[Page 14]

It was a town with a well-known holy community In which the sounds of Torah were never silent. Righteous Jews, giant in spirit and Torah, “And you shall meditate upon it”[2], is dearer to them than gold and all merchandise. It has a very successful Yeshiva and Beis Midrash [study hall] That hosted Torah for the lads. Personalities, sages, local righteous people, Including Rabbi Shlomo Klein, of blessed memory. Each night, “Tikkun Chatzot”[3] was recited in your gates And awaiting the Messiah was at the top of all thoughts. The staff and the shofar by one's bed, So that one could be the first to go out to greet him. Reb Baruch Hendler who loves reproof And Reb Shlomo Zalman Deskel of the great ones of the spirit. Reb Yankel Mitelman runs to the mikva [ritual bath] in the middle of the night With his mouth reciting sections of Talmudic discussions. And Reb David Levi enwrapped in his Tallis and Tefillin Dedicated fully to studying Kabbalah and Zohar. Even the simple Jew who works for his livelihood Rejoices in the synagogue in the evening as he studies his Mishna. Who will be first to recite Psalms in the morning? A worker in the wine cellar – my Uncle Shimon. Working with the sweat of his brow and satisfied with the small amount he has To teach his son Torah – Grandfather Zeev Wolf the tailor. His wife – a woman of valor – never ceases toiling So that the husband can sit and study. The modest mothers read “Tzena Urena”[4] on Sabbaths, Doing charitable works discretely, including my Aunt Rachel Henia. My dear grandmothers Reizel and Feiga did not have the benefit of a Jewish burial May G-d remember them positively before the Throne of Honor. On the day of the giving of the Torah, “Shma Yisrael” was on their lips[5] They were murdered in Auschwitz, and their ashes were scattered.

[Page 15]

The sages, the righteous ones, the simple folk: To where did they disappear, where are they all? And why was thus the fate Of the common folk and the sages of the nation? “Why” is a question that irks and accuses; A question that has no answer at all. Why, oh L-rd, G-d, oh why Why does the world continue to be so calm? The son shines, rises, and brightens. The flowers bloom, and the trees sprout in the town Among the ruins and destruction in the place And contrasts with the ugliness of the terrible deed. Indeed, much has already been written, and will be written about the horrible tragedy. We among them – we will continue on, and will not forget that evil. We must not forget, but rather remember and remind. And we will glorify and magnify the names of our dear martyrs.

Translator's Footnotes

1. This composition, as well as that on page 16, is a poem, with a different rhyme in every pair of lines. I did not preserve the rhyme in the translations. Return
2. From Joshua 1:8. “And you shall meditate upon it [i.e. the Torah] day and night.” Return
3. An optional private prayer service recited at midnight. It is recited generally only by very pious people and rarely recited these days, lamenting the destruction of the temples. Return
4. A commentary on the Torah written especially for women. Return
5. Referring to Shavuot, the 6^th of Sivan. The May-June timeframe surrounding Shavuot 1944 marked the period of mass deportations of Hungarian Jewry. Return

[Page 16]

He led his flock with righteousness, The rabbi, Rabbi Eliahu Klein, the Tzadik. Strong in his knowledge, showing no favoritism to any person A wealthy person was the same as someone with hard luck. On Rosh Hashanah, as he called out the shofar blasts, He moved the hearts, and brought the souls to repentance. His son and heir, Rabbi Yaakov Shalom Klein, Who served as a halachic decisor and rabbinical judge for the people, Led the large, honorable Yeshiva That stood in splendor in the center of town. His sermons spellbound the audience of listeners. His pleasant appearance and charisma externals added to the ambience. A poor man, lacking in everything, who had pride and was embarrassed to solicit from door to door Would not be forgotten or abandoned in Halmeu, for “all Israel are brothers.” There was an abundance of charitable institutions. Every householder was naturally inclined, To give and donate, either to the “Ozer Dalim” [helpers of the poor] organization To support a poor family with many children Or to help an orphaned bride who had come of age With nobody to provide for the wedding expenses. Of course the “Hachnasat Kalla” [Assistance for Brides] organization was active, With donations; with the help of the citizens and G-d. And if news spread in town that somebody had passed away With nobody at all to take care of the funeral, For the person had no relative or kin And was poor within the Jewish people, He would not be cast off and left without burial For the members of the “Chevra Kadisha” would come to his aid. Thus was life in the city, founded upon Assistance to anyone in need without nitpicking over principles. Life there was indeed calm and lovely. Good and simple – the children, women and men Are now hidden away and have disappeared. Why did such a decree fall upon them? And nothing is left for us other than to weep and cry out for what was lost!!

[unnumbered page following 16]

Remember And do not forget

[Page 17]

We have kindled memorial candles to recall the Jews who were murdered in sanctification of the Divine name. Sad songs that move the heart are sung in choirs, to the point that tears flow from my eyes. The community of participants, we students, have accepted upon ourselves to follow the good and straight path of the martyrs.

Yafa Chamish

The performance was so sad that I began to weep, and the entire audience wept with me.

Ruth Lavie

The program of commemoration brought us to great emotion. Tears flowed from our eyes over the loss of innocent Jews who were taken like sheep to the slaughter with no savior.

Rafael Derosh

We came to the synagogue on the day of the ceremony dressed in festive garb, and we welcomed the guests in a pleasant manner. When the guests heard the program, they burst out crying, for they felt everything that they had been through.

Tova Levi

It was moving to hear how Mirele was crying and screaming “I am hungry,” and her brother comforted her. The performances brought out the emotions in the entire audience. Boys, girls, male and female teachers all wept.

Rivka Rubin

When we left the place of the commemoration, our heart was full of pain and agony for the annihilated communities. May G-d avenge their blood.

Yosef Tnemi

When they saw the ceremony, some members of the audience remembered what they had endured, and wept bitterly and with broken hearts.

Yigal

[Page 18]

May G-d remember the martyrs of Halmeu, Turcz, and the district, Fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, youths and children, Who were murdered, burned, drowned, tortured to death, Shot, and buried alive in sanctification of the divine Name. Our holy rabbi, Rabbi Yaakov Shalom of holy blessed memory, the head of the rabbinical court of the holy community of Halmeu And our rabbi, Rabbi Avraham Shalom Yerucham Friedman of holy blessed memory, the head of the rabbinical court of Turcz. May G-d remember the synagogues and holy books, The Yeshivas with their students, the Talmud Torah schools, And the schools that were destroyed, and the sounds of Torah that were silenced therein. May G-d remember all of the dear victims – May G-d avenge their blood! May their souls be bound in the bonds of life.

A Prayer Merciful father who dwells on high With his vast mercy, may he recall with mercy The pious, upright and pure ones, holy communities That gave their lives in sanctification of the Divine Name. Beloved and pleasant during their lives, and Not separated in their deaths. Lighter than eagles, and stronger than lions,[1] To do the will of their Creator and the wish of their Rock. May our G-d remember them positively, along with the rest of the righteous people Of the world, and may He avenge the spilled blood of His servants, as is written In the Torah of Moses the man of G-d: Sing, oh nations, About His people, for He avenged the blood of His servants, and returned vengeance To his enemies, and made atonement for the land of His people[2] (From the prayer book)

[unnumbered page following 18]

In Memory of the Martyrs of Halmeu, Turcz, and the District

Translator's Footnotes

1. From the elegy of David over the deaths of Saul and Jonathan. II Samuel 1:23. Return
2. Deuteronomy 32:43. Return

[Page 18a]

Blessed is G-d, 7 Adar, 5729 (1969) To the honor of My friend from back then, the great scholar, and man of many activities. Mr. Yehuda Schwartz, the principal of the 44th Yavneh School Hadera How broad is my heart, and my horn is raised to G-d, when I see the memorial book of the martyrs of Klausenberg, and the copy of the Memorial Book of Martyrs of Halmeu, which is currently at the publishers. My eyes lit up as I perused them, with the feeling of “Praise G-d for He is good.” It was the appropriate thing to publish this memorial book in memory of those people and their deeds. Their memory is in honor of those who follow and continue the tradition in glory, as they realize the values of Israel in a practical fashion. This fine gift that you worked upon for the memory and elevation of the pure, clean souls of our Jewish brethren from our native town of the holy community of Halmeu, may G-d protect it; men, women and children who perished en masse and with cruel wrath at the impure hands of the Nazi monster in Europe; with the smoke of the ovens ascending from the altar – will serve as a source of support and strength for those downtrodden and despairing of the times. Therefore, may your hands be strengthened in all that you do, and may you succeed in raising the horn of Israel and its Torah. In the merit of this holy memory, may G-d recall their sacrifice and repair the breach of His nation, returning the hearts of fathers to children and the hearts of children to their fathers[1], with the full redemption and the rebuilding of our source of splendor, the Holy Temple, speedily in our day, Amen. With friendship and great honor Yeshayahu Barkai

Translator's Footnotes

1. Malachi 3:24. Return

[Page 19]

The holy mission of “remember and do not forget” is imposed upon our generation. This is one of the commandments that the Torah commands us at the dawn of our nationhood, and this is one of the commandments that applies to us anew today. Our generation, the generation of the Holocaust, is aging, and the fear exists that we did not succeed in instilling the memory of our martyrs to our sons and daughters in such a way that it will continue to live with them, so that they, in time, will continue to perpetuate their memory to the succeeding generation.

In the wake of the motto of the committee to commemorate the communities by the Ministry of Education – meaning: that in the name of the thousands of Jewish communities that were wiped out, thousands of schools in Israel will arise and set up a name and memorial for these communities – the school under my leadership, the 44th Yavneh School of Hadera, has decided to perpetuate the communities of Koloszvar and Halmeu. We conducted the commemoration ceremony in our school with the participation of members of the organization two weeks before Passover.

You might ask, how is it possible to commemorate the communities of Koloszvar and Halmeu? Are we able to commemorate a community that was annihilated?!

We do not have the power to place flesh and sinews upon the dry bones, which are also non-existent, but we can preserve their memory by publishing a Yizkor Book. We can present the personalities of those that are gone, we can bring to life the religious and cultural realities of the Halmeu community, learn about the educational institutions, Yeshivas and cheders in the town. We are able to describe the characters of the worshippers in the synagogues and study halls, and describe the charitable institutions of the town.

It is not our intention to present a comprehensive picture of the community of Halmeu during its various eras, with its many variegated activities. This task must be done by experts.

[Page 20]

In this Yizkor Book, we intend to illustrate, in brief, various prominent events and deeds from the distant and near past, in order to erect a memorial to the community and draw close the hearts of our children to this splendid community. This task can be performed through your hands and your children's hands. Tell them about the eternal values that were forged in Halmeu. Describe the splendid life that was lost. Your children will then write their compositions. Please also bring your children to the annual memorial days of the community. We will thereby include them to the large living, emotional family of Halmeu natives, and we will speedily be able to draw near “the hearts of fathers to children, and the hearts of children to their fathers.”

With the publication of the Yizkor Book, we wish to declare “a week of memorializing the community” at the school. We will study about the community in an intensive fashion. We will conclude the week with a quiz and competition between the classes in the presence of members of the organization, who will distribute the prizes to those who excel from the fund that was set up for such.

Aside from erecting a monument in memory of the community, our plans include opening a synagogue for youth, with a memorial room, a holy ark, and a Torah scroll in memory of the martyrs.

[first unnumbered page following 20]

The Holy Ark [Aron Hakodesh] in the “Yavne” synagogue in Hadera, in memory of the Holy Communities Klausenburg [Cluj] and Halmin [Halmeu]

Yehuda Schwartz Editor of the book

[Second unnumbered page following 20]

About the community

To perpetuate the memory of our martyrs, and to elevate the souls of the community members who were murdered in sanctification of the Divine Name in the death camps, in the ovens of Auschwitz-Birkenau, and in the labor camps. Oh, would it be that my head was full of waters, and my eyes were a source of tears, I would weep day and night over the victims of the daughter of my nation.[1] May G-d avenge their blood.

Translator's Footnotes

1. Jeremiah 8:23. Haphtarah of Tisha Be'Av. Return

[Fourth unnumbered page following 20]

This book was printed thanks to the graceful donation of 500 Israeli Pounds by the chairman of the Association of Former Residents of Halmin, Mr. Menachem Traub-Karmi and his family Zvi, Ilana, Menashe, Chaia and Dror, to the memory of their parents, may God avenge their blood.

Their father R'Gavriel Traub z”l

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