Book of Sosnowiec and the Surrounding Region in Zaglembie

Volume I

(Poland)

50°18' / 19°10'

Translation of
Sefer Sosnowiec v'hasviva b'Zagłębie
Edited by: Me'ir Shymon Gashury (Brukner)

Published in Tel-Aviv, 1973

Family of Mendel Szapiro

Acknowledgments

Project Coordinator

Osnat Ramaty

Our sincere appreciation to Avraham Green, Chairman, World Zagłębie Organization
for permission to put this material on the JewishGen web site.

This is a translation from:
Sefer Sosnowiec v'hasviva b'Zagłębie (Book of Sosnowiec and the Surrounding Region in Zagłębie),
Editors: Me'ir Shymon Gashory (Brukner), Sosnowiec Societies in Israel and the United States,
France and other countries, Tel Aviv, 1973, (Vol. I / H, Y, 743 pages).

Note: The original book can be seen online at the NY Public Library site: Sosnowiec

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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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.

[Click here to enlarge the pictures]

Table of Contents translated by Lance Ackerfeld and Osnat Ramaty

([H] indicates that the article appears in Hebrew and [Y] indicates that it is in Yiddish
Please note that there is no actual Table of Contents in this book.
The following has been compiled from the titles appearing in the book.)

Sosnowiec émigrés committee
Combined Sosnowiec and Będzin émigrés committee
“Book of Sosnowiec” committee
Preface [H]
Preface [Y]

Struggle of generations [H] The history of Sosnowiec and Zagłębie

	History of the town of Sosnowiec and its vicinity
1.	Sosnowiec – Zagłębie's youngest “daughter”	11
	a) Various Stories about the Village and the Town	11
	b) From a Village to a Town	12
	c) The Town at its beginning	15
2.	The town and the annexation of the first neighborhoods	15
3.	Town at the railroad tracks intersection	20
4.	Uprising of the Poles against the Russians in Sosnowiec	22
5.	Russia thwarts the development of the city of Sosnowiec	24
6.	The beginnings of Jewish settlement in Sosnowiec	26
7.	Sosnowiec in the golden path of the industrial revolution	28
8.	The demographic development of Sosnowiec	34
9.	Establishment of the Jewish community in Sosnowiec	38
10.	The Jewish community committees and institutions of Sosnowiec	41
11.	The Jewish community of Sosnowiec in independent Poland	44
12.	The independent Jewish administration of Sosnowiec	53
13.	Chaim Nachman Bialik in Sosnowiec	57
14.	Rabbis and Dayanim [religious judges] in Sosnowiec	60
15.	From the first hassidim to righteous behaviour in Sosnowiec	62
16.	The beginnings of Jewish education in Sosnowiec	66
17.	On authors and books in Sosnowiec and its surroundings	69
18.	Newspapers and readers in Sosnowiec and its surroundings	71
19.	A “Small Pogrom” against the Jews of Sosnowiec	74
20.	The history of socialism in Sosnowiec and its surroundings	77
21.	The 1905 revolution in Sosnowiec and in Zagłębie	80
22.	Sosnowiec and Zagłębie during the First World War	85
23.	The tram in Sosnowiec and Zagłębie	86
24.	One thousand year old historical Zagłębie	87
25.	Rivers and their tributaries in Zagłębie	89
26.	Opening the gates for Zaglembian Jews	92
27.	Dąbrowa Górnicza – city of eternal darkness	95
28.	Jews in the coalmines of Zagłębie	100
29.	Jewish families in administration of coalmines	102
30.	Będzin – the Zaglembian Jerusalem	105
31.	Towns and villages in the Zaglembian region	110
32.	Katowice – a Jewish city at the entrance to Zagłębie	113
33.	Katowice – the city where the first convention of the International “Agudat Yisrael” was held	118

Struggle of generations [Y] The history of Sosnowiec and Zagłębie

1.	Various stories about the village and the town	123
2.	Transition from village to town	124
3.	The beginning of the town	125
4.	A railway communication center	127
5.	Sosnowiec during the Polish Revolt against the Russian Empire	128
6.	The First Houses, Smelting Places, Factories, and Coal Mines	130
7.	The Beginnings of the Jewish Community of Sosnowiec	131
8.	The Period of Industrialization	132
9.	The Commercial Development	133
10.	The Economic Situation during the German Occupation	133
11.	The Demographic Development of Sosnowiec	134
12.	The Creation of the Jewish Community	138
13.	Religious and Social Institutions	140
14.	Rabbis and Religious Judges	141
15.	Chassidim and Rabbis	143
16.	Education	145
17.	Writers and literary publications	146
18.	Newspapers	147
19.	Socialism	148
20.	Echo of the revolution of 1905	150
21.	Dabrowian Zagłębie	152
22.	Jewish settlements in Zagłębie	152
23.	Dąbrowa Górnicza – city of eternal darkness	154
24.	Jewish settlements in Dąbrowa	154
25.	Chibat Zion and Zionism in Zagłębie and Katowice	155
26.	The first Zionists in Sosnowiec	156

Zagłębie and her Jewish communities

[H]	Mosze Fajnkind	158
[H]	Będzin	158
[H]	Sosnowiec	161
[H]	Letters to the editor	163
[H]	Dąbrowa	164
[H]	Modrzejów	166
[H]	Będzin	168
[H]	Dąbrowa Górnicza	185
[H]	Modrzejów	187
[H]	Memories from Bialik's years in Sosnowiec	189
[H]	In the bowels of the earth (impressions from a trip)	191
[H]	The Jewish community of Sosnowiec	192
[H]	Zagłębie in the eyes of foreign visitors	193
[Y]	From Będzin-Sosnowiec to Katowice	200
[H]	Sosnowiec in the Hebrew press at the end of the 19th century	202
[H]	Historical dates and periods	204

Sosnowiec

[Y]	Sosnowiec – town emblem	209
[H]	About the illustrated almanac of Jewish Zagłębie – Introduction	210

Geographical historical part

[Y]	Geographic highlights of Zagłębie	211
[Y]	The Jewish settlement in Sosnowiec	217
[Y]	The Jewish community in Sosnowiec	222
[Y]	The Jewish community executive committee of Sosnowiec in 1939	224
[Y]	The Jewish community administration of Sosnowiec in 1939	225
[Y]	Jews in the Sosnowiec town council	225
[Y]	Jewish advisors in the Sosnowiec town council in 1938	226

Social part

[Y]	The co-ed high school, gymnasium and elementary school belonging to the Sosnowiec Jewish school organization	227
[Y]	The co-ed commercial high school, the one-year commercial school and the commercial evening courses	231
[Y]	The “Maccabi“ gymnastics and sports club	236
[Y]	The academic circle “Ognisko” [campfire]	236
[Y]	The “Nadzieja“ [hope] Association in Sosnowiec	238
[Y]	The Trade and Industry Organization	239
[Y]	The Retail and Small Merchant Association	243
[Y]	The Homeowners Association	244
[Y]	Beginning and development of the “Gmilat Chesed” [Loan society] in Sosnowiec	246
[Y]	A branch of the “ORT” [Jewish education and training charity] Society	250
[Y]	The Jewish Hospital in Sosnowiec	250
[Y]	The Jewish Doctors Association	253
[Y]	The Welfare Association “Dobroczynnosz”	254
[Y]	The branch of the “TOZ” association in Zagłębie	256
[Y]	The old age home	257
[Y]	The “Linat Cholim” Association	260
[Y]	The “Beth Lechem” Association	261
[Y]	The “Malbish Arumim” Association	263
[Y]	The “Tomchot Yoldot Aniyot” Women's Organization	265
[Y]	The “Bikur Cholim” Association	266
[Y]	The “Hachnasat Kala” Association	266
[Y]	The “Hachnasat Orchim” Association	266
[Y]	Writers and artists from Sosnowiec	267
[Y]	The group “Young Zagłębie”	270
[Y]	Chaim Nachman Bialik in Sosnowiec	271
[Y]	Jews in Będzin	273
	“Linat Cholim” Hospital in Sosnowiec [picture]	288

On the rivers of Dabrowian Zagłębie

[H]	On the rivers of Dabrowian Zagłębie	289
[H]	Legend for the Jewish settlements in Zagłębie and Upper-Silesia	290
[H]	Jewish settlements in the Zaglembian region – Introduction	291
[H]	Modrzejów	292
[H]	Fathers and sons house in Modrzejów	309
[H]	Mysłowice	316
[H]	Czeladź	320
[H]	Sławków	327
[H]	Strzemieszyce	336
[H]	Bobrek	341
[H]	Gołonóg	342
[H]	Gzichów	345
[H]	Dańdówka	346
[H]	Dębowa Góra	351
[H]	Zagórze	351
[H]	Ząbkowice	354
[H]	Jęzor	357
[H]	Maczki-Granica	358
[H]	Milowice	360
[H]	Niwka	365
[H]	Niemcy	369
[H]	Slupna	371
[H]	Porombka	373
[H]	Klimontów	376

Cultural life in the Zaglembian settlements

[H]	Ancient tombstone according to the legend	381
[H]	About the community life in Modrzejów	383
[H]	Typical sayings and activities in Modrzejów	385
[Y]	In memory of two friends from the same shtetl	390
[H]	In the family courtyard near the border bridge	401
[H]	From a Jewish musician's notebook	418
[H]	The spiritual personality of Rabbi Shmuel Broner from Modrzejów	427
[H]	Rabbi Eliezer Brukner, of blessed memory, from Zagłębie	430
[H]	Events and news from Modrzejów	432
[H]	The “Oleh“ from Mysłowice who went to Jerusalem	435
[H]	Solomon Markowicz from Mysłowice	436
[H]	The Jews of Mysłowice according to the anti-Semitic newspaper	438
[Y]	Jewish Strzemieszyce	439
[Y]	In the "higher worlds" of Strzemieszyce	440
[Y]	Rabbi Itzchak Nachum Englard from Strzemieszyce	442
[H]	The Strzemieszyce émigrés committee	444
[Y]	Sami Feder	446
[Y]	Martyrdom	448
[H]	Szajndl Merz, the businesswoman	450
[H]	Ząkowice	452
[H]	Ząkowice, the city of my youth	452
[H]	Spiritual characters	454
[H]	I will not forget my town Zagórze	455
[H]	Within the spheres of Jewish settlements in Zagłębie	457

Judaism, existence and way of life [H]

1.	The rabbis in the Zaglembian region	465
2.	The Hassidic movement and the development of its Zaglembian chapter	494
3.	The righteous “Chassidim” in Sosnowiec	502
4.	List of prayer houses in Sosnowiec	510
5.	On cemeteries in Sosnowiec and Zagłębie	511

Literature, press and art

[H]	Ch. N. Bialik	525
[H]	Past kindness of the poet Bialik to Sosnowiec	526
[H]	The great visitor (Ch. N. Bialik's visit in Sosnowiec)	526
[H]	Sosnowiec - Ch. N. Bialik's city	528
[H]	An hour with Ch. N. Bialik	530
[H]	Jewish musician	532
[H]	Reminiscences of Nahum Sokolov, of blessed memory	533
[H]	The poet A. N. Sztenzel appearing before a Prussion court	534
[H]	A. N. Sztenzel	535
[H]	Letters from Y. L. Perez to Roza Jakubowicz	539
[Y]	Important research into the origins of the Jewish people	540
[Y]	A novel about Zagłębie	545
[Y]	Songs	546
[Y]	A star was extinguished	548
[Y]	25 years of the "Zaglembian" newspaper	549
[Y]	The Jewish weekly	550
[Y]	An industrial writer	551
[Y]	Tuvia Baum	552
[Y]	Z. Segalowicz in Zagłębie	557
[Y]	After Mosze Apelbaum's death	558
[Y]	Mosze Apelbaum	559
[Y]	Behind the scenes	561
[H]	Authors and books in Zagłębie	565
[H]	"Who's who" in books and press in Zagłębie	568

Movements, organizations and parties

[H]	The "Zamir" group in Sosnowiec	583
[H]	Sporting activity in Sosnowiec	585
[H]	"Chazanim" [cantors] in Sosnowiec	607
[H]	On the way to Israel	608
[H]	The pioneers' motives	609
[Y]	In the Zionist “Histadrut” [union]	610
[H]	The “Mizrahi” movement	616
[H]	The “Agudat Israel” movement	624
[H]	In the “Betar” and “Revisionists” movement	627
[H]	The “Dror – Freiheit” [freedom] party	636
[Y]	“Poale Zion” party	639
[Y]	“Hashomer Hazair”[young guard]	647
[Y]	The communist movement	653

Chapters of memories and recollections

[H]	Reb Mordechai Imbar from Myslowiece (1875 – 1924)	655
[H]	A description of Dr. Adam Noah Braun	656
[H]	Amid the paths of Jerusalem	658
[H]	Memories of my parental home (Fiszel Basia)	659
[H]	People and family experiences	662
[H]	Reb Eliezer Ginsberg	683
[H]	Reb Szabtai Wajs, from Sosnowiec	683
[H]	Memories of my parental home (Rabbi Menachem Hager)	684
[H]	Chaim Josef Zionc	685
[H]	Reb Jechiel Tobiasz, may the Lord avenge his blood	686
[H]	Virtues of dreamers and fighters	687
[H]	Three generations of the Laudon family	689
[H]	Icchak Lajchter, the principal chazan [cantor] of Sosnowiec	690
[Y]	Reb Birech Secemski, may the Lord avenge his blood	692
[H]	Regarding Gerszon Stawski	693
[H]	Alter Fromer of blessed memory	695
[H]	A Jewish heart stopped beating (Dr. Abraham Perlman)	696
[H]	Memories and recollections	697
[H]	Aharon Prajwer	702
[H]	The Cwajgenhaft family, one of the oldest families in the city	703
[H]	Reb Szlomo Kalisz	705
[H]	Reb Icchak Majer Sztark	708
[H]	From a Jewish musician's notebook	710
[Y]	Memories of home	720
[Y]	What the elders of the city relate	724
[Y]	The distinction of Sosnowiec	726
[Y]	Through various routes to Israel	728
[Y]	My old destroyed home	729
[Y]	Joe Paul (Josef Paliwoda)	732
[Y]	Reb Lajb Frajer	736
[Y]	Mosze Judenherc	740
[H]	Editor's remarks	743

	List of photographs

	Book of Sosnowiec and the Surrounding Region in Zagłębie, Volume II

Yizkor Book Project JewishGen Home Page Zaglembie, at Kehilalinks

Yizkor Book Director, Lance Ackerfeld
Emerita Yizkor Book Project Manager, Joyce Field z”l
Contact person for this translation Osnat Ramaty
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