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[Page 363 - Yiddish] [Page 32 - Hebrew]
By Yosef Lifshitz
Text translated by Norman Helman z”l
Yiddish captions translated by Jerrold Landau
Political, Cultural and Organizational Institutions
1. The Zionist Movement
David-Horodok was pro-Zionist since the times of the Chovevei Zion [Lovers of Zion]. As mentioned previously, the town was under the influence of Lithuanian Jewry. The Haskalah [Enlightenment] movement came to David-Horodok from there at the end of the 19th century. The Zionist movement also came from there.
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Peretz Smolenskin's The Wanderer in the Paths of Life and Abraham Mapu's The Love of Zion and The Guilt of Samaria adorned the shelves of David-Horodoker households alongside the Talmud.
They read the Hebrew press in David-Horodok. They collected and bound Ha-Tsefirah [The Dawn]. Nachum Sokolov's Friday evening articles were not only read but also studied. They also tried to educate the younger generation in the spirit of Zionism. For that purpose, they brought the best teachers to David-Horodok who introduced classes where they taught Hebrew by speaking Hebrew. After World War I, there were youth circles in which they spoke Hebrew exclusively. In 1915, the youth of David-Horodok took the initiative and arranged an illegal memorial service for Dr. Herzl.
Keren Kayemet [Jewish National Fund] stamps were sold at David-Horodok weddings as soon as they came out. Shimon Leichtman and Shlomo Rozman would come to every wedding and sell these stamps.
The eve of Yom Kippur, they would sit in every synagogue with a collection plate for the National Fund. Whoever donated 25 kopecks had his name inscribed in a special book.
The Slonimer Rebbe used to donate a ruble.
Because of the war and the Czarist regime, it was difficult to develop diversified Zionist activities. However, under various pretexts, they would hold assemblies and celebrations on a variety of Zionist themes.
Vigorous Zionistic activity began after the Kerensky revolution in February 1917. It was as if they had been in a lethargic sleep of latent energy and they wanted to make up for the lost years of inactivity by throwing themselves into Zionist activities with wholehearted zeal and energy, filled with the hope and belief in the great possibilities that the Russian Revolution promised for the Jewish people.
The entire population of the town became involved in organizational and political activity. It was a disgrace not to be associated with a party. It was as if they forgot their worries about livelihood and existence in their preoccupation with party work.
With all their zeal, they threw themselves into the election campaign for the Constituent Assembly that was taking place in Russia. They set up the Jewish communal organizations, opened a large Hebrew school, founded a library, established cooperatives and were active in every realm of town and community life.
Organizational life quieted down when the Bolsheviks seized power. However, as soon as the Germans entered David-Horodok, Zionist activities resumed. At that time, news arrived of the Balfour Declaration which encouraged Zionist activities even more.
However, this did not last long. The Germans retreated; the Bolsheviks reentered and once again, all the Zionist work came to a halt.
Following the stormy period of the Polish-Bolshevik War and after a civil government was installed, there was renewed intensification of Zionist activities.
The first visit from Keren Hayesod [Foundation Fund] representative, Dr. Chaimson in 1923, was transformed into a magnificent demonstration for Zionism. The campaign for the Keren Hayesod
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was conducted by the entire Jewish population of David-Horodok. There was not a single Jewish family, even the poorest, which did not support the Keren Hayesod.
The visit by the Jewish National Fund representative, Yehoshua Manoach from Degania made an even stronger impression. The town was ruled by a complete holiday atmosphere. No small thing – a delegate from the Land of Israel! People were curious to have a look at him. They wanted to see what a real Jewish farmer looked like. An extraordinary enthusiasm had seized the inhabitants of the town. The Jews in David-Horodok were then simply breathing in the air of the Land of Israel. The visit of Y. Manoach had strengthened the Jewish spirit and consciousness. This was the first direct contact with a Jewish farmer from Israel and it gave feelings of courage, national pride and self-worth to the Jews of David-Horodok.
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Through the visit of Y. Manoach, a “unit” of the Keren Kayemet was organized in town. It existed until the outbreak of World War II and it conducted widely ramified activities for the Keren Kayemet. They gathered Zionists from all directions, young and old.
At that time, they had begun aliya to the Land Israel. The pioneers that left David-Horodok included entire families such as: A.Y. Shafer, Noah Grenadier, A. Turkenitz, A. Shostakovsky, L. Dushnik, D. Rimar, A. Lachovsky, S. Mester, Z. Pain and others.
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Right to left: 1. Shoshana Ziporin-Leib of blessed memory, 2. Baruch Blizhovsky, 3. Ester Olpiner-Beit Aryeh, 4. Zalman Gloiberman of blessed memory |
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Right to left: 1. Sorokin, 2. Reuven Mishalov, 3. Leibel Lachovsky, 4. Yossel Vaks, 5. Yankel Gelman, 6. Shalom Kvetny, 7. Meir Moravchik, 8. Yehoshua Yitzchak Matorin |
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With the onset of normal organizational life in David-Horodok, the political parties became active in the town. The first to renew their activity were the General Zionists and Tzeirei Zion [Youth of Zion]. These were the principal parties in town during the entire span between the two wars. They were the most influential, had the largest memberships and were the most active.
When the General Zionists renewed their activity, they zealously threw themselves into multi-faceted enlightenment activities. They worked for the Keren Hayesod and the Keren Kayemet. They opened a new library which was not used during the Polish-Bolshevik War. They held frequent meetings and lectures. They assisted in the rise of the Tarbut School in David-Horodok and later also founded their youth movement, Hashomer Haleumi [National Watchmen] later called Hanoar Hatzioni [Zionist Youth]. The General Zionists took an active part in the various election campaigns in town such as: election for the Sejm, town council election, Jewish kehila [community] election, Zionist congress election, etc. For a short period of time there was a training kibbutz of the Hanoar Hatzioni in the town. This was run by a youth group from outside David-Horodok who had to spend their training period in David-Horodok. This training kibbutz did not last long, scarcely a year in 1934, because of a job shortage in the town. The youth
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Sitting right to left: 1. Chaim Lansky, 2. Baruch Slomiansky, 3. Yosef Lifshitz, 4. Yitzchak-Leib Zager, 5. Meir Lifshitz, 6. Yerachmiel Rimar Standing: 1. Yasha Kagan, 2. Yaakov Olpiner |
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from this kibbutz went away to train in kibbutzim in other towns and there they waited for approval to make aliya.
The General Zionists recruited mainly the well-to-do homeowners. The artisans, craftsmen, laborers and especially the youth constituted the bulk of the Tzeirei Zion party.
The Tzeirei Zion just as the General Zionists renewed their activities and regained their feet once normal living conditions were established.
The Tzeirei Zion was a party of the youth right from the onset, that is, its activists as well as its general membership were all young people between 18 and 25 years of age. This gave their work a dynamism which was felt in every campaign.
Full of youthful zeal and temperament, full of self-confidence and youthful idealism, they threw themselves into party work and they strove to encompass ever widening circles, not allowing any area of organizational life to pass without their influence and involvement.
Lectures, assemblies, elections, night classes, Keren Kayemet work, conferences, etc. were their daily bread. The local hall was filled every evening with members who were ready to do any sort of work
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[Page 370]
that they were given. The Tzeirei Zion really developed a nice and diversified group for all realms of organizational life.
The Tzeirei Zion had great success in conducting a tool campaign in David-Horodok. This was the first great demonstration on behalf of the workers of Israel and all gladly gave tools for the laborers of Israel.
An especially selected commission of Tzeirei Zion took on the task of helping the pioneers who came out of the Soviet Union.
Through the initiative of the Tzeirei Zion, the activities of the orphans' committee were renewed.
In 1923, the Tzeirei Zion founded the Hechalutz [The Pioneer] and in 1924 they established a training kibbutz in Lisovitz.
In 1925, the Poalei Zion [Workers of Zion] founded a library named after Y.L. Peretz which developed very well both in numbers of worthwhile books and in the number of readers. In the last few years before World War II, it was the only active library in the town.
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Sitting (First row right to left): 1. Tziva Magidovitz, 2. Chaichik Lansky (Second row): 1. Shmuel Zezik, 2. Yosef Lifshitz, 3. Sheindel Ziporin Standing: 1. Rachel Ziporin, 2. Chanan Gotlieb, 3. Tzvi Durchin, 4. Moshe-Aharon Olpiner |
The youth organization of the Poalei Zion was Freiheit [Freedom]. It was established by the party in 1926 and it developed a nice educational function for the youth, helping to teach vocational trades. At the same time, they brought many of the youth to aliya.
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[Page 372]
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[Page 373]
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Sitting (First row right to left): 1. Moshe Friedman, 2. Shraga (Feivel) Shatsky, 3. Motel Dubrovitsky (Second row): 1. Masha Dubrovitsky, 2. Masha Baruchin, 3. Velvel Lachovsky, 4. Shapira – from the leadership of Hechalutz Hamizrachi in Poland, 5. Gershon Gloiberman, 6. Chaya Chertok, 7. Tzivia Fishman Standing: 1. Moshe Dreizin, 2. Butza Katzman, 3. Shalom Lachovsky, 4. Baruch-Hershel Kolozizky, 5. Yosef Bregman, 6. Simcha Chover, 7. Moshel Plotnitzky, 8. Chaim Kolozny, 9. Leibke Perberozky, 10. Simcha Fishman |
In 1931, the party organized the town craftsmen into a group called Haoved [The Worker]. Many members of Haoved made aliya to Israel.
Unfortunately, the activities of the Poalei Zion were sharply curtailed in the few years before the onset of World War II because of the current reactionary fascist government. As an example, in the last kehila election in 1937, the list of Poalei Zion candidates was canceled.
The most important Zionist work amongst the religious people of David-Horodok was done through the Mizrachi [religious Zionism; from the Hebrew Merkaz Ruhani meaning spiritual center] and the Hapoel Hamizrachi [Mizrachi Workers]. In 1925 the Hapoel Hamizrachi founded a training kibbutz in Dobrin and most of the members made aliya to the Land of Israel. Mizrachi and Hapoel Hamizrachi took an active part in working for the Keren Kayemet and the Keren Hayesod.
In 1925, a party called Hitachdut [The Union] was established in David-Horodok. However, with the aliya of its founding fathers to Israel, the group ceased to exist.
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[Page 375]
Besides the above-mentioned youth movements of Freiheit and Hanoar Hatzioni, there were two other active Zionist youth movements in David-Horodok: Hashomer Hatzair [Young Watchmen] and Beitar [abbreviation for Berit Trumpeldor or Covenant of Trumpeldor, the Revisionist Youth Movement].
The Hashomer Hatzair was established in the town in 1927. They did a good job of educating the youth of the town. At the same time, they were active in all aspects of Keren Kayemet work. They were involved in the League for Workers in the Land of Israel and they took part in all of its activities. The Hashomer Hatzair sent many members for training and most of them succeeded in making aliya.
Beitar was founded in David-Horodok in 1929. They also sent their members for training and most of them made aliya.
As already mentioned, David-Horodok was an absolutely Zionist town. There was no Bund [The General Union of Jewish Workers in Lithuania, Poland and Russia] in the town during the period between the two World Wars.
As a result of the reactionary and anti-Semitic policies of the Polish regime and the bad economic and helpless situation of the Jewish youth, there developed a small group of Communists in David-Horodok. Their number probably never even reached ten. They had no influence in town. The group was completely dissolved after a few of them were arrested. Some of those who were freed from jail later went to the Land of Israel. The others remained in David-Horodok but refrained completely from Communist activities. When the Soviets first came into David-Horodok in 1939, they became involved again as Communist activists and they caused considerable trouble for the Zionist concerns. As a result of their denunciations to the N.K.G.B., many of the town Zionists were arrested.
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[Page 32] |
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Seated: 1. Yossel Moravchik, 2. Asher Zager, 3. Yoshke Friedman Standing: 1. Vichal Friedman, 2. Leibel Lachovsky, 3. Zalman Olpiner, 4. Shalom Kvetny, 5. Bina Gorin |
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Seated: (first row from right to left): 1. Itka Lifshitz, 2. Chava Gurevitz, 3. Baruch Slomiansky, 4. Tzipa Ratner, 5. Shoshana Gloiberman, 6. Sonia Baruchin, 7. Ester Mester Second row: 1. Sonia Slomiansky, 2. Sara Volpin, 3. Zalman Slomiansky, 4. Pinye Novak, 5. Yehoshua Manoach - emissary of JNF from the Land of Israel, 6. Yitzchak-Leibush Zager, 7. Chaim Finkelstein, 8. Leichik Moravchik Standing: 1. Meir Lifshitz, 2. Avraham Pain, 3. Dov Rimar, 4. Shmuel Zezik, 5. Leibke Reznik, 6. Arke Lifshitz, 7. Yaakov Olpiner, 8. Simcha Chover, 9. Gershon Gloiberman, 10. Feivel Shatsky |
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Seated (from right to left): 1. Chaim Lansky, 2. Shmuel Zezik, 3. Yashe Kagan, 4. Goberman, 5. Yosef Lifshitz, 6. Yitzchak Leib Zager, 7. Yankel Olpiner Standing: 1. Moshe-Aharon Olpiner, 2. Sheindel Ziporin, 3. Chaim Volpin, 4. Chaichik Lansky, 5. Wolf Durchin, 6. Reuven Mester, 7. Reuven Friedman, 8. Zelig Yudovitz, 9. Rachel Ziporin, 10. Gedalyahu Olpiner |
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From right to left: 1. Y.L. Zager, 2. Yashe Kagan, 3.Yosef Lifshitz, 4. Reuven Mester, 5. Chaim Lansky, 6. Zelig Yudovitz |
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Seated row one - right to left: 1. Yitzchak Olpiner, 2. Bracha Lutzky, 3. Leah Shostakovsky, 4. Tzivia Rappaport, 5. Chaim Basevitz Row two : 1. Avraham Toplinky, 2. Leah Teitelbaum, 3. Avraham Olshansky, 4. Riva Moravchik, 5. Unknown, 6. Shoshana Lutzky, 7. Itzel Moravchik, 8. Chaya Durchin Standing: 1. Motzani, 2. Meir Rappaport, 3. Unknown, 4. Moshe Ronkin, 5. Tzivia Ziporin, [Unnumbered and Unknown], 6. Yehudit Katzman, 7. Rachel Shtofer, 8. Shlomo Shapira, 9. Miriam Basevitz |
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