[Page 1]

The terrible Holocaust, which is impossible to grasp with human reason, which occurred in our days, snatched away the beloved of our hearts and wounded our souls beyond healing – imposed upon us a sacred duty from which we cannot turn away. That duty is – the erection of a memorial for our holy martyrs who perished. We are unable, to our heartfelt sorrow, to erect stone monuments upon the graves of our holy ones, because the mass graves into which they were cast are located in the valley of slaughter, to which we have no access. And “we” – are the members of the Organization of Former Residents of Trembowla and the Surrounding Area.

Before we begin to describe the undertaking of the “Yizkor Book for the Holy Martyrs of the Community of Trembowla and the Surrounding Area,” let us try to record the formation and activities of the Organization of Former Residents of Trembowla and the Surrounding Area. Until after the Second World War, there was no organization of former residents of Trembowla in existence in the Land of Israel, because only a handful had immigrated to the Land before the war. However, after the arrival of the Anders Army recruits, and after the end of the war, when the remnants of the survivors gathered here, the idea of organizing arose by necessity of its own accord.

At the beginning of the 1950s, the remnants of the survivors and those rescued from the Holocaust met and conferred, and came to the decision to establish an organization. In the beginning, no clear plan was outlined; there was only a felt need to meet, to exchange impressions, to remember relatives and friends who had perished, and to welcome the additional arrivals who continued to come. Among the initiators were: Naftali Weinraub of blessed memory, a Betar activist in Trembowla and a Herut activist in Israel; Yona Vilner of blessed memory and his wife, may she be distinguished for a long life; Attorney Yitzhak Goldstein of blessed memory; Attorney Natan Warman; Yisrael Goldflis; Meir Polishuk of blessed memory; Attorney Yisrael Rosenfeld; Tzvi Pleshner; and the writer of these lines.

Annual gatherings began to be held in memory of the holy martyrs. The first gatherings took place in the café of Yehoshua Zilber of blessed memory, son-in-law of Wolf Shechter of blessed memory, in Jaffa, who was himself a Holocaust survivor. At every gathering new faces appeared – recent immigrants who had just arrived – and from their mouths additional details were heard about what had happened there. For various reasons, the annual gatherings were subsequently held from time to time in different halls, among them the General Zionists House named after Dr. Goldstein on Basel Street in Tel Aviv, in the Keren Hayesod hall on Shapira Street, and in other locations.

Gathering of the Organization of Former Residents of Trembowla and Vicinity at the restaurant hall of Yehoshua Zilber z”l in Jaffa, 5716 (1956)

[Page 2]

And this is the order of the day, in whose format all the gatherings were conducted:

1. Opening remarks.
2. A eulogy for our holy martyrs, which over time Mr. Yisrael Goldflis became its regular presenter.
3. The El Malei Rachamim prayer, which was generally led by Avraham Pleshner.
4. From time to time, chapters of memoirs were read at the gathering.
5. And to conclude, the Kaddish prayer with the participation of all the members.

Study of Mishnayot in the Chamber of the Holocaust on the day the memorial plaque was placed

[Page 3]

In the beginning, the gatherings were held alternately – one year in Tel Aviv and one year in Haifa. However, since the members from the north attended the gatherings in Tel Aviv infrequently, and the members from the center did not always make it to the gathering in Haifa, we decided to hold two gatherings per year: one on the eve of Rosh Chodesh Sivan in Tel Aviv, and the second on the 27th of Marcheshvan (the day of the First Aktion) in Haifa. At every gathering, thirty or more members participate – members who are consistent in their attendance.

[Page 4]

The first collective undertaking carried out by the organization was the establishment of a Gemach [free loan] fund, which was a necessity, in the wake of the arrival in the Land of members of Trembowla who lacked means and urgently needed a loan for initial settlement. Natan Warman worked extensively and with great devotion toward its establishment. The fund was established from modest donations of the members in Israel, whose number reached over one hundred. It should be noted that a considerable number of immigrants were assisted by it. The Trembowla organization in New York provided certain support. Over time, the immigrants from Trembowla, almost all of them, settled in, and the Gemach fund was dissolved, and the balance of its account was transferred to the purpose of publishing the book.

The memorial plaque for the community of Trembowla in the Chamber of the Holocaust, placed on the 7th of Elul 5723 (1963)

[Page 5]

Announcement regarding the establishment of the Gemach fund in the name of the holy martyrs of Trembowla

[Page 6]

The third undertaking was the planting of a grove in the name of the holy martyrs of Trembowla and the surrounding area in the Forest of the Martyrs. One thousand trees were planted in the name of the holy ones. The planting took place in the winter of 5725 [1964/65]. As representatives of the Trembowla organizations in the United States, Avraham Weisberg and his wife participated in the ceremony. However, all the aforementioned undertakings left in our hearts the feeling that this was not enough. The feeling that there was a need for a more permanent and impressive commemoration. The need was felt for a Yizkor book for the community of Trembowla that would include a description of our community – the organizations that were active in it, the institutions that existed in it, the synagogues, the cheders in which schoolchildren studied, the public figures and everyday people who walked in it, its Torah scholars, and above all the names of all the holy martyrs who perished for the sanctification of God's name through no fault of their own – individuals and entire families who were uprooted without leaving a trace.

At every gathering for the commemoration of the holy martyrs who perished, the urgent need for editing a Yizkor book and publishing it was spoken of, and once again it was Natan Warman who did not miss any opportunity to demand the editing of a Yizkor book, because spoken words fly away, but what is written and printed endures.

In the Land, thousands of Yizkor books for communities that were destroyed were printed and published. There are books in the form of large and thick volumes that were edited with great effort and in a magnificent manner, in accordance with the literary and financial abilities of the members of the communities, and there are smaller books that also commemorate the memory of the communities.

For many years it was discussed at the gatherings in memory of our holy ones about this sacred duty of ours, but the work did not budge from its place. There were those who began to write, and from time to time a composition on one of the topics that was intended to be included in the book when it would be printed was read at a gathering. But sometimes despair filled our hearts in light of the lack of progress. We implored members to try to put down on paper any memories whatsoever that might reflect to some degree the life of the Jews in Trembowla – in Polish, in Yiddish, in German, if not in Hebrew – and we promised that everything would be translated and printed, but the results were almost nil. We also turned to the organizations of former residents of Trembowla in the United States with similar requests, which ultimately brought us four fine compositions in English that were translated into Hebrew and printed in the book in both languages.

Announcement regarding the placement of the memorial plaque in the Chamber of the Holocaust

Members of Trembowla communing with the holy ones

[Page 7]

In this connection, it should be noted that Mr. Yosef Eingler joined the editorial committee out of an inner drive, and he also influenced Tzvi Shartzer of blessed memory to join, which caused a shift and progress. The editorial committee began to meet frequently, at first at the home of Tzvi Shartzer of blessed memory and afterward in a hall in Tel Aviv, in the following composition: Yisrael Goldflis, Natan Warman, Yosef Eingler, and the writer of these lines. At every meeting, a composition that had arrived from a member was read; at the gatherings, too, articles that had arrived were read from time to time, and it is possible that this influenced the progress. For indeed, it is the function of a Yizkor book to bring to light details great and small, as many as possible, which in their totality will paint a general picture of Jewish life in our community that was liquidated, that will serve as a memorial for generations. And we are not speaking here of an exemplary literary work, but only of things that actually happened, to whose reconstruction everyone can contribute.

At every gathering we endeavored to explain that one only needs to begin, and when one begins, the memories arise of their own accord – and so it was. Slowly, material accumulated, and we believe that the Yizkor book for the community of Trembowla and the surrounding area will fulfill its function in perpetuating the memory of our holy martyrs, and will find its way to the hearts of the younger generation, the children of the former residents of Trembowla, and the generations to come.

And last but not least, we wish to hold up in high esteem the contribution to the “Book” enterprise of our members Tzvi Pleshner and Eliezer Tirkel, who spared no effort in the editing work and performed their task faithfully and with great skill. May their strength be blessed.

[Page 8]

Our thanks and blessings to all the members of the Organization of Former Residents of Trembowla and the Surrounding Area, who participated in the writing of this book and donated their contributions toward its realization.

Thanks and appreciation to our member Avraham Weisberg, chairman of the Organization of Former Residents of Trembowla in New York, to his committee and its members, who supported this undertaking materially and spiritually. May their reward be complete.

  Terebovlya, Ukraine     Yizkor Book Project     JewishGen Home Page

Copyright © 1999-2026 by JewishGen, Inc.
Updated 03 May 2026 by JH