[Page 201]
Maytcheter Jews in New York
(Taken from an American Jewish Newspaper – no date given)
Translated by Milton Schwartz
and Martin Small (Mordechai Leib Shmulewicz)
A copy of a caption that appeared in an American Jewish newspaper in 1938 saying that in 1938 the “Maytcheter” Jews in America organized something called Gemilus Chesed, (a charitable fund). This was a bank account set up to help Jews from Maytchet who needed financial assistance – no interest would be charged.
The article continues telling of a gathering held after the Holocaust of landsleit from Maytchet, who live in New York and the surrounding area, holding a memorial service in memory of the Jews who died there during the Shoah. It also spoke of their helping The State of Israel. Maytchet is a small town near Baranovici where about 800 Jews lived. The town is known for its teachers and scholars.
Our friend Gershon Romanoff from Maytchet spoke with much enthusiasm about the town and asked everyone present to recall the Yahrziet (annual memorial). They lit six candles and said Kaddish. The Maytchet landsleit in America do good work in memory of the town and those who were murdered there. Each year they purchase over $3,000 in Israel bonds through their society. They help the United Appeal, Hias, Ort, and do not forget their landsleit in Israel.
The group had an appeal and collected money that was sent to a bank in Israel. The proceeds of this fund were to be used by the survivors of Maytchet living in Israel to memorialize their extinguished community. Lastly one of the survivors of Maytchet became a bride in Israel. The New York group sent her $300.00 as a wedding present.
The president of the Maytchet group in New York is Isaac Kurtin. Financial Secretary was B. Lokoff and now is B. Goldberg with Al Kudivitz. M. Spencer and Itzchak Roberts planned the gathering in memory of the Jewish town of Maytchet and her Jewish citizens who once were and are no more.
(Additional notes to article in the Maytchet Yizkor book: After Isaac Kurtin passed away, Charles Samuels became the President and B. Goldberg was the secretary. After B. Goldberg died, Martin Small became the secretary. In 2000 there were too few people attending the meetings and the group dissolved. All the money from their treasury was sent to the Maytchet Gemilus Chesed fund in Israel.
The Maytcheter Fraternal Aid Society has two cemetery plots in the New York City area. One is at the Mt. Lebanon Cemetery in the Queens, New York and the other is at Beth Moses Cemetery in Huntington, Long Island, New York.
[Pages 202 - 204]
Maytcheter in Argentina
A Letter from Ben Sack
Translated by Milton Schwartz
and Martin Small (Mordechai Leib Shmulewicz)
Dear Friends and Landsliet,
I would like to greet you with facts about our birthplace, incidents to preserve forever in a book. Your work on this book deserves recognition. I know it was a great effort. However, I can't help you very much financially, as I am simply a worker with limited finances. The only thing I can do is to write a few words to accompany the picture that I am sending you. It's a historical picture that will illustrate a story from our town in the later years of its existence. You will probably find some familiar faces that you remember and will remind you of the period of Maytchet to which I have strong feeling, in the years 1928-1930 when I left for Argentina. Here is the story.
In 1928 there were, along with other Maytchet groups, 300 people who were studying in various schools in Vilna. Joseph Sussman and Mollie Kravchic became acquainted with left wing students, and we were brought in. We decided that we would form a workers' organization in Maytchet when we came home for Passover. Actually we didn't know what type of organization that was, but it had to be legal. When we found out that it was a left wing group we formed a school for workers on order to further their abilities, which was forbidden in the Kingdom of Poland at that time. When we found out we could do this in a legal way, we worked with great enthusiasm. Such a school had been established in Warsaw. So we obtained a copy of their mission statement and were given permission to start our own school in Maytchet.
For two years we worked with great enthusiasm. The objective was to lift the cultural awareness of the young workers. It was not a big undertaking since Maytchet did not have any industry. There were only young boys and girls, tailors, shoemakers and a blacksmith. We did the work. We also had evening classes and studied reading and writing, art, arithmetic, history and political economy. These were our winter programs. In the Summer we would get together to take walks in the woods or had discussions about current events. In addition, we organized a library and reading room. Every evening after work we would get together to read newspapers, take out a book, or just socialize. Also we organized a drama group, and had several plays. One play that I remember was the Jewish King Lear by Jacob Gordon. Those who remember the plight of the young workers in Maytchet, those in the free world, will understand what a wonderful undertaking it was. True in Maytchet the wealthier children had cultural interests. But the worker's children couldn't enter that group. There were some young people who never went to school or a synagogue. With this cultural center we lifted their spirit to the level of those people and they were thankful to us and gave their last pennies to keep up the club.
Where they all today? Groups have saved themselves in America, Argentina and Israel. The rest have perished with the others from Maytchet. Amongst them were my mother and brother Lazer. Let these words be a memory for the survivors of those near and dear ones.
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