\ Kutno, Poland
Kutno and Surroundings Book
(Kutno, Poland)

52°14' / 19°22'

Translation of
Kutno ve-ha-seviva

Editor: D. Shtokfish

Published in Tel Aviv, 1968, Former Residents of Kutno
and Surroundings in Israel and the Diaspora


 

Acknowledgments

Project Coordinator

Jewish Kutno Group

 

Our sincere appreciation to Mr. Chaim Menachem Elberg, of the Former Residents of Kutno
and Surroundings in Israel and the Diaspora for permission to put this material on the JewishGen web site.

This is a translation from: Kutno ve-ha-seviva (Kutno and surroundings book),
Editor: D. Shtokfish, Tel Aviv, 1968, Former Residents of Kutno and Surroundings in Israel and the Diaspora (H,Y, 591 pages)

Note: The original book can be seen online at the NY Public Library site: Kutno


This material is made available by JewishGen, Inc. and the Yizkor Book Project for the purpose of
fulfilling our mission of disseminating information about the Holocaust and destroyed Jewish communities.
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kut000.jpg

 

Translated by the Jewish Kutno Group

Note: the original version (Hebrew/Yiddish), French and Spanish versions
are available at the Jewish Kutno Group site http://jewish.kutno.free.fr

 

Foreword (H) Yehoshua ELBAUM, Givataym 5
Foreword (Y) Jehoszua ELBAUM, Givataym 7
 
I - From the early and near past
 
The story of the Jewish community in Kutno (H) Yeshayahu TRUNK, New York 11
The story of the Jewish community in Kutno (Y) Yeshayahu TRUNK, New York 29
The Kutno Chevra Kadisha at the beginning of the 19th century (Y) Lipman TZOMBER 54
 
II - Daily life, memories, and events
 
Kutno (H) Sh. BABE, Tel Aviv 59
Kutno (Y) Sh. BABE, Tel Aviv 61
I came to Kutno (H) R' Jonah Baruch KAC z”l 65
Lottery in 1915, to benefit “Talmud Torah” in Kutno (H) Aharon Shlomo ELBERG 67
Kutno during the First World War (Y) Mirel ERDBERG-SHOTAN, Montreal 72
Sixty years ago (Y) Moshe VEINGART, Herzlya 78
Culture and philanthropy (Y) Jakob FERNBACH, Naharya 79
1905 and later (Y) Azriel SHIMONOWITZ, Givataym 80
Greetings From Shalom ASZ's Town (Y) Y. S. NAYMAN 82
Kutno's ‘Crawlers’ (Y) Henoch SZLAJFER, Paris 84
Kutno Fire-Fighters (Y) Abraham LUSTIGMAN, Holon 85
Years of seeking, wrangling and dreams (Y) Ruben MROZ, Kibbutz Lochamei Ha'Getaot 86
The old market (Y) Y. ELBAUM, A. VEIKSELFISH, Z. LASMAN 88
The old market (H) Y. ELBAUM, A. VEIKSELFISH, Z. LASMAN 92
Our Town Before Its Destruction (Y) Dwora KRAUT-KOHN, México 97
 
III - Institutes, political parties, organizations, and companies
 
Memories and articles of a community leader (H) Aharon Shlomo ELBERG 101
Interview With the President of the Kutno Community, Mr. S. FALC (Y) S. R. 110
The last meeting of the Kutno Jewish community council (H) Natan MOSHKOWITZ, Herzlya 111
The last meeting of the Kutno Jewish community council (Y) Natan MOSHKOWITZ, Herzlya 112
Jewish-Polish Relationships in Kutno 40 Years Ago (Y) David SHTOKFISH, Ramat Gan 115
Associative Life, Jewish Community, Municipality (Y) Aharon MENDELEWICZ z”l, Tel Aviv 131
The Heavenly Kutno (Y) Rabbi Mordechai Yehuda LUBART 136
Religious Life in Our Town (H) Meir HOREIN (BECHLER), Haifa 140
The Cheder Yesodei-Torah (Y) Gershon FOGEL, New York 143
The Small Gerrer Shtiebel (Y) Abraham LUSTIGMAN, Tel Aviv 146
Agudat Israel in Kutno (H) Arieh ORNER, Haifa 148
The Zionism in Kutno — Activities and Characters (H) Yehuda GRINBAUM 149
The Beginning of Zionist Youth Activity (Y) by Azriel SZYMONOWICZ, Givatayim 154
Zionist activity in Kutno (H) Azriel SHIMONOWITZ, Givataym 156
The Young Mizrachi Movement (H) Icchak MAJRANC, Rehovot 158
Zionist Activity in Our Town (H) Jakob KLINGBAJL, Holon 159
The beginning of Beitar (Y) A. GOLDSZTAJN, Tel Aviv 160
From “Ha'shachar” Branch in Kutno to “Beitar” (H) Efraim WAJKSELFISZ, Tel Aviv 161
On Beitar Activity in Kutno (Y) Moshe WIGDOROWICZ, Tel Aviv 166
Organization “Brith Trumpeldor” in Kutno (Y) Yaakov ZEIDENWAR, Tel Aviv 169
Ken Hashomer Hatzair in our city (H) Yehudit RIFTIN, Ein Shemer 171
“Our eyes are raised to Eretz Yisrael”… (H) Ita AYALON, Kibbutz Eilon 172
A glorious page in the history of the Jewish youth in Kutno (H) Naftali KRUL, Beit Alfa 173
“Thanks to the Nest of Hashomer Hatzair (H) Simcha FRUMER 175
The General Zionist Pioneer and the Zionist Youth Movements (H)   177
The Foundation of the "Young Zionists" and Other Memories (Y) David MENSZES, Tel Aviv 178
The youth movement of “Poalei Zion” party (H) Eliahu KLINGBEIL, Beer Sheva 183
Jewish Workers' Party “Poalei Zion” and Youth Party “Jugnt (Y) Henech SZLAJFER, Paris 185
Youth Memory From Youth Party (Y) Yehoshua ELBAUM, Givatayim 190
Memoirs of a Bundist (Y) H. CHABUS, Paris 195
The “Bund” and its Institutions (Y) Natan MOSZKOWICZ, Herzliya 196
My Childhood in “SKIF” Pola MANCZUK–GOLDBERG, Montreal 198
The Dramatic Circle “Yab” (Y) Chaim Ben MENSZE, Holon 199
The Communist Party and its Members (Y) Chaim GRINBAUM, Holon 201
Events and Characters in the Communist Party (Y) Joseph KAM, Lyon 206
Ten Years in the Society of Friends of YIVO (Y) Yeszayah TAUB, Melbourne 207
Our school “Am Ha'Sefer (H) Nisan VELTZMAN 209
The school, Linat Tzedek and the Merchants' union (H) Efraim VEIKSELFISH 211
The Organization for Gymnastics and Sport in Kutno (H) Abraham KOLSKI, Haifa 215
The First Jewish Sports Club in Kutno (Y) Menachem KOHN, Besançon (France) 216
Jewish Sports Clubs in Kutno (Y) Wolf MANCZYK, Karkour 217
“Morning Star-Jutrznia”, Its Chairman and Coach (Y) Chaim GRYNBAUM, Holon 223
Jewish Socialist Sports Organization “Morning Star” (Y) Yosel GOLDBERG, Montreal, Canada 226
Documents, Photos and Newspapers – Jewish Organizations' Life (Y) A. Kutner 227
 
IV - Personalities and characters, fighters, communal and party workers
 
In Kutno and outside
Hagaon R' Y. Y. TRUNK of Kutno (H) HaRav A. Y. BRUMBERG 236
The Visit of Harav Hagaon From Kutno in Jerusalem (H) Pinchas ben Zvi GRAYEVSKY 239
Sixty-Five Years of the Passing of R' Yehoshe'le, “The Gaon of Kutno”; (H) Aharon Shlomo ELBERG 240
A Collection of Memories About Rabbi Yehoshe'le Kutner (Y) M. Y. SZATAN 241
The Rabbi Yitzhak Yehuda Trunk (Y) Yeshayahu TRUNK, New York 243
Shalom ASZ (H) Shmuel NEIGER 247
Shalom ASZ (Y) Yitzhak CHARLASZ 249
Literary Eternity and Shalom Asz (Y) Melech RAWICZ 252
Shalom Asz in His Twilight Years (H) Mordechai CHALAMISH, Tel Aviv 253
At the Funeral of Shalom ASZ's Mother in Kutno (Y) Y. Sh. GOLDSZTAJN 255
Shalom ASZ and Motke (H) Zvi ASZ, Nahariya 257
The Shtetl of Shalom Asz and Its Heroes (H) Avraham LUSTIGMAN, Tel Aviv 257
The Shtetl of Shalom Asz and Its Heroes (Y) Abraham LUSTIGMAN, Tel Aviv 258
House of Szalom ASZ in Bat Yam (Y) Ytzchak TURKOW 259
Kutno Rabbis, Sages and Authors (H) Aharon Shlomo, son of R' Ze'ev Zvi z”l ELBERG 259
Mr. Jonathan Majranc (H) Yitzhak MAJRANC 265
Yehuda RIFTIN z”l (H,Y) Moshe MAYZELS, A. MENDLEWITZ 266
In memory of Abraham RIFTIN (H) Yaakov RIFTIN, Ein Shemer 266
The FALC Family (H) Y. ELBAUM 267
The Rabbi Abraham Borenstein (H) Anker ALEXANDER 268
Yekhiel-Shaye TRUNK (Y) Chaim Lajb FUKS 268
Israel Yehoshua TRUNK (Y) Chaim Lajb FUKS 270
Yeszayahu Trunk (Y) Chaim Lajb FUKS 271
Israel TRANK (Y) Israel GOLDKORN, Tel Aviv 271
Lipman COMBER (Y) Prof. Rafael MAHLER 273
Baynish ZYLBERSHTEIN (Y) Marek RAKOVSKI 273
Yaakov OSOWSKI and His Family (H) Ruth HOLANDER-OSOWSKI, Jerusalem 273
Tea ARCISZEWSKA — The Stage Artist and Writer (Y) Henech SZLAJFER, Paris 274
About Our Spiritual Figures (Y) Natan MOSZKOWICZ, Herzliya 275
Some Scholars and Businessmen (Y) Aryeh ORNER, Haifa 277
Our Cantors (Y) Moshe WIGDOROWICZ, Tel Aviv 278
Chaim TYBER (Y) Joseph SANDLER 279
From Kutno to Moscow (Y) Chaim GRYNBAUM, Holon 281
The Painter Shimon AVNY (Y) Arbeter VORT, Paris 281
Kutner Figures (Y) Yaakov FERNBACH, Naharyah 282
R' Yitzhak (Itshe) Meir SZAPIRO (The Ritual Slaughterer) (H) Daniel Leib SZAPIRO 283
Mr. Chaim WALTER Hy”d and Mindel z”l (H) Abraham and Israel WALTER, Ramat Gan 285
The “Litvak of Kutno” (Y) Rivka GWIRCMAN 286
Our Home (H, Y) Efraim WAJKSELFISZ, Tel Aviv 287
David KALMAN, z”l (Y) A. MENDLEWITZ, Tel Aviv 290
Meir and Anna BOZHIKOVSKI (Y)   290
Yehuda (Juliusz) LIPSKI (Y)   290
My father, of blessed memory, Avigdor GROMAN (Y) Ester VOLFSKAL-GROMAN 291
Laybel PANKER (Y)   291
Noah GURKER (Y) Abraham LUSTIGMAN, Holon 292
The Public Health Sanitary Worker Mosze Lajb ZAK (Y) Abraham LUSTIGMAN, Holon 292
The Righteous Villager (Y) Abraham LUSTIGMAN, Holon 293
Mendel RACK (Y) Abraham LUSTIGMAN, Holon 293
In the KUCZINSKIS' Home (Y) Bracha-Tsipora LAMSKI-BILD 293
In memory of a Jewish Family (Y) Jadzia GRABINSKY, México 294
R' Aharon LAMSKI (H)   295
Our Parents Jakob IZRAEL and Roza JAWEC (H) Rywka FISZER (JAWEC) and Laja JAWEC 295
David KLETSHEVSKI z”l (H) Ytzchak KLETSHEVSKI 295
Abraham Menashe KATZ (Y) Chenoch H. HOFFMAN, Paris 295
Mr. David LUSTMAN z”l and His Family (H) Kalman LUSTMAN 296
My Grandfather David KOLSKI (H) His grandsons Yehoshua, Menachem & Abraham 296
Hersz-Majer and Chana RAK (H) The Children 297
Chaim-Noah BAGNO z”l (H) Sara BAGNO-FEINER 297
Yosele the GOLDSMITH and His Family (Y) Esther KORN-NATAN 298
Icchak Majer and Zyse Frajde SZPIRO (Y) Masze SZPIRO-ZHURAWSKI 299
The GORSZKOWICZ Family (Y) Azriel SZYMONOWICZ, Givatayim 299
My Family (H) Moshe MAISELS (Tivon) 299
 
The people of Kutno in the building and the wars of Eretz Israel
The First Ones — and Those Who Followed Them (H)   300
True Charity (H) The WELCMAN family 302
Issachar-Dov BAR-DRORA (FRAJER) (H) David TIDHAR 303
Dr. Abraham GLIKSMAN (Y)   304
Dr. Yehuda Meir Bromberg-Bavly (H)   304
Eliyahu-Eliezer-Mordechai ELBERG (H) David TIDHAR 305
Azriel Yosef ELBERG (H) David TIDHAR 305
N. TIGER – His Way and Life (H) N. MOSZKOWICZ, A. BERDICZEWSKI, Y. RIFTIN 305
The RAUER Family (Y)   307
Shmuel Halevi LAZNOWSKI (H) David TIDHAR 307
Yaakov SCHWARTZ (H) Efraim DEKEL 309
 
Independence War
Chaim FUKS (H)   311
Chaim FISZ (H)   311
Zvi SHAPIRO (H)   311
David METAL (PELED) (H) Zvi NAIMAN, M. CHOVEV 312
Moshe PLOCER (H)   313
Eliahu (Alex) SZARECKI (H)   313
Abraham SZYMONOWICZ z”l (H)   314
Arieh GRINBAUM (H) Yechezkel, Ch. and Moshe TABENKIN 314
Lt. PNUEL (Nachman FALC) (H) Yechiel KADISHAI 315
Efraim FIRSTENBERG z”l (H) Y. K. 316
Eli ELIAV z”l (H) Y. K. and Mother 316
 
Six-Day War
Captain Yoram (ZANDBERG) HARPAZ z”l (H) Chaya LAZER 317
 
V - The Shoah and the Struggle
 
Kutno, My Hometown (Y) Mirel ERDBERG-SZATAN 321
Yitgadal V'Yitkadash (H) by Shalom ASZ 322
Kutno in E. Ringelblum's “News from Warsaw Ghetto” (Y)   326
Kutno and Surroundings During the Years of Occupation (Y)   327
Poles Tell About the Kutno Ghetto (Y)   328
The Decline of Jewish Kutno (H) Yeshayahu TRUNK, New York 331
The Decline of Jewish Kutno (Y) Yeshayahu TRUNK, New York 340
At the Beginning of the Second World War (Y) Zvi LASMAN, Givatayim 354
Kutno in the Days of War (Y) Wolf MANCZIK, Karkour, Israel 355
A Terrible Day (Y) Natan KLAR, Tel Aviv 357
Six Days in Leczyca camp (Y) Yosef GOLDBERG, Montreal 358
The Escape Before Death (H) Arieh WEISBROT, Haifa 360
Five Years of Life in Hell (Y) Lozer JAKUBOWICZ, USA 362
In Ghettos and in Camps (Y) Abraham LIFSHITZ, Ohio, USA 364
My Experience in the Camps (Y) Berel BALZAMOWICZ, Montreal, Canada 365
In Konstancja, Gabin, Plock, Strzegowo (Y) Lucia STUCZYŃSKA 366
In Kutno Ghetto (Y) Pinchas OSOWSKI, Rishon LeZion 370
Two Letters From Kutno Ghetto (Y) Bella WALCER 373
Two songs from ghetto Konstancja (Y) Tamar KOWALSKA, Tel Aviv 375
The Shoah Era in France (Y) Bernard HOFFMAN, Paris 376
Chelmno – The Death Camp (H)   381
 
On the Fronts and the Anti-Nazi Underground
Kutners in the Second World War (H) Efraim WAJKSELFISZ, Tel Aviv 384
The Last Battle of the Kutno Jewish Soldiers (Y) Zyskind BIBERGAL, New York 386
Soldiers on the front, partisans, underground fighters (Y) Yehuda SZTAJN, Ch. H. HOFFMAN, Paris 388
Bernard Pons Helps Capture a German Division (Y) H. BAUM 389
The Big Wandering (Y) Moshe Pinchas SZPIRO, London 390
Monte Casino (Y) Anszel FRAJND, London 393
The Revenge (H) Szmuel LARON (FALC), Tel Aviv 394
The Revenge (Y) Shmuel LARON (FALC), Tel Aviv 395
The Ghetto Fighters Israel and Salo KANAL (Y)   396
List of permanent members of the Jewish Kutner Committee (1945) (Y)   398
 
VI - After the liberation
 
Kutno after liberation (H) Zvi LASMAN, Givataym 401
In liberated Kutno (Y) Efraim VEIKSELFISH, Tel Aviv 402
In liberated Kutno (H) Efraim VEIKSELFISH, Tel Aviv 405
Kutno Without Jews (Y)   407
In My Kutno After the Destruction (Y) Moshe PIETRKOWSKI, Brazil 408
In My Hometown (Y) by Yeshayahu TRUNK, New York 419
 
VII - Surrounding towns: Leczyca, Krosniewice, Dabrowice
 
History of the City (Y)   425
On the History of Łęczyca (Y) Rabbi Yitzhak Yedidia FRENKEL, Tel Aviv 426
Memories of the Old Life (Y) Shimshon LUSNER 432
Our Shtetl Leczyca (Y) Sh. ROGERS, Melbourne 436
The Sports–Club “Hakoach” in Łęczyca (Y) Zalman BORNSZTAJN, Australia 438
How the Jews of Łęczyca Perished (Y) Mosze SZERPINSKI, David VACHTEL z”l 439
The Death of the Jews of Łęczyca (Y) Abraham WISHEGRODSKI, Australia 440
The Ten Who Were Hanged (Y) Zalman BORNSZTAJN, Melbourne, Australia 441
Leczycers in France (Y) Dawid WACHTEL z”l, Paris 443
Leczycers in Australia (Y) Shlomo ROGOZYNSKI (ROGERS), Melbourne 443
My Town Krosniewice (Y) Chananel HOFFMAN, Toulouse (France) 445
Childhood Memories from Krosniewice (Y) Rafael-Hersh PACANOWSKI, Manchester 450
The Jewish Community of Dabrowice (Y) Hanoch-Henech HOFFMAN, Paris 452
The Bestial Assassination of the Rabbi of Dąbrowice ztz”L (Y) Bernard HOFFMAN 460
 
VIII - People of Kutno and around in Israel and in Diaspora
 
Report on the organization's activities in Israel (H) Secretariat 465
Report on the organization's activities in Israel (Y) Secretariat 467
Shalom Asz Near His Townsmen in Israel (Y) Abraham Lustigman, Tel Aviv 472
Kutners in the USA (Y)   474
Kutners in France (Y) Henech SZLAJFER, Paris 475
The Homeland Society in Canada (Y)   482
Kutners in México (Y)   483
Greetings from a Kutner in Soviet Russia (Y) Jakob OSOWSKI 487
A Letter From Moscow (Y) Lifshe Osowski 492
Kutner survivors in Germany (1945-1947) (Y)   493
 
IX - Eternal Pages
 
List of martyrs   496
Mourning notices in Israel   522
In France and Belgium   562
In England   576
In Australia   577
In the USA   578
Canada   584
México   585
 
Photographs from book
Name Index

 


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