The Bialystoker Memorial Book
(Białystok, Poland)

53°08' / 23°09'

Translation of
Der Bialystoker yisker-bukh

Editor: I. Shmulewitz

Published by Bialystoker Center, NY, 1982

 

Acknowledgments

 

Our sincere appreciation to Ms. Alys Kremer, Secretary,
Bialystoker Center & Bikur Cholim, Inc.,
for permission to put this material on the JewishGen web site.

Our sincere appreciation to Genia Hollander
for typing up the English text to facilitate its addition to this project.

 

This is from: Der Bialystoker yisker-bukh
The Bialystoker memorial book,
Edited by I. Shmulewitz. Published by Bialystoker Center, NY, 1982

Note: The original book can be seen online at the NY Public Library site: Bialystok (1982)

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.
This material may not be copied, sold or bartered without JewishGen, Inc.'s permission. Rights may be reserved by the copyright holder.

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.

 

  

 

 

Yiddish
 
To the Białystoker Landsleit and Friends   V
List of Contributors   VII
Foreword Max Ratner IX
 
In Old Bialystok
 
From a Little River to a World-City I. Shmulewitz 3
My Bialystok (poem) Z. Segalovitsh [Segałowicz] 6
In the Old Bialystok Eliezer Feygin 7
One Hundred Years Ago Avraham Shmuel Hershberg 9
The Death of Avraham Shmuel Hershberg   14
The Historic Town Clock in Bialystok Avraham Shmuel Hershberg 14
With the Rise of Zionism   15
The Jews of Long Ago in the Bialystok Region Dr. Anatol Leshtshinski 16
The Time of Rabbi Shmuel Mohilever Dr. Shmuel Refael Landau 17
The Beginning of the Jewish Labor Movement Mordechai Pogorelski 19
Memories From the Distant Past Tevel Blokh 21
With Dr. Yosef Chazanowicz Litman Rozental 24
Dr. Ludwik Zamenhof – the Creator of Esperanto Dr. M. Sudarski 26
The Great Pogrom in Białystok David Sohn 28
Our Unforgettable Old Home Asip [Osip] Dimov 32
The Shuln, Bote-Medroshim and Minyonim   34
 
The New Times
 
Our Shining Past Pesach Kaplan 37
The Beginning of the Twentieth Century Avraham Reisen [Avrom Reyzen] 39
The “Bund” in Bialystok Imanuel Novodgrodski 41
The Establishment of Poale Zion David Klementinowski 45
The Lineage of “Habima” Osip Dimov 48
The First Art Exhibition M. Babitsh 50
Torah Institutions and “Beautiful Jews” M. Sirota 52
“Everyday Jews” M. Sirota 57
Yiddish Theater Between the Two Wars Sheftel Zak 61
The Jewish Sport Organizations Pinchas Ginzburg 64
The Pogroms of the Past Mordechai Pogorelski 68
Gedalia from Bialystok (poem) Mani Leyb [Mani Leib] 68
The Last Jewish Community in Białystok Lawyer Zvi Klementinowski 69
A Fire in the Gerer Shtibl   70
 
On the Eve of Ruin
 
Under Polish Rule 1919-1939 Y. Kh. Kantsipolski 73
The Former Cloth Industrialists Y. Kh. Kantsipolski 74
Jewish Life Before the War David Klementinowski 79
Cultural and Social Life David Klementinowski 86
Memories from the Jewish Hospital Dr. Yakov Sokol 89
The Greatness of the Former School System B. Tabatshinski 91
There Are No Words (poem) Daniel Tsharny 93
The Names of Teachers in Bialystok and the Surrounding Area,
Who Were Murdered by the Nazis		   94
The Jewish Press before the Holocaust A. Zbar 95
The Jewish Printer Association Isak Ribalovski and Hershel Kozak 97
At My Father's Table (poem) Avrom Shevekh 98
The Historical Calendar of the Jewish Settlement David Klementinowski 99
In the Footsteps of The Fathers (poem) Binyamin Abelski 103
The Landsman Maxim Litvinov Ben Moshe 104
 
The Tragic Beginning
 
Yahrzeit Candle (poem) Avraham Shevach 109
In the Hour When the Borders Burn Yaakov Pat 110
In a Troubled Time Yitzchak Haber 111
Under Soviet Rule Yitzchak Haber 113
The Jewish War Refugees Yitzchak Haber 116
Białystok (poem) Yosef Rubinstein 118
How the Refugees Were Welcomed Khayim-Leyb [Chaim-Leib] Fuks 119
We Shall Not Forget! (poem) Chana Bushel-Solov 120
Our Yurovtser Gas Mordechai Pogorelski 120
 
Under the Yoke of the Nazis
 
On the Road to Destruction   123
The Judenrat and the Beginning of the Suffering   126
Rivkele di Shabesdike Pesach Kaplan 130
Life and Struggle in the Ghetto   130
 
Suffering Before the End
 
Desperation and Hope   135
On the Day of Yizkor [Remembrance] (poem) Avraham Zak 136
Pesach Kaplan's Ghetto Diary   137
The Death of Pesach Kaplan   149
Tragic Dates of the Destruction and Annihilation   150
The Tragic End Is Coming   151
The Echo in the Land of Israel   152
The Destruction of Białystok and Its Surroundings Dr. Shimen Datner [Szymon Datner] 156
On the Threshold of the Year 1942 Dr. Shimen Datner [Szymon Datner] 163
A Tragic Celebration in the Ghetto Dr. Shimen Datner [Szymon Datner] 167
At the Time of the Province's Destruction Dr. Shimen Datner [Szymon Datner] 169
The Women's “Aktion” to Wołkowysk Dr. Shimen Datner [Szymon Datner] 173
Echoes from the Warsaw Ghetto Dr. Shimen Datner [Szymon Datner] 177
The Tenenbaum-Tamaroff Ghetto Archive Dr. Shimen Datner [Szymon Datner] 179
The Tragic Testament of the Last Jews Dr. Shimen Datner [Szymon Datner] 182
The Count of Suicides in the Ghetto Dr. Shimen Datner [Szymon Datner] 183
 
Destruction and Resistance
 
The End of the Jews of the Province Dr. Shimen Datner [Szymon Datner] 189
The Recovered Protocols and Announcements of the Judenrat Yitzhak Tsesler 191
The “Aktion” of February 1943 Rafael Rayzner [Reizner] 194
The Ghetto Martyr Yitskhok Malmed Rafael Rayzner [Reizner] 201
The Last Chapter of the Old Community Rafael Rayzner [Reizner] 203
An Appeal   205
The Ghetto in Flames Rafael Rayzner [Reizner] 206
The Heroic Resistance Rafael Rayzner [Reizner] 211
The Second Week of Slaughter Rafael Rayzner [Reizner] 216
In the Białystoker Ghetto (poem)   220
Pages from a Tragic Diary Shimen [Szymon] Amiel 221
The Great Echo of Heroic Resistance Shimen [Szymon] Amiel 227
Fritz Gustav Friedl – the Chief Murderer Shimen [Szymon] Amiel 227
The Trial and the Deserved Punishment Shimen [Szymon] Amiel 228
The Uprising of the Jews in the Ghetto Peysekh Burshteyn [Pesach Burstein] 230
The Hiding Place in an Attic Abrasha Gershuni 232
A Witness Reports on the Uprising Dr. Sh. Citron 234
Katzet… (poem) H. Salman 235
The Fallen Heroes of the Uprising Fishl Faynfeld 236
Partial List of the Fallen Fighters   237
In the Days of the Resistance   240
Markovtshizne (poem)   241
 
After the Liberation
 
In the Town of Ruin and Devastation   245
The Białystoker Geselekh [Alleys] (poem) Avraham Shevach 245
Mourning and Remembrance of the Martyrs Yitzchak Bornstein 246
In Białystok, August 1944 Srolke Kot 250
Białystoker Weavers (poem) Z. Segalovitsh 252
The First Yom Kippur in My Home–Town Srolke Kot 252
On Bialystoker Paths (poem) Shloyme [Shlomo] Pat 253
The First Passover After the Holocaust Rabbi Dr. Avraham Kravetz 254
In Białystok, Shortly After the War Pesach Burstein 255
Lamentation over Białystok Eliezer Nyudov-Nyevadavski 258
A Letter from the Committee   258
The Jews in Białystok after the War   259
The Greeting and Call of Chaika Grossman Rabbi Mordechai Kirshblum 261
The Beginning of a New Life Yedidya Hamburg 263
The Decline of Jewish Life   265
The Holy Soil of the Zhabye Cemetery Dr. Shimen Datner [Szymon Datner] 268
Memories from the Hebrew Gymnasium Dr. Shimen Datner [Szymon Datner] 270
 
The Fate of the Children
 
The Fate of the Miracle-Children Shalom Bechman 277
One of the Rescued Children Speaks Khane Lin-Kizelshteyn 279
 
The Brotherly Help
 
Help From the Białystoker Center   283
An Appeal from the Landsleit in Cyprus   284
The Great Resonance of the Białystoker Shtime   285
My Former Home and Childhood Israel Beker 287
Our Białystoker Lineage Y. Freidkes 288
The Famous Białystoker Artist Benn A. Parizer 289
Sholem Aleichem á la Białystok Aharon Zeitlin 290
Białystok Mayn Heym - Białystok My Home (poem)   291
I Was in the Old Home… Yehuda Grinhoyz 292
A Visit in Bialystok 35 Years After The Destruction Isak Ribalovski 293
For Us, the War Is Not Over Chaika Grossman 297
A Reminder and a Warning Dr. Samuel Pisar 298
How I Stayed Alive Bayle Bender-Khudin 300
 
Victims and Witnesses Tell Their Stories
 
Heroism on the Road to Death Yosef Blumson 305
Victorious – Yet No Victor Srolke Kot 307
How I Saved Myself Hirsh Feygin 308
After the Liquidation of the Ghetto Moshe Bender 310
The Mourning of a Heroine's Father   312
As Witness Against the Nazi Criminals Pesach Burstein [Peysekh Burshteyn] 313
I was Disguised as a Man Fanny Garfinkel (Boyarski) 316
My Father's Last Journey Charles Shvekher [Schwecher] 318
In the Warsaw “Pawiak” Arye (Leon) Sherenyets 320
Forever Etched in Memory Tsirl (Berkovitsh) Shteyngart [Steingart] 321
Our Reunion After the Path of Suffering Nekhome [Nechama] Dinur (Drogotshinski) 324
A Legacy for the Second Generation Alice Kremer 325
 
The Landsleit Over the World
 
The arrival of the first Landsman David Sohn 331
Jewish Bialystok in America Isaak Ribalovski 335
The Old Synagogue in New York   343
Our devoted “Ambassador” Rabbi Shmuel A. Kronik 344
The leader David Sohn Louis Silver 346
David Sohn's family Zalman Heller 348
The strength of a Bialystok origin Shmuel Yitzhaki 349
My connection with Bialystok Irving I. Stone 352
Hitler's Jewish victims by countries and numbers   353
Chana'le (poem) Shmuel Bernstein 353
 
In Israel
 
The Organization of Bialystok Jews in Israel ZalmanYerushalmi and Kopel Lev 357
In the new home in Eretz Israel   358
Zalman Yerushalmi Chaim Israeli 360
A warm and homelike settlement in Eretz Israel Avraham Wertheim 361
The contribution of our ancestors Avraham Liess 363
Kiryat Bialystok   365
At the World–Gathering in New York   366
The appeal and the great response of the Landsleit   367
The printed “Bialystoker Vort” [Bialystok Word]   368
 
In Australia
 
Our important activity P. Albert 371
The devotion of the Landsleit   373
The old and the new in Australia   374
 
In Argentina
 
Fifty years of the Association Wolf Teshinski 377
Life in a new world D. Sherman 379
In Buenos Aires Yitzhak Monaker 380
 
In France
 
With the Bialystoker in Paris David Podliashuk 385
The first letter from France   387
The Committee after the War Fishel Feinfeld 388
Chances of help from America   389
Map and view of Bialystok today   391
Bibliography   392
 
English
 
Editorial Committee   IV
To Our Bialystoker landsleit and Friends The Bialystoker Memorial Book Committee V
Foreword Max Ratner IX
 
Bialystok of Old
Bialystok – A Historical Survey I. Shmulewitz 3
Bialystok – The Beginning Elijezer Fejgin 5
One Hundred Years Ago Awrom Szmuel Herszberg 6
Rabbi Szmuel Mohilewer Dr. Szoul Refoel Landau 11
The Jewish Labour Movement Mordechaj Pogorelski 12
Dr. Josef Chazanowicz – A Profile Litman Rozental 13
Dr. Ludwig Zamenhof and Esperanto Dr. M. Sudarski 14
Pogroms in the 19th Century Mordechaj Pogorelski 15
The Pogrom Against the Jews David Sohn 16
The Martyrs of the 1906 Pogrom   18
 
Bialystok - the Modern Period
Recalling Our Proud Past Pejsach Kaplan 21
The “Bund” In Bialystok Emanuel Nowogrodski 22
The Labour Zionist Movement Dowid Klementynowski 24
Some of the Well-Known Jewish Physicians in Bialystok   25
The Habimah National Theatre Ossip Dymow 26
The First Jewish Art Exhibition Maks Babicz 27
Torah Institutions and Leaders M. Sirota 28
The Athletes and Heroes   29
The Growth of the Silk Industry Y.H. Kancypolski 30
The Jewish Sports Movement Pynchos Ginzburg 31
The Jewish Theatre 1919–1939 Szeftel Zak 33
Women of Bialystoker Jewish Aristocracy   34
 
On the Eve of the Holocaust
Under Polish Jurisdiction 1919-1939 Y.H. Kancypolski 37
The Community Before the War Dowid Klementynowski 38
The Last Kehilla in Bialystok Zwi Klementynowski 41
Remembering the Jewish Hospital Dr. Jacob Sokol 42
The School and Education B. Tabaczynski 43
A Historical Calendar   44
Maxim Litvinov Our Landsman Dowid Klementynowski 45
 
The Tragic Beginning
As the Borders Go Up In Flame Jakow Pat 49
The Yahrzeit Candle Awrom Szewach 49
The Rise and Fall of Bialystok Awrom Zbar 50
The Jews Welcome the Refugees Chaim Lejb Fuks 55
 
 
Under Nazi Oppression
The Beginning of the Holocaust   59
Rivkele the Shabbosdike Pejsach Kaplan 62
The Judenrat's Minutes and Orders Isaac Czesler 63
 
 
Agony Before the End
Pejsach Kaplan's Ghetto Diary   71
The Death of Pejsach Kaplan   74
Bialystok Region in Ruins Dr. Szymon Datner 75
The Archives of Tenenbaum-Tamarof and Mersik   80
Tragic Messages From the Last Jews Dr. Szymon Datner 81
The “Action” of February 1943 Refoel Rajzner 83
These Are the Sorrowful Dates of Our “Yiskor” Calendar   89
An Appeal Bialystok Ghetto Resistance Organization 90
The Ghetto in Flames Refoel Rajzner 91
Surrounded by Blood and Fire Szymon Amiel 98
Fritz Gustav Friedl – Mass Murderer   103
 
Death and Resistance
The Bialystok Ghetto Uprising Pejsach Bursztejn 109
Partial List of Martyrs   111
Our Streets Awrom Szewach 113
 
After the Liberation
Jews in Bialystok After the War Jakov Pat and Dr. Chaim Szozskes 117
Memorial in Tribute to the Victims Izchok Bornsztejn 119
Bialystok in August 1944 Srolke Kot 121
The First Passover after the War Rabbi Dr. Awrom Krawets 122
With the Jews after the War Pejsach Bursztejn 123
Bialystok – A Lamentation Eliezer Newdow-Newadowski 124
The Beginning of a New Life Yedidia L. Hamburg 125
After the War   126
The Sacred Zabia Cemetery Dr. Szymon Datner 127
The Hebrew Gymnasium Dr. Szymon Datner 129
Jewish victims of the Nazis by country   130
 
The Children's Fate
Saving the Children   133
A Rescued Child Speaks Chana Lin–Kizlsztejn 134
 
Assistance from other Bialystokers
The Bialystoker Centre helps   137
Minutes of the Relief Conference Louis Shreibman 138
A Plea For Help From Landsleit On Cyprus   139
A Letter of Appreciation From the Religious Kehilla in Bialystok   139
How the Stimme is Appreciated in Poland   140
 
The Victims' and Witnesses' Accounts
My Visit to Bialystok in 1977 Izaak Rybal–Rybalowski 143
For Us the War Has Not Yet Ended Chajke Grosman 144
Growing Up in the Bialystok Ghetto Dr. Samuel Pisar 145
My Beloved Home Israel Beker 146
Sam Solasz – From Devastation to Triumph Rabbi Lowell S. Kronick 147
How I Survived the Holocaust Hirsz Fejgin 148
A Father's Grief for His Daughter   149
The Famous Artist, Benn A. Parizer 150
I Testified Against a War Criminal Pejsach Burszteijn 151
I Disguised Myself as a Man Fannie Bojarski–Garfinkel 153
A Walk to Death: My Father's Story Charles Schwecher 154
A Bialystoker Jew in Pawjak Leon Szereniec 156
A Legacy For the Second Generation Alys Kremer 157
Forever in My Memory Tzirl (Berkowicz) Steingart 158
Reunion After a Painful Journey Nechama (Drogoczynski) Dinur 159
 
Bialystokers All Over the World
Bialystokers in the United States
The First Bialystoker in America David Sohn 166
Bialystok Relief Work Izaak Rybal–Rybalowski, General Secretary 167
Bialystoker Centre and Home – 50 years Izaak Rybal–Rybalowski, General Secretary 168
Bialystoker Jews in America – A Record of Proud Achievement   172
Max Ratner – A Bialystoker With a Heart Szmuel Izchaki 173
My Bialystok Connection Irving I. Stone 175
Izaak Rybal – A Profile Rabbi Lowell S. Kronick 176
David Sohn, Leader of the Landsleit Louis Silver 177
The Family of David Sohn Zalman Heller 178
David Sohn, Husband and Father Naomi Kavee and Mildred Spiegel 179
In Israel
Bialystoker Centre in Israel Zalman Yerushalmi and Kopel Lew 183
Jews in Their New Home   184
A New Settlement in Israel Avraham Wertheim 185
Pioneers in Israel Avraham Lis 186
Kiryat Bialystok – A New Beginning   187
In Australia
The Bialystoker Centre in Australia Pejsach Albert 191
In Argentina
The Fiftieth Anniversary of the Bialystoker Society in Argentina Wolf Czynski 195
In France
The Bialystoker Community in France David Podliachouk 199
A Reminder and a Warning Dr. Samuel Pisar 200
The French Committee After the War Fiszl Fajnfeld 201
Bibliography   202

 

 Yizkor Book Project    JewishGen Home Page     Bialystok, at Kehilalinks

Yizkor Book Director, Lance Ackerfeld
Emerita Yizkor Book Project Manager, Joyce Field z”l
This web page created by Max Heffler

Copyright © 1999-2026 by JewishGen, Inc.
Updated 15 Mar 2026 by JH