History of the Jews in Plotzk Until the First World War (1237 – 1914)

Foreword – Jewish trade – Legal status of Jews – Taxes – Communal (“Kehila”) Organization – Jewish patens of life – Blood libels – Jewish-Christian Relations – Prominent Kehila personalities – Non-resident Jews – Conclusion

I. From the middle of the 16th century until the end of the Polish kingdom
II.The Napoleonic period 1793-1813 – Under Prussian rule (1783-1807) – Under the Dukedom of Warsaw (1807-1814)
III. A period of prosperity and revolt
IV. Second half of the 19th century – Social and health institutions – The Vaad Hakehila (Community Council) and the Rabbinate – Economic life
V. The years preceding World War I 1900-1914

R' Yehuda Leib Margoulis – R' Zysza Plotzker – R' Shmuel Ben Azriel – R' Arye Leib Zunz (Reb Leibele Charif) – R' Abraham of Ciechanow – the Plotzker “Ilui ” – R' Yissachar Dov Graubart – N. Sokolov's Rabbi – R' Eleazar Cohen - R' Azriel Arye Leib Rakowski, the fighting “mitnaged”

Itzhak Grinbaum and Aharon Becker – pillars of Zionism in Plotzk – The pre-Zionist epoch of Nahum Sokolov – Education and cultural life – Public institutions and social work – Relations with Polish neighbors – Emigration

Gerer Hassidim – The Beth Midrash – Spirit of progress – Rabbi R' Yecheskel Lipszyc – Family Kampner – “Amcha” near the “Iron Gate”

10% only to the children of the Jews – In the school of the teacher Jarzombek - The problems of the Jewish pupils; the teacher of religion: A. J. Papierna

The Plotzk Jewish Community between the Two World Wars 1918-1939

Community Institutions, Social Work, Economic Life, Neighbourhood Relations

Banks – The Credit bank – Other financial institutions – Professional associations – The tailors organization in Plock – The transportation workers unions – The trade unions of office workers and salesmen

Who were the Mariavits? – The Mariavits and the Jews – The Mariavits and the Germans – They did not help the Jews – What happened to the Jewish property?

Education, Religious Life, Cultural Organizations, Personalities

“Jewish Islands” in a Christian neighborhood – The uniqueness of the Jewish gymnasium of Plock – “Hashomer Hatzair” – the oldest scouts movements in Plock – The summer camps of Hashomer Hatzair – The home of grandfather in Dobrzyn – A new social and cultural framework – The Hebrew youth movement “Akiba” in Plock – Two tragic episodes in Akiba movement; the war burst out – Our escape from home – In Gostynin; granting the nobility title for saving life – First brutalities and abuses by the Nazis – We return to Plock – To the east with a torn refugee identity card

Political Parties, Youth Movements, Zionist Funds

Getting organized – The objection of the extreme religious – “Hehalutz Hatzair” (Young Hehalutz) – The branch activities – Kibbutz Hachshara in town – The visit of the 2 messengers from Eretz Israel – The experiences of the Alyia – “Hapoel” – Training of young sportsmen – Dedication to Jewish sport

The First World War – The local politic work after the War – The social-professional activity – The cultural public work – Aftermath

The founding assembly – The educational activity – The members of Agudat Israel in the Community – Committee and the Municipality Council – The economic activity

Under the czarist regime – During the war years – The first years of independent Poland – The visits of the “Bund” leaders – Striving for victory – Last words

The beginning of the movement as a scout Jewish movement – Founding of Hashomer Hatzair in Plock with the Hebrew Gymnasium – Changes of the ideology and the human structure – Two girls of the Plock branch fight against the Nazis

1915 – 1918 – 1923 – 1933

Plotzk-Born Jewish Painters

Stenia Bender (deported to Auschwitz under name “Guta Rozenstein”, the wife of Fishl Zber

Personalities, Public Persons Rabbis, Writers, Artists, Educators, Teachers, Leaders, Public Activists, Party and Other Organizations Activists, Sport Leaders etc.
Collected and Edited by Shlomo Greenspan, Moshe Rubin, Itzhak Ben Ishai (Fuchs) and rabbi Leib Geliebter

R' Yehuda Lajb Avida (Zlotnik) (Rabbi) – R' Adelberg Itzhak (Rabbi) – R' Auerbach Itzhak son of R' Chaim (Rabbi) – R' Auerbach Falk (Rabbi) – R' Ajdelberg Mordechai Dov (the last Rabbi of Plock) – Bzura Matatyahu (Dayan) - R' Ginzburg Abraham Chaim – Hftka Zisman (Dayan) – R' Halberstat Naftali Herc (Rabbi) – R' Szymon Zylberberg (Dayan) – R' Ziskind Aleksander H'Kohen - “R' Zisza Plocker” (Rabbi) – R' Zlotnik Yona Mordechai (Rabbi) – R' Kohen Eliezer (Rabbi) – R' Lipszyc Zeew Wolf (Rabbi) – R' Lipszyc Jecheskel (Rabbi) – R' Landau Abraham the Ciechanow Admu”r – Mendelson Mendel (head of Yeshiva ) – Mendelson Moshe son of Mendel (Dayan) – R' Mendelson Beniamin son of Mendel (Rabbi) – R' Margalit Yehuda Leib (Rabbi) – R' Menachem Nachum son of R' Yosef (Rabbi) – R' Pinchas son of R' Yehuda (Rabbi) – R' Cwi Hirsz (Rabbi) – R' Zunz Arie Lejb (R' Lejbele Harif) (Rabbi) – Rubinstein Michael (head of the small Beth Midrash Yeshiva) – R' Rubinstein Fyszel (Rabbi) – Rodabr Szmuel Zysza (head of Yeshiva) – R' Rozebstrauch Mendel (Rabbi) – R' Rakowski Azriel Arie Lejb (Rabbi) – R' Szmuel Ben Azriel (Rabbi) – R' Shapira Chaim (the Plocker Admu”r)

The Holocaust Period (1939-1945)

Until the deportation – Plotzk refugees in exile – Acts of resistance – Plotzk after the Holocaust

Lea Moszkowicz – Dina Inowroclawska – Regina Kalman – Felicja (Fela) Ravitzka - Unnamed person – Dr. Hersz Russak – R. Lichtman – Simcha Mintz

Treblinka, historical review – In Plock and with the family – With the slavery labor battalions in Treblinka – The day of the revolt and revenge and its planning – Accumulation of arms and last preparations – The signal is given - Rudek Lubraniecki the hero of Treblinka – The escape from all parts of the camp - In hiding and in action – The trial of Treblinka perpetrator, the German Kurt Franc

State archive “The Government Counselor against Adolf Eichman. Testimonies B', pages 1045-1050

The first refugees – The period until the erection of the ghetto – The period of the ghetto – The contact with the deportees in the various towns – Days of the deportations – After the Holocaust

Post War Efforts of Rebuilding

The activities of the Plocker Survivors Committee

David Lichtenstein: the first Plocker victims of the war – Talks by Mrs. Koenigsberg, Zielonka, Mr. Cichi (from Drobin), Eisenberg, Platkewicz, Margolin and Alfred Blei, chairman.

The path of agony of the Jews of Plock – Trials of rehabilitation – The plant is not revived

Memories and experiences of a refugee upon return after the Holocaust – In a refugees train to Poland – The first encounter with the city, June 1946 - Trials to renew life which were destroyed – Szeroka street – The house of Maccabi – A struggle for labor – In the main streets of town – In the “Tumy” boulevard – The grand synagogue – The cemetery

A memorial meeting in liberated Plotzk (3.5.1946) – Re-burial ceremony of 25 Nazi victims – Summary of the activities by the committee of Plotzk survivors - Unveiling of the monument (23.10.1949)

Associations of Plotzk Jews All Over the World

Until the foundation of the State of Israel – The activities of the organization in the State of Israel – The book of Plock

Memories of my father home

Itzhak Barak (Zeligman) z”l – IDF Lieutenant Colonel – Mordechai Licht z”l – man of Ein Vered – Josef Rosenfeld z”l – fell in Gesher Haziv battle – Eliyahu Kruvi (Kapusta) z”l – Itzhak Rosenfeld z”l – Uri Kinamon z”l – Hersh Cohen z”l – among the founders of “Neve Shaanan” suburb – Yechiel Avivi (Fliderblum) z”l – words about his image – Yaakov Fishman z”l – the Halutz (pioneer) and educator

Members of the committee in 1966: Pres. – Geo. Seeman – V-Pres. – Dr. K. Bach and C. Okolica – Treas. – S. Bornstein – Fin. Secy. – H. Lipner – Rec. Secy. – J. Gomberg – Trustees – M. Weitzman, J. Bernstein, N. Fink

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