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[Page 179]
Translated by Jerrold Landau
by Yaakov the son of Yosef Kolozny
When the Rabbi from Slonim, who had served in David-Horodok for many years, died, the householders and gabbaim [trustees] of the large Beis Midrash began to search for a replacement. At first, they brought the well-known Rabbi Hershkovitz to Horodok. However, after he spent two weeks in Horodok and noticed the cool relations toward him, he decided to leave the place, despite all
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the urgings that later came from the people of Horodok when they realized too late what type of an illustrious personality he was. It should be noted that Rabbi Hershkovitz was accepted as the rabbi of Frankfurt am Main.
The connoisseurs of Horodok relate that during the time that Rabbi Hershkovitz was in Horodok, Reb Shlomo Zagorodski, one of the teachers of young children in Horodok, led the Mincha service on one of the weekdays and got mixed up. Rabbi Shlomo became shaken up and afraid, and could not calm down. When he was asked later what happened, he returned, “A strong deep fire,” pointing to the place where Rabbi Hershkovitz was standing, “is present before my eyes.” After a brief time, Rabbi Shneur Zalman Shapira, may the memory of the holy be blessed, the rabbi of Olshany near Vilna, came to serve as the rabbi in Horodok. He continued his role until the outbreak of the last war.
His first speech in the large Beis Midrash, which was filled to the brim, made a deep impression. It was a grandiloquent speech, full to the brim with heartwarming parables, Torah, and wisdom, all blended together. It should not noted that Rabbi Shapira of blessed memory was the first and only Zionist rabbi in Horodok. He was affiliated with Mizrachi [religious Zionist movement], and was very active in the field of Zionism.
He was tall, with penetrating eyes, a sharp mind, a warm heart, and was alert to everything that was taking place in the city. He was active and urged others to be active. He taught and educated, and fought strongly without playing favorites. He made himself available to everyone, religious and secular, Zionists and haters of Zion. Through his sharp explanations and reasoning, he would exert his influence based on the verse, “The Glory of Israel does not lie.” [I Samuel 15: 29].
He was very active, and even stood at the helm of various institutions and organizations: Keren Hayesod [Foundation Fund] and Keren Kayemet [Jewish National Fund], the committee for the Yeshivot, the charitable fund, the orphans' committee, and various social institutions. He was always an example, and never refused to collect money for all types of needy people.
As a spiritual shepherd, he succeeded through his great influence in instituting the study of Gemara in the Tarbut School of Horodok. Despite all his efforts in civic matters, he himself served as the Gemara teacher, and succeeded, though his great devotion, in laying the foundations of the Oral Torah within the walls of the school.
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He preached Zionism from the synagogue pulpit. Thanks to that, the religious people drew near to Zionism. He was sent on missions outside of Horodok on behalf of the Mizrachi headquarters, and he delivered enthusiastic speeches on behalf of Zionism and the Land.
In his public appearances, he was almost the only one who appeared on behalf of the community on the national holidays of Poland, or during a visit of a Polish religious personality or the Minister of Education. He would deliver a benediction on behalf of the Jews of Horodok. He was also the official rabbi recognized by the authorities.
He would draw hearts close, despite the conflicts between Misnagdim and Hassidim. He would go the synagogue of the Hassidim of Karlin and Stolin on the nights of Passover to recite Hallel with the congregation, and he would also go there to participate in the hakafot [Torah processions] on Shemini Atzeret[1]. He would also go on Chanukah to take part in the celebration of the release from jail of the rabbi and Tzadik Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, may the memory of the holy be blessed[2]. On Simchat Torah, the Hassidic community would come to Rabbi Shapira for the Kiddush that he hosted in their honor. When the Admorim of Karlin and Stolin would visit Horodok, Rabbi Shapira would visit them, and they would pay a reciprocal visit.
Thus did he serve in honesty, faith, and uprightness as the renowned rabbi of Horodok. He led his flock as a merciful father who shields from issues – until the war broke out.
When the government of Horodok passed to the Soviets, Rabbi Shapira remained there for about two weeks. When Vilna was given over to the Lithuanians, he decided to go there with his wife in order to be closer to the Land of Israel.
On the final Saturday night before he left Horodok, the people of the city gathered to bid him farewell. Nachman Blizhovsky of blessed memory accompanied him to the Luninets station. He later said that when one of the Soviet commissars asked him who was traveling, and what were the books he had with him, he responded, “He is a lawyer, and the books are books of law and jurisprudence.”
He remained in Lithuania for about three months. When he received a certificate [for aliya] from the Mizrachi headquarters, he made aliya to the Land in an airplane along with his wife.
He lived in the Land for about ten years until he became ill and suffered greatly. He maintained his stance thanks to his only son and daughter-in-law who supported him and helped him during his illness.
Rabbi Shapira died on 8 Tammuz 5708 [1948] during the siege of Jerusalem in the War of Independence. He was brought to burial in the holy city of Jerusalem under a barrage of bullets and shells.
The natives of Horodok in the Land were unable to give him his final honor. The spiritual personality passed away, alone and isolated, but his memory will never depart from the midst of the natives of our city.
Translator's footnotes
[by Rabbi Techoresh][i]
Reb Shimon Ronkin of blessed memory was a resident of Schunat Shapira neighborhood [a neighborhood of Tel Aviv] for several years. He died in the year 5693 [1938]. He was a scholar, upright in his ways, modest and humble, and very pleasant to his fellow man. He taught Torah in public in that neighborhood, and conducted classes in Ein Yaakov and Mishna. He even led them in a personal manner, with fine explanations that were easy to understand. He instilled in the hearts of his listeners the pure spirit of G-d, the love of the Land, and the love of Israel.
The worshippers of the central synagogue in Schunat Shapira and the neighborhood invited him to serve in a holy capacity there, but they did not relate to him as a shamash [beadle], but rather as a spiritual guide, and rabbi and a teacher. They absorbed from him a full dose of Torah, fear of Heaven, and proper conduct, all with the dedication to the Land of Israel and its upbuilding.
Rabbi Techoresh, the rabbi of the neighborhood, honored him greatly. Alongside with his holy service in the synagogue, the rabbi included him in his spiritual work, and consulted with him on all issues of the neighborhood.
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Reb Shimon was happy for the privilege of being able to live in the Holy Land. He was always smiling, and we never saw him angry.
He also had an influence upon the youth. He taught them, guided them, and served as a father and patron to anyone who approached him. He related to all of them with affection and a loving spirit.
Reb Shimon was a central personality in the neighborhood, injecting Torah and spiritual life and enthusiasm into the synagogue. He maintained the order and influenced the worshippers, who accepted his instructions willingly, since everyone honored and revered him.
He died at an old age. Rabbi Techoresh eulogized him with heartfelt feelings, stressing that the neighborhood had suffered a great loss, and that he himself had lost his right hand.
The neighborhood erected a memorial for him in the synagogue.
With his purity and uprightness, Reb Shimon Ronkin was a father and an example for the previous generation. Woe for the person lost who will not be forgotten.
May his soul be bound in the bonds of eternal life.
Coordinator's footnote
by Ch. B.
He was one of the first activists of the Third Aliya in Poland, from the splendid era of the Land of Israel offices in the Diaspora. He was active in their organization and activities. He fulfilled important roles in their leadership until the destruction and the Holocaust.
He was born in David-Horodok in 1892 and began his Zionist activity as a teacher in the district school. However, he did not find satisfaction in the life of the town, so he went to Warsaw after the World War. In 1921, he started his activities in the arena of aliya, as the director of the division of information at the central office of the Land of Israel in Warsaw. He did a great deal in organizing mass aliya from Poland via Romania. He concerned himself with the groups of olim [immigrants to the Land of Israel] and in improving their conditions of travel to the Land. In 1925, he was appointed as director of the central office of the Land of Israel in Warsaw. He served in that difficult role until the outbreak of the Second World War, and into the Nazi occupation period, until no further chance remained for people to save themselves and make aliya to the Land.
He went to Vilna in 1940 along with a group of Zionist activists, and remained in contact with the Land and the representatives of the aliya office in Kushta [Constantinople], until there was no longer a path toward aliya. He then made aliya through a tortuous route and arrived in the Land, while his family went out with the last olim from Trieste.
He did not rest when he arrived in the Land. He immediately went to Tehran to organize the aliya of Polish refugees who went from Russia to Persia, so that they could reach the gates of the Land. The era of the rescue aliya via Persia demanded efforts and organizational talents, with negotiations with high level foreign governments. There, he found an arena to work on great things. He was a man of aliya even after he returned from Tehran. He devoted all his energy and talents to work for the rescue committee, which was one of the pillars of his activity.
With the founding of the State of Israel, he was appointed as director of the supervisory division of the Ministry of the Interior. He contributed greatly to instilling order and methodology in the work of the local committees in the area of budget. Through this, he came in contact with the state audit office, and was appointed to an important organizational committee therein. In the final year, 1955, he was accepted unanimously as the auditor of the city of Tel Aviv, with all its divisions and activities. He founded and directed the audit office of that city, and was able to produce a report of his activities, which was accepted with great appreciation.
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In the final year, he was afflicted with a difficult illness, that he was no longer able to withstand. Even during his illness, he did not stop concerning himself with the oversight of the audit office that he had set up and founded with great effort and talent.
With his death, the personage of a faithful activist of the Third Aliya, from its beginning to its end, was taken from us. He went through all of its difficulties and adventures. He was one of those who held the helm in stormy Polish Jewry until its destruction. He did not rest or remain quiet, as he assisted and saved thousands of people until they came to the Land.
Blessed is his memory for all those who knew him.
by M. Gurari
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His life was full of plots and decorated with deeds. From a young age, the train of his life galloped through many stations, barely stopping. As an extern in his native city of David-Horodok, his desire for education led him to far-off Moscow. Then came the period of the First World War, and Shafer was caught up in the Russian army, and from there, he became a German prisoner. When he returned from captivity, he pitched his tent in Warsaw. As he sat in its schools, he transferred from the language of enslaving Russia to the language of liberated Poland. These schools served as magnets for the youths who desired knowledge. Indeed, until his thoughts went from potential to actuality, he occupied himself in teaching Hebrew and turned his attention to the area of activism and civil service. He then started working at the office of the Land of Israel. When he was only 30 years old, the leadership of Zionism was placed in his hands, as he directed the office of the Land of Israel in large Jewish centers of Europe.
That office was no ordinary office, with limited and measured activity, a measured and balanced budget, and with work set out in an orderly fashion. His incarnations were many and extreme. The desire for aliya in the midst of the Jews of Poland burst forth strongly. Those who were failing in the enchantment of redemption, and those who were persecuted by tribulations would knock on the door of the office to request salvation and assistance. Then, the office would buzz like a beehive from the sound of the crowd of olim and the bustle of those accompanying them, and from the tumult of those making aliya “by force” and their recommenders, coming and going, making noise and causing noise; and from the bustle and businesses of hundreds of officials, issuing directions and instructions as attendants at the central station.
However, there were also cases when the gates of the Land were locked with seven locks, and the key was in the hands of the British masters of the Land. Or there was a serious crisis – political or economic – afflicting the Land, and the hearts of the olim hesitated as to whether it might be best to defer aliya until the wrath passed. Then the office of the Land of Israel stood cold and bored, with nobody visiting, nobody coming and nobody going. The hustle and bustle quieted. The workers were bare and empty-handed. Their splendor departed, as leaves before the autumn.
Shafer of blessed memory led it through the waves of the storm, and he did not let his ship descend to despair and helplessness. Degradation did not afflict him, and pride did not entice him. He saw into the distant horizons as a clear-sighted captain, as he guarded the kernel of the faithful and talented staff.
Shafer's appearance was something of the landscape of his native Polesye, like a branch of a firmly rooted tree: wide-boned, with a large head, as if he were planted upon his soil. He had a heavy step, lifting a foot and putting it down, lifting and putting down. His speech was like his appearance: with broad folios, wide-branched, and picturesque. As he spoke, a mischievous smile appeared between his eyes, as sunrays between the clouds. Therefore, his appearance was so convincing, and his words were heeded in the offices of the Polish government, at the consulates, and at the emigration institutions. Shafer did not stand at the doors of the rulers as an emissary of a poor, persecuted nation. Rather, he represented those who sent him with honor and strength.
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Thus was Rafael Shafer there in Warsaw in the midst of his nation, the Jewish nation of Poland.
When the eagle descended on European Jewry, and Polish Jewry was its prey, Shafer's world darkened. Nevertheless, he succeeded in escaping from the Nazi dragon and arriving in the land of his desires along with a group of Zionist leaders. However, he no longer found rest. He was apparently cut off from Polish Jewry, from which he had drawn his life force. His body became shriveled and bent, his face grayed, and the sparkle of his eyes dimmed. With immeasurable dedication, he placed all his energy in the rescue activities of the Jewish Agency. The Jewish Agency sent him on a mission to head the Land of Israel office in Tehran, which served at that time, during the Second World War, as an important transit station for saving Jewish refugees who had escaped from Poland and Russia. Apparently, the contact with brands plucked from the fire of the abyss[1] fanned the flames of his soul. However, the fire was quickly extinguished. He found no rest. The tragic fate of Polish Jewry did not escape him.
When the state was established, Shafer left the Jewish Agency, to which he had be bound with all the stands of his soul for more than twenty-five years. He went to follow after his teacher and master, Yitzchak Greenbaum, who served as the first Minister of the Interior of the State of Israel. Even there, the hammer did not meet its anvil. The severed branch was no longer able to strike roots.
It seemed that he had found his place for some time in the audit office. It was as if his wings opened up again to a bridge between the glorious past and the secure, busy present. However, his heart became a nest of worms. When he left the national audit office to serve as the auditor of the city of Tel Aviv, I asked him, “What indeed does your soul seek?” “My soul seeks my Jews; it seeks, but I do not find them…” And tears poured from his dimmed eyes.
The train of the life of Shafer of blessed memory galloped along, and did not slow down when it reached a remote station. Rather, it galloped on straight to the crossing of the border of life. It was not for Shafer to become bored or stagnate in a stop that he had no desire for. His life was woven as a book with much tension and a heavy plot; and when it reached pages that were devoid of plot, several pages turned at once, as a reader seeking a plot turns through pages devoid of meaning.
Even before he managed to become a burden upon himself, the redemption of death came upon him. May his soul be bound in the bonds of eternal life.
Translator's footnote
by Tz. Rosenstein
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How can I lift up my words, for they are too poor to express the depth of sorrow in the heart of his many friends over his untimely death. For we all loved Yehuda Kashtan, the good, the noble and refined spirit.
He did not conduct himself in a grandiose style. He did not deliver speeches or write articles. He was modest, and conducted his work quietly. He did not wish to stand out, “to capture a place.” With all this he stood out with his generous traits, pleasant mannerisms, upright heart, natural folksiness, and simple charm. It was good to be in his home, the home of Yehuda and Beila Kashtan, may she live long. Great warmth emanated from their home. How great was the cordiality that enveloped anyone who entered.
For us, the people of the Land of Israel who went to Poland for Hechalutz [The Pioneer] matters, the home of Yehuda and Beila Kashtan in Warsaw was like a home of the Land of Israel, through the Hebrew that was fluent on the mouths of the entire family, through the songs of the Land of Israel, popular and Hassidic tunes, and the Zionist atmosphere that pervaded there. I will always remember the grace of Yehuda and Beila's home, which calmed the hearts that were perturbed by communal affairs.
Even in Poland, he was close in spirit to the Workers in the Land of Israel movement. He joined the party of the Workers in the Land of Israel, in which he saw the primary force for the upbuilding of the Land.
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Yehuda was a Zionist and a Hebraist from his early youth. He was well grounded in fundamental Hebrew culture. He started out as a Hebrew teacher in our town, David-Horodok of Polesye. He continued working in the field of aliya until his last year. At first in the Land of Israel office in Warsaw, where he served as the secretary for many years. In its time, the office of the Land of Israel in Warsaw was the largest aliya office in the Diaspora. Myriads of olim [immigrants to the Land of Israel] passed through it, and very many of them remember to this day the loving care of Y. Kashtan, his great patience, and his pleasant countenance. He was happy when he could help someone in a practical manner, giving good advice.
After he made aliya to the Land at the beginning of the World War, he joined the aliya office of the Jewish Agency, at first in Haifa and later in Jerusalem. He fulfilled responsible roles. He worked with dedication and all his energy, for he saw his life's mission in this work. He had an alert eye and saw many things, including those that oppressed his spirit greatly. Nevertheless, he was not a man of war, and he did not know how to fight strongly, neither in communal matters nor in his personal affairs. He only knew how to pour out the bitterness of his heart in the ears of friends.
When many of his friends found out that Yehuda suffered from a heart disease, they were surprised: the quiet Yehuda, with such a pleasant disposition, was apparently not inclined to get angry, and never lost his temper – how could he have a heart disease? It was perhaps because of this, because his choked off the pain very deep in his heart, that his heart was damaged and slowly but surely became burnt.
by Y. Ritov
He was born on 29 Kislev 5655 [1895] in David-Horodok in Polesye, Russia – that same Polesye that played such a great, significant role in the upbuilding of our Land. It was that area that gave us Chaim Weizmann! It was its cities and towns – chief among them Pinsk and Brisk – that gave us the best human resources for Zionism, and the first of the finest of the pioneering movement and the movement for the Workers in the Land of Israel.
Life was bitter in desolate, impoverished Polesye, a region of broad bogs. The land was weak, and its entire body was bleak. Its people struggled hard for their existence. The battle for existence of the Jewish population of Polesye was sevenfold difficult. However, that battle forged and consolidated a sublime type of folksy Jew, who loved work, was diligent in deeds, was wise and understanding, pure of heart, following the straight path, and seeking Torah and knowledge. In this area of settlement, there were many farmers. There were Jewish farmers, among the few in the Diaspora.
Vibrant, strong, and broad spiritual and communal life flowed forth from Jewish Polesye. There were great rabbis of Israel there. Some were the leaders of Misnagdim [non-Hassidic people] – illustrious scholars, those who could uproot mountains – and others were Hassidic Rebbes. There were revolutionaries of renown there – from the cream of the crop of the Bund and other Socialist parties. There were various ideological streams, but Zionism took the top place. The longing for Zion, redemption, and pure life of labor on the soil of the Hebrew homeland burst forth and rose up above all the voices and ideas. Polesye was a fortress of Zionism, pioneering, and the Hebrew language.
In one of the veteran Jewish settlements of this Polesye, excellent in its folksiness and grace of dedication – in David-Horodok – Yehuda Kashtan was born and raised, with the handsomeness of his appearance, nobility of his soul, sweetness of his melody. His diligence and excellence in studies conquered all hearts. His city was honored because of him and proud of him, for he brought it great renown. He was a basket full of books[1], fluent in Hebrew, and he knew how to express himself in that language with the fullness of its rich bounty. He absorbed all the Jewish values. He was an enthusiastic Hassid and, above all, a Zionist and a pioneer.
He moved to Stolin during his youth, where he married his friend Beila, may she live. He worked in teaching, and was quickly appointed as principal of the Tarbut School. To this day, his students recall with awe and love their time of studying in that school which he led and where he taught. Hebrew teachers and educators
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in Poland placed special hope in him. However, his period of teaching did not last long. When they were searching a “person of growth, of which there are few,” an active Zionist, fluent in the Hebrew language, who works diligently and is pleasant in his mannerisms to serve as secretary of the central Land of Israel office in Warsaw, they found none better than Yehuda – the young man, modest and humble, eschewing fame and honor, doing his work for Zionism and pioneering, and disseminating Torah to the Jewish children in a remote corner of far-off Polesye.
He moved with his family to Warsaw and built his home there. This was the only Hebrew speaking home in Warsaw, with its 350,000 Jews. They only spoke Hebrew: both the parents and the children. A good spirit, the spirit of the additional soul, pervaded in that house. The home was a gathering point for wise people, writers, activists, pioneers, and regular fine Jews descended from fine Jews.
Y. Kashtan was a sort of institution in his own right in the office of the Land of Israel. He was an “institution” of grace, kindness, and love of his fellow man. Myriads upon myriads of candidates for aliya would frequent the office of the Land of Israel in Warsaw. They would come there, and mull about with noise and commotion – refugees from Russia and Ukraine, pioneers, regular people from all corners of Poland, Zionist activists – they were olim; every oleh is also an “immigrant” – a wandering person, uprooted from their land of origin and not yet rooted in the new land. The people were perplexed and nervous, with heavy spirits and hearts. They were searching for a good and helpful person – and they found such with the “institution” whose name was – Yehuda Kashtan. Masses of olim – residents of Israel – remember the man Kashtan with trembling and reverence. They remember his heartwarming relationships, his humaneness, and the bountiful help that he offered them.
At the beginning of the Second World War, Kashtan succeeded in escaping Nazi Warsaw together with his family. He made aliya to the Land and settled in Jerusalem, where he was immediately accepted as the secretary of the aliya department of the Jewish Agency.
From the day of his arrival in Jerusalem he blended in fully with the spiritual landscape. He became an inseparable part of the supernal Jerusalem. He knew all the recesses of the city. He frequented the communal gathering cases, the neighborhoods, and the synagogues, where he would from time to time reveal precious spiritual treasures – reveal them and disseminate them in public.
He was a faithful member of the Workers in the Land of Israel party.
The personage of splendor and glory, full of light, wisdom, and love, has disappeared. May his soul be bound in the bonds of the life of the nation and its land.
Translator's footnote
by Gloiberman
The teacher from whom I gained a great deal of knowledge in Hebrew language and grammar, Bible, and the new Hebrew literature – was Y. Kashtan.
He was a never-ending wellspring of stories from the Talmud, Midrash, and other books, through which he captured our hearts. We sat bound to the table as he told us all sorts of stories in his innocence, and we listened with great intention. He did not know of administering beatings, as did the other melamdim [teachers]. Rather, he disseminated Torah and education[1]. He knew how to guide us and educate us with a proper methodology. He would give us “good” and “excellent” marks. He conducted a physical education class in military order. He would work wonders with his students. One does not even need to speak about quiet, talented lads, for he also did so with those of lesser ability.
When they informed me at home that my teacher would be the aforementioned teacher – I was very pleased, for my brother and sister had already been his students. I doubt that today one could find a teacher such as him who is so dedicated to the good of his students.
He did not just accept any child. He chose. I studied with him in 1916/17. Our progress in all areas was noticeable from week to week and from month to month. It is possible to say that the work of his hands was splendid. It is unfortunate that I did not study with him more than I did.
Translator's footnote
by Yosef Kashtan
(From the Tipusim [Personalities] Series)
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Indeed, our sages of blessed memory had stated, “the block of land is one”[1]. This means the same as “there is the same thing in the pond as in the sea.” This is the imprint of the “coin” – the Jewish essence – that is based upon the religion of Moses and Israel, and that is forged from one imprint, single and unique, complete and all-encompassing, the imprint of the Torah of Israel, its tradition, laws, statutes, customs, and minutiae that have been preserved with a full guarding as they have been transferred from fathers to children, from generation to generation. It includes heaps of fences and protections. That form has been crystallized with sparkling, shiny precious stones. It encompasses the entire Jewish people in its Diaspora, and envelops every Jewish person from the time they emerge to the air of the world until the day of their passing from it – including those days themselves. It is everything and includes everything, including even Jews who sin – with the exception of those who curse the hearth that forged them, those who rebel against the covenant – they lived and live their lives within that reality.
Indeed, such is apparently the case: There is nothing in Brisk and Pinsk other than that which is in Trisk and Minsk, and there is nothing in Luk and David-Horodok other than that which is in Slutsk and Kozhan-Horodok: synagogues, Beis Midrashes here and there, and, to differentiate [between the holy and secular] bathhouses in all those places. There were rabbis, cantors, and shamashim [beadles] as well as musicians in all those places. There were circumcisions, pidyon habens [ceremonies of redemption of the firstborn], engagements and marriages, Sabbaths, festivals, and holidays, cheders and modern cheders, butchers and wagon drivers, merchants and tradespeople, old and new cemeteries, all sorts of groups, etc. etc. Absolutely everything was apparently such.
(This section, the beginning of the article of appreciation of the “Malach” [Angel] the rabbi Reb Avraham Yitzchak, may he rest in paradise, which was designated for the David-Horodok Book – has been found in the estate of Reb Yosef Kashtan, may his memory be blessed. To our great sorrow, he did not merit to finish it.)
Translator's footnote
by Ch. Kolozny
Yosef the son of Reb Noach and Tzira Kashtan, beloved and revered, with the alert and warm heart, was cut off in an untimely manner – the man died before his time.
Who was Yosef, and what was his power? What was his unique charm and grace?
He gained a love of Torah and his fellow man, reverence for those who study Torah as well as the “Tehillim reciter”[1], to those who rise early and go to sleep late -- from his Hassidic educator, the rabbi Reb Avraham Yitzchak the “Malach” of blessed memory.
From his teacher, the sage of the generation, the Chofetz Chaim, may the memory of the holy be blessed, of Radun, he received the fundamentals of diligence, of delving deep into the sea of Talmud, and for studying Torah for its own sake.
From the Hassidim of Stolin, he absorbed Hassidic enthusiasm in all its manifestations – in prayer, in style of worship, and in melody.
From drawing close to educators and teachers, he raised himself to an elevated level – in generous traits and sublime manners, which not every person merits to obtain.
The regular conversation of Yosef of blessed memory was in Torah style, etched and embedded in the heart, spiced and woven with ideas of uprightness, propriety, and nobility.
His mannerisms were pleasant. He was a true friend, lighting up the faces of people and encouraging and assisting them in times of trouble.
His flaming soul, which knew the mystery of devotion; his Hassidic songs and melodies that were taken from the world of music;
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imbued with a spirit of enthusiasm, sublimity, and unity. As he would sing pleasantly, everyone was attracted to him, and the song and prayer burst forth like the waves of the sea, thanks to the great conductor, the possessor of extra spirit, sublime and lofty – forged drop by drop and decorated with emerald stones.
Anyone who had the merit of being his student will never forget his Torah, his lessons, his explanations and commentaries. With the faith he had for Zion and the Hebrew language, he nurtured and educated his many students to believe, like him, in the return of the nation to Zion and the revival of the language of the homeland.
He was one of the first in his native city of David-Horodok to lay the cornerstone of the Hebrew school, the Zionist youth, and those who rebel against the exile and servitude.
He merited to make aliya to the Land and to be among those who actualized. Despite everything he did not complain, but rather bore with love all the difficulties in taking possession of the Land.
Yosef of blessed memory entered the community of teachers, and later he took on the task of secretary of the teachers. He served there for thirty years and accomplished great things in a discreet manner.
With the death of Yosef, we, the family of David-Horodok natives in the Land, lost not only a friend, comrade, and teacher, but rather a personality – he was for us an embodiment of “and every difficult thing shall be brought to Joseph”[2].
Despite all the things keeping him busy, Yosef knew how to place himself at the disposal of the committee of the David-Horodok natives, and to help the survivors of the last war in Russia with all his energy and purity of heart. He supported them, assisted them, and encouraged them.
At gatherings and memorial events, he knew how to express the pain, agony, and general loss, and he always found words of comfort.
With his death, one of the fine, wonderful sons of David-Horodok was taken from us and from the synagogue of the Stolin and Karlin Hassidim. He was burnt by the flame of his soul, consumed by the flame of love and dedication to his fellow man.
He was young and fresh in his spirit and appearance. He was always full of life, brimming with energy, and was a leader in initiative. He was pleasant mannered, beloved and loving. He was a “basket full of books,” full of content. He was both modest and a fighter.
The community of David-Horodok natives in the Land has been bereaved, and we have no comfort. The spokesman and guide of the family of David-Horodok natives has disappeared.
The sorrow is great, and the pain is plentiful. Along with his family, his wife – our exemplary friend – his dear children, and thousands of acquaintances and friends, we weep over the loss of Yosef, the dear man.
“Woe over this wonderful person who has been swallowed by the ground.”
May his memory be blessed!
Translator's footnotes
by Dov Yelin
Dr. B. Ben-Yehuda, the principal of the Herzliya Gymnasium in Tel Aviv:
A friend and comrade of mine has died. I was in the home of the deceased for a few minutes about an hour and a half after he passed away. Relatives usually express their grief with tears and screams. Friends control and suppress their grief, but it is no less deep. For me and a few others, Kashtan of blessed memory was an exemplary friend. I knew him for the entire thirty years that he worked at the institution. I recall the day he started work at the institution. He understood himself, knew his place, and attracted our hearts. I believe I do not err if I state that the office of teachers in Tel Aviv that started that day, in a tiny room, using handwriting for there was not any office equipment, and has now become a significant office in Tel Aviv – can be attributed greatly to Kashtan of blessed memory.
He was only 59 years old when he was taken from us. How much did he desire to work and how he worked with love! Why was he taken from us in an untimely fashion? It is customary to say: A loss that has no replacement. Certainly, someone will be found to direct the office in Tel Aviv and lead it forward; but here was lost a precious combination of realities, the likes of which is hard to find. He was a scholar who honored scholars. He did not tolerate ignorance. He was refined, and he attracted our hearts with his refinement. I remember
[Page 189]
his handwriting, for there were not yet any typewriters. His flyers to the schools were works of craftmanship. He loved flowery language, out of a desire not to be cheap. At times it seemed to us, especially the younger of us, that this was something the time of which had passed. We requested that he write his communications in dry office language. However, his desire to express something nice and fine stood out in every letter of his. His style was not confusing, lacking relevance, or hasty.
Kashtan of blessed memory was a throwback to a noble era. He was honest in a unique fashion. This does not mean that he was unaware of the chicanery within human relations. However, he loved to prove his stance, and his reproof was always pleasant.
Another rare phenomenon with us should be noted. A talented man, a Torah scholar, sat in one place for thirty years. He did not wander or search for ways to ascend the rungs of the group. How great is our need to value this matter in our time. How much are we accustomed to searching for fortunes in new positions. This man spent thirty years in a single place. He started young, and died while still standing guard.
The loss of a man such of this is very sad. A blend such as this in a single person is a rare find. Today, we have technical tools: typewriters, telephones, offices. All this assures greater productivity. However, the question arises: is it not possible for a person today, in this state of technical productivity, to become lost in the meantime? With the death of our friend Kashtan of blessed memory, each of us feels as if a portion of ourselves died. May his memory be blessed.
by Yaakov Rimon
Yosef Kashtan of blessed memory (on the seventh day of his passing)
He was a scholar and a fatherly figure, alert, pure, and heartwarming. He had a noble spirit and a refined soul. He was a true friend. His eyes lit up to every person, and he knew how to share in their pain and difficulties. He was a fighter from the soul, and knew the secret of devotion. He was a Renaissance man, with generous traits. He was humble in mannerisms, and pleasant in all his ways. He was a friendly man, who knew how to speak and urge others to speak. His love of his fellow man was boundless. He demanded much from himself and others.
I met him at conventions and parties, and I knew from up close the purity of his spirit and goodness of his heart. He was a master of rhetoric. His speeches were full of charm, and were listened to with attention and full seriousness, for the man was serious and a deep thinker.
He was a Stoliner Hassid. We enjoyed listening to his sweet Hassidic melodies at all festival parties. Everyone followed along as Yosef sang pleasantly. He revealed himself as a conductor of a large choir, with his face beaming and smiling. He was like a man living in the world of the spirit.
He worshipped in the synagogue of the Stoliner Hassidim on the morning of the bitter day when death suddenly overtook him. He studied a chapter of Mishna for the elevation of the soul of his brother Yehuda Kashtan. He chatted innocently before he said goodbye to the congregation of worshipers. “I will retire in another six years, and I will come to you regularly to worship and study.” On a weekday night, one could find Yosef Kashtan standing in a corner of Heichal Hatalmud[1], listening to a class on Mussar [Jewish morality]. He set times for the study of Torah, and astounded the congregation with the study of Midrash Rabba. His pleasant explanations excited his audience.
He was a good friend and true brother to all of us. He was dedicated to the religious labor movement in the Land with all strands of his soul. He worked in teaching for years, and then in the teachers' office in Tel Aviv. All the teachers who came in contact with him loved him boundlessly. Anyone who entered his office was received pleasantly. He was concerned with any teacher during their lifetime and with their family after their death.
We weep over his untimely death along with his many friends.
May his precious memory be blessed forever.
Translator's footnote
by Y. Ben-Shachar
She was a member of the Lisovitz Hachshara [pioneer training] Kibbutz. She was dedicated and concerned about everybody. She made aliya in 1926. She was with her sister Shoshana Lev of blessed memory in Kfar Saba during the first period, but she moved to Tel Aviv and worked in a sock factory, and later in sorting oranges in an orchard. She gained a trade with great difficulty and effort, but she was able to overcome everything. She worked in tending to young orchards during the summer. She was honest, proper, and pleasant, and was able to attract friends. She married Yaakov Greenspan-Aharoni of Stolin and established a fine family, with two sons, a daughter, and an orderly home. A malignant disease put an end to her beautiful life, and she departed from us suddenly. How we loved her. She was the image of a pioneer who was able to overcome everything, to encourage anyone suffering, ad to help everyone in need. Only a short time ago, she came to ask for help for a sick friend. She always concerned herself with anyone who needed help.
Her strong, dear, charming personality will always remain before our eyes.
She died on 19 Tishrei 5717, October 5, 1955. A large number of people came to accompany her on her final journey. Peace be upon her remains. May her soul be bound in the bonds of eternal life.
by Chaim Kolozny
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He was like his name[1]. He conducted business faithfully. He planted the love of friends and love of Heaven among his children, friends, and acquaintances.
He was born in the village of “Bilohosh” [Belousha] between David-Horodok and Stolin to his parents Reb Eliezer and Tauba. He excelled in his studies, in delving into his learning in depth, and in his diligence and consistency. He was considered as a wonder child by anyone who knew him.
And he did not disappoint! His quick grasp, sharpness of mind, and memory prowess were an example to everyone.
He began to work in business with great success while still young. His knowledge of the vernacular opened up for him the courts of the estate owners, with whom he maintained business connections.
When he was freed from military service, he married Ester, the daughter of Reb Avraham and Tzipa Baruchin.
He moved to David-Horodok in 1911 and was considered to be one of the pillars of support of the synagogue of the Hassidim of Stolin and Karlin.
Reb Natan Nota was a great believer, thanks to the education that he received in his parents' home and in the court of the Admor of Stolin. He absorbed numerous Hassidic stories into his soul and his essence.
His zealousness for faith, religion, and tradition was great. This was demonstrated through the staff of his mouth, from which he would preach morality and guidance. He concerned himself with the needy when he was in the Diaspora, and continued along that path as well in the Land. He never neglected any opportunity. He was always prepared to help, and there were many honorable people whose entire needs he filled.
Family purity[2] was at the top of his concerns. Along with his friend Reb Yosef the son of Reb Moshe Kolozny, he bore the burden of repairing and maintaining the city bathhouse in a proper, satisfactory manner.
Since he was sharp and learned, he was invited to all types of arbitrations. He succeeded in building bridges over the chasm and finding the golden path even in the most difficult cases.
Even though he was busy in business, he set times to study Torah and wisdom. He greatly appreciated the rabbi Reb Avraham Yitzchak. He was among those who tarried in his house while enjoying the pearls of wisdom from his mouth.
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Reb Natan Nota Gloiberman was the embodiment of a Jew of stature and pleasant mannerisms, with fine, refined traits. He possessed understanding and appreciated the good in a person and the honor of his soul.
He merited to make aliya to the Land together with his wife and part of his family, where he enjoyed the holiness of the Land. He reached a ripe old age[3], and he fulfilled the commandment of Torah study until almost his final day. He died with a clear mind. His final words were “Read on! And I must go!”
All the natives of David-Horodok weep along with his family members over the death of this dear, prominent Jew, Reb Natan Nota Gloiberman of blessed memory.
May his soul be bound in the bonds of eternal life.
Translator's footnotes
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[Page 192]
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This was really his name! That is what the David-Horodokers called him. His occupation was meager: small-scale trade in pig bristles, but his needs were few and he was mostly silent. He was a precious Jew, with good manners, a G-d fearing believer, who was among those who frequented the study-house. He was a devoted friend of Rabbi Dovidl. He was both humble and zealous for G-d and His Torah. He was an exceptional man, an honor to the David-Horodokers, and an example to many. He will be remembered positively, and his good name will remain forever.
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He was a merchant who traded in textiles, a trade where many bankruptcies occurred. He did not fail. His energetic wife helped him, and they lived a quiet and honorable bourgeois life. He was considered a quiet, humble, and pleasant man. May his memory be a blessing.
[Page 193]
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He was very poor. His livelihood was selling newspapers, but this did not provide an adequate income for him. One could meet him running about selling the papers, revisiting the few existing subscribers, and trying to enlarge the number of readers. However, most of his time was dedicated to the Beis Midrash – that was his real place. He would listen to the lesson, learn it by himself, and then complete the quorum of men who spent their entire day in the large Beis Midrash. He was a righteous, observant Jew. May his soul be bound in the bonds of eternal life.
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He was one of the hundred butchers in the town, who earned their livelihoods with difficulty. He was an honest Jew with an upright posture and a leisurely pace. He accepted the difficulties of life without complaint, and endured everything quietly. He was considered one of the honest and faithful ones from among his trade. Let him be remembered positively among all the martyrs of Horodok.
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