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From the right, seated: Mosze Litwer, Ester Israel, Awraham Szlezynger; From the right, standing: Jechiel Szafran, Dawid Lew
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[Page 148]
In the beginning of the '20s, HeChalutz was founded in Ostrolenka. Its first location was on the Lomza Road, at Walc, in a former factory. Members of the first leadership were Mosze Litwer (Chairman), Jechiel Szafran (Culture), Awraham Slazenger (Treasurer and Accountant) and Ester Izrael. Dawid Lew joined the second leadership.
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From the right, seated: Mosze Litwer, Ester Israel, Awraham Szlezynger; From the right, standing: Jechiel Szafran, Dawid Lew |
The first HeChalutz members were Mosze Aron Sojka, Szlomo Benedon, Hersz Leszcz, Welwel Gedanken, Jechiel Szafran, Chana Kupferminc, Eli Bajuk, Awigdor Kupferminc, Grosman, Awraham Slazenger, Hercke Sojka, Chaja Gutman, Ben Zion Pianko, Josef Aron Leszcz and others. It should be noted that the following were very active in founding HeChalutz and strengthening its ranks in our city: the Secretaries of the Central Committee from Warsaw, H. Funt and Mr. Raszisz, and in the beginning, the wellknown writer and Zionist community worker Josef Haftman, of blessed memory. They revived this Zionist youth movement. Our HeChalutz kept in close contact with the first two mentioned.
HeChalutz participated vigorously in all Zionist activity. It members were represented in every local Zionist committee, such as Keren Kayemeth, the Committee for a Working Land of Israel, the Jewish Agency, Keren HaYesod, etc. HeChalutz sent young members to hachshara in villages and on farms to work the land, with the goal of preparing them for life in Israel.
In 1925, a group of members, among them Dawid Lew and others, went to hachshara at Kibbutz Yosef HaGalili, near Szczuczyna, organized by the Lomza HeChalutz group.
[Page 149]
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from (the Central Committee) in Warsaw H. Funt (3rd from the right, standing) and Pesach Hochberg (2nd from the right, standing) |
It was not easy for the HeChalutz Central Committee to allocate the certificates it received, even among members who excelled at hachshara. Among Ostrolenka's members, Meir Margalit and a few others received their certificates.
As is known, HeChalutz was a non-partisan movement. It was influenced, however, by the leftist Zionist parties, although among them were HeChalutz founders and members who favored the General Zionists. As time passed, the HeChalutz Central Committee also founded the HeChalutz General faction.
In 1924, HeChalutz of Ostrolenka moved to a new location at the General Zionists, in Leszczinski's home on Lomza Street.
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[Page 150]
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Among them HeChalutz members from Ostrolenka, such as Dawid Lew, Awigdor Eisenstein, Awrejmel Slazenger, Eliezer Lachowicz, Segal, Lewkowicz, Perkal, Zylbersztejn |
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(in the center), the Chairman of the General Zionist party in Ostrolenka, HaTikva |
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