Opatow, Poland

Apt; A Town Which Does Not Exist Anymore
(Opatów, Poland)

50°48' / 21°26'

Translation of
Apt: Sefer zikaron le-ir va-em be-yisrael

Edited by: Z. Yasheev

Published in Tel Aviv: The Apt Organization in Israel, USA, Canada and Brazil, 1966

Acknowledgments

Project Coordinator

Steven Weiss z”l

This is a translation from: Apt (Opatow); sefer zikaron le-ir va-em be-yisrael
(Apt; a town which does not exist any more), Editors: Z. Yasheev, Tel Aviv,
The Apt Organization in Israel, USA, Canada, and Brazil, 1966 (Hebrew, Yiddish, English, 464 pages).

Note: The original book can be seen online at the NY Public Library site: Opatow (1966)

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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TOC translated by Jerrold Landau

		Pages
Part One
In the Light of the Bright Past

The Geographic situation of Opatów	M. G-n (Moshe Greenstein)	9
The structure of the city of Opatów and its environs	Moshe Greenstein	14
Opatów in the Hebrew Encyclopedia		26
The Ledger [Pinkas] of the Community of Opatów		27
Excerpts from the Pinkas of the Community of Opatów	E. N. Frank	31
The Jews of Apt at the Threshold of the 18^th Century	Y. Burstein	35
The Dynasty of Generations (The rabbinical connection of Apt)	N. D. Rosenblum	42
Jewish Great Ones of Opatów	D. Pinczewski	45
Apt and the Rise of Hassidism (H)	D. Pinczewski	52
Apt and the Rise of Hassidism (Y)	D. Pinczewski	55
Rabbi Avraham Yehoshua Heshel of Apt	Y. Rafael	63
Statements of Rabbi Avraham Yehoshua Heshel		63
Words from Great Jews	Rabbi Y. Y. Wohlgelernter	64
One Must Not Judge Jews	M. Ungar	64
Reb Meirl of Opatów		65
Poor in Deeds	A. Steinman	66
The Tzadik of Opatów	Y. Steinberg	68
Rabbi Meir Aptr Dances with the Hassidim Prior to Kol Nidre…		68
Rabbi Meirl’s Yahrzeit	E. Katz	69
Rabbi Shabtai Einbinder of Apt	Y. H. Levinstein	71
Rabbi Gavriel Yehuda Lichtenfeld	Y. B. HaLevi Ish Horowitz	73
Natan Nota Shapira – Annals of his Life		74
Two Sailors	N. N. Shapira	75
The Staff of the Ohev Yisrael	Y. Guterman	76
From the Scenes of Life in the Cities of the Country		76

Part Two
Before First World War

At the Threshold of the 20^th Century	David Kogut	79
The Great Cholera [Epidemic] in Apt	Yossel Adler	80
Outbreak of the First World War	Akiva Katz	83
Memories of the War Years	Pinia Teitel	85
Cheders	Manus Amber-Burstein	89
Societal Life During the Years of 1905-1921	Buneim Kalisher	93
The First Suicide in the City	Mendel Nisenbaum	96
Ezra Aid Society	Moshe Greenstein	97
Memories of Those Years	Avraham Zamberg	99
Years Gone By	Akiva Katz	100
The First World War – Surviving	Eliezer Langer	103
A “Black” Wedding in Apt	Pinia Teitel	106
Episodes From Those Times	Elazar Glatt	107

Part Three
Between Two World Wars

The Wellspring that Was Destroyed
Apt – the City and its Jews	Yosef Rosenberg	111
Apt as a Fortress of Religion and Hassidism	Moshe Blitental	119
My City Apt	Sh. Veverman	120
The Apter Jewish Community	Shlomi Mitzmacher	122
Memories	Pintche Langer	124
Apt	Yisrael Abba Luksenburg	126

Sources of Livelihood
The Economic Structure of the Jewish Population	Mordechai Greenstein	127
Gentile Trades in Jewish Hands	Moshe Greenstein	133
Tradespeople	Pinia Teitel	135
Musicians	Pinia Teitel	137
Jesters [Badchanim]	Pinia Teitel	140
Chaim Baruch the Badchan	Sh. Mitzmacher	141

Jewish Education
Melamdim [Elementary religious teachers] in Apt	Akiva Katz	144
My Rebbe	Yossel Adler	145
The Talmud Torah and the Yeshiva	Pinchas Friedman	146
The Yavneh School	Yaakov Rosenzweig	147
The Tarbut School	K. Chernikovsky	148
Hebrew Classes by the Tarbut School	Rachel Kandil-Magen	150
Evening Courses for Workers	Leibel Rosen	151

Factions and Youth
The Zionist Organization in Apt	Moshe Magen	154
The Establishment of Mizrachi	Mendel Zukerman	161
Revisionists and Brit Trumpeldor	Yosef Zilberman	163
Agudas Yisroel	Hertz Shmeltzman	165
Poalei Zion	Simcha Pomerantzblum	167
Hechalutz	Moshe Greenstein-Magen	171
Awakening in the Chapter	Yisrael Lubliner	175
Hechalutz Chapter in our City	Aryeh Brikman	176
Mizrachi Youth Organization	Yosef Rosenberg	177
Hechalutz Hatzair	Rachel Kandil	179
An Emissary in the City	Shoshana Rabinowitz-Eisenstat	180
Hashomer and Hashomer Haleumi	Nachman Lustgarten	181
Young WIZO	Miriam Greenstein (Boneh)	184
The Communist Party in Apt	Zelig Shmeltzman	186
Macabee	Zeev Fishman	190
Drama Activity in Apt	Michael Greenstein	192

Local Government; Aid Institutions; Banks
Self Governing Institution	Moshe Greenstein	195
Charitable Fund [Gemilut Chasadim]	Moshe Greenstein – Rachel Kandil	198
The Folks Cassa (Zionist Bank)	Hertz Shmeltzman	200
The Credit Cassa (Zionist Bank)	M. G’n	200

Part Four
The Era of the Holocaust

This is How Matters Unfolded [H]	P. Hochmitz, E. Zilberberg, D. Katz, M. Lustman, Sh. Feldman	203
This is How Matters Unfolded [Y]	P. Hochmitz, E. Zilberberg, D. Katz, M. Lustman Sh. Feldman	208

A Ghetto Was Set Up in Apt
The Beginning	M. Zilberberg	215
Sources of Livelihood During the Time of the Ghetto	Yitzchak Guterman	217
The Youth in the Ghetto	Rivka Wishlicka	219
After Two Years	Avraham Lipman	221
Experiences	Pinchas Langer	222
From the Vale of Killing	Avraham Altman, Aharon ben Yosef	225
The Destruction of the City	Chanina Erlichman	226
The World War, 1030-1945	Eliezer Langer	227
In the Skarzysko Camp	Binyamin Zweig	232

The Liquidation of the Ghetto
Conquest of Opatów by the Germans	Testimony of Mrs. Matil Rosenberg and Dr. Bronislav Grodzki	233
My Experiences from September 1939 until 1945	Haron Starkman	236
The Final Days of the Ghetto	Kalman Chernikovsky	256
Experiences and Vexations	Dvora Mekler-Zaltzberg	260
From Ravensbruk to Sweden	Leah Walerstein	262
For What and Why?	Nachman Lustgarten	264

From the Survivors – Survivors Relate
The Final Way; After the Liquidation	Meir Lustman	265
The Last Hero; On Destroyed Street	Sh. Mitzmacher	267
After the Destruction	A letter from surviving Apters to fellow natives in Canada	268
The Destruction of Apt	Two letters	271
After the Liberation	Ita Rachel Engel	273
The Day After the Misfortune	Chanina Erlichman	274
Apt is No More	David Teitel	275
We Want to Become Normal	Rivka Weitzblum	276
First Aid for Apter Survivors	E. M. Zimmerman	276
Not to Forget, Not to Forgive	Sheva Kalisher	278
An Apter Partisan family; In the Bunker; Heard and Silent		278
Memorial Monuments		280

Part Five
Prose and Poetry

I Enter the Marriage Canopy	Y. L. Peretz	283
Pictures for Sale	Yossel Adler	284
A New Song	David Kogut	286
In a Bitter Time	Leizer Treister	287
The Bund	Shimshom Apter (Feizel)	298
Visit to the Former Apt After the Destruction	Dr. Chaim Shoshkes	307
Come With Me, My Child	Shlomo Mitzmacher	308
The Final Rosh Hashanah Service	Hendel Kalisher	309
Eve of Yom Kippur		310
In Majowka		311
My Town of Apt		314
Apt	Meir Lustman	314
In Memory of the Community of Opatów	Y. Wroclowski	315
My Father’s Book	Mosha Zaltzman	316
My Grandmother		316
My Child		317
I Know		317
Forgive		317
The Moon		318
Together		318
At the Threshold of Destruction (Memories)		319
The Melody	Yisrael Emiot	331
Michael Rotsztejn	Moshe Greenstein	335
Reb Yaakov Berman	M. G’n	337
Yosel Hochmic	Pinchas Hochmitz	339
Reb Aharon Elgazi	Nachum Walerstein	340
Reb Natan Bromberg	Yisrael Lubliner	340
Simcha Mandel	M. G-n	341
Avrahamele Strozer (Medic)	A. Apter	342
Moshe Keizer	Hertz Shmeltzman	343
A Man of Portents	Sh. Keizer-Rosenblum	343
Pinchas Kac and his Family	Tova Fishman-Katz	344
Grandfather’s Household (Reb Shmelke Balter)	Rachel Magen-Kandil	345
David Teitel	Pinia Teitel	346
In His Memory	Bunim Kalisher	347
Yona Zilberman	Meir Shulman	349
Yosa Zilgerman	P. Teitel	350
Yaakov Herszkowic	Y. Gzhiowacz	351
Reb Yaakov Dembski		352
Reb Yosef Shochet	Rabbi Elimelech HaKohen Schwartz	352
Keila Gidalewicz	P. Teitel	353
Moshel Teitel	P. T.	354
Nachum Teitel		354
Reb Avraham-Nota Shu’b [the Shochet]	Yitzchak Guterman	354
Reb Leibele Blitental	M. B.	356
Leibel Binsztok	P. T.	356
Chaim Shlomo Kaplajnski	P. T.	358
Five Generations	Shoshana Rabinowitz-Eisenstat	359
“Bringing in” A New Torah Scroll	Rachel Kandil-Magen	360

Fell For the Establishment of Israel
Avraham Watman		369
Yechiel Rosenfeld		370
Netanel Petroshka		372
Eliezer Witzenblum		373

Died in the Bosom of the Homeland
Reb Simcha Zilberberg		375
Reb Shlomo Mekler (machinist)		375
Reb Gimpel Weinberg and his wife Chaya-Yenta		375
Shlomo-Natan Sternlicht		377
David Wisbul (Dodek)		377
Dvora Zunberg-Adam		378
Eliezer Langer		379
Yisrael-Yosef Watman		379
Esther-Chana Lustgarten		379
Reb Yechiel-Meir Mendelzis		380
Reb Tzemach-Baruch Rabinowitz		380
Mordechai Yungstein		380
Dvora Brikman		381
Rachel Weingort the daughter Dvora Zuker		381
Avraham Briks		381
Moshe-Chaim Milman		381

Aliya of Natives of the City to the Land	M. G-n	385
Life Story of the First Oleh from Apt to the Land	Tzvi Berman	386
The First Family	Tzvi Berman	387
The Committee of Opatów Natives in Israel	Yosef Rosenberg	388
The Apter Immigration to Canada and its Aid Activity	Henry Weiss	392
Call to Apter Natives	Anshel Weiss	394
Apter Friendly Society in Toronto	David Friberg	395
At the Second Annual Concert	Max Mandel	395
Pictures		397

Part Six
In Eternal Memory

List of victims		403

English Summary

To The Reader		5 - 20
Preface
The Town and Its Environs	Moshe Grinstein
Apt - The Town and Its Jews	Joseph Rosenberg
Why?	Nahman Lustgarten

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