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“Az er will nisht sein kein leit schick ihm kein America”.

Many parents actually went into financial difficulties in order to send their boys to America so that he might, in turn, be of some assistance to them. But this was, in most cases, a vain hope because very often the boy quickly forgot his parents and did not even write to them.

There was also a set of younger men in Dobromil whose ambition it was to go to America in order to see the world, to partake of worldly culture and to

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improve their economic condition. This class of young men left for America secretly, with and without the consent of their parents. There were also young men who were in possession of trades; young men who wanted to escape military service and young men who had already been conscripted. All these went to America to start a new free and better life there. Among these were: Wolf Loewenthal; Isac Zukerman; Raphael Springer; Isac Fuchs; Hersh “Mordcha Beers”; Aron Mehler, Joseph Usher Richter, Nachman Yona Wisner and many others of the same category. But most of these went because some relative sent a steamship ticket.

The steamship ticket cost at that time $22 and was obtained on the instalment plan. The relative gave the pedlar a deposit and when the immigrant arrived and began to work, he paid the instalments himself. At the end, he also returned to his uncle the few dollars given as deposit.

This emigration began at the end of the 19^th century. Many of these returned home and then went back to America while others wanted to go back and no longer for many reasons, either their parents had married them off or they had no money for a steamship ticket.

At the beginning of the 20^th century there was a general exodus from Eastern European countries to America and Dobromil too was drawn into the stream. Many Dobromiler boys and girls left artisans of whom a great number were tailors. Many of these first went to the big cities of Europe: Berlin, Wien, Budapest, Passau, Krakow, Lemberg and London and

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then continued their migration until they came to New York. At that time there was no need of a passport, a book showing proficiency in a trade together with the picture of the owner sufficed.

Most of these immigrants left from the ports of Hamburg, Bremen, Antwerp and Rotterdam on ships that made the voyage in ten days. The accommodation was in the steerage part of the ship, in huge men's and women's dormitories accommodating 300 passengers each. Some lay sick on their upper or lower berths throughout the ten days. Others who had an appetite ate at a large table. One of the passengers brought down a large bucket of soup from the kitchen, some bread and some pieces of corned beef. This was the main fare of these passengers. After recovering from his seasickness, if he had money, he could buy a piece of fried steak for 10 pfennig from the cook who pocketed all the receipts from this source.

These ships landed in Hoboken, N.J. All 3^rd class passengers were immediately loaded on tenders and brought to Ellis Island, or as the Jews called it: “Castle Garden”. There, each immigrant was asked to whom he was coming to in America and after the doctor examined his eyes and eyed him up professionally, the name of the uncle or the cousin was called. As soon as a response to the call was heard, the greenhorn was handed over to the one who came to fetch him.

After handshaking and kissing, they boarded the ferry, came to South Ferry, took the Broadway trolley, transferred to the Grand Street car and in about half an hour, arrived at Columbia, Sheriff, Willett Rivington, Stanton, Cannon, etc., as the case happened

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to be. After depositing the little package, which was usually all the baggage the boy had, he was taken to the public baths and the uncle or the aunt would donate a new shirt.

After a few days of strolling around the streets of the East Side, the question of a job arose. The uncle or the cousin began to ask a few friends to take the greenhorn along to work. Naturally, the tailors had no difficulty in obtaining jobs and began to earn at least $5 a week. But the boy without a trade was hard put to it. He had to accept any job that was offered which never brought more than $3 a week to begin with, which even then was not sufficient to pay the board and lodging. The aunt or the cousin had to be paid at least $3 a week for board and lodging so that for a whole week the boy was without a cent with which to buy a glass of soda water or a cigarette.

As a rule, the boarder was one of three or four in the house. At night, the folding beds were opened in the kitchen and in the front room where two or three boarders slept in one bed. If there happened to be a female boarder among the lot, nature took its course and an engagement was soon announced. The wedding was not late in taking place and history repeated itself – a new 'missus' and new boarders. A boarder once approached his home and upon seeing a piano being hoisted up to his apartment exclaimed: “wonderful, now I'll already have where to put my jacket out of hand”.

The Dobromiler lived in the thick of the Galician

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section, Sheriff Street, Columbia, Willet, Stanton, etc. They never ventured south of Grand St. because there they were apt to meet Russian immigrants with whom they did not like to talk to or associate with.

At about 19hr in the evening, the young man came home from work and the 'missus' had supper ready. One of the children was sent out with a tin pitcher to get beer for 6c or for 10c. In America one drank beer even in the middle of the week. There was no need to wait for Saturday or a holiday.

After supper they went to visit Landsleit or for a walk on Rivington St. The younger boys went to dancing school two or three evenings a week. There they met their friends and many girl friends from Dobromil or neighbouring little cities. Appointments were made to go to the Jewish theatre, to the 'Atlantic Garden', to Coney Island for a Sunday swim and gradually the couples became better and better acquainted with the expected resulting marriage. I often wondered by the night school which was free and at the same distance from them as the dancing school, did not have the same attraction.

On Saturday the 'shops' were open only until 16hr and during July and August, only to midday. On Saturday all became rich. They got their weekly pay. They went to buy clothes, shirts, hats and shoes. A pair of shoes cost $1, a shirt 25c, etc. Many went to the barber for the weekly shave while others went to the local saloon to drink or to a matinée show in the Jewish theatre. In the evening many went to the 'Atlantic Garden'. This was a small theatre in the neighbourhood that gave some one-

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Act operettas; some 'single turns' and at the end, a sketch which was usually highly tragic and dramatic. The ticket cost 10c. The older persons, that is the married ones, went to the meeting of the Dobromiler Lodge or the Dobromiler Society. Each one would dress up and clean up to go to the meeting. Many members who were pedlars came home rather late on Saturday because that was their best business day. These came to the meeting late but since the meetings usually lasted until midnight, the late-comer could always catch up with the proceedings. At any rate, he was always in time to go along to the dairy restaurant for mushroom soup, bread, butter and coffee.

At the meetings the discussion was usually about acquiring more and more cemetery; about visiting sick members; giving sick relief to the poor sick and topics of a like nature. All the proceedings were in Yiddish.

These discussions did not attract the young immigrant and did not interest him. For that reason, the society consisted mainly of older persons. One of the oldest there was Joseph Leib Chupper. He was the spiritual leader and mentor of the group. He was the Rabbi, the Mohel and officiated at all Dobromiler marriages. All Dobromiler of those days knew or had heard about his mother, Feiger Chupper. Thanks to her, no woman in Dobromil died without confession. To honour her name, her son organized the Feige Chupper Ladies Society which exists to this very day.

The younger boys who came from 1905 until World War I, kept together. They went to drink beer together, to Coney Island on Sunday, to the Jewish theatre on Saturday and made excursions together.

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Unfortunately, it never occurred to them to go to night school to learn some English.

It came to pass that some of the young men got the bright idea of organizing a Young Men's Society. This organization existed but a few months and for reasons that are not essential to mention here; it could not exist as a separate entity. Negotiations were started with the Dobromiler Society and the young men joined the older men. New life came into the Society. These young men became active; many were elected officers of the organization. The old and the new really had little in common and the Society had little to offer these young men other than cemetery, sick relief, medical assistance, etc. But it seems all were satisfied with the deal. Today these young men are old and they in turn devote their meetings to discussion of cemetery buying and selling and visiting sick members.

During the early years when Dobromiler came in waves to the shores of America, the economic situation of the country was quite different, in some respects better and in many respects worse than today. The workman earned about $12 a week; a foreman $18 a week and was the envy of the whole 'shop'. The day's work began at 07:30 with half-an-hour for lunch and lasted until 18hr. In the cloak and suit factories, where most of the people worked piece work, the day began at 06hr and the shop remained open until 23hr. The season was short and the pieceworkers said “make hay while the sun shines”. The operator, the finisher, the presser all rose at 05hr, ate breakfast, took the little pot of cold meat in one hand and some pieces of bread in

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the other and marched off to work. At noon the meat was warmed up on the gas stove and most of the workers ate their lunch in the shop. After 20 or 25 minutes, work was resumed and went on without a stop until late at night.

There was no trade union in existence and the worker was always at the mercy of the boss. I am sure everyone today knows what it means to work in an unorganized shop. May, June and July was the slack season and many workers and their families actually starved. During the hot summer days and nights, these workers went around with a cent in their pockets to buy for a “penny plain”. When a child finished elementary school, he or she was sent to work. There were not many nigh schools in the city of New York and only good students were admitted to high school. The little bit of English that the parents knew, they had learned from their children. These workers, to a great extent, read the Jewish newspapers which, in those days, were much better than today.

The theatre for them was the Jewish theatre which, at that time, was on a very high intellectual and dramatic level. The more serious plays were those of Jacob Gordon, God, Man and Devil; the Jewish King Lear; Mirele Efros; Die Shchite; On the Mountains, etc. There were also plays by Osip Dumov; Leon Kobrin; Abraham Goldfaden; Rumshinsky, etc. In these starred David Kessler; Jacob P. Adler; Boris Thomashevsky; Max Gabel; Bessie Thomashevsky; Jennie Goldstein; Morris Schwartz; Margulevsky; Schneier; Keny Liptzin; Regina Prager; Mertha Kalish and many other great tragedians and comedians.

This was evidently the reason why these Dobromiler and other young immigrants did not turn to the English stage in New York. This was the golden age of the Jewish stage.

In those days the cost of living was very low. Rent was $12 a month, a four-course meal including soda water was 20c, theatre admission was obtainable for 15c and a big glass of beer cost 5c. In the saloon where this beer was served, there was a free lunch counter with a selection of all kinds of herrings, cheeses, salamis, hard boiled eggs, sardines, salads, bread, steamed clams and clam broth and in many places even hot soup was served as part of this free lunch.

In this atmosphere, our young Dobromilers thrived, worked and enjoyed life. It was indeed work because more than 3 or 4 big business men did not emerge from them and no more than about 3 or 4 professionals. Many tried business but without success.

The majority remained factory workers. Gradually, they left the East Side and moved to the Bronx, to Brooklyn and later on to Queens. Today, they take their summer vacations in the Catskills, their winter vacation in Miami Beach and they live like all other Jews in New York. Nobody should begrudge them these pleasures. They merited these by their hard labour. It is only a pity that many of them did not visit Europe after the Holocaust to meet their remaining relatives, friends and landsleit that lay hidden in the woods around Dobromil, who saw their parents, brothers and sisters shot and hung before their eyes, who were driven on the Bahnweg like cattle to slaughter,

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and who spent years of suffering in the concentration camps and suffered hunger and frost in Russia. The Dobromiler in America who had no personal contact with these people cannot imagine what that meant. It is possible that for this very reason, the American Dobromiler do not concentrate their charities on their remaining brothers in Israel to the extent that Americans of other towns bestow upon the needy and worthy institutions in Israel such as: building old age homes, children's villages, giving scholarships to good pupils of Dobromiler parents, etc. Of course, it is lamentable that there are not many rich among them.

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As is the case with other little cities of Poland, so it is with Dobromil: Most of the survivors live in the U.S.A. and in Israel. However, we are also represented in many countries of Europe and South America. There are Dobromiler in Munich, Vienna, Paris, Brussels, Antwerp, Strasbourg, Geneva, London, Zurich, Clermont-Ferrand, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Caracas and Mexico City.

Many of these have achieved success in business, in various trades and are quite satisfied to be where they are although their lot during the last years was the same as that of many other Jews. They were in concentration camps, had to hide in woods and some lived as Christians in order to remain alive. Of course, this does not refer to those who emigrated before the war.

Among the sons of Dobromil in the United States, we have quite a number who are a credit to our group and whom we may rightfully be proud of. I shall mention a few who by dint of their own talents, mentality and business acumen have risen above the rest and have become physicians, lawyers, teachers, writers, inventors and big business executives.

Foremost of them all is our beloved friend Walter Artzt, better known as Willig, who has shown great skill in many fields of endeavour. He has quite a number of patents registered in his name; has written a book in English and poems and articles in Yiddish. In the true

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European way, Walter is not only devoted to his very successful business – Lisle Mills – of which he is the president, but is also a patron of the arts, education and literature. His philanthropy reaches all corners of the globe – all worthy institutions, and I am glad to state that his favourite charity is Israel. In fact, he is a prominent member of the Israel Cultural Foundation and has made several trips to Israel in this capacity.

Space does not permit to describe all the charitable activities of Willig Artzt; all his patents, his ability as an executive, all his business pursuits and all his cultural inclinations. I will just say that we know Walter and his wife Betty as two persons with big open hearts and open pockets.

The two sons of Nuchim Ber Hartstein have achieved high standing as educators. One is now Dean of the School of Education at Long Island University and the younger one is head of the Public Relations Office of Yeshiva University. Certainly we take pride in counting them among our people.

In San Diego, California, we have Dr. Jacob Wenig, a son of Hershele Wenig. He keeps in touch with us and always responds to our calls for help.

With special delight we mention our Motele Stein who lives in Paris. He has had a colourful career as a member of various progressive parties in various countries in Europe. He saw actual fighting in the Spanish revolution and has just published a book of memoirs of this adventure. He is a very talented Yiddish writer. A series of his articles has been published in the N.Y. Forward. He is an effective lecturer on politics, sociology, literature and has written quite a number

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of criticisms on various modern writers. He visited many of our landsleit when he was in N.Y. as a delegate to a Writer's Convention and many of us have returned the visit to him in Paris. I understand that his brother is a physician in Chicago. However, we are sorry he does not keep in touch with us.

Abraham Feivush, born in Dobromil, is now a teacher of mathematics in the New York City High Schools. Although he does not identify himself with his compatriots, we are nevertheless proud to count him in.

Among the very successful business persons, we name our friend and staunch supporter, Max Kramer. He has come up the hard way and certainly deserves his financial and business standing among the financiers and dealers on Wall St. Max has been on Wall St. for a good number of years and through his fine personality, has made friends among all types of people. He has contributed to Dobromiler charities and was many times President of the Dobromiler Society of N.Y. Between the two world wars; he made several trips to Dobromil where he helped his relatives and friends with substantial sums of money. After World War II, he sent money and parcels to his remaining relatives and did all he could to bring them to America.

To better identify Max Kramer, it suffices to say that he is the younger brother of our esteemed patriarch, Berish Kramer whose literary contribution to this book we all appreciate.

We also have among our brothers those who, though not having had the opportunity to distinguish themselves in the various professions, can nevertheless enjoy reflected glory in the achievements of their children.

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Sol Ziffer's son Herman is a renowned physician in New York and is presently engaged in some very important medical research. His career is in no small measure due to the tireless effort and unstinting support which his father Sol gave him in order to attain this high degree of fame.

Another proud parent is Alex Walkes whose son is also a doctor in N.Y.C. and is active in several hospitals. Here too father said or thought: “I did not have the opportunity by you my son will not lack the means to make for yourself a professional career if you only want to”.

The two sons of our friend Alex Miller have also attained professional standing. The older son Milton is a teacher and the younger son Martin is a professor of psychology.

Of all these sons of Dobromil who have achieved these enviable careers, we the Landsleit of Dobromil are especially proud.

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Like all other groups, the Dobromiler in Israel fall into three categories: those that came before Hitler; those that came on account of Hitler and those that came after Hitler. Those that came early were, in certain respects, idealists and patriotic Zionists. In Dobromil they studied Hebrew, read Hebrew newspapers and books, belonged to Zionist clubs and some even went through the hardening process called Hachshara to prepare for life in Palestine. They were well versed in Palestinian politics and discussed them in groups on the streets and in the main square of Dobromil. They often fought with their persecutors – the Dobromiler Chasidim. From one side they were driven and molested by the Chasidim and from the other, they were oppressed by anti-Semitic Poles. All this gave them a still greater desire to reach the Promised Land. Everyone who knows this type of settler wishes there were more of them.

During the Hitler era, those who saw the handwriting on the wall and found the means of getting to Israel actually saved their lives. They are well aware that they saved themselves in Israel. Alas, of these, there are very few. Occasionally one hears grumbling about taxes, about little hardships and gratitude is forgotten – but such are human frailties.

The greater part of the Dobromiler came from

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war-torn Poland, Russia, concentration camps, from the woods where they had been hiding in convents and monasteries where they lived as Christians. Some saw the Massacre at the Dobromiler salt pits, the murder on the road to the railroad station, the hangings and the shootings in the Ringplatz. Many saw their husbands and brothers shot right before their eyes. They lived for two years under the Russian regime in Dobromil and fled to Russia when the Germans marched eastward in 1941. Among these are some who came to Israel before 1948 when the partition took place. These came as illegals. Some were rescued from sinking ships; others were pulled out from the sea half-dead while others were sent to camps in Cyprus or prison camps in Palestine.

This gives us an idea of how our people came to Israel. Every Jew can well understand the depth of their suffering, the tragedies they witnessed and lived through, the day-by-day fight to survive. Those who were spared all this misery should at least offer a helping hand. And we are happy to say that most have exerted every means, even beyond their ability, to rehabilitate these unfortunates.

Of what mettle were our early settlers? It is known that many of our Dobromiler made great sacrifices during Israel's war of Independence. Many joined the Palmach, some risked their lives by swimming out to bring the illegals in. Some carried ammunition, bombs, hand grenades and mortars hidden on their persons during the struggle with the English. Many of our people, like Ephraim Rosenfeld, Sarah Panzer, Meyer Fink and many others rendered great service to their

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adopted country in its need. Some of our people lost their sons in the War of Independence and they themselves distinguished themselves heroically. Of course they were not alone. At that time, every Jew gave the best in him and certainly our Dobromiler did not lag behind.

Those who came early often tell of the hard times, starvation, lack of work and the struggle with the Arabs for a day's work. I well believe them. I remember that during my visit to Palestine in the summer of 1927, I saw a Jew following with great envy an Arab girl who carried a big board on her head, stooping every now and then to pick up horse manure along the road. Upon seeing this, the Jew said to me: “When we Jews will lower ourselves to do this too, we may then be able to earn a few piasters for bread”. Many of our people worked on roads, on sidewalks, on building, in the fields, in the orange groves carrying on a bitter struggle and competition with the Arab workers for a mere starvation wage. At times, some Dobromiler will point to a building, a road, a sidewalk and say: “These I laid breaking some of the stones with my bare hands for tools we had none”. There were many who worked in factories and walked 4-5 kilometres to and from work to save the half piaster bus fare.

To a great extent, the story of the early Dobromiler may be identified with that of all early settlers. They were all imbued with the ideal to found a new culture, to revive the Hebrew language and make the necessary sacrifices to create a Jewish Homeland.

Those that came after the war, came poor and

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hungry. They were helped by the Jewish Agency, relatives and landsleit.

Our people live mainly in Tel-Aviv, Hadera, Haifa and Jerusalem. Very few live in Kibutzim or Moshavim and the majority are rather poor. There are no rich Dobromiler and none has a car or motorcycle. There are no professionals among them: no doctors, no teachers, no dentists and no lawyers. However, they all hope to give their children a good education so that some may enter the professions. Among the Dobromiler there are some who speak Hebrew fluently and correctly. They read the Hebrew press and Hebrew literature but among themselves, as in N.Y., they like to speak Yiddish.

I made some very fine friends among the beautiful Dobromiler women and of course some very fine and interesting friends among the men, but I prefer to mention here my sweethearts Bluma, Zahava, Shoshana and a few others.

The second generation, for understandable reasons, does not identify itself with Dobromil and I believe it is the same in N.Y. The organization has a list of 145 families. They meet several times a year; for the memorial meeting and for occasions such as honouring a guest from Europe or America. The memorial meeting for those who were brutally killed by the Nazi is held about the middle of December. It is conducted in the most fitting and dignified manner.

It is deplorable that more members of the Dobromiler Society in N.Y. have not come to visit Israel to see the country and their friends and landsleit. Once a year, the organization inaugurates an excursion to some interesting part of the country so as to give the

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members a chance to see places in the country which otherwise they would never visit.

Thanks to their American brethren, the organization is able to administer a Loan Fund where each Dobromiler in need of money can borrow up to 300 I.L. without interest or any cost whatsoever. The loan is repaid within a year and if the borrower wishes, he may begin to pay after the third month that is if he finds that he cannot begin to pay back sooner. In this manner the organization has helped many to start a business, buy an apartment, make a Bar Mitzvah or marry-off a daughter.

Their friends in N.Y. honour them with food packages every Passover. This is really very much appreciated by all landsleit in Israel. They know their friends who do not forget them and think of them once or twice a year. May this kinship continue forever! Our people seem to be tied by a strong tie of friendship although the more intimate circles are selective and people of the same social strata, dating back to their hometown, have closer connections, not that they are snobbish but they just know one another better.

Some of our people left Israel to improve their lot in America and in Europe. However, with the improved economic conditions in Israel, they probably now regret that they left. They must know by now that in no country in the world can they raise their families in liberty, democracy and freedom from anti-Semitism as they can in Israel. It may be true that they earn more, but it is also true that they spend more and it is likely that the whole thing evens itself out.

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Some Dobromiler have sons and daughters studying in the U.S.A. and in European countries. The parents work very hard to maintain them and let us hope that these youngsters will render themselves worthy of their parents' sacrifices.

In the main, the Dobromiler live in nice new apartments of 4 and 5 rooms by the American count. Of course, in Israel, almost all houses are new, white and with large balconies where the greater part of the summer evenings are spent. Some take trips to Europe for the summer and spend a little money. But this happens once in a lifetime; they have worked very hard for it and certainly deserve it.

They patronize the movies, the Hebrew and Yiddish theatres and some even go to football matches. There are very few musicians or music lovers among them and as far as I know, there is not a piano in any Dobromiler home. Some are very religious while others are not religious at all. Although they all know Polish, they seldom indulge in this language as other Polish people do. However, the love for flowers and gardens has penetrated into their very being and in this respect too, they are like all Israelis.

By trade, we can count among them merchants; small store keepers, diamond dealers, watchmakers, street cleaners, government clerks, writers, policemen, postal clerks, and the like.

To sum up, they are a good simple lot, quite average, nothing to look up to but certainly nothing to look down upon.

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