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[Page 145]
By Rabbi Chaim-Chaikel Grinberg
(Original Language: Hebrew)
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At the time that I studied in Baranovich, there was an event – to hear the sermons of the Rabbi of Stolovich, and he was received in Slonim as a preacher, and as a great orator and with distinction, as the Rabbi of Dereczin. The holy Rabbi זצ”ל, was famous, renown as a spiritual man who could conquer hearts with his words. Rabbi Bakalchuk was known as a man of religious outlook, godly presence, and an exponent of the highest human values of truth, goodness, charity, modesty and straightforwardness. His name went before him, because he was known as a great and accomplished scholar, being both thoroughly versed and analytically gifted in matters of Halakha. As the leader of his community, he reached the hearts of not only scholars, but also the hearts of the masses of Jews, in general. As a shepherd overseeing his flock, he tried to imbue the essentials of Judaism to his congregation, even as it applied to practical matters. The home of the Rabbi, ז”ל, was a symbol of sanctity, purity, charity, good will, and love of Israel and the people of the town and its surroundings. The Rabbi understood how to lead the members of his community in the path of Torah and good works.
It was not only with his oratory that he was able to capture hearts, but more so with the projection of his character, and the conduct of his congregation, to which he dedicated his entire life, his energies and the force of his influence. He did not lack for the tribulations of life, tiring and burdensome – however, he did not abandon his study of the Torah for even a day, because he always saw before him the motto: “your words are a lamp unto my feet, and a light to my pathway.”
I recall, in Baranovich and Slonim, when notices were posted that the Rabbi of Dereczin would be preaching, the Bet HaMidrash would fill up with a large audience, drawn from all walks of life, would come to hear his awe-inspiring words, that came from his mouth as a means to draw the children of Israel closer to their Father in heaven.
I heard words of endearment uttered in memory of this saintly Rabbi from many people and those who were born in Dereczin, not only from those who were religious, but also more secular people, who retained something of a feeling for their faith from their homes and from the town. Each and every one of these enhance the typing of the Rabbi, who was from the old school, which is the image that has remained etched in their memory from the town – the spiritual shepherd of the town.
That was the way the saintly Rabbi of Dereczin was. To be compared to a shepherd that leads his flock while walking in their midst, giving the appearance that he is walking alone, and that he happens to be walking in the direction he is taking his flock – as in the manner of the Rabbis, the shepherds of Israel.
That is why the Rabbi ז”ל, fought like a lion lest the influence of the rabbinate on the people be in any way impaired. He was used to saying that if God forbid, the influence and the support of the Rabbinate was removed – it was inevitable that a calamity would befall the Jews, and a dissipation of their spiritual vigor.
It was the Rabbi's [tragic] privilege to give his life
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to sanctify the Name of Heaven, along with myriads of others – because he fell in Sanctification of The Name at the hands of the Nazi murderers, ימ”ש. We honor his memory. Would we be so fortunate as to be blessed with his equivalent again!
(Original Language: Yiddish)
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The following responsible people were involved with the Yavneh School in town: Hirschel Beckenstein, Berel Walitsky, Mendel Feldman, Berel Polachuk, along with Rav Bakalchuk at the head. It was the Rabbi's custom to come to the school on Friday in order to orally test the children.
All Jewish children attended this school, and their parents paid tuition. Parents of lesser means paid according to their ability. It was in this way that Jews did everything within their power to assure that their children would have a Jewish upbringing.
I am also reminded of the evening presentations that the Yavneh school would organize on specific holidays. The children would present, and the teachers, with the principal Berenholz, as their leader, put in a lot of work to prepare the youngsters for their presentations. Especially, I wish to note the teacher, Leah Alpern, Eliyahu Abramovich's cousin, who did most of the work in organizing and directing these presentations.
At the time of these “evenings,” there would also be a buffet set out for the audience. It was the parents and the school leadership who supervised the preparation of the buffet and the sale of tickets to the presentation, which provided a source of income for the school. The buffet was a “pot luck” sort of affair, in which one went from house-to-house, and whatever was possible was donated for the buffet. Hazzan Beshkin's son-in-law, Tambolsky, Rivkah's husband, himself a Hazzan and a ritual slaughterer, prepared the meat, mothers prepared the baked goods and sweets, and parents would lay out all this [food] in the auditorium where the presentations were made – many people worked to put on the “evening” at the Yavneh school. To this day, I cannot forget one special Purim presentation put on by the schoolchildren.
They put on a presentation based on the Book of Esther. The part of Esther was taken by Moishkeh Mishkin's daughter, the role of Ahasuerus was played by Abraham Zlotagura's little boy, Chaim. Parents, fathers and mothers, teachers, brothers and sisters, and even ordinary townsfolk, all basked in the satisfaction and joy of watching these presentations by the children.
And on every Hanukkah, the Hanukkah candles were lit in school, accompanied by the singing of Hanukkah songs, and putting on presentations.
With the arrival of the Soviets in 1939, teaching at the school was converted to Russian. Among the teachers were Chaikeh Mishkin, and Chaikeh Dworetsky; science was taught by Alter Skrabun, Berel Gorinovsky's father-in-law.
This was the beginning of the end of the Yavneh school of that time.
[Page 147]
(Original Language: Hebrew)
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Abraham Kulakowski kneeling |
before his aliyah (untitled) |
As was the case in all of the cities and towns of Poland, there existed both a Zionist and Halutz movement in Dereczin as well. At the end of the twenties and in the early thirties, this movement was not active, and did not attract the youth to its ranks, which rather was drawn to activities with a framework of ideals that enabled them to realize their desire to demonstrate their national loyalties. The inspiring appearance of the outstanding leader, Ze'ev Jabotinsky, amidst the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe, especially after the events of 1929,[1] aroused our young people from their slumber. The charisma of this Zionist leader made a great impression on many of the young people of our town, even before they actually saw him personally, or heard his words. Like a magical force, his personality drew countless young people and even more mature folks, into the ranks of the Betar movement, which in Dereczin had its origins back as far as 1927.
It was on one of those evenings in the fall of that year, when we were called for a meeting at the home of the Wilenczyk brothers. While we have already forgotten [the names of] many of those who attended that night, filled with many issues of importance, certain of them remain etched in our memories, and of them especially, the brothers, Shimon & Moshe Wilenczyk, (who are today in Canada) – Shlomo (Siuma) Shelovsky, ז”ל, Joshua Sedletsky, ז”ל, Jacob Sakar, ז”ל, and to mention separately, for long life, Eliyahu Abramovich (today in the USA), as well as the authors of this memoir. That night, Betar [in Dereczin] was established, and began its activities with great enthusiasm and limitless commitment.
We did not anticipate, that the lessons of pride and glory, which permeated the Betar training, would bring not few of our members into the ranks of the partisans and rebels, who fought against the Nazi invaders during the Holocaust against the Jews, in the days of the Second World War.
Betar was active in Dereczin up to the outbreak of the war, in September 1939. Most of our young people joined our ranks. Among the active membership, and those who led the movement, we raise the following names: Aryeh Beckenstein, Avigdor Shelovsky, Melekh Sakar, Abraham-Hirsch Kolkovsky, Jacob Azov, Eliyahu Lifshovich, Aryeh Kreslansky, Shmuel Korn, Mendel Grachuk, the brothers Meir & Shmaryahu Mishkin, Hanan Abelovich, Ze'ev Shelkovich, Ze'ev Ogulnick, and many, many others. The membership grew, and over the years became endeared not only to the young people, but to their parents as well. Until the establishment of Betar, our parents were not used to
[Page 148]
a youth organization that adopted a special uniform, and that engaged in both sporting and military exercises. When they saw the effect of the training that was carried on in the evenings in the hall, and the inculcation of the knowledge and common sense, and the adherence to the principles of Betar, the older populace began to respect and favor the organization, which was a focal point for their younger sons and daughters.
Betar would also appear on different occasions in Polish national holidays, in parades jointly with Polish youth. The disciplined presence of the Betar marchers in these festivities, along with their orderly military marching, when they were called to arms by their officers – and he was one of them – roused a sense of respect and admiration among the Poles, toward the Jews of the town, and its young people.
During the thirties, the Lunsky family, which had come from one of the surrounding villages, settled in Dereczin. The oldest daughter of this family, Zina, joined Betar. From her first day, Zina stood out in her commitment and energy, and until the day she left for the Holy Land, she was the living spirit of Betar. By sheer force of her will, and with focused initiative, she overcame her liabilities, and with her intellectual gifts, she stood at the head of the movement with her activities on behalf of Betar, in whose ideals she had complete faith. Her home was open to all, and was visited by visitors who were representatives of the [larger] Betar movement. Her advice was eagerly sought, and quite often things were done according her dictates. She was privileged to make aliyah, and live in the Holy Land. She died prematurely, but left a family behind. Her memory is sealed in the hearts of her near ones, and her comrades from the days of Betar in Dereczin.
After the events of 1929, a branch of Tzahar was also established in our town. Among the organizers and workers were: Zvi Zlotagura, Aryeh Kushnir, Shimon Wilenczyk, Joseph Rabinovich, Yoshe Walman, Rudenstein[2], Dr. Shelovsky, Moshe Kustin, Miriam Podlishevsky, Liota Beckenstein, and others. Tzahar served as a community backbone for Betar, composed of [more mature] adults. Both organizations were visited by officers of the central organization, and speakers, such as Dr. Lipman, Dr. Yunichman, Captain Yanovsky, Ze'ev Burstein, and others. All praised the outstanding chapter in Dereczin.
The Betar branch established a public library for all to use. Because of the efforts of a number of the members, quite a number of books, of a wide variety, were acquired. Many young people and adults used the library extensively, in order to enjoy the benefits of reading from its collection, among them books about Betar, which conveyed the essence of the thinking of the movement's leader.
The Dereczin branch set up a curriculum that was recognized by the office in the Holy Land. Those who finished this course of study were awarded a certificate, and no few of them were privileged eventually to make aliyah before the war broke out. Many members of the branch completed their requirements for aliyah in a number of Polish Betar chapters. Kalman Abramovich, a member of our chapter, was sent to take Betar naval training in Ziutvikia in Italy.
During the thirties, anti-Semitism was on the rise throughout all of Poland, and even in Dereczin, the hatred toward the Jews was felt forcefully. A group of Polish ne'er-do-wells began to pick on the Jewish population, and to create disturbances in town. The Betar leadership decided to put a halt to these abuses. This mission was given to those members of the chapter who were not daunted by the dangers of such an undertaking in the Poland of that time. This group of ruffians was ambushed and subjected to a serious thrashing. After that, the anti-Semites ceased their arrogant acts of abuse. The entire town breathed a little more easily, and everyone sang the praises of the brave Jewish youths, that simply could no longer stand by without taking action.
[Page 149]
The Betar club was the only one in Dereczin that held its activities in the evening, each and every evening, and Saturdays. The membership was always full of young people of all ages, and adults. These were all divided up into groups by age, and each group had a leader. The leadership of the club allocated out the various duties (general administration, secretariat, treasury, organization, culture, military training) to the membership, and each of the members looked after the proper discharge of these assigned responsibilities. It was in the evening that classes and lectures took place. Not once, would parents invite themselves into the club, to find their children occupied with either lessons or various sporting activities.
Betar continued to function up to September 1939, when the war broke out, and the Soviet army occupied the territories of Western Byelorussia. When these territories were subsequently captured by Hitler's armies in 1941, and the extermination of the Jews began in each and every town, the Betar members were among the first to join in the resistance movement in Dereczin and its neighboring forests. In their lives, their fighting, and their deaths, they stood out as a shining symbol of the defenders of the honor of the Jewish people. Their memory is guarded in each and every one of our hearts, and we intone their names here with a holy trembling.
Shlomo (Siuma) Shelovsky - Leader of the Dereczin Betar Chapter, and Head of the Betar Slonim District.
He was the very embodiment of the military arts. A man of culture, a medical student, modest, diligent, and a man of influence on all his charges, quiet, and introspective in his thinking – was respected by all of us, his peers, who accorded him with respect, every time he appeared among us.
Along with many of the young people of our town, he fled to the forests, and in his works of vengeance, took no rest in his assault on the German aggressors. He fell, betrayed from within, during an attack on a dairy that supplied milk products to the Germans. His parents, his brother, Avigdor, a member of the chapter, and his two sisters, Sima & Zipporah, all fell in the forests.
Eliyahu Lifshovich - A member of Betar from his earliest youth, committed to his movement, and discharging all his obligations faithfully, was one of the fierce combatants in the forests, as the deputy commander of the partisan group of Dr. [Meyer] Atlas. When the Doctor was mortally wounded, in battle with the Germans, he turned over command of the group to Eliyahu, who directed his campaigns, going form victory to victory. Much has been written about the outstanding exploits of Eliyahu, for which he was subsequently decorated by the Red Army. Our Eliyahu was not privileged to make aliyah to our Homeland – he fell at the hands of Polish murderers from the ranks of the AK, in the city of Legnitz (Legnica).
Zvi Zlotagura & David Dombrowsky, who were Betar loyalists, fell in battle together with regular military forces in Dereczin.
Tens of members, inculcated in Betar disciplines, faithfully upheld the Betar teaching: “I will raise my arm to defend my people,” fulfilling their oath through actual deed.
We will remember them to the end of our days, in our Homeland which continues to fight for its very survival.
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