Brzezany Memorial Book
(Berezhany, Ukraine)

49°27' / 24°56'

Translation of
Brzezany, Narajow ve-ha-seviva; toldot kehilot she-nehrevu

Edited by: Menachem Katz, Haifa, Brzezany-Narajow Societies in Israel and the United States

Published in 1978

Our sincere appreciation to Yad Vashem
for the submission of the necrology for placement on the JewishGen web site.

 

Acknowledgments

Project Coordinator

Ruth Yoseffa Erez

 

This is a translation from: Brzezany, Narajow ve-ha-seviva; toldot kehilot she-nehrevu (Brzezany Memorial Book),
Brzezany-Narajow Societies in Israel and the United States, 1978 (501 pages, Hebrew, Yiddish, English).

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Translated by Ruth Yoseffa Erez

Editor's note Arch. Katz Menachem 10
Introduction   11
The city's surroundings Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 15
A look at the city Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 15
Jewish community of Brzezany from it's founding until the 19th century Dr. N.M. Gelber 20
End of 19th century until 1920 Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 28
WWI 1914-1920 Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 32
The community Committee Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 36
Towards the change Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 37
 
The Zionist Movement
The Zionist movement Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 40
Jewish National Fund (“Keren Kayemet Le'Israel”) Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 42
United Israel Appeal (“Keren Hayesod”) Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 44
Help (“Ezra”) Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 45
Zion Youth (“Tzeirei Zion”) Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 46
Union of Zionist University Graduates Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 46
The Watchman (“Hashomer”) Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 46
Union of Miriam's students Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 47
Union of the dawn Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 47
Workers of Zion Movement (“Poaley Zion”) Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 47
The Pioneer (“HaChalutz”) Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 48
First group makes Aliyah Moshe Glaser, Menachem Katz Grad 49
The Youth Guard (“Hashomer Hatzair”) Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 54
The first summer settlement Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 57
The Revival Group (“Hatchia”) Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 58
Memories chapter Batya Bon'e Frisand 60
The Youth Guard (“Hashomer Hatzair”) 1926-1932 Dov Glaser 62
The Youth Guard (“Hashomer Hatzair”) – the Departure Z. Ostrover 65
“HaMizrachi” movement in Brzezany Dov (Dow) Knohl 66
The Zionist Youth M. Mayblum (Attorney at Law) 72
The Zionist Youth center Danieli-Feld Bela 74
“Betar” movement un Brzezany Bleiberg Shimon, D. Fas, S. Riger 76
Hebrew School Dr. N. Nezach, Eng. Tishler 80
Mizrachi School Arch. Katz Menachem 84
Kindergarten Arch. Katz Menachem 84
Preparation “Kibbutzim” Arch. Katz Menachem 85
 
Between Two World Wars
The Economic situation Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 88
The Trade Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 92
University Graduates in Government Positions Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 93
Physicians Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 93
Pharmacists Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 94
Lawyers Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 94
Engineers Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 95
Craftsmen Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 95
World War II Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 96
 
Culture and Way of Life
The Drama club “Yiddish Art” (“Yidishe Kunst”) Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 106
The Musical-Drama society “Yiddish Art” (“Yidishe Kunst”) Bar-Dawid Moshe 107
A Purim feast Bar-Dawid Moshe 120
Brzezany's “strange” characters Bar-Dawid Moshe 123
Z.K.S - The Jewish Athletes club Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 126
Craftsmen association “Diligent Hand” (“Yad Charuzim”) Arch. Katz Menachem 128
Community center – National house Arch. Katz Menachem 129
The Orphanage Arch. Katz Menachem 130
Charity and mutual help institutes Arch. Katz Menachem 132
Educational Institutes Arch. Katz Menachem 134
Anti-Semitism in the high school, The Zvirski trial Shlomo Doron-Dorfman 134
Teachers State seminar in Brzezany Batya Bone Frisand 136
Brzezany Zvi Sharfshtein 137
Burial Society (Chevra Kadisha) “The Bed Carriers” Arch. Katz Menachem 143
The Cemetery Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 144
My Family Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 146
My family's story Pnina Shaklai 148
I remember Shabbat at home… Rivka Tomarkin Shapira 150
Memories from my parents home Zipora Rozner 151
In memory of my father, Yossef Kalman, the pioneer Israel Karmel-Kalman 153
 
Figures and Personalities
Rabbi Shalom Mordechai Hacohen Shvedron of blessed memory Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 156
Brzezany's Rabbis Rabbi Meir Wonder 161
The family of the Halperin Rabbis Bar-Dawid Moshe 168
The Nathanzon family Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 170
Rabbi Aharon Bar Yehuda HaLevi Dr. Israel Mehlman 172
The Rabbi, Dr. Margaliot Shmuel Zvi Dov (Dow) Knohl 178
The Rabbi, Dr. Leo (Leib Hirsch) Berdowicz Arch. Katz Menachem 179
The Rabbi, Dr. Yehuda Bergman Arch. Katz Menachem 180
The Rabbi, Yehuda Leibale Roze' Bar-Dawid Moshe 181
The Prayer possessor Wawa Zeev Direnfeld Bar-Dawid Moshe 183
Dr. Falk Bernard Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 184
Dr. Chaim Edmond Wilner Bar-Dawid Moshe 186
Dr. Aryeh Feld Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 186
Dr. Moshe Shumar Motek Rozenzweig 187
Dr. Shlomo Glaser Dov Glaser 190
Ozer Roth – The Zionist who fulfills his dream Rivka Cohen Roth 192
Shlomo Redlich Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 195
Binyamin Te'eni Erica Ilan Te'eni 198
Yoshe (Yosef) Ast – The Book-Seller Moshe Bar-David 200
Yechiel Pelz Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 201
Rabbi Moshe Shpizen's doings Avraham Charap z”l 202
Rabbi Efraim Zalman Margaliot Avraham Charap z”l 204
Rabbi Leibush Perlmuter and Rabbi Avraham Lukman Paulin Lukman 206
Rabbi Shlomo Prisand Batya Bone Prisand 207
Yosef Ben Meir Yehuda Streisand Judith Kahn-Streisand 209
Michael Kara (Karon) “Gazit” magazine, volume 26 211
The actor Hersh Tunis Bar-Dawid Moshe 213
Leon Shpezer Bar-Dawid Moshe 213
The Teacher (Melamed) Rabbi Yasha Fishlis Bar-Dawid Moshe 214
Dr. Avraham Helbertal Bar-Dawid Moshe 215
 
The Synagogues
The large synagogue Arch. Katz Menachem 221
Rabbi Yudel's synagpgue Arch. Katz Menachem 232
The “built” Torah Study House Arch. Katz Menachem 242
The Cantor's Torah Study House Arch. Katz Menachem 244
Old (Alte) Stratyner synagogue (Kloiz) Arch. Katz Menachem 245
Tschortkower Chasids' synagogue (Kloiz) Arch. Katz Menachem 246
“Diligent Hand” (“Yad Charuzim”) synagogue Arch. Katz Menachem 250
Rabbi Mendele synagogue Arch. Katz Menachem 251
Rozolver synagogue (Kloiz) Arch. Katz Menachem 252
Yair (Jair) synagogue Arch. Katz Menachem 252
Other prayer places in town Arch. Katz Menachem 253
 
The Holocaust
Time of Nazi rule Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 260
Blood Libel Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 261
The Judenrat Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 265
The transfers affair Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 269
The Jewish Militia - Ordnongedinst Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 269
Working groups for the Krizhouftman Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 270
The aktion[1] in Litatin Forests – December 1941 Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 271
Order to Jews to give away Furs Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 274
The Typhus aktion Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 274
The employment office - Arbeitsam Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 275
Work Camps Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 276
Methods of “catching” people to work camps Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 283
Jewish Militia member as a German “tool” and as a human being Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 284
Preparing to the “final solution” - spring 1942 Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 287
Reorganization of the Judenrat Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 288
Transferring Jews from the villages to the city Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 290
The time of Passover 1942 Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 292
Hideouts - bunkers Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 293
Women leave to Yagielnitsa camp Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 299
Aktions for converted Jews Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 299
Alternatives to hideouts Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 300
The news about Belzec Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 301
The High Holidays (the terrible days) Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 303
Yom Kippur of 1942 (5703) Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 303
The first aktion to Belzec Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 305
Testimonies from eye witnesses Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 306
The “window” to life Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 313
The destruction after the aktion Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 314
The way to the complete extermination and the struggle against it Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 316
The Ghetto Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 317
The second aktion to Belzec Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 321
Towards the winter Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 323
My battle for the Typhus sick Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 324
Hanukah's aktion - 1942 Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 328
Our conditions in the ghetto and our struggle up to the ghetto liquidation Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 329
The “Milk” aktion and others Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 330
The last aktion before the ghetto liquidation Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 331
The orphan girls and the locked gate Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 333
The Gestapo's Divide and conquer method Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 334
The Army Base (Ksarktin) Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 335
The last dance Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 336
The last aktion, the ghetto liquidation, Judenrein Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 337
After the ghetto liquidation Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 338
The Soviets rule again Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 342
The end of the war Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 344
I leave town Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 344
The last road Arch. Katz Menachem 345
The will of the Pohoryles family Peleg Marianska 365
Memories from the ghetto Dr. Shimon Redlich 367
Two work camps - Kaminka Meir Taler 370
Remember Dr. Eliezer Shaklai 377
About the community's memorialisation Elisha Oren 378
To remember Bar-Dawid Moshe 379
Izkor   381
Brzezany's martyrs list Arch. Katz Menachem 382
List of those who died in Israel Arch. Katz Menachem 409
List of fallen soldiers in Israel's wars Arch. Katz Menachem 420
Book's summary in English   1-30
 
The Narajow Book
Narajow My town Zehava Herz-Shmushkin 424
Memories from My town – Narajow Israel Ne'eman 431
The “Zionist youth” movement in Narajow P. Zletkes, C. Kvodi 434
To Narajow's character and remembrance P. Zletkes 437
My Village Narajow Aryeh Goldschlag 439
The author Moyshe Nadir Bar-Dawid Moshe 441
Narajow Moyshe Nadir 442
Homeland, My Homeland Moyshe Nadir 443
Narajow's Rabbis Rabbi Meir Wonder 444
About the Rabbinate affair in Narajow Israel Ne'eman 446
Rabbi Zvi Yehoshua Grosswax Israel Ne'eman 447
My happenings during the Nazi occupation Chana Roten (Lushk) 450
The Avenging Jew – Yankel (Yankale) Fenger Rina Zlatkes (Rozenblat) 452
Memories of my life under German rule Ben Noyman, Chana Kvodi 454
Narajow's martyrs list   458
List of those who died in Israel   468
 
English Section
Association of Former Brzezany Residents Manachem Katz 5
Brzezany, the Town   8

Footnote

  1. Term used for any non-military campaign to further Nazi ideals of race, but most often referred to the assembly and deportation of Jews to concentration or death camps. Return

We would like to thank from the bottom of our hearts those who helped, in action or with information, to fulfill this memorialization project.
My appreciation and thankfulness go to our friend Menachem Katz, who donated his time for years to bring this book to a successful completion, and to his helpers: Shimon Katz and Zafna Bekin and to Mr. Oren Elyashiv, principal of Hadera's highschool and Mr. Morris Forkile, for their willingness to give a helping hand to this holy project.
May they all be blessed.

In the name of the committee

Dr. Eliezer (WagshaI) Shaklai

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