Memorial Book of Sokolka
(Poland)

53°25' / 23°30'

Translation of Sefer Sokolka

Edited by: Encyclopedia of Jewish Diaspora

Published in Jerusalem, 1968




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Acknowledgments

Project Coordinator

Ada Holtzman

 

This is a translation from Sefer Sokolka (Memorial Book of Sokolka),
Editor : Encyclopedia of Jewish Diaspora, Jerusalem, 1968, (768 pages, H, Y).


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. This material may not be copied, sold or bartered without JewishGen, Inc.'s permission. Rights may be reserved by the copyright holder.


JewishGen, Inc. makes no representations regarding the accuracy of the translation. The reader may wish to refer to the original material for verification. JewishGen is not responsible for inaccuracies or omissions in the original work and cannot rewrite or edit the text to correct inaccuracies and/or omissions. Our mission is to produce a translation of the original work and we cannot verify the accuracy of statements or alter facts cited.


Memorial Library of Jewish Communities

The Book of

Sokolka
(By The Sokolka Organization in Israel)

Das Buch Fon
Sokolka

Editorial Board: Ester Miszkinski, David Yardeni, Ben-Zion Hasid, Yekutiel Chinski

Published by “The Encyclopedia of the Diaspora”, Jerusalem 1968

THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE JEWISH DIASPORA
(To the children of our American Town-People)

 

Translated from Hebrew and Yiddish by Ada Holtzman

    Page
Introduction The Book Committee of the Sokolka Organization in Israel Ester Miszkinski and David Yardeni 9
Foreword   11
On your ruins Sokolka   13
Words from Haifa (for the Remembrance Day Abraham Donski 15
List of Contents   17
 
FACE OF THE SHTETL
The History of the Jews of Sokolka M.S. Gashori 21
   Chapter I: The Dimness of Foundation    
   Chapter II: Sokolka Descendant of Grodno    
   Chapter III: The History of Sokolka and Its Metamorphosis    
   Chapter IV: Sokolka and the Region under the Russian Rule    
   Chapter V: Rabbis and Rabbinate in Sokolka    
   Chapter VI: The Region Population and the Demographic Surveys    
   Chapter VII: Peace among Hassidim and Mitnaggdim (opponents) in Sokolka    
   Chapter VIII: Sokolka in the Eyes of Visitors    
   Chapter IX: The Zionist Movement in Sokolka    
   Chapter X: The Community of Odel'sk    
A) The Rabbis of Sokolka M. Cinowicz 55
   Rabbi R' Efraim FISZEL    
   R' Abraham H'KOHEN    
   Rabbi R' Yosef (“R' Yosele ZABLUDOWI”)    
   Rabbi R' Zew Wolf WYSOKER    
   Rabbi R' Jakob Moshe MARGULIN    
   Rabbi R' Szraga Fajwel SARNA    
   Rabbi R' Cwi Hirsz DIREKTOR    
   Rabbi R' Szmuel GOLDIN and his son R' Chaim    
   Rabbi R' Mosze Yehuda RABINOWICZ    
   Rabbi R' Icchak Halewi SHUSTER    
B) The Distinguished Persons of Sokolka M. Cinowicz 73
   R' Meir MARKUS    
   R' Szymszon KATZELNBOYGEN    
   R' Szmuel and his son R' Abraham MAKOWICZKI    
Sokolka as Reflected in the Hebrew Journalism M. Cinowicz 79
 
MEMOIRS
The Holy Community of Sokola Dawid Yardeni 97
   The River    
   A Market Day    
   The Medical Aid    
   The Simple People    
   The Educational Institutions and the Tarbut School    
   The Synagogues    
   Sabbath in the Shtetl    
   The High Holidays    
   Passover Eve    
   The Bakeris' Owners    
   A Wedding in Sokolka    
   The Fire Brigade    
During the Days of World War I David Yardeni 123
   Departure    
   The Retreat of the Russian Army    
   The Conquest of Sokolka by the German Army    
   The Election for the Community Committee    
   German Schools    
   The Drama Section    
   The End of the German Occupation    
   The Conquest of Sokolka by the Polish Army    
   Polish Army Advances towards the Russian Territories    
   The Conquest of Sokolka by the Soviet Army in 1919    
   The Image of LIPCZER    
My Town Meir Kaplan 151
Memoirs Abraham Shuali 152
Sokolka during the Year of 1933 David Yardeni 165
Haulitzku (phonetically spelt) Icchak Kunst – Amanuti 167
The Journey to Eretz Israel Gdalyahu Waisman 168
The Examinations of the Pedagogue Courses Alumni in Grodno M. Cinowicz 169
On Me and on My Neck Benyamin Even 171
L”G B'Omer in the Forest Towa Soczkower-Kunst 175
Reminiscences Ewen Benjamin Icchak 175
Thoughts and Memories Jakob Walgal 177
To My Family Chaja Shaked 179
Childhood memoirs during WWI Becalel Dunski 184
During Twilight Menachem Zoharoni 186
Memory of Kolonia Izaaka Menuchah Shmilovitz (née Eckstein) 191
Where are you my Shtetl? Reuwen Mendelberg 195
 
SHTETL FOLKLORE
The Memory of Sokolka Benjamin Dombrowski 209
The Shtibl of Kock Hassidim Yekutiel Chinski 211
The Suburb Cypora Szmidt-Wajsbol 219
At Those Days Ada Lewin-Gershoni 219
Motele the Water Carrier Gdalyahu Wajsman 220
Fire at the Goyyim Houses Gdalyahu Wajsman 221
Two Who Have Been a Model to All of Us Gdalyahu Wajsman 221
The Folklore at the “Tarbut” School “Talmud Torah” (Learning the Torah) Abraham Chinski 222
The “Tarbut” School Shalom Zamir 229
   KAPLAN Natanel the Teacher    
   LEDZEN Benjamin the Teacher    
   The Summer Camps in the Forests    
   Sleighs    
   Musical Boxes    
   Military Maneuvers    
   The Drunks    
   “Nuchem Doy”    
   Parades and Rallies    
   The Disgrace    
   The Siege and the Battle    
   Stealing for G_d    
Our Shtetl Moshe Menaszewicz 255
Sokolka in Ordinary Days and Holidays (Recorded by Cwi NAFCHA) Chaja Lea Kaplan 257
 
PERSONS AND PERSONALITIES
Mosze Zeew EVEN (R' Mosze Welwel STEIN) Benjamin Even Stein 269
My Mother Rachel of Blessed Memory Benjamin Even Stein 269
Chaim Lejb RAJZKIND   271
Our Brother Shchena Son of Abraham & Sara KRANT Rywka Krant Ben Haim and Golda Krant Gilwowski 273
Dr. Ben-Zion GILWOWSKI Yehuda Gilboa 275
Alter the Gabbai (the Treasurer of the Synagogue) Gdalyahu Wajsman 275
The Family KOREKT Chana Korekt Margalith 276
An Improper Couple Icchak Even 277
Kalman son of Yecheskel TARLOWICZ Chaja Tarlowicz 279
Meir TARLOWICZ Ben-Zion Pomeranc 279
Nachum Dow KUNST Benni Kunst (Amanuti) 280
The Teachers in Sokolka Gdalyahu Wajsman 281
   Der Dereczyner Melamed    
   Yosef Chaim der Melamed    
   Der Stobiner Melamed    
   The Family KANTOR    
   Abraham KANTOR    
   Pnina KANTOR née WILINSKI    
About R' Mosze KATZNELBOGEN Mordechai Bunim z”l 287
R' Chaim Meir Szmul David Yardeni 289
Learned Men and Torah Scholars M. Cinowicz 289
   R' Eliahu and his Son-in-Law Hillel Mosze GLAWSTEIN    
   First Leather Cooperative    
R' Chaim Berl STEIN Ester Stein-Miszkinski (his great granddaughter) 292
Chaia EFRATI z”l – a Bereaved Mother Ester Rajzkind 292
To the memory of Lea PERLSTEIN z”l Itka 295
To the memory of Lea PERLSTEIN z”l Pnina Spierstein 298
Natanel KAPLAN z”l Meir Kaplan 299
My Sister Chaja “Chiente” Cipora Szmidt Weisbol 299
Masza CHINSKI née SZAPIRA   300
 
PARTIES AND INSTITUTIONS
The Freiheit Movement Abraham Shuali – Fuks 305
Fire Brigade Icchak Even 306
“Linat Tzedek” Baruch Chayut (Lebendik) 309
“Tzeirei Tzion” “Kadima”, “Hachalutz” Abraham Chinski 311
Libraries in Our Town Abraham Chinski & Baruch Chayt (Lebendik) 319
“Linat Tzedek” Hinda Galkin – Terczes 321
The Zionist Youth Movements Shalom Zamir 321
The First Hebrew School in Sokolka Nachum Kunst 321
Memoirs of the “Heder Metukan” (modern Heder). Sokolka as an educational enter) Abraham Chinski 324
Thoughts, Yizkor    
 
DESTRUCTION AND THE HOLOCAUST
Thoughts, (in the Night of Tevet 10) Mosze Monaszewicz 337
Yizkor Mosze Monaszewicz 338
Poem of Grief about the Destroyed Sokolka Nachum Dow Kunst-Amanuti 341
The Invasion of the Germans to Sokolka (Testimony of an Eye Witness) Zonia Miler-Wolgel 342
Sokolka under the Conquerors' Occupation Aleksander Kantorowski 343
   The First Occupation    
   The Second German Occupation 1941    
The Last Days of the Sokolka Jews (Testimony taken by Cwi NAPHCHA KOWALSKI 21/8/1946) Chaja Lea Kaplan 346
In the Ghetto Testimony taken in February 10th 1960 Benjamin Kotler 354
Sokolka without Jews (Visit in Sokolka at 1944) Adv. Nisan (Neussi) Tykocinski 355
 
BLESSED BE THEIR MEMORY
Memorial Candle to My Parents z”l (R' Bacalel ZAKHAJ”M and Chana) Cypora Hajman 369
To the Memory of All My POZNIAK Family Yehudit Pozniak Freund 373
Baruch Cwi son of R' Shalom Halevi z”l Scribe (for the Law, Phylacteries and Mezuzoth) Y. Zamir 374
Abraham YARDENI z”l   376
 
SOKOLKA OUR SHTETL (Yiddish)
Yizkor Abraham Zak (Buenos Aires) 381
To Remember the Martyrs of Sokolka Mosze Monaszewicz 385
 
THE PAST OF SOKOLKA (Yiddish)
The Dates of Sokolka   393
The History of Sokolka M. Sh. Geshori 397
Sokolka by the End of the 17th Century Z. Hanik 407
Sokolka in the First World War Y. Szlajmkowicz 413
Sokolka in the Light of the Newspapers Y. Cinowicz 425
   R' Yehoshua Cwi SARNA 1881, 1889    
   Szmuel ZONENSZAJN 1882    
   Yecheskel SIDRANSKI 1883    
   Lajb PODOLSKI 1884    
   Rober FRIDBERG    
   Michael LIPSZYC 1884, 1888    
   Ger Toshav 1887    
Sokolka of My Youth M. Hakohen Sinai 433
The Gaon and Zadik R' Yosele ztz”l M. Sh. Geshori 437
 
MEMOIRS (Yiddish)
My Memories about Sokolka Mosze Miszkinski 449
My Sokolka Ben-Zion Hassid 457
A Poem Mosze Monaszewicz (Moshele Malach) 465
Episodes Ester Miszkinski 473
Sokolka in the Expulsion Moshele Kremer (Brazil) 477
Memories about Sokolka Abraham Fridberg 481
Memoirs Rachel Dunski (Kaya Halpern) 487
The Past of Sokolka Abraham Stanislawski 489
 
IMAGES (Yiddish)
Becalel TERKEL   497
The Feldcher (aid-man) Chaim SZMUKLER Israel Szmukler 499
My Brother Iczel Riwl Szapira-Melcberg 501
 
THE HOLOCAUST (Yiddish)
Extermination Rachel Malski-Tykocinski 513
The Kelbasin Lager Symcha Lazar 523
Testimony Bracha Friedman-Barawik 525
Testimony Icchak Kotler 531
Memorial Candle Ester Holcman 533
Survival during the War Times Abraham – Aleksander Kantorowski 537
Diary of Suffering and Pain (1943) From German: M. Turek 543
Icchak GOLDSTEIN - Fighter in the Warsaw Ghetto Revolt Meilech Neustadt 547
 
MISCELLANEOUS (Yiddish & Hebrew)
Sokolkers in America   553
Sokolkers in Israel Ben-Zion Hassid 565
Messiah in Dream and in Life (a Ballad of the Old Home) Father! I searched for it in the map of world, your hometown Sokolka, but I have not found it… Mosze Monaszewicz 569
“Di Kolonye Izaaka” Sarah Chinsky 577
To the Memory of the Odelsk Martyrs Itka Broida 583
The People of Sokolka in Israel Gdalyahu Waisman 587
The Foundation of Kfar Mallal    
 
PINKAS SOKOLKA
Protocols of the Community Committee of Sokolka in 8 January – 22 October 1919 (Hebrew Yiddish)   593
 
MANIFESTOS
“Elections Campaign” to the Community Committee (“Vaad Hakahal”)   697
 
List of People From Sokolka in Israel Today (As of 1968)   721
List of People From Sokolka in the Diaspora   739
People From Sokolka Who Died in Israel   745
List of the Martyrs - Necrology   751
R' Moshe Lajb and His Wife   769
Tombstone in Shoah Cellar Mount Zion Jerusalem   771
Seven Trees in the Forest of the Martyrs Jerusalem   773
Errors List   775
Introduction in English   778


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