commerce and industry.
In addition there was also the motivation to show, that despite the fact that
Austria was still an agrarian state, it was capable of making progress in
commerce and industry, if only the other kingdoms would allow.
The Viennese Exhibition opened on May 1st
1873. Soon, however, came May 8th, which is historically known as “Black Thursday” that marked the
terrible crash of the Viennese Stock Exchange. Thousands of the wealthy, whose
capital was tied up in stocks and who had until then been considered
millionaires, became paupers in one day, with not a Groschen in their pockets.
Years later, it became clear that the market crash of 1873 was the harbinger of
Austria's demise. At a time when Austria wished to proclaim its progress, its
enemies suddenly tripped it up, to prove that Austria didn't have sufficient
capital to carry on commerce independently and establish its own industry, when
it had to compete with such countries as England and France whose capitalist
bases were so well entrenched.
Hardly anyone from Galicia traveled to the Exhibition. Since the epidemic was
raging in Galicia, the Viennese police did not want any visitors from there at
the Exhibition. This did not interfere at all with the Exhibition. The terrible
reports of the epidemic, along with the thousands of suicides and nervous
breakdowns brought about by the crash, did not make any impression on the
Viennese aristocrats. They actually made sport both of the victims of the
epidemic and those of the crash who had wanted to become “nobles” in
a quick fashion.
When the epidemic subsided and people recovered from the crash, there developed
among a certain segment a kind of yearning for attaining instant wealth in a
different manner. No one was satisfied with his accustomed subsistence. Working
for one's daily bread was tiresome and everyone dreamed of wealth or at least
of having an easier life without hard work.
A kind of sickness began to spread among people, of playing the
“Lottery”. The “Lottery” was a means by which the Austrian
Government could extract the last coin from poor people in lieu of the hope of
sudden luck. This gambling craze was so widespread among the people – old
and young, men and women, Jews as well as the Gentiles, that thousands made a
good living as lottery agents, which awarded them a certain percentage of their
sales. When people met on the street, most of their conversations were about
lottery numbers and the most salable items in bookstores were “Dream
Books”, in which each dream's interpretation was associated with a number
that should be played in the lottery. There was also a
widespread
belief that the greatest nobles, and even the Kaiser himself, played the
lottery.
Characteristic of the connection between dreams and playing the lottery is the
occurrence of the following event, which took place in Oshpitzin itself. In a
rich man's home a cook was employed, a lively lass and natural prankster. This
same man also had a manservant, a morose individual. This cook used to whisper
numbers in his ear while he slept, so that he would believe that he had dreamt
them. This became a nightly “theater” for the servants, who would
hold their sides with laughter at the scene. The young man really believed that
the numbers that the cook whispered had actually come to him in his dream. He
used to play these numbers and usually lose, until one day his number actually
won a 500 Gulden prize.
The young woman hauled him before the Rabbi with the claim that since she had
been the one who had whispered the winning numbers in his ear, he must give her
half of the winnings. The Rabbi ruled that he was not required to give her
half. If, however, the maid would agree to marry him, he should do so without
the requirement of a dowry from her.
The end of the story was, that the maiden agreed to marry him, since he had
become wealthy with 500 Gulden. It is also obvious that this triumph in the
lottery unsettled the whole city of Oshpitzin. Some Viennese German figured out
a method, by which one was sure to win, if one were to invest 54 Gulden at a
time. We, in our home, bought the method, gathered together the needed sum, and
immediately bought the tickets, and – didn't win.
Then, suddenly, there appeared a Jewish stranger, who taught us all to ask the
“table”, what would be the winning numbers in the lottery. To begin
with there were those who wondered whether that was permissible, for it was
possible that this involved some form of magic. That Jew, however, calmed
everyone, and since each of us had detected that he was religiously observant,
nobody was concerned anymore about the table's predictions.
People would gather in our home, in a special room, where the lights were
quickly extinguished, so that it be dark. Then ten Jews stood next to the
table, which had to be constructed with wooden pins, and not the smallest piece
of metal was permitted. Then everyone placed both hands on the table, leaning
on it only the fingertips, the palms remaining in the air. In that way the
Jewish stranger explained to the audience – the entire body's powers are
transferred to the fingertips, and from there they become absorbed by the table.
So they would remain standing for about 15 minutes, in silence, concentrating
their powers on the fingertips on the table. Suddenly the table began to budge,
or rose in the air. Dread fell on everyone in the room, and I myself felt a
shudder come over me. I hid my face in my hands, because I was afraid to look
at it, and what was about to happen.
Then the Jewish stranger turned towards the table and said as follows:
– Oh, little table. Dear little table. Tell us, I beg of you, what
numbers will come out this week in the lottery?
– Keep an exact count – said someone in a choked voice.
The table rises up in the air – so explained all the Jews – and we
counted silently, how many times the table budged, from the number of movements
the lottery numbers were contrived, those that were to be determined as winners
at the next drawing.
As usual they didn't count properly. Because of the anxiety there were frequent
mistakes as to the number of movements. Arguments broke out about the correct
numbers, and it later turned out that everyone was mistaken. An
“Amba”, i.e., two correct numbers, was once achieved by one of the
magic-table's predictions, but a “Terna”, i.e., three numbers, was
never won by anyone.
It didn't last long, however, for the Jewish stranger had committed some act in
town and ran away. What he had done – I was unable to find out. I only saw
that people whispered about him and laughed.
I heard no more about this man, and after he ran away, they stopped doing the
tricks with the table.
A Hasid “Gets a Reprimand” and the Epidemic Rages
Not far from Oshpitzin there is a Shtetl named Chrzanow. Most of the
inhabitants of both towns in those days consisted of Jews and their life-style
was a Jewish one.
In Chrzanow the train goes through the town. Since in that time and place no
Jew would have considered traveling on Shabbes, everyone believed that when the
train ran through the town on Shabbes, it would glide by silently and the
trainmen would refrain from sounding the whistle, so as not to disturb the
Shabbes rest of Chrzanow's Jews.
There was something similar in Oshpitzin. Almost all the Gentiles lived in the
surrounding suburbs and aside from the only Shabbes-Goy, who together with his
wife and children handled all the Shabbes needs in the Jewish homes, one hardly
ever saw a Gentile on Shabbes.
I remember that Oshpitziner Shabbes-Goy very well. He spoke Yiddish and was
very touchy with respect to his dignity. His name was “Stach” and he
demanded to be addressed as Reb Stach. If a child did not call him by the
honorific Reb, he would become very angry, saying: “What kind of a
'Sheigetz', no Derech-Eretz [respect] for older people”, and he would say
that such a Sheigetz would yet certainly become an apostate.
In those years, there also raged the well-known battle between the Sandzer
Hasidim and the Sadigora Hasidim. The elderly Sandzer Zadik, R’ Chaim
Halberstam, the founder of the new Rabbinic dynasty with children and
grandchildren who were Rebbes, was then fighting with greater than human powers
against the family of R’ Yisrael Rizhiner, whose Rabbinic family was long
rooted in Sadigora, Czortkow, Husyatin, and several more locations.
The Sadigora dynasty, to boot, had at that time more adherents in the larger
Galician cities. The Sadigorer Rebbe considered himself more modern. He wore a
fedora, not a fur hat. He also wore a white shirt with a stiff collar and a
tie. Added to that he also carried a handkerchief and didn't wipe his nose on
his sleeve or the inner side of the kaftan.
In the smaller shtetlach of West Galicia all were at that time Sandzer Hasidim
and they made short shrift of any Sadigora Hasid. Since the Sadigora Hasidim
did not accept this treatment without response, the most terrible arguments,
beatings , and informing against the opponent to the authorities took place.
At that time a Sadigora Hasid lived in Chrzanow, where the Town-Rabbi was the
son of the Sandzer Zadik, and all the Jews there were Sandzer Hasidim. The name
of that solitary Sadigora Hasid was Hollander and he did not let himself be
swayed from his manner.
As far as I recall, this Hollander was a wealthy man, and he was able to afford
to remain being a stubborn Sadigora Hasid, when all the other Chrzanow Jews had
already changed their allegiance and become Sandzer adherents.
The Chrzanower Rabbi had attempted in various ways to win Hollander over to his
side. He was not successful since Hollander was wealthy and with good
connections in the local government bureaucracy. The sale of tobacco was a
monopoly in those days granted by the Austrian government, and Hollander was
the wholesaler for the Chrzanow district. He was, for this reason, a VIP as far
as the Tax Inspector and the police were concerned. He could have destroyed the
Rabbi with only a hint to these officials, but he didn't do so, because he
didn't want to be the one to cause the intrusion of Gentiles into internal
Jewish matters.
The other side, however, did not act similarly, because when the Chrzanow Rabbi
saw that all his efforts to bring Hollander over to his camp were in vain, he
perceived a danger for Sandzer Hasidism and began to act against Hollander with
anger and the power of a “Cherem”.
There existed a strict prohibition in Austria against the use of all forms of
“Cherem” [religious ban]. From the time of Kaiser Josef II, a court
decree declared that he who puts anyone in the status of a religious
“cherem” should be punished by a
15-year
prison sentence. The Chrzanower Rebbe put his life in jeopardy when he
realized he could not win Hollander over with gentle persuasion, so he put him
in “cherem”.
To begin with, Hollander treated it with amusement. Then he realized that all
Jews began to avoid him. Things had gone so far that he lived a solitary
existence, because his wife and children had left him. He now realized that the
“cherem” was stronger than his aggressive insistence and that he
would have to swallow his pride in his stance of opposition to the Sanzer
faction.
No one would give him a crumb to eat. A Jewish baker refused to sell him bread
and he was forced to eat Gentile food. He then made plans to leave Chrzanow.
With the money he had then, he could have easily moved and found accommodations
in another location. His wife, however, had someone tell him that as long as
the Rebbe did not lift the “Cherem” she would not go with him.
So the proud Hollander had to bow and send a petition to the Rebbe that he lift
the “Cherem”. The Rebbe promised to do so at such time when he
publicly accepted censure and declared before them all that he disavowed all
relationships with the Sadigora Hasidim.
My father said to me once: “Tomorrow, God willing, get up very early in
the morning, and I will take you along to Chrzanow where you will see something
unprecedented, and certainly never again during your lifetime”.
I was immediately consumed with curiosity, and early next morning I was on my
feet, dressed hurriedly and rushed through my prayers. I was then barely five
years old and said my prayers daily from a little “Siddur”. I used to
argue about this with my father. He wanted me to “davven” less, and I
wanted to “davven” much more.
With prayers and breakfast over we traveled by train to Chrzanow. This was some
two weeks after Passover. It was a rainy day. When we arrived in Chrzanow it
was around 9 am.
The muddy streets on a rainy day in Oshpitzin were not be sniffed at. Yet, I
remember well until today that the Chrzanower muddy streets overwhelmed me, and
my father carried me in his arms so I wouldn't get my feet all muddy and also
to better see the “spectacle” that was to take place. A great crowd
was pressed together like sardines and held aloft by my father it seemed to me
they looked like a forest of heads, since the crowding was so great that only
their heads were visible.
Suddenly a middle-aged Jew emerged from a house, black-bearded spotted gray at
the edges, wearing a torn kaftan, in socks only and bareheaded except for a
yarmulke besprinkled with ashes on his head. In his hand he held a little
siddur, mumbling quietly something from its pages and beating himself
constantly on his breast.
“He's going to the Shul” – my father explained.
When that man started walking the knot of people quickly disentangled. Everyone
moved back from where he stood in order to leave room for him and not, God
forbid have to touch him. As he walked by people spat, while others spat
directly in his face, but he continued mumbling into the Siddur and beat his
breast, not even wiping the spittle from his face.
“Sinner against the God of Israel” – someone cried out, while a
stone hit Hollander in the back. He didn't even turn around and continued with
his head bowed towards the Shul, where the ceremony of the “public
reprimand” would take place.
I didn't see what happened afterwards, since my father no longer wanted to go
there.
“You see”, my father told me on our return journey to Oshpitzin,
“when you grow older you will understand what you saw today. You saw how a
Jew was humiliated and stoned, even though he is a devout God-fearing man, and
only because his Rebbe is not the Rebbe of all the other people in town.
Not long after that event, the previously mentioned epidemic suddenly broke out
in all the Galician towns and cities. Nobody knew how and from where it had
come. The epidemic spread like
wildfire
into all the corners of Galicia. The Angel of Death had no mercy and visited
all the houses on the Jewish street. People lost their lust for life and moved
around like shadows.
Neither money nor
doctors could save people from the epidemic after it had caught them in its
iron vise.
Those in charge tried every means to combat the disease. Barracks were built
for those who fell ill in order to quarantine them from their surroundings and
to contain the epidemic. As a result, the rumor spread that the doctors were
poisoning the patients in the barracks. Now, people would not trust the doctors
– and if someone fell ill, they tried to save him at home by every means,
just not to call a doctor, and not to be taken to the barracks.
A large “Bikur Cholim” was founded then in Oshpitzin, in which every
homeowner had to participate. A neighbor of ours, a certain Hershe'le
Silberstein, a learned Jew and intellectual, was the “General”.
One had to report to him about every case of sickness and he gave everyone
orders where to go. Every night a lot of people would gather in our home to
hear the report of what was happening and then spread out to carry out their
assignments.
During that time people became very “frum” [religiously observant].
The Sadigora Hasidim of Oshpitzin ran to their Rebbe, to “rip off his
doors”, so that he help them. He answered them that the epidemic had come
as a punishment for the great insult heaped on a 'Talmid Chacham”. The
Oshpitzin Hasidim argued that they were innocent since the disgrace had taken
place in Chrzanow. To this, the Rebbe replied that Sadigora Hasidim should not
have permitted such a thing to happen, even if it meant turning to the
government.
When, on the other hand, the Sandzer Hasidim went to their Rebbe he told them
that it was a punishment directed against them for tolerating the Sadigora
Hasidim in their town.
Then, suddenly, without a discernible reason, the controversy between the two
groups of Hasidim died down. This, however, was only concerning Hasidism, since
in other matters of religiosity a microscopic examination was carried out
– and just as the Bikur Cholim activists had made the rounds of saving the
sick, another group of men and women made the rounds of those who were well, to
search out sins, and perhaps discover for whose transgression the Jews had been
so sorely punished. Woe unto him, should one be found to have the smallest
stain on his religiosity. They would take him and hand him over to the doctors
and the barracks, and would there receive their reckoning.
The Educated Oshpitzin Rabbi
Because Oshpitzin was close to the Prussian border in those times, a great
number of Balebatim felt it their duty to institute German customs into the
running of the Kehilla – and they yearned to have a Rabbi who was
educated, one with the title “Doctor of Philosophy”. When I mull over
this today, about the situation that was prevalent then at the time of the
epidemic, I cannot help but wonder why Oshpitzin's Jews did not apply to their
educated Rabbi with the argument that he was responsible for the epidemic,
since the Oshpitzin Rabbi was an educated “Doctor of Philosophy”.
This Rabbi's name was Dr. Leibish Mintz. He was an individual who was
significant both for Jews as a Torah Scholar, and for the government as a
Doctor with a diploma. The Jewish population as a whole was very far from
wanting a PhD. as a Rabbi. The Kehilla leaders, however, were government
appointees, and not dependent on the Jewish population to retain their posts.
They were unconcerned with public opinion and they forced an educated Rabbi on
their community.
The Oshpitzin Jews would talk about their Rabbi and bemoan the fact that a Jew
should have studied philosophy and tainted his Jewish knowledge. Others said
that as far as secular knowledge went, one could not apply the word
“educated” to him, since such a Jew as Dr. Mintz could have simply
with one glance have grasped “their” entire philosophy. Such a one as
R’ Leibish Mintz, who had been ordained by the “Chasam Soifer”, must
have toiled day and night at his studies in the Hungarian Yeshives, and only
occasionally and incidentally had been required to glance at the “alien
books” from which he had assuredly derived all of the “Seven
Wisdoms”.
It stands to reason, as well, that the Hasidim in town would never have
accepted the likes of Dr. Mintz even had he been the greatest Gaon [Talmudic
Prodigy]. It was just incredible that a man educated in philosophy should
possess enough religiosity to be a spiritual mentor of Hasidic Jews.
They then, aside from the educated Rabbi, found for themselves two other
Rabbis, both Hasidic Rebbes who conducted “Tishen” [Hasidic
gatherings at the Rebbe's table], and who took “Kvitlach”. Neither of
them were recognized by the government and the Kehilla paid them a salary in
the form of “assistance” for the Rabbi. One was the Sandzer Zadik's
grandson and the other was an adherent of Sadigora. As far as the Hasidim in
Oshpitzin were concerned Dr. Mintz was only the “Government Rabbi”
whom they regarded as some kind of a nuisance that had to be tolerated for
political reasons.
In addition to these two Hasidic Rebbes there were two Dayanim in Oshpitzin, so
that should any Balebos have a question regarding religious matters he could
turn to them, and he would not have consulted Dr. Mintz, whose religious
behavior was faultless. Dr. Mintz, then, served only as the representative of
the Kehilla and its constituency before the government, where he held forth
with his erudition and his correct German phraseology. Questions about
“pots and spoons” [Kashrut] one addressed to the two town Dayanim.
So the Rabbi spent his days at home with nothing to do. In his home the
would-be enlightened ones from the town would gather and while away the time in
conversation.
Later, in spite of all this, a controversy arose, because of which Dr. Mintz
saw fit to leave town. It happened in this wise: Since the epidemic had spread
through town, it was deemed desirable to conduct a wedding at the cemetery as a
remedy against it. Dr. Mintz would not permit it. He feared that it would be
performed against his will and requested the Mayor to send a notice to the
Kehilla where it should be forcefully announced that should anyone attempt to
conduct a wedding at the cemetery against the will of their Rabbi, those
assembled there would be expelled by the police. In addition, the main
celebrants, i.e., the couple and their parents, would be arrested.
The entire town was furious with the Rabbi – and when Rosh Hashanah
arrived and the Rabbi wanted to call out the notes for the blowing of the
Shofar, a burly Jew ran up, a certain Yisrael Tobias, pushed the Rabbi off the
platform and yelled out: –“ Our Holy Tekiot [Shofar Blasts] are not for
students of Latin, and someone like you has no business here”.
The Rabbi, regarded the shouter in amazement, not understanding his sudden
outburst. Tobias shouted once more: – “When we shall need someone to
intercede with the Gentile Ruler, where Latin and German are required, we will
send you, but now we require an intermediary before the Master of the Universe,
we need a Jew who doesn't know Latin”.
The Rabbi now understood what it was all about and rebuked Tobias. Tobias, in
response, lifted his hands and gave the Rabbi a resounding slap that
reverberated throughout the synagogue. This started a terrible riot and someone
quickly brought the police into the synagogue to protect the Rabbi in calling
out the Tekiot.
The Rabbi was not able to live down such an affront and right after Sukkot he
left Oshpitzin for a Rabbinical post in Kempna in the Posen District where the
“Malbi'm” had served as Rabbi.
After Dr. Mintz's departure, Oshpitzin never again had an educated Rabbi. The
Progressives in Oshpitzin were now leaderless. At the same time, the Sandzer
faction overpowered the Sadigora element, so that the government declared that
the Kehilla should transfer the position of Chief Rabbi to R’ Shlomo
Halberstam, the Sandzer Zaddik's grandson – and the other Hasidic Rebbe,
the Sadigora adherent, wasn't even reconfirmed in his former post, and now had
to seek his livelihood only through contributions and Kvitlach.
R’ Shlomo Halberstam was very charitable, like his grandfather, the
“Divrei Chaim” of Sandz, who used to distribute hundreds of thousands
[of Gulden] to poor Hasidim while he himself lived very
frugally. R’ Shlomo was also a prodigy like his grandfather and his way in
Hasidism was grounded primarily in the study of the Talmud and the Codes.
R’ Shlomo, however, was not able to remain in Oshpitzin due to the
above-mentioned controversy (the Kehilla leadership's aim continued to be an
educated Rabbi). Thus, he left Oshpitzin for the Rabbi's post in Wisznice (the
same post that was held by his great-grandfather, the author of “Baruch
Ta'am”), and later on he was the Rabbi in Bobowa. He was the father of the
famous Bobowa Rebbe, R’ Benzion Halberstam, May the Lord avenge his blood, who
perished at the hands of the Nazi beasts.
*Due to these changes in the community the controversy between the two Hasidic
factions intensified, and the extent of the dispute can be exemplified by two
incidents that are related to this conflict and have left a deep and
unforgettable impression.
My uncle, Moishe Yosef Junger was a Sandzer Hasid, one of the favorites at the
Sandzer Court. As he used to tell it, he once had the privilege that the
Sandzer once slapped him – and he was able to brag about it, since he was
assured of his share in the “World to
come
”. It is obvious that my uncle's devotion to the Sandzer Rebbe was
boundless and he was prepared to take on anyone who dared to utter the smallest
criticism against or impugn the honor of the Sandzer Zadik.
This happened once on a Friday afternoon after the baths. While drinking a
glass of beer, an argument arose between my uncle and a Sadigura Hasid. My
uncle was a learned man with the soul of a Hillel, who couldn't be angry with
anyone. However, should anyone dare to disparage his Rebbe in his presence, he
would then burst out in a terrible rage and one might have thought that he was
about to commit murder.
As it turned out, the Sadigorer was probably an even angrier type – and
when my uncle let his tongue run on against the Sadigorer, his opponent grabbed
a heavy beer-mug and split my uncle's head open.
The end of that “debate” was that my uncle died some weeks later. It
cost a lot of energy and money to keep this under wraps and that the Gentiles
should not learn of it and to prevent a judicial inquiry.
Another event of a similar nature took place with my own father, who was a
sharp “Misnaged”, yet no one ever heard him say a word during the
whole period of the controversy, neither against Sadigora nor against Sandz.
There were three Shochtim in Oshpitzin at that time, two Sadigorer and one
Sandzer. The Sandzer Hasidim were in an uproar about that, and since they were
the majority in town, there ought to be two Sandzer versus one Sadigorer. They
demanded that the Kehilla dismiss one Sadigorer and replace him with a Sandzer.
They came to my father with the request that he write up the petition to the
Kehilla and include the threat, that if their demand was not met to rearrange
the ratio to their satisfaction, they would turn to the civil authorities. My
father refused to write this up for them. They then spread a rumor that he was
a secret Sadigora Hasid and they decided to avenge themselves at the nearest
opportunity.
At the Hakafes of Simchas Toire several Sandzer surrounded my father and were
going to let him “have it”, but they didn't succeed, as my father was
no weakling. He wrenched a foot off a bench and placed himself against the
wall. No one dared come close. I saw all of this and I was really frightened
that, God forbid, nothing bad should happen to him, and I fainted – and
when I came to, I was at home lying in my bed and a doctor was leaning over me.
After this incident, my father decided to move back to Krakow…
*In the interim between Oshpitzin and Krakow, we spent three weeks with my
maternal grandfather, who ran a concession in a village named Przyskawice [?] near Kalvaria. It was a troubled time because my grandfather was
nearly
implicated in a blood-libel. This, however, no longer involved Oshpitzin.
It is worthwhile mentioning at this point a detail about the Rabbinate in
Oshpitzin. At that time, there was a Hasidic Rebbe in Krakow who was called the
“Zalesczyker” because he stemmed from Zalesczyk in East Galicia. His
name was R’ Menachem Arye Tzoismer [?] and he was descended from a Rabbinical family
well known
in East Galicia and Wolhyn. After his death, his oldest son R’ Ziser wanted to
assume his father's post. When we had lived in Oshpitzin, he had spent some
time there and played the role of a Hasidic Rebbe.
A dispute broke out between R’ Ziser and his much younger brother R’ Shimon,
the latter claiming that he was the true heir of his father's post. To begin
with, R’ Shimon had not wanted to be a Rabbi. He had married into wealth and
his father-in-law had bought him a large business, about which he knew very
little. Instead of staying in the store, he was always in the Bes Medrish,
until the entire business was ruined. Since he also couldn't become a Rebbe, he
became a Melamed. He did not live long after that and died young.
In the summer of 5644 (1883) I was an idler with nothing to do. I decided to go
to Berlin where I was certain that I would find my life's goal. On 3 Elul 5644,
exactly on my 16th
birthday, I went on foot to Krakow to travel to Berlin. If such a great
philosopher like Moishe Mendelsohn could walk on foot from Dessau in the
hinterland of Germany all the way to Berlin – I thought to myself I would
leave Krakow with my backpack – and when Shlomo Maimon could walk from
Niezwice, Lithuania all the way to Berlin, I would with God's help also arrive
safely in Berlin.
I had planned my route exactly. First, I would go from Krakow to Oshpitzin, and
from there I would cross into German territory. I had obtained travel documents
– and I was off.
Talk was easy, but walking was much slower. Despite my constant murmuring of
the verses, which are well-known as a remedy against all the traveler's evils,
I was attacked by dogs, wild Gentile boys threw stones at me, and my first
night of the journey was spent under the open sky.
Only near Oshpitzin did I meet a man riding on a wagon, who took great interest
in me. He took me across the Prussian border on his wagon and fed me on the way.
Later, I continued on foot. On my journey to Berlin to amass culture, I could
not evade Oshpitzin which served many as the gateway to the German and
enlightened world. Oshpitzin was my last station
in Galicia on my way from Krakow to Germany, and I have frequently thought
about Oshpitzin which had played no small role in my life…
The City of Oshpitzin
Yakov Seifter, Cleveland, Ohio
(Memoirs)
Oshpitzin! That is the Yiddish name of the famous Galician city Oswiecim, and
until the end of the First World War it was the most important point that
bordered on the two Upper Silesian towns of Myslowice and Katowice, a part of
Germany at that time.
I recall many pleasant youthful memories when I remember the great love and
respect with which my father would pronounce the word “Oshpitzin”, and he
meant this with regard to the lively and many-faceted Jewish life that existed
there, as well as the great influence that Oshpitzin had on other Jewish
communities. There was something magical about the fact that the smaller towns
around it, which could have possibly been independent in municipal terms,
refused to become so, and they chose to remain a part of that cultural milieu in
order to be able to say with pride that they were an integral part of that great
Jewish municipality which was then called Oshpitzin County.
This was a diverse city made up of Misnagdic scholars, great Maskilim, but also
many Hasidim over which the renowned Bobower Tzadik, R’ Shloime Halberstam had
the greatest influence. All of these classes of Jews in conjunction were
stalwart heroes when it came to defending themselves during times of pogroms,
and always repaid their attackers, and then some. There were many oft-told
legends which left one with the profound impression of their way of thinking.
There were Jews in the Biala-Bilice district whose entire lives revolved around
the desire that, after their demise, they should be interred in Oshpitzin. I
also knew people who lived for many years in wealth and dignity in Vienna. Yet
in their declining years they moved to Oshpitzin. When asked why they had
abandoned the attractions of Vienna they replied in this manner: “It is really
good to live in Vienna, but one ought to die in Oshpitzin”, because they were
all certain that due to the merit of the great Holy Tzadikim and Ge'onim, who
rested in peace in the Oshpitzin cemetery, the earth there had been transformed
into holy ground. Anyone who merited to be buried there would not suffer
travails at the time of resurrection. Moreover, there were rumors rife in
Oshpitzin about demons who were seen in disguise roaming the city during the
night. They looked like Germans, whom it was extremely dangerous to encounter.
The Dead Dance on Simchat Torah in the Oshpitzin Synagogue
A well-disseminated legendary tale was current about the dead who used to Davven
together in the Oshpitzin synagogue. It was told in this way. Once on Simchat
Torah, after midnight when the entire populace slept peacefully, the Jews were
awakened by a loud noise issuing from the Synagogue. The more adventurous went
to see what was happening there. When they were quite close the synagogue
previously shrouded in darkness suddenly was full of light and the doors came
wide open. They didn't see anyone there, but they did hear the voices of a large
congregation of Jews who were Davvening the Ma'ariv Service. A Chazan intoned
the “Ato Horeiso” and then led the Hakofes [Simchat Torah Dances]. When the
living Jews wanted to run away in their great fright, they could not do so,
because a voice from the Synagogue warned them all that they should not move a
step until they were given leave to do so. Obviously, they had to carry out the
command… Then they were informed that all of the worshippers were the purified
souls of former Oshpitzin Jews who have long been in Heaven. When it came time
for the Torah reading, all were honored with being called to the Torah, and also
the living Jews were called by name, each one in turn. Later when the Torah
Scrolls were returned to the Holy Ark, they were instructed that when leaving
the Synagogue no one should face the exit, but all were to exit walking
backwards, so that they should not, God forbid, be harmed. In this manner they
returned home…
When I was already a strapping lad, I attended a gathering of a mixed group of
Krakow and Oshpitzin Jews, who were telling each other various tales about the
happenings in their respective cities. An articulate Oshpitziner told the
above-mentioned tale. This did not sit well with the Krakower and he said that
this actually happened in his city, but somewhat differently. There it had taken
place on Friday night, when a Hasid was returning home from the Zeleszczyk
Rebbe's Tish, and as he passed by the Old Synagogue, ( a splendid building which
is almost 800 years old), the door opened. Then they called him up to the Torah.
Since it was pitch dark in the synagogue, he was led up to the platform and made
the Blessing over the Torah. A Torah Reader read the portion and after the
closing blessing he was conducted without further ceremony from the synagogue…
The gathering disputed most strenuously and everyone supported his own townsman.
Since I was not officially from Krakow or from Oshpitzin, I was urged to give my
support to one of the opposing sides. I stated that although I was a neutral
observer, I tended to believe that it really must have taken place in Krakow.
When the Oshpitziner asked me how I could be so certain, I explained that it
made sense that this had only occurred in Krakow, since the old cemetery there
and also the Wedding cemetery are only a few hundred feet from the Old
Synagogue, so that the dead somehow could drag themselves to Shul. In Oshpitzin,
on the other hand, the cemetery is quite a distance from the town. Therefore, it
is physically impossible for the dead to trek such a distance.
The Rabbis of Oshpitzin
The rabbinical post in Oshpitzin was always considered one of the most important
and finest in West Galicia. When a Rabbi was sought to assume the post, it was
quite a problem. Mediocre rabbis couldn't even consider submitting their
candidacy for the position, since the successful candidate would have to be one
renowned in all of Galicia, that he was a great Gaon, an outstanding Tzaddik, or
a highly educated person of illustrious reputation. Since I knew some of the
spiritual and rabbinic giants who lived in and had an impact on Oshpitzin, I
feel that I have moral obligation to mention them in my memoirs.
Approximately fifty years ago, the Oshpitzin rabbinical post was occupied by the
renowned Tzaddik, Rabbi Gaon R’ Shloime Halberstam. He was known throughout
the Hasidic world as the Old Bobower Rebbe. When R’ Shloime Halberstam left
Oshpitzin for Wisznice, his successor in 5640 [1860] was R’ Abba'le Schnur,
who maintained his post until 5659 [1879], when he was elected to the post of
District Rabbi in the great Kehilla of Tarnow. Since I have quite a lot to
detail about him, I will leave it for later, and meanwhile sketch the portrait
of another Oshpitzin Rabbi. His name was R’ Yehoshua Pinchas Bombach, and he
succeeded R’ Abba'le Schnur. While yet serving as the rabbi in Drohobycz he
had become famous as a great Gaon. He authored the important book of responsa,
“Ohel Yehoshua”. In addition to the Chief Rabbi there were also Dayanim in
town, and one of them, unpaid, was the Oshpitzin Kehilla Head and
estate-manager, the scholar and Hasid R’ Noson Ahron Wolf. Considered the
greatest scholar of them all was the Oshpitzin Rabbi, R’ Note Landa, whose
fame encompassed the world of Torah Scholars. He was recognized as one of the
greatest Austro-Hungarian Geonim, and he was understood to be the final
authority regarding various difficult questions referred to him by prominent
rabbis. Quiet and unassuming, never leaving the confines of the world of
Halacha, this stern Misnaged lived in Oshpitzin for decades and headed his own
Yeshiva, while simultaneously authoring significant works, i.e., the responsa
“Ya'ar Levanon”, “K'naf Renana”, “Kerem Nota” , and perhaps others
unknown to me.
R’ Abba'le Schnur
R’ Abba'le Schnur was an extraordinarily handsome and elegant figure among all
of the Oshpitzin rabbis that I knew. It was said of him that with his wisdom and
personality he exemplified the historic bearing of the renowned Rabbi, R’
Yonoson Eybeschuetz. He was truly an outstanding personality , a tall,
good-looking man with a light blond beard, dressed in neat Hasidic clothes with
a high-priced fedora on his head, he gave the impression of a profound sage, and
he aroused the attention of everyone with whom he came into contact by his
cultivated demeanor. All this being said, he was endowed with a great deal of
worldly knowledge. It is well known that he was masterfully fluent in the
German, Polish, and French languages and was able to express himself so
graciously that the words he spoke sounded like pure music. He became known as
one of the best German orators then present in Austria. He was the favorite of
the religious Jewish communities of Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, and Cologne. He
was always invited to major gatherings or various festive occasions that were
convened to deliver the keynote address. Possessing all of these talents he was
able to make the acquaintance of Catholic Prelates, senior government officials,
and wealthy Barons. Indeed, it became necessary for him to intercede for
oppressed Jews and when a bad time came for Jews. There were times like these in
1902, when the Rumanian Amalekites organized Pogroms and mercilessly drove the
Jews from their country. Again, a year later, the world was aghast due to the
great Pogrom in Kishinev, and thousands of refugees fled with only the clothes
on their backs and streamed to Galicia in a mass exodus towards the German
border in order to make their way to America. Since they did not have the
wherewithal to continue their journey they became stranded in Oshpitzin. The
burden on the Kehilla was indescribably severe. When R’ Abba'le Schnur heard
the tales of woe in Tarnow reaching him from Oshpitzin he unhesitatingly
traveled to Germany and consulted there with the Jewish leadership. The latter
appointed one of their officials to accompany him. On their arrival in the vale
of tears [Oshpitzin] and personally seeing the extent of the disaster, the
Jewish emissary immediately formed a committee headed by R’ Abba'le Schnur. He
was entrusted with vast amounts of money. Day and night, the tireless great
Rabbi worked at easing the distress of the tormented wanderers. He used the
money to purchase numerous fares by ship for the many Jews. Others, he supported
with food and lodging until they were able to obtain assistance from their
American relatives, and for some he arranged for their permanent stay in
Austria. Only after he completed making provisions for all the displaced by the
best means at his disposal, did he liquidate the committee and return home to
Tarnow.
*
Oshpitzin was a commercial center, and for the most part dealings were with
Germany. Jews traveled daily to Myslowice and Katowice to sell various
agricultural products there. They also supplied much lumber for the building
trades. For this reason the economic circumstance of the city was in good
condition and one could find many prosperous merchants there. There were,
however, quite a number of impoverished people who eked out their living from
illegal activities, as their occupation was smuggling silk stuffs, expensive
velvet, and knitwear. All of these items were inexpensive there, but by
contrast, they were astonishingly expensive in Austria. It paid for the smaller
textile shops to deal with the smuggled merchandise. In one fell swoop,
undercover agents nabbed a whole throng of Jewish smugglers as they prepared to
receive a large consignment of contraband, and by means of force and duress, the
agents were able to make the “Black Marketeers” ensnare the Jewish
shopkeepers as well. It came about that 180 Jews were arrested and were
immediately sent to the prison at Wadowice. The town was in mourning, since it
was obvious that long prison terms were in store for the lawbreakers. Perplexed
and weeping, the wives and children of those arrested ran to the Oshpitzin Rabbi
to rescue their breadwinners, for otherwise they were doomed to die of hunger.
R’ Abba'le Schnur immediately turned to the Baron Cziecz [?] of Kozy [?]
(a village near Biala), and the latter arranged an audience with Kaiser Franz
Josef. Secretly, he traveled to Vienna, and on his return eight days later, he
brought with him a document addressed to the Regional Court of Wadowice. This
was an imperial decree that all those who had been arrested be freed without
bail until such time that their cases were to be adjudicated. The Court
officials carried out the order immediately.
Their trials, however, never came to be, because R’ Abba'le Schnur had, during
his stay in Vienna, succeeded in quashing the entire matter. For the longest
time he refused to tell anyone about what had transpired, but years later, when
the entire matter had almost been forgotten, it was told in Oshpitzin that in
5663 [1903] during the Great Rabbinical World Assembly held at Krakow, R’
Abba'le Schnur was at a gathering with other Rabbis in the home of the Krakow
Chief-Rabbi, R’ Chaim Leibish Horowitz, where all were discussing current
events. Suddenly, the Tzadik R’ Osherl Rymanower interrupted the discussion
and changed the subject to a new theme which he began with these words:
“Rabbi of Tarnow, wonder of wonders, you are not a Hassidic Rebbe. Yet, you
are a great wonder-worker. Perhaps now the time has come for you to reveal how
you were able to manage to arrange for the Kaiser to free the 180 Jews?”
R’ Abba'le Schnur replied to this by saying: “I threatened him. Here is
what happened”:
“When I told the Kaiser that I had come to plead with him that he free the
smugglers, he asked me, if I, as a Rabbi, did not believe that they deserved
to be punished. I replied that the Jews had suffered enough with their
imprisonment for two weeks and the damage they sustained by having their
black-market merchandise confiscated, and that was more than enough
punishment.
The Kaiser stubbornly insisted that he could not interfere in the matter. When I
realized that my mission was a failure, I declared: “Your Majesty. I have a
plan. Inasmuch as the Oshpitzin community is poor, and here in your palace there
is plenty of room, I will travel home and bring the wives and children of the
smugglers, and as far as food goes, I have no worries, because I know that here
with you they will not suffer hunger. The Kaiser burst out in laughter. After
thinking for some minutes he told me that I should go next day to the Minister
of Justice who would take care of the entire matter. On my arrival at the
Ministry I received a sealed letter which I was to deliver to the Wadowice
Regional Court. Since our Kaiser is a kind king, and, moreover, a philo-Semite,
the Minister explained that the incident would be concluded by arranging that
all the paperwork that had been assembled in the smuggling case would be made to
disappear as if they had never existed.”…
*
This was the Oshpitzin, which I knew fifty years ago. Does any of us have a
concept of how the city looks now? I shudder to think of it, and my powers of
imagination are too meager to imagine what has happened to this Town of
Condemnation, because since the day that the German Nebuzaraddon, Hitler, may his
name be blotted out, conquered Poland, Oshpitzin was transformed into the
largest concentration camp. There, the mass murderer erected gas-chambers and
crematoria in which he, by all kinds of horrible deaths, destroyed one and half
million Jews. The Rhine River, as well, was in shame with its legendary tale of
an echo answering “Amen” after the blessing of a father at the time he
slaughtered his son during the times of the Crusades…
To this is added the testimony of the Sola River, because the Sola in Oshpitzin
can tell how in the cold winter days the German torturers forced our Rabbis, the
“Cedars of Lebanon and Giants of Torah” to chop away at the ice covering the
freezing waters and throw themselves into the watery grave.
With its constant murmur the river reveals the secret of how hundreds of our
martyred Rabbis joined hands and jumped to their last immersion. When their
souls departed with the cry of “Shma Yisrael” the air resounded with the
voice of their fellow martyr Rabbi Akiva, who said: “Blessed is Israel, by
being purified before Him”.
The tyrant must surely have thought that the town would forever remain in his
accursed German hands, since he even changed its name from the Yiddish Oshpitzin
and the Polish Oswiecim and called it by the German name “Auschwitz”. His
pernicious rule was shattered by the forces of the democratic countries, and the
German murder-people will remain defamed and an abomination to all mankind.
So, I ask a question, it seems that the Poles have received back their Oswiecim.
Will we Jews ever have such an Oshpitzin again…?
Rabbi and Doctor
Aviezer Bursztyn
(A Hasidic Tale)
Usually, it is the Rabbi's function to teach Torah, and that of a doctor – to
write prescriptions. In the Stetl of Oshpitzin it was just the other way around:
The Rebbe R’ Berish distributed prescriptions and healed the sick and Dr.
Friedlis [?] preached magnificent sermons on Torah and explained
difficulties in the works of Maimonides.
It does not mean to say that the Rebbe R’ Berish did not know how to learn
Torah and that Dr. Friedlis did not know medicine. On the contrary, Dr. Friedlis
was a good and famous doctor and he was summoned as far as Krakow and Katowice
for medical consultations, and Rebbe R’ Berish was an outstanding Torah
scholar, a prominent disciple of R’ Shloime'le Chrzanower, who had been a
Yeshivah Head at R’ Shmelke's in Nikolsburg [Mikulowa]. What then was the
explanation? Dr. Friedlis preferred to discuss and learn Torah over practicing
medicine, and the Rebbe R’ Berish would conceal his erudition and would give
remedies and medicines to ailing Jews, even to ones whom the doctors had
despaired of healing.
Off the Beaten Track
How was it that Dr. Friedlis was such a scholar? Before he attended the
University at Breslau, he studied for eight years with the Leipniker Rabbi,
known as “Baruch Ta'am”. Due to his extraordinary intelligence he became a
great scholar, but he was deflected from the straight and narrow by a friend. He
became corrupt and started studying forbidden texts [secular knowledge]. He was
accepted into the faculty of medicine at Breslau and became a graduate
physician. While at the university, Friedlis discarded all of the trappings of
Torah and Yiddishkeit, but his Torah learning remained. When he arrived in
Oshpitzin, a city of Hasidism and Torah scholarship, his desire for learning was
reawakened, but he remained the same heretic as before; he loved mocking a pious
Jew; aside from the High Holidays he did not cross the threshold of the Bes
Medrish, and when he was caught breaking the Sabbath he always had his ready
excuse, he was doing it in order…to save lives.
Where did the Rebbe get his powers for healing? The Rebbe R’ Berish, in his
great modesty declared that he had received them as a gift from his Rabbi from
Chrzanow, which he himself had received from R’ Elimelech of Lizhensk
[Lezajsk], who had taken them over from the Magid of Mezritsh [Miedzyrec], which
he had inherited from the Ba'al Shem Tov himself…. Moreover, the Rebbe R’
Berish was a disciple of the Seer of Lublin who had taught him the skill of
“Hispashtus Hagashmius” which is, as is well known, a remedy to heal the
sick and the Rebbe R’ Moishe'le Lelower testified that R’ Berish Oshpitziner
had received all of the powers of the Seer and that he had no equal amongst any
of the great
of that generation.
Excellent Remedies
Though both lived in the same town and were even neighbors on the same street,
the Rebbe and the doctor hardly ever met and there was no love lost between
them. The Rebbe may have liked the doctor had he been a pious Jew, but how can
you love a sinner? The doctor even mocked the Rebbe's remedies and medicines.
Hardly a wonder! For a stomach ache the Rebbe gave the remains of Havdalah wine;
for sharp pains in the torso – a bit of Matzah from the Afikomen; for diarrhea
– a little olive oil from the Chanukah Menorah, and for high fever he
prescribed a cold compress of used willow twigs [beaten on Hoshana Rabba]…
These medicines had not been part of the curriculum at the University of
Breslau, nor were they mentioned in the medical texts. If the truth be told, and
to our great amazement, the remedies of the Rebbe helped the sick no less than
the doctor's medicines. Dr. Friedlis saw this himself and he acknowledged it.
More than one patient who had been despaired of by the doctor, was cured by the
Rebbe with a small piece of Challa of the Twelve Loaves, but a doctor remains a
doctor and laughs off all of the grandmother's medicines and Rebbe type
remedies…
Dr. Friedlis had a habit, when participating at a Jewish joyous occasion, a
wedding, a Bar Mitzvah, or at a Bris Mila [circumcision], that he would display
his learning and say Torah on the Portion of the Week with perspicacity and
expertise as appropriate for a Torah scholar.
Once there was a Simcha at the home of a townsman where both, the Rebbe and the
doctor were among the guests. The doctor had forgotten his principle that where
the Rebbe was present he ought not to say Torah since it negates the stricture
of “teaching Torah in his Rebbe's presence”. He made the tactical error and
began his religious discourse. The Rebbe grimaced a bit but said nothing.
The Hasidim, however, were very upset. They started to sing a melody and
interfered with the doctor's homily. From that day onwards Dr. Friedlis
displayed a strong hatred of the Rebbe and annoyed him at every opportunity. The
Hasidim wanted to retaliate in kind but the Rebbe would not permit it: “It's
all right! He will change for the better. We shouldn't make a controversy out of
it…”
Once Dr. Friedlis himself fell ill. He had caught cold and developed pneumonia
in both lungs. Typically, he wrote himself prescriptions, but they didn't help.
Seeing that the illness was getting worse day after day, his family summoned the
eminent Professor Ciupczyk from the University of Krakow. The professor came and
upon examining the patient he determined that the situation was very grave.
After writing out some prescriptions, he learned that Dr. Friedlis had already
prescribed the same to no avail. The professor raised his arms heavenward to
convey that the patient's situation was hopeless and only God in heaven could
help him.
As he prepared to travel homewards, Professor Ciupczyk declared that the patient
would survive three more days at most. Since that day was Friday, he would last
till Monday, and not longer.
Medicine from the Rebbe
Realizing his life was ebbing away, Dr. Friedlis summoned two important
Balebatim on Sabbath morning and asked them to go to the Rebbe R’ Berish and
beg his forgiveness for the distress he had caused him in the recent past. He
was ready to return to his Jewish roots with all his heart and would become a
pious Jew, if only the Rebbe would give him a remedy and wish him a full
recovery.
The Rebbe was already seated at the Sabbath table when the two Balebatim arrived
at the behest of the doctor. The Rebbe listened to the words of the ailing
doctor. He nodded his head and said:
“The Gemore says: Whoever keeps the Sabbath properly, even should he have
sinned with idolatry, he is forgiven by heaven. The Ta”z [author of Turei
Zahav] raises a question: How so? If he had not repented, why should he be
pardoned? Had he really repented, what does the Shabbat accomplish? The answer
is that repentance is not applicable to all sins. If a Jew, God forbid, brings
about the desecration of God's Name, repentance will not help at all, so the
Gemore comes to inform us that when a Jew repents over the Sabbath, even an
unforgivable sin for which repentance is of no avail, the Sabbath comes as a
supporting witness in heaven to recommend that he be forgiven his sins… that
being the case – the Rebbe R’ Berish concluded – if the doctor will
affirm today, on the holy Shabbes that he will once more accept the yoke of
the Heavenly Kingdom, I promise him that he will soon recover…”
Concluding his blessing, the Rebbe R’ Berish broke off a piece of his
Challah and poured off a little liquor from his “Kiddush” and ordered the
emissaries to give the patient this “prescription” and to tell him “for a
cure, though one does not entreat on the Sabbath”.
Understandably, within three days Dr. Friedlis was on his feet, hale and hearty.
He became a pious proper Jew, no longer boasting of his learning, but late at
night he would drop in at the Rebbe's to exchange Torah learning, not in order
to tease, but Torah for its own sake, just as the holy sages had decreed…
Oshpitzin
Uri Hanis
Whoever mentions the name of the city of Oswiecim or Auschwitz, does so with
shuddering heart and with horrible images in his mind's eyes.
Yet, this is still not similar to the feelings of the Jews from Auschwitz, those
who had lived there until the Second World War, and also for those who had made
Aliyah from there before the war. They feel shame and pain, when they remember
their town, an important Jewish city, that was ravaged and defiled by those
frightful demons, the Nazis, with the result that every Jew mentions its name
with loathing.
I want to reject this stigma and to tell the reader about the other side of the
coin: About Jewish Oshpitzin in its days of glory, before it became symbolic of
the Shoah of the Jewish People.
This was a holy Kehilla, full of precious Jews, who performed Mitzvot and
virtuous deeds. It was popularly called Oshpitzin as well as mentioned by that
name in the Responsa. I learned from the Gaon R’ Yehoshua Pinchas Bombach, the
author of a book of Responsa, “Ohel Yehoshua”, and the head of the Yeshiva
who had for many years served as Chief Rabbi in the town, that the letter
“Tzadi” had been corrupted from the letter Zayin, so that in fact the name
should have been “Ushpizin” [Aramaic for guests]. This remark by the Rabbi,
had a firm basis, because the city was famous for its hospitality. Due to the
unique geographic position of Oshpitzin, (the Oshpitzin region was named “The
Border of the Three Kaisers”), a crossroads that touched on three borders,
those of Austria, Germany, and Russia, it became a transit point for many
citizens of the above mentioned empires. The Jews, among the travelers in all
directions always received a hearty welcome from the Jewish townsmen, who were
traditionally hospitable, and were widely known for it. On their journeys at the
crossing of the borders, Jews would stay over in Oshpitzin, some for a short
period and others for one more extended, in order to have their passports
approved, or to clear their merchandise through customs. Because of the
exemplary conduct of its Jews, Oshpitzin became affectionately regarded by many
Jews who were not born there and they decided to settle there and join that
Kehilla. The townsmen were God-fearing and proper Jews and since most of them
had themselves experienced the travails of wandering before they themselves had
settled there – the level of hospitality was extended by them to an
extraordinary degree.
The Oswiecim landscape was famous for its splendor. The road from the railroad
station passed over a suspension bridge over the Sola River, which flowed into
the Vistula River some few hundred meters away. The entire area inspired the
onlooker by its beauty and grandeur.
Most of the residents were Hasidic adherents of Belz, Bobowa, and Sanz. During
the First World War, the Rebbe R’ Shloime'le of Sassow lived there for a time
and the town became a center for Sassower Hasidim. The city was close to the
German border, and the constant contact of the residents with Germany was
evident in the arrangement of the city and its appearance. Its orderliness was
exemplary. Most of the houses were multi-storied, streets and sidewalks were the
norm, and the city center was paved with stones in the same manner as German
cities. The Jews made a good and honorable living . Most were diligent and
energetic merchants whose business ranged afar. Their munificence and
philanthropic disposition were widely known. The sounds of Torah emerging from
the Batei Medrish were suffused with joy. Just as no one was ever able to say of
Jerusalem that it was discomforting, so also no guest who happened to be there
and was in need of the means to continue his journey to America or Hamburg,
would have lacked a warm home until his arrangements could be made or for the
more than adequate provision for his travel expenses.
The people of Oshpitzin were not only benevolent. They also knew how to defend
their honor. They stood upright and they zealously protected their civil rights.
The following story is evidence of that, an actual occurrence:
Between Government and Government
This was during the lawless period between one ruling government and the other
when Jew-hatred found itself free of restraint. The irresponsible elements among
the gentile population felt that this was an opportune time to riot against the
Jews since there was neither law nor enforcement. Reports came in about attacks
on Jews in the nearby towns, about murders and looting of Jews. The Jewish youth
became increasingly aware that it was crucial to get organized in order to be
able to defend themselves and their nearest and dearest. There were some Jews
who had been warned by their gentile neighbors about the coming events, and a
handful of intrepid youth decided to act. The word was passed around that at a
certain time the youth would gather at the Great Bes Medrish where they would
decide on means of self-defense. This meeting was attended by an overflow crowd
of young people. No one shirked. One of the organizers climbed up the steps
leading to the Holy Ark, turned and faced the Ark, and with trembling hands drew
the covering curtain aside, opened the door of the Holy Ark, kissed the Torah
scrolls and announced in fervent tones:
“Chaverim, we who have gathered here, all of us are of military age. Until now
we have served involuntarily in foreign armies. Until now we have fought wars
that were not ours. Our blood was shed without rhyme or reason. Other peoples
received a reward for their sacrifices since they gained independence. Not so is
it for Jews. The joy which reigns over our neighbors has driven them crazy”.
The Oath to Protect Jewish Life and Property
“Let us not stretch forth our throats to the slaughter! As long as we are able
to maintain our honor and our right to human existence, we can hope that we will
eventually achieve independence as they have. We must demonstrate by our stance
both our strength and our determined decision: We will defend our families lives
and our honor, we will defend ourselves by force! We are neither bloodthirsty
nor are we hankering after loot like they are, but we are ready to defend
ourselves and our dear ones. We are prepared for self-sacrifice to the last drop
of our blood. These Torah Scrolls are witness, for their sake our ancestors went
through fire and water for countless generations. We will not shame our
forebears and we swear by these precious scrolls, by everything holy to us and
our people, to avenge any wrong that will be done against us. We swear that we
will not hesitate to go through fire and water and will with our last breath
save our brothers and sisters and their property. In the name of every one of us
I place my hands on these Torah Scrolls and let everyone repeat after me: “We
swear!”
The unanimous resound was: “We swear!”
The Battle against the Rioters
The Bes Medrish was hushed. The oath had instilled strength and courage in all
present. It was time to get organized and to act. Five young men were chosen,
those who had been in the army, each one from a different military unit, in
order to act as an “Actions Committee”. The boys were enrolled into various
units such as sharp-shooters, machine-gunners, supply, and a medical unit. They
were all ordered to report two hours later at the Kehilla offices, which had
been designated as the headquarters. The first concern of the commanders was to
acquire guns and ammunition. Near the railroad station there was an Austrian
military depot which was stocked with an inventory of arms and ammunition of all
types. It was decided to break into the magazines at night and remove the
required weapons and equipment. That night machine-guns, rifles, grenades, and
other equipment was removed and transferred to the Jewish youth. Everything was
done with marvelous speed, quietly, and without interference, because the Polish
authorities, legal heirs to all of the weapons, were carousing that night and
the Jewish youth knew how to exploit this opportunity.
Next morning, the self-defense units were organized and were given their first
orders. At the head of each unit was a former soldier who knew his job
thoroughly. Girls were also mobilized into a first-aid unit under a doctor's
supervision. The organization performed faultlessly. A well organized force was
established made up of about 500 men, alert and fully prepared and motivated.
The headquarters staff were at the Kehilla offices day and night and coordinated
the activities of training for those few who had not had any experience with
arms. Scouts were posted at the entrances to the city and the preparations to
ward off any attack were complete.
That night, the scouts reported suspicious movements on the road leading to
Zator and immediately thereafter a second report came in that an armed mob led
by Polish soldiers had arrived by train. They were all carrying sacks, suitcases
and baskets, which were supposed to serve as containers for the loot. The way
the gangs moved, approaching in two formations, it was clear that they were well
organized and using military tactics. They seemingly had all the likelihood to
carry out their program easily and get away with much plunder under the cover of
the darkness of the night. The young defenders quickly set up the machine-guns
at various strategic points and it was all accomplished efficiently and
shrewdly. At midnight explosions and shots reverberated, surprising the gangs
who had not expected such a “warm” reception.
The Appointment of Haller, the Jew-hater, as Governor
The battle was short and decisive and with first light the attackers dispersed
in all directions, escaping helter skelter, in panic and without discipline.
They left behind three dead and a number of severely wounded. According to the
traces of blood it could be surmised that they had many losses, but that they
had managed to extract most of the wounded as they left the battlefield. None of
the defenders was hurt. The victory was complete. The city's Jews breathed a
sigh of relief. News of this victory soon spread and the Jews of the nearby
towns requested and received advice and help from the Oswiecim youthful
defenders. “The “Heroes” of the gangs, who had heretofore been able to
pour out their wrath only against defenseless Jews, came to realize that this
was dangerous and were deterred. The activities of the hooligans had been
hampered and they came to an end. The lesson of Oswiecim was equivalent to a
cold shower. Finally, the leaders of the Polish nation came to the realization
that the lawlessness directed against the Jews could yet harm them as well.
Their inaction had brought matters to the point that a segment of the Polish
population in the cities was harmed by the hooligans. It was, therefore, decided
to restore law and order. Pilsudski undertook to run the state and to organize
its governing bodies. In the wake of the appointment of the regional governors
and the opening of the courts, order was restored. The governor appointed for
the Oswiecim region was General Haller, an anti-Semite of the first order. He
was directed by the provisional government in Warsaw to restore order at any
price. In order to put an end to the anarchic situation he was obliged to curb
his Jew-hatred and to prevent the riotous behavior of his soldiers.
Nevertheless, the outcries of Jews were frequently heard as General Haller's
soldiers tore off the hairs of their beards. This sport of his soldiers spread
like wildfire since the soldiers went unpunished and it seemed that this was the
reward given them for preventing riots. General Haller was well aware of the
existence of the Jewish self-defense organization and he was also informed that
they were well trained and armed. Restricted by the directive he had been given to
restore order without bloodshed, he decided to proceed systematically with
“kid gloves”. He reinstated the Jewish Kehilla and informed its leaders that
they were the responsible representatives of the Jews of the district. The first
task they were asked to perform was the disarming of the self-defense and to
turn the weapons over to him.
The Kehilla leadership was on the horns of a dilemma. They were afraid to ignore
General Haller's order, while on the other hand the physical abuse of Jews
continued unabated and they respected the self-defense activists. When they
called the continued mistreatment by his soldiers to the General's attention and
to their abuse of bearded Jews, they were treated to this “logical” reply:
“I can't expect my boys (a loving nickname for his soldiers) to turn into
saints overnight”. He did, however, promise, that it would stop with the
passage of time...
The Decision not to Obey the General's Order
In response to the position taken by the General, the experienced Kehilla
leaders decided not to obey the General's order. They had turned, under duress,
to the youth to relinquish the weapons, but had secretly conferred with them how
to arrange matters, so that it would look like they were obeying the General
while simultaneously protecting the security of the Jews of the town. Several
day later, announcements appeared on the billboards signed by General Haller, in
which there was a declaration of special circumstances and calling for the
townsmen to hand over to the authorities all weapons in their possession within
twenty-four hours. In view of the fact that there was no alternative since the
continued possession of arms was liable to endanger the welfare of many of the
townsmen – it was decided to sink them in the river, but under no circumstance
to hand them over to the authorities.
The work was done quietly and it went off without a hitch. A wagon was brought
through side-streets to the river's edge and its contents were thrown in the
depths of the Sola River, without it coming to the attention of the authorities.
Thus the affair of the weapons of the Oswiecim self-defense came to a close.
They had been obtained at a risk to their lives and had saved the lives and
property of the Jews in town as well as that of the Jews in nearby communities.
In this manner they succeeded in deceiving their gentile neighbors, who remained
convinced that the Jews had weapons. The searches that were conducted by the
army were fruitless. The act of camouflage and deception was eminently
successful, since even after General Haller and his soldiers left the town the
gentile neighbors didn't dare to provoke the Jewish youth of Oswiecim.
*
So then, if nowadays the name of the town is mentioned contemptuously, I stand
and wonder: “How doth the city sit solitary!” My heart goes out to you
Oshpitzin, formerly a great city of Israel! I hope I will yet have the
opportunity of telling about the Jewish personages who lived and flourished
there, they who are so worthy of respect and admiration. Fate chose precisely
you, precious pearl, one of a chain of Jewish settlements of the Diaspora, and
specifically you were chosen, to serve as a place of death and extinction for
those masses of Jews who so loved you and always received such a hearty welcome
by those dear Oshpitzin Jews.
Indeed, this city resembles a classic beauty who was raped and defiled, but is
still remembered for its purity and beauty.
I have remembered your youthful loving-kindness, O Jewish Oshpitzin.
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