[Page 3]

When the committee of the “Organization of Former Residents of Gritze“ in Israel entrusted me with the editorial work on the memorial book, “The Scroll of Gritze,“ I was simply struck with fear for the great responsibility that such a task placed upon me.

I spent much time contemplating how to organize the work so that the memorial book would truly be a reflection of the life, creation, joy, sorrow, and tragic end of the Gritze community.

Yet, we don't even have documents or descriptions that would have recorded the historical-creative life of such a small community as Gritze was. Also, the German annihilation of the Jews in Gritze has not yet received its expression in the memories of the survivors of this town.

Due to the reasons mentioned, I hesitated for months whether it was possible to carry out such a work of creating the tragic scroll of Gritze and finally decided to start by collecting testimonies, information, and to encourage our fellow townspeople to bring out their memories on paper in whatever form it may be.

In this way, I managed to collect valuable materials, memories, and discussions that tell about the existence and destruction of the small Jewish community that led a unique Jewish life and was destroyed by the Germans. The collected materials, memories, testimonies, general information, which have been edited and processed with full preservation of the given facts, will undoubtedly serve as raw material for the future historian who will describe our last destruction.

With this memorial book, “The Scroll of Gritze,“ we want to perpetuate the life and creation of Gritze Jews until the Hitler occupation and the pain and suffering during the Nazi rule – the suffering of our parents, relatives, friends, and close ones, their ghetto life and destruction for the sanctification of God and the people.

[Page 4]

“Their sins“ – because they were Jews.

With this book, we erect a monument, for an eternal memory, to all the brutally tortured Jews of the holy community of Gritze, which was wiped out by the Germans and their Polish anti-Semitic accomplices. Even the Jewish cemetery, which the Germans mistakenly left behind, was hideously desecrated. Pious Catholic Poles dug up the graves, threw out the already-dried bones of the dead, and plowed up that piece of field. The tombstones had already been destroyed by the Germans.

Jewish Gritze was completely wiped out.

Several people should be specially mentioned who contributed greatly to the publication of the book. First of all, Mr. S.M. Ketler, the well-known Gritze social activist, long-time Zionist, and founder of several institutions, without whose cooperation, from the beginning to the printing of the book, “Megalit Gritze“ would not have appeared. He actually sacrificed a lot for this book: time, energy, and most importantly- he was the only comforter and encourager, who motivated me to the work. The Gritze compatriots also contributed a lot: Shaul Malts from America, author of several books of poems, the Rinkewitch and Greenfarb families from Israel. All of them, together with the entire book committee of the “Organization of Former Residents of Gritze“ in Israel, have a very great merit for the publication of the book “Megilas Gritze“.

Hadera – Givat Olga January 1955

[Page 5]

In memory of my dear parents, Rabbi Meir Asher Ben Moshe, Chana Bat Shmuel Halevi, may her memory be a blessing, and my sisters Malka and Ates, may God avenge their blood, who perished at the hands of the Nazis.

… And now only one Jewish family lives in Grójec – they write to us. Formerly, before the Hitlerite Holocaust, Grójec was a Jewish city, “a city and a mother in Israel“ – as far as one can say that about a foreign city – where Jews and Jewish activity were at the center of its life. For hundreds of years, tens of thousands of Jews were here, working and creating, building and trading, giving birth to generations and raising them, creating and developing, in sorrow and joy, together with all of Polish Jewry, a Jewish, religious, and cultural life with a unique character, until Hitler's henchmen came and destroyed and uprooted everything from the root in such a cruel and savage way. Only small groups of orphans remained – individuals from large families scattered all over the world.

We, a small group of Grójec descendants, the surviving remnant of the Jews of Grójec in the homeland of Israel, with the help of our townspeople scattered all over the world – want, by writing these memories, to record for history, for ourselves and for our children, the life and the cruel destruction of the Jews of Grójec, as an eternal memory.

In this city, in the country of Poland, we saw the dawn of our lives, in it we spent the years of our childhood full of dreams, in it our youth seethed, and in it we aspired and strived for national and human freedom, in it our longing for our homeland in the Land of Israel grew and crystallized into tangible forms in the Zionist movement. All our dreams, all our beautiful actions, and the simple everyday lives, all our hardships, and all our worries and struggles for the existence of the Jews of Grójec – we want to include in the treasure of the history of Jewish martyrology, of the saga of the fateful Jewish suffering, which reached its peak in the sacrifice for the sanctification of God's name.

What was Grójec – Polish Grójec and Jewish Grójec?

[Page 6]

Gritze was and remained (without Jews) one of the small towns in Poland, which served as a link between the village and the big city. These small settlements were built and created by Jews. The Jews constituted the foundation of merchants and craftsmen. They supplied products and goods to the farmers of the entire area and transported the agricultural produce of the farmers to the big cities.

Gritze had a special advantage in being at the crossroads of roads connecting the major cities of Poland. Little Gritze is located west of the Vistula River, near one of the main roads of Poland:

Warsaw-Radom-Kielce-Krakow, 42 kilometers from Warsaw, 56 km from Radom. Another main road passes through the town: the Warsaw-Mogielnica-Neustadt-Rawa-Łód;ź road. In addition to the main roads, roads branch out from the town to the nearby towns: Góra Kalwaria (Gur), Mszczonów (Amshinov}, Warka and Błędów. From Gritze there was also a connection to Warsaw, the capital, via the narrow railway line that passed through Piaseczno and was called “the Gritze Koleika“. This town, with its road connections to the important centers of Poland, was built on a number of low hills, between which flowed the small stream “Mlynica“, over which the Warsaw road passed on “the Second Bridge“. Here the Jews would go on Rosh Hashanah for Tashlich, and with the stream they would send their sins away. Not far from the city center, at the foot of the Church Mountain, is the famous spring “Stacak“, where Jewish mothers would take their children to wash their eyes in the living waters of the spring, so that they would shine and sparkle.

The center of the town is the square and paved market square from which there is access to the various streets, such as: Warszawska, Radomska, Itakova, Wartzki, Skarga, Mogielnica, Mszczonówska (Amshinov), Zatilna, and more.

Jewish life was concentrated in the market and the nearby streets: Jewish houses, Jewish language, Jewish poetry and many Jewish children, who filled the streets, courtyards and gardens with noise and bustle, with joy and song. The small street, where the beautiful Gritze synagogue stood, the Poles themselves called Boznizna (street of the house of God, as if to show that they too recognized the Jews and their God as stable and homeowners in the city). Jews also lived in the side streets – Shpitalna, Generalsky (“Yidneralski“), Starosta and others. Even the Polish “Dom Ludowy“ (community center) was distinguished and full of Jews, who held assemblies, lectures, meetings, theatrical performances and more.

Gritze was one of those towns in Poland where Jews were a decisive majority. At the time of Poland's liberation in 1918, 70%(seventy percent) of the residents of Gritze were Jews. The new Polish authorities, whose stated goal was to give the cities a character

[Page 7]

as purely Polish as possible, annexed some of the nearby villages, such as Hrobow and others, to the urban area of Grójec at the beginning of their operations. But despite the annexation of the villages, in order to increase the percentage of Poles in the city's population, Jews still constituted 55-57 percent of the total population.

The Jewish settlement in Grójec was among the younger Jewish settlements in Poland, although the town itself has existed since ancient times, even before the establishment of the Kingdom of Poland. According to “Słownik Geograficzny KroIestwa Polskiego“ (Geographical Dictionary of the Kingdom of Poland), the name Grójec originates from the word “grod,“ meaning fortress, indicating that there was a fortified settlement here in ancient times. In the 14^th century, the place was called “Osady Grodziec“ – “The Grodziec Settlement,“ and only later was its name changed to Grójec, as it was also called in official Jewish documents, and eventually its name changed among the Jews to “Gritze.“. By 1241, the settlement was so large that a regional church (“Kosciol Parafialny“) was established there for the entire area.

In 1419, the prince of Warsaw, Janusz the Elder, granted the place the rights and official status of a city. The town's development continued steadily in the 15^th and 16^th centuries. A building was erected for the council (“Ratusz“), which was used for public needs, and the streets were paved. By 1564, there were already 21O houses and a whole row of craftsmen in Grójec. The Grójec beer gained a reputation, and the strings and musical instruments made here found buyers even outside the country's borders. A historical list indicates further development of the town, stating that in 1618, ten priests served in the regional church of Grójec^[1].

But there was still no Jewish settlement in the town at that time, apparently due to its self-development in crafts and Catholic religious services, whose practitioners, craftsmen and priests, prevented Jews from settling in it.

In the 17^th century, the town's economic situation declined. Warsaw grew and its manufactured goods competed with the products of the artisans of the surrounding cities, but it did not grow enough to serve as a market for the agricultural produce of the Grójec area. In addition, a fire destroyed the town, leaving only 16 houses^[2].

After the fire, the city was rebuilt, and from the fact that in 1744, at the request of the residents, a municipal law was passed prohibiting Jews from living in Grójec^[3], it becomes clear

[Page 8]

Jews had already begun to settle in the city at that time but immediately encountered opposition from the Polish residents. We have no records of how and when this decree was abolished, but it appears that through the efforts of the central representation of the Jews, the king immediately repealed it, since Grójec was just a regular town and not a “royal city“ with the privilege of “not tolerating Jews within it,“ and the king was entitled to revoke its restrictions on his Jewish subjects. Indeed, ten years later, there was already an organized Jewish community in Grójec, as we see in the records from the register of the “Council of Four Lands“ from its seat in Jaroslaw on October 28, 1754 (12^th of Heshvan 5515), where a contract was signed between representatives of the “Council“ and representatives of the Lublin district, according to which the district of “Neustadt“ (Nowe Miasto) with its communities of Glowna, Arboe, Zyrzynica, Grójec, and Goszczyna, were removed from Greater Poland and annexed to the Lublin district, and from that time on, the aforementioned communities were obligated to pay their share of royal taxes to the council of the Lublin district. The trustee Avraham of Lita signed the contract on behalf of the council, and the contract was later approved by the Polish Minister of Finance, Count Szydlowiecki,^[4].

How many Jews belonged to this community at that time is unknown. The first official numbers about the Jews in Grójec are from 1810. At that time, the town had a population of 600, including 150 Jews, 25% (twenty-five percent) of the total population,^[5].

In the following years, the town of Grójec grew rapidly. Apparently, thanks to the influx of Jewish settlement – a process that was taking place in all the towns of Poland at that time.

In 1827, there were already 120 houses and 1601 residents in Grójec,^[6]. In the 17 years since 1810, the population increased by 266% (two hundred and sixty-six percent). Although the number of Jews is not mentioned, it can be safely assumed that this population growth was mainly in the Jewish part, as Jews settled in Grójec in large numbers. This can be proven by the following numbers on the general and Jewish population in the town in 1856, i.e., after 29 years. In that year, 1719 Jews and 717 non-Jews lived in Grójec, and according to this, the Jews constituted more than 70% (seventy percent) of the total population,^[7]. Compared to the numbers from 1810 – 150 Jews within 600 residents – the Jews increased eleven and a half times in 46 years, while the non-Jews increased by only 160 percent. Since it is not to be assumed that the changes in the size of the Polish population in the same

[Page 9]

years passed with migration to and from the town, and we must conclude that during those 46 years, a steady flow of Jewish settlement continued into Grójec. As a result, the Jewish population increased from 25 percent of the general population to 70 percent, and the town as a whole grew and developed in terms of both population and economic value.

In 1861, five years later, Grójec had 142 houses, including 20 “brick houses“ (meaning houses of a new urban type, according to the modern construction of those days), and 2,586 inhabitants, including 1,790 Jews.

This means that in those five years, 69 Jews and 79 non-Jews were added. For non-Jews, this increase should be seen mainly as a result of natural increase, while for Jews, it was the net result of natural increase over migration to larger cities. Approximately the same ratio in the growth of the two parts of the population continued until the First World War. In Grójec, as in similar towns in Poland where Jews constituted a decisive majority of the population, Jews occupied the leading positions in all branches of the local economy.

In 1877, Grójec numbered 4,413 inhabitants^[9] (a population increase of 59 percent) (again, we do not have the number of Jews). As a sign of the economic development of the town, we must consider the income and expenditure of the municipal treasury. In that year, the municipal treasury had an income of 7,593 rubles, while the expenditure totaled 8,200 rubles^[10]. The income came, of course, from residents' taxes. The elevation of Grójec to the seat of the district authorities (Powiat) in 1867 and the annexation of the Góra Kalwaria district to the Grójec district made Grójec an administrative center, and consequently an economic and commercial center for a large area of towns and villages. This was an additional factor in the city's population growth (mainly Jewish) and development.^[11]

In 1881, some residents, together with Prince Lubomirski, and with the special assistance of the Warsaw Jewish notable M. Berson, founded a craft school in Grójec.^[12] This school was established in the village of Chensotniv, 8 kilometers from Grójec. In the following years, the ICA company founded an agricultural farm in this village, where more than ten Jewish families were employed in intensive agricultural work and supplying farm products to the urban market. In the period between the two world wars, this farm served as a training center for Jewish youth from the city, and even the jubilee celebration of the Jewish public library was held here in the forest.

[Page 10]

At the end of the 19^th century, the following industrial plants were founded in Grójec: A tannery, whose output reached a value of 2450 rubles, a soap factory, two oil factories, and two brick factories,^[13].

Although we do not have numbers on the participation of Jews in the aforementioned factories, it can be assumed that not only purely Polish capital was invested in their foundation. As far as we know from the development of other Jewish settlements in Poland, the tanneries, soap factories, and oil factories were exclusively Jewish enterprises, and it is likely that Jews also had a significant part in these enterprises here.

Jewish economic life in Grójec developed similarly to what happened in other towns in Poland. The Jews who settled here were engaged in commerce, and a significant part of them were engaged in crafts. Jewish merchants became the mediators between the village and the city and gave Grójec its urban character.

As mentioned above, the city center and the nearby streets, i.e., the decisive part of the city, were populated by Jews. Most of the houses and shops belonged to them. The Polish population lived in the suburbs of the town and until World War I engaged in agriculture and crafts.

We do not have authoritative information about the occupation of the Jews at the beginning of the Jewish settlement in Grójec. As far as we know from the memories of the old residents, the Jews were craftsmen, grain merchants, timber merchants, and “village walkers“ (Leifer) who transported goods to the village and rural produce to the city.

Grójec was surrounded by vast forests, orchards belonging to the landowners and peasants, and fertile grain fields, whose crops and produce needed buyers from afar. As transportation between the town and the neighboring towns and the large cities of Poland improved, Grójec became a center for grain trade, and the Jews made a comfortable living from trading in forest products and the yield of fields and orchards. A large part of the trade took place in the town itself. On market day, Thursday, the peasants brought their grain, poultry, livestock, and dairy products to the town and sold them for the consumption of the local Jewish residents and to the market traders, who transported the goods to Warsaw. 2-3 times a year – on “Saint Marcin's Day“ and on “Saint Jadwiga's Day“ – the annual fairs took place. Then the peasants from all the distant and nearby villages in the Grodzisk district gathered, as well 'as Jewish merchants and local craftsmen and from the neighboring towns, and there was a large trade in all areas. The annual fairs gave the Jews livelihood and work for many months.

[Page 11]

The contemporary Jewish Gritze had a significant contingent of craftsmen. One-third of the Jewish population earned a living from crafts: tailors, bakers, shoemakers, seamstresses, carpenters, blacksmiths, tinsmiths, etc. Butchers had shops for selling meat for urban consumption and also bought livestock for slaughter on the spot and for sending the meat to Warsaw. Some craftsmen also worked for the locals, but before the big fairs, they sometimes worked long nights to supply ready-made goods for the buyers who would come from abroad.

Similar to the situation in most small towns, the Jews here also lived for many years in peace with their Christian neighbors, and no anti-Semitism was felt on the part of the gentiles. Anti-Semitism began to grow on the occasion of the Russian Revolution of 1905. The Polish boycott movement against the Jews began in 1912, after the elections to the Fourth Duma, when the socialist Jagiel was elected as a representative to the Duma with Jewish votes. This anti-Semitic boycott movement also reached Gritze. Then Polish shops were founded and a cooperative and a large shop for manufactured goods were opened. The slogan “Swoj do swego“ (roughly: “Each to his own“, i.e., buy and order only from his own people) was thrown. However, this action did not have a decisive impact on Jewish trade in Gritze, but it was affected to some extent.

Only in the 1930s, when anti-Semitic propaganda intensified under the slogan “Take away the Jews' economic positions,“ during the “Sanacja“ regime, did anti-Semitism begin to threaten the lives and economic existence of the Jews of Gritze. A wave of active anti-Semitism flooded the Jews: “boycott guards“ in front of Jewish shops, a boycott against Jewish trade, attacks on Jews carried out by the anti-Semitic parties of the “Narodowa Demokracja,“ the “Endeks,“ “Ozon“ (Oboz Zjednoczenia Narodowego) and others.

Unfortunately, we do not have enough material and references to describe the Jewish life in Gritze in the early days of their settlement there, but we can get an idea of the devotion and religious enthusiasm of the Jews of Gritze in the 18^th century by looking at the holy place – the beautiful wooden synagogue that the Jews of Gritze built then. The Jews of Gritze were

[Page 12]

proud of their synagogue; and when guests from the world of literature and art came to visit their city, they would take them to see the synagogue. Indeed, the guests had something to see. The beauty of the synagogue could not be exhausted in one visit – and even if it lasted for hours, there was always something new to discover on another visit. The eye never tired of seeing the architectural and artistic splendor and the original style.

In 1927, the writer and art critic, Mr. Y. M. Neiman (now in Israel), visited Gritze. The writer of these columns showed Mr. Neiman the synagogue, and he was so surprised by the artistic richness and artistic splendor that he decided to stay one more day in Gritze, in order to conduct a more thorough survey of the synagogue's treasures, its architecture, paintings and wood carvings. After a long study, Mr. Neiman came to the conclusion that the synagogue is the creation of the famous Jewish artist – architect and sculptor – David Friedlander, who lived during the time of Napoleon. Later, Mr. Neiman lectured on the Gritze synagogue at the Association of Journalists and Writers in Warsaw. Y. M. Neumann's research on the Gritze Synagogue opened another door for further research on this religious creation of Jewish art. Following Neiman, our friend, the expert on ancient Jewish synagogues and ancient art, the engineer Mr. David Davidovitch, made a full description of the Gritze Synagogue, and revealed details about its creator Mr. Friedlander and the period in which such synagogues were built. According to the calculations of Mr. Neiman and the engineer Davidovitch, the Gritze synagogue was established in the second half of the 18^th century, i.e. almost two hundred years ago: but the popular tradition refused to accept such a young age and gave it a venerable age of four hundred years. According to the above tradition, the synagogue was built and decorated by architects and painters who were specially brought from Italy. This tradition is not the only legend that has arisen around the synagogue. Old people told that the three inner domes, which formed the upper part of the synagogue and were covered by the roof, were initially visible from the outside as well. This angered the Gentiles, because the domes made a wonderful impression, and a decree was issued to hide the domes of the synagogue and build a roof on them, and the legend adds that they established a regulation that strictly prohibited making any changes to the synagogue, and whoever dares to violate the prohibition and change something, will be liable to death by Karet. It is further told that when the leader of the community, Moses the Great, wanted to renovate something in the building, he was killed while inside the synagogue.

All these legends about the House of God in Gritze and the reality itself – the beautifully built synagogue – testify to the artistic taste involved in deep religious feelings, which the Jews of Gritze felt at that time. In our time, in the years 1905-1904, during the great revolutionary turmoil, the great magnate and leader of the Gritze community, R' Meir Mordechai Feldman, of blessed memory, gave the initiative to build the great Beit Midrash, a wonderful wall house in its time, in place of the small Beit Midrash, where they used to pray and study.

[Page 13]

The entrenchment of the Jewish religious feeling in Gritze is also attributed to the famous Maggid (preacher) of Kozienice, Rabbi Yisrael Hopstein, of blessed memory, known as “The Maggid of Kozienice,“ as one of the fathers of Hasidism in Poland, who also operated in Gritze for a while, as narrated below.

In the year 1778, a great fire broke out in Kozienice, and many houses and the synagogue were burned down. Even before the fire, the community was not considered among the richest and oldest in Poland, and all the more so since it was impoverished by the fire and could not afford to pay the Maggid even the meager salary that was previously paid to him and which barely sufficed for his sustenance. The great Maggid was therefore forced to take upon himself the burden of preaching in the nearby communities: Gritze and Magnuszew. This is recounted in the book by Zvi Meirl Rabinowitz, “The Maggid of Kozienice“ (pp.37-38), and about the Maggid himself it is written there: “Even in his youth, Yisrael became famous as a great Torah scholar, a great Kabbalist, a Halachic authority, and a genius in all fields, both in Halacha and Kabbalah.“

He was thin and very weak, short in stature and known to be ill, but youthful energy bubbled within him, and he would rise like a lion to the service of the Creator. Even in his illness, while lying in bed, he would study twenty hours a day. Rabbi Yisrael earned his living as a Maggid. His mouth produced pearls. He was an excellent speaker and influenced his listeners with parables taken from life and reality. Unlike the reprovers of his time, the Maggid preached with words of pleasantness and love, and his words made a great impression on the listeners.“

The sermons of the Maggid of Kozienice, which were filled with love for Israel and religious-Hasidic enthusiasm, greatly influenced the Jews of Gritze and strengthened their religious feelings. It is likely that the custom of praying in the Gritze synagogue in the “Sefard“ (Spanish) style instead of the “Ashkenaz“ (German) style was introduced by the Maggid of Kozienice, of blessed memory. At a later time, the grandson of the Maggid of Kozienice, Rabbi Yosef Menachem, settled in Gritze, where he established a dynasty in the Kozienice style. In general, Hasidism struck deep roots in Gritze, similar to other towns in Poland. In little Gritze, there were followers of Gur, Amshinov, Parysow, Kozienice, Grodzisk, Warka, Alexander, and Piaseczno, who had their own “shtieblach“ (small prayer houses), where they studied and prayed with enthusiasm and held celebrations and festivals accompanied by Hasidic melodies and dances.

The Jews of Gritze for generations dedicated themselves to public activities in matters of religion, Torah, and charity. In the past, when religious life was the heritage of the many, the Jews of Gritze created societies for good purposes, such as “Torah Society,“ “Bringing in the Bride,“ “Psalms Society,“ “Lodging Charity,“ “Bethlehem“ and more. “Torah Society“ was a glorious religious institution, and it is estimated to have been founded at the end of the previous century. Its main task was: to study together every Sabbath the weekly Torah portion, before and after the prayer. Its members included important homeowners and

[Page 14]

Rabbi Yossel Rotblatt (the Blandover tailor) and his son Getzel after him gave their home as a rent-free apartment to the company's management all their lives. The “Knesset Kallah“ company acted in accordance with its name and purpose in providing assistance to impoverished women, but it did not content itself with the “business“ operation, but also engaged in social-cultural activity, namely: in public Torah study, also here from Rabbi Bendit every Sabbath in the morning … after dawn. Its main activists were Rabbi Berel Farber and Israel Mordechai Amberg. The “Tehillim Society“ was a special quorum in the corridor of the Great Synagogue. If the members gathered and recited Psalms every day with great persistence.

Wonderful actions were also carried out by the “Linat Tzedek“ and “Beit Lechem“ societies (see the pictures. . .) and Dan did not content themselves with acts of charity and grace, but also engaged in social and religious activity, namely: in prayer and Torah study in groups.

The great flourishing in social and cultural life begins in Gritze with the entry of the modern Jewish lifestyle and was also expressed in actions for the benefit of the Jewish community. But in a new way, according to the demands of the time, this flourishing reached its peak in the years between the two world wars. All kinds of social movements, parties and groups, and founding institutions and political, economic, social, and social organizations, created by Polish Jewry, found supporters and activists among the Jewish population of six thousand souls in Gritze.

As early as 1907, a loan and savings fund was established in Gritze. Its founders included: the Rabbi of Gritze, Rabbi Eli Lipschitz, may his memory be blessed, Dr. Leipner, Rabbi Yechiel Klepfisz, Beinish Mittebach, Abraham Kronenberg, Shmuel Bar Marianka, and others. The loan and savings fund saved many Jewish families from economic ruin. The fund also supported merchants and craftsmen. During World War I, it almost ceased its activities. But thanks to the blessed initiative of the craftsmen activists M. Ambaras, P. Artman, and S. M. Kattler, the bank renewed its operations after the war and reached a number of 700 members, of whom craftsmen constituted more than sixty percent. The bank was affiliated with the cooperative of Jewish banks in Poland.

[Page 15]

In 1925, the “Aguda“ leaders founded the Merchants Bank (Bank Kupyetzky). The reason for the “departure“ was that at the annual general meeting of the “Kupa,“ they did not receive the representation they demanded in the elections, i.e., due to “seats“ affairs; but, in retrospect, the bank was found to be useful and desirable. The Merchants Bank developed nicely, conducted various financial transactions, and served as a kind of complement to the activities of the Loan and Savings Fund. At the head of the Merchants Bank stood: Yechiel Margalit, Rabbi Chaim Braun, and Pinchas Hershenfus. At the same time, another credit company was created – the Gemilat Hesed Fund – headed by Dr. Hishkoran, Avraham Yaakov Rappaport, and Yisrael Klapfish. The Gemilat Hesed Fund gave small interest-free loans.

Modern cultural activity began in Gritze immediately after the retreat of the Russian army from the city. In 1916, the “Circle for Culture“ was founded, and after a while, its name was changed to “Library named after Y. L. Peretz,“ which also engaged in other cultural activities. The founders: A. Rinkevich, Rafael Klapfish, Miria Weinreich-Greenberg, Y. Teper, Y. Goldberg, A. Zanger, and others.

In 1917, the Zionist Association “Hatikvah“ was founded. The founders were: Rabbi Shapiro, Nathan and Miriam Greenberg, M. Y. Flint, Y. Kaminer, A. Y. Perl, and others. Later, at the initiative of Y. Klapfish and S.M. Ketler, the library next to the Zionist Association was created. In 1920, the Craftsmen's Organization was founded by M. Beker, Daniel Dreyer, M. Ambaras, M. Friedenberg, M. Shulsinger, N. Mapan, Y. Bremer, A. Hecht, and others. Next to the Craftsmen's Organization was a consumer cooperative. After that, the tailors' cooperative was founded.

In 1922, the Merchants' Organization was founded, which in the early days was – headed by Rabbi Herschel Feldman, Levi Cooper, Reisfos, M. Rechtman, and others, and later: N. Greenberg, A. M. Hammer, Levi Cooper, Ch. Y. Weissman, and the secretary Y. Teper. At the same time, the “Linat Tzedek“ society was also founded, which helped a lot to alleviate the suffering of the poor patients.

The cultural institutions grew and expanded. A choir, orchestra, and dramatic sections were created. Educational institutions were founded and developed: Hebrew schools of the “Tarbut“ type, religious schools for girls of the “Beit Yaakov“ type, Yiddish schools, and together with the professional associations of workers and the organizations of craftsmen and merchants, economic and philanthropic institutions, and the activities of political parties, all of these created a multifaceted Jewish social life in Gritze, and all the cultural and political activists, lecturers, writers and actors, who visited the small and vibrant Jewish town, were impressed by it and captivated by it.

The Jewish youth from all directions and viewpoints lived vibrant cultural lives and were always thirsty for knowledge and art, for a good lecture and a good artist. The various halls in the city: “Dom Lyudovy“ (People's House), Fire Department Hall, Culture House, and others, were crowded every Sabbath with hundreds of visitors who listened to the lectures with tense attention and awe.

[Page 16]

On literary, social, political and also philosophical topics there was not a single personality of the Jewish political parties, cultural institutions, central educational organizations, actors of Jewish theater troupes in Poland, who did not visit Gritze.

Against the backdrop of the lively and vibrant life of the Jews of Gritze unique types and characteristic figures emerged: Chaim Lange and Yehoshua Brikman – veteran householders whose silver beards adorned their faces, the faces of former great merchants who had not forgotten their lineage and wealth; “R' Aishes“ and “Meshul Klemen's“ – Hasidim and men of status; beautiful Hasidic types like R' Chanich Kaminer and Avraham Yitzchak Droner; distinguished Torah scholars like Yidle Schmukler and Meir Yechiel Kershbaum, who would yearn for days of old, for nights by the light of tallow candles in the study hall, when they sat over the Gemara and chanted “Abaye said“ and “Rava said“ in their sad, sweet melody; important Maskilim, like Beinish Mittelbach and Avraham Yitzchak Perel, who could not understand the ferment of the youth of their time in their search for new paths and new ideas, after, in their opinion, the “heavenly Haskalah“ had already solved all problems; and fanatical Hasidim like R' Leibish Wolf Melamed and Berish Malnitzer, who were ready to die for the dot of a yod. Overall, the multi-faceted life of the Jews of Gritze hovered and acted the noble figure and respected personality of R' Eliyahu Lipshitz, of blessed memory, who sat there on the rabbinical chair for fifty years.

In the Jewish settlement in Gritze before its destruction, three generations of Jewish life were seen together: the pious and Hasidim of the old generation, businessmen integrated into the life of the present, and a young generation of those who hastened the morrow – the national or the social, a generation longing for the future. This settlement included all the figures of Jewish life: simple “common people,“ straight-forward and modest; water drawers, peddlers going around in the villages, cheder boys, tailor's apprentices, who were daring types imbued with ideas of global liberation. Wagoners toiling like their horses, their faces tanned by the sun and weathered by storms, rain and snow, sturdy porters; impudent fish merchants and culture activists inflamed and always busy, party leaders, community leaders, city councilors, bank managers, Keren Kayemet activists, humble teachers, muscular athletes, soccer players and the beloved “prima donnas“ of dramatic circles.

This was Gritze, the complete Jewish Gritze, which grew and developed in the center of the Polish state and bore the signs of the urbanity of proximity to the Polish capital, and together with them also the charm and warmth of the small Jewish town.

Jewish Gritze developed, for nearly two hundred years, a productive and straight life, a religious and cultural life, was at peace with its non-Jewish neighbors, until

[Page 17]

the henchmen of “so called civilized Germany” stormed upon her, like a wild desert storm.

The fate of the Jewish Gritze was like the fate of six hundred Jewish communities in Poland. The Jewish Gritze community was extinguished. Its sons and daughters were destroyed- the believers and the devout, public figures and cultural activists, and the common people died a martyr's death.

We, the survivors, the Jews of Gritze who were miraculously saved, scattered throughout the world and building the new homeland, the State of Israel, want to commemorate in this memorial book, this modest book, the memory of our community, the holy community of Gritze, which was cut down by evildoers.

Original Footnotes

1. In the aforementioned geographical dictionary, which in the source citations below we will call for short, “Słownik,“ p. 845. Return
2. “Słownik,“ p. 846. Return
3. “Yevreyskaya Entsiklopediya“ (The Jewish Encyclopedia in Russian, which in the citations below we will call for short, “Encyclopedia“) Volume 6 p. 798 Return
4. Israel Halpern, “Records from the Register of the Council of Four Lands“ (published by Bialik Institute, Jerusalem 1948), p. 391. Return
5. “Słownik,“ p. 846. Return
6. Ibid. Return
7. “Encyclopedia“ Vol. 6, p. 798. Ibid. Return
8. “Słownik,“ p. 846.
9. Ibid. Return
10. Ibid. Return
11. Ibid. Return
12. Ibid. Return
13. Ibid. Return

[Page 18]

The memory of my deceased parents- R' Meir-Asher ben Moshe, Chana bat Shmuel Halevi, may their memory be a blessing, and my sisters Malka and Esther – tortured by the Nazis, may their blood be avenged.

“…and now only a single Jewish family lives in Gritze,” we were written.

Once, before the Hitlerite Holocaust, Gritze was a Jewish city. Jewishness formed the center of life of this metropolis of Israel. For hundreds of years, tens of thousands of Jews lived here, worked and created, built and traded, gave birth and raised generations, created and developed through suffering and joy, together with all of Polish Jewry, a unique Jewish-religious and cultural life – until the Hitlerian Nazi hordes destroyed, trampled, expelled, tore out and murdered everything so cruelly and bestially. Only small groups of orphans remained – individuals from large families, scattered in all parts of the world.

We, a group of Gritzer, the surviving remnant of Gritzer Jews in the homeland of Israel, with the help of our fellow townsmen, who are scattered all over the world – want to record for history, for ourselves and for our children, these modest written and pictorial memories, as an eternal memorial, for eternity, the life, experiences and tragic destruction of the holy community of Gritze.

In this city in the country of Poland, we saw the shine of

[Page 19]

the world, where we spent our childhood years; where we, as youths, rose up for national and universal liberation; where our longing grew for the old-new Jewish homeland of Israel, which took on tangible form in the Zionist movement – all these dreams, glorious deeds, and the simple, everyday life, filled with suffering and constant worry, grappling with the clouded future of the Gritzer Jews – we want to enshrine in the treasury of our Jewish martyred history.

What, exactly, did Polish Grójec and Jewish Gritze represent?

Gritze was and remains (for Jews) one of the small Polish towns that formed a bridge between Polish villages and the big city. These small settlements were built and shaped by Jews. They formed the commercial and artisan element there, providing goods to the Polish peasantry in the surrounding area and beyond, and their agricultural products were transported to the larger cities.

Gritze differs from many other similar towns in that it lies in the very center of the roads that lead to Poland's major cities. The small Grójec is located on the left bank of the Vistula, on one of the main roads of Poland – Warsaw-Radom-Kielce-Krakow, 42 kilometers from Warsaw, 56 kilometers from Radom. A main highway cuts through – Warsaw-Gritze-Mogielnica-Neustadt-Rawa-Łódź.

Besides the main highways, roads wind through, leading to the surrounding towns: Guer, Mszczonów, Warka and Bledow, Gritze was also connected by a narrow gauge railway line, which led through Piaseczno to Warsaw, the so-called “Gritzer Kolejke” (Gritze railway). This town, with road lines to all important centers of Poland, was built on several hills, in whose valleys flows the very small river “Molnitza” and cuts through the Warsaw highway at the so-called “Second Bridge”. Here, Jews used to go on Rosh Hashanah for Tashlich and let their sins flow away with the river stream somewhere into the distance. Not far from the town center, at the foot of the church hill, is the famous spring: “Stok”. Jewish mothers used to take their children to this spring

[Page 20]

to wash their little eyes, so they should shine and glow. The center of the town is the four-cornered stone-paved market, from which the various streets branch out, such as: Warsaw,

The Gritzer Market and Magistrate

[Page 21]

The Jews in Grójec and the Development of the Shtetl

Grójec belonged to the shtetls in Poland where Jews constituted an absolute majority. During the liberation of Poland in the year 1918, approximately seventy percent of the inhabitants of Grójec were Jews. The newly established Polish government, which set itself the task of Polonizing the cities, soon began its activity by incorporating several villages from the surrounding area, such as Chrobrów and others, into the urban area of Grójec. Despite this, the Jewish population in the shtetl still constituted 55-57 percent of the total number of inhabitants.

The Jewish settlement in Grójec was one of the younger settlements in Poland, although the shtetl formed a Polish settlement even in the very earliest times before the formation of the Polish state. According to the “Słownik Geograficzny KróIestwa Polskiego,” the name Grójec comes from the word “grod” (castle). As early as the 14^th century, the place was called “Osady Grodziec” – the Grodziec settlement, which was later changed to Grójec (the Jews called the shtetl Gritze).

In 1241, the settlement had grown so much that a church was built there for the entire surrounding area (“kosciot parafialny”). In 1419, the Prince of Warsaw – Janusz the Elder officially gave the settlement the privilege of a city.

In the 15^th and 16^th centuries, the shtetl developed very well. A magnificent town hall (“ratusz”) was built, which served for social purposes. The streets were paved. In the year 1564, Grójec already had 210 houses and a layer of various craftsmen. Grójec beer was a great success. Strings for musical instruments were also produced here, which were exported to neighboring countries. In 1616, the Grójec regional church had 10 priests^[1].

It seems that due to this civic-Catholic character

[Page 22]

no Jewish settlement was formed in that town at that time. The craftsmen and clergy did not allow Jews in. In the 17^th century, the situation of the town worsened. Warsaw grew and competed with the emerging nearby settlements. A fire destroyed the settlement. Only 16 houses remained. ^[2]

After these misfortunes and the fire, Grójec began to rebuild. Apparently, Jews tried to settle in the town. However, the Polish residents resisted and in 1744 obtained a privilege forbidding Jews to live in Grójec,^[3]. Despite this privilege, the town already had an organized Jewish community 10 years later. This community is mentioned in the reports of the “Council of Four Lands”. At the meeting of the “Council of Four Lands” on October 28, 1754 (12^th of Cheshvan 5515), an agreement was reached between the representatives of the “Council” and the representatives of the Lublin district (Galil), according to which the region – Nowe Miasto with the communities of Glowno, Rawa, Rzecyca, Grójec and Gostynin – would leave the Council of Greater Poland and be attached to the Lublin district. The mentioned communities must pay their taxes to the Council of the Lublin district. On behalf of the Council, the agreement was signed by the trustee Abraham Melita. The agreement was later confirmed by the Polish Minister of Finance, Count Shydelnitzki,^[4].

It is unknown how many Jews this community had at that time. The official figure for the number of Jews in Grójec comes from the year 1810. At that time, the town had 600 inhabitants, including 150 Jews- 25 percent of the total number of inhabitants.^[5].

In the following years, the town grew and developed rapidly. This was probably due to the influx of Jews – a process that took place in all the towns of Poland at that time.

[Page 23]

In 1827, Gritze already had 120 houses and 160 inhabitants,^[6]. Over the course of 17 years, from 1810, the number of inhabitants grew by 266 percent. Although the number of Jews is not given, this population growth must be attributed to the Jews, who settled en-masse in Gritze. This is evidenced by the figures on the number of Jewish inhabitants in the town in 1856, i.e. 29 years later. In that year, 1719 Jews and 717 non-Jews lived in Gritze. Thus, Jews made up over 70 percent of the total number of inhabitants,^[7]. In comparison to the figures from 1810 – 150 Jews out of 600 inhabitants, Jews increased eleven and a half times in 46 years, wheras non-Jews only by 160 percent. Since it is not reasonable that Poles would have immigrated to and emigrated from the town during this period, we must come to the conclusion that during the aforementioned 46 years there was a constant emigration of Jews to Gritze. This led to the fact that in the course of time Jews grew from 25 percent of the total number of inhabitants to 70 percent. This Jewish emigration to Gritze since the beginning of the 19^th century and in the following decades, increased the town both in the number of inhabitants and in prosperity.

In 1861, i.e. 6 years later, Gritze had 142 houses, including 20 brick buildings and 2586 inhabitants, of whom 1790 were Jews^[8]. Over the course of these five years, 69 Jews and 79 non-Jews were added, which must be attributed to the natural growth of the population. This growth and development of the town, with a steady maintenance of the percentage ratio of Jewish and non-Jewish inhabitants, continued until the First World War. In Gritze, as in all similar towns in Poland, where Jews formed a significant majority of the population, they also played the main role in all economic sectors of the small settlement.

[Page 24]

In the year 1877, Grójec had 4413 inhabitants,^[9] – a population increase of 59 percent (again, we do not have the number of Jews). As a sign of the economic development of the town, one should consider the significant income and expenses of the town treasury. In the mentioned year, the town treasury had an income of 7593 rubles, and expenses – 8200 rubles,^[10]. The income, understandably, came from taxes paid by the residents. A lot of help in the development of the town also came from transforming Grójec into a district town (powiat) and establishing the district authority here (1867). Grójec became the center of the surrounding towns and villages. Also, the merging of the Gora Kalwaria (Ger) powiat to the Grójec one (1879), greatly strengthened the growth of the population, trade and development of the city,^[11]

In 1881, some citizens, along with Prince Lubomirski, and with the major support of Warsaw's Jewish philanthropist M. Berson, joined to build a handicrafts school,^[12]. The school was located in Częstoniew, 8 kilometers from Grójec. In later years, the JCA Jewish Colonization Organization) established colonies there to settle Jews on agricultural work. More than a dozen Jewish families have indeed settled here on agriculture. In the period between the two world wars there were training centers (hachshara) for Zionist organizations. The Jewish youth organizations made summer excursions there. The Jewish People's Library used to hold its jubilee celebrations there, in the forest.

At the end of the 19^th century, Grójec had the following industrial enterprises: a tannery with a production of 2450 rubles annually, a soap factory, two oil factories and two brickyards,^[13]. Although we also lack figures on Jewish participation in these enterprises, one must assume that these factories were not established exclusively with Polish capital. As we know from the development of other Jewish settlements in Poland, tanneries, oil and soap factories were almost exclusively Jewish enterprises.

[Page 25]

The Jewish economic life in Gritze developed in the same way and manner as in all other smaller towns in Poland. The Jews who settled here engaged in trade, and also a significant percentage in crafts. Jewish merchants and traders became the intermediaries between the village and the city, effectively giving Gritze its urban character.

The city center and the surrounding streets, as we have already mentioned, i.e., the vast majority of Gritze, were inhabited by Jews. They also owned the vast majority of houses, shops, and businesses. The Polish population, for the most part, lived on the streets on the periphery of the town and, until the First World War, engaged in agriculture and crafts.

We do not have exact information about the occupations at the beginning of the Jewish settlement in Gritze. According to what we know from the memoirs of older Gritze residents, Jews here were: craftsmen, grain traders, forest merchants, and so-called “Leifer” – village-goers who transported goods to the village and village products to the city.

Gritze was surrounded by huge forests, estates of landowners and peasants, and fertile grain fields. After the town gained good connections with the surrounding towns and with the largest cities in Poland, Gritze became the center of grain trade. From the forests, fields and estates, the Jews of Gritze had a significant livelihood.

Most of the trade was conducted in the city itself. On market day, Thursday, the peasants brought to the town their grain, poultry, livestock, milk production, which was bought up by the Jewish population and by the market traders, who expedited the goods to Warsaw two or three times a year. On the day of “Swiety Marcin” and on the day of “Swieta Jadwiga” – the annual fairs took place. At that time, peasants from all the nearby and distant villages in the Gritze district gathered, also Jewish merchants and craftsmen came from the surrounding towns, and a great trade was conducted in all areas. The annual fairs gave Jews a livelihood and work for many months.

[Page 26]

At the beginning of the twentieth century, 3 large mechanical mills were built in Gritze, 2 of them belonged to Jews. Also, the long-existing water mills in nearby Glukhov and Pshenslavitz were run by Jews.

The Yiddish Gritze of our time also had a significant layer of craftsmen. A third of the Jewish population lived from handicrafts: tailors, bakers, shoemakers, steppers, carpenters, cart makers, blacksmiths, beltmakers, tinsmiths, butchers, etc. The butchers had stalls where meat was sold for the town's needs, in addition to which they bought cattle for slaughter and took the meat to Warsaw. The craftsmen also worked partly for the townspeople, and in the months before the big fairs, they often worked whole nights to prepare finished goods for the incoming customers from the surrounding villages and towns.

As in most small towns, Gritze Jews had not known anti-Semitism for many years. The Polish population lived in peace with the Jews. Anti-Semitism only began to grow after the Russian Revolution of 1905. The Polish boycott action against the Jews, which began in 1912, after the elections to the Fourth Duma, when the socialist Jagella, was elected to the Duma (Tsarist like Parliament) – with the votes of the Warsaw Jewish voters – also hit Gritze. At that time, Polish shops were founded and a cooperative was opened with a large store of manufactured goods. The slogan “Swoy do swego” was thrown about. However, the action did not have a decisive effect on the Jewish trade in Gritze, but the Jewish trade suffered a lot from it.

Only in the 1940s, when anti-Semitic propaganda was strengthened under the slogan – “To take away the economic positions from the Jews” – in the period of the Sanacja regime, anti-Semitism began to threaten the life and material existence of Gritze Jews. A wave of active anti-Semitism flowed: pickets at Jewish shops, boycott of Jewish trade, attacks on Jews, which were carried out by the reactionary anti-Semitic parties of the “Narodowen” camp, “Azon” (Obuz Ziednatchonego Narodowego) etc.

[Page 27]

The Jewish religious and cultural life

Unfortunately, we do not have materials and documents based on which we can construct a picture of Jewish life in Gritze when the settlement began to form, but we can imagine the enthusiastic religious lifestyle of Gritze Jews in the 18^th century when we take a look at the holy place-the wonderful wooden synagogue that Gritze Jews then erected.

Internal appearance of the synagogue

[Page 28]

to the shtetl. They would show visitors the synagogue; its beauty could not be encompassed in a single visit – even if it lasted hours. There was always something left to see. The eye could not be satiated by the architectural-artistic splendor and original style.

In 1927, the writer and art critic Y. M. Neiman (now in Israel) visited Gritze. The writer of these lines introduced Neiman to the synagogue. He was so surprised by this treasure of art that he specially stayed another day to study the synagogue, its architecture, the paintings, and the wood carvings. After a long study, Y. M. Neiman determined that the synagogue was the work of the famous versatile Jewish artist – architect, painter, and sculptor – David Friedlander, who lived in the Napoleonic era. Later, the art critic gave a lecture on the Gritze synagogue at the Warsaw Writers' Association.

Y. M. Neiman's study of the Gritze synagogue opened the way for further research into this religious work of Jewish art. Following Neiman's research direction, our friend and connoisseur of old Jewish synagogues and antique art, Mr. Engineer David Davidovich, created a description of the Gritze synagogue, of its master Friedlander, and the era in which such synagogues were built. According to the calculations of Neiman and Engineer Davidovich, the Gritze synagogue was created in the second half of the 18^th century, i.e. 200 years ago, but popular tradition did not want to reconcile with such a young age of the holy place and gave the synagogue an age of 400 years. According to this tradition, the synagogue was built by special architects and painters who were brought from Italy.

The tradition about building the synagogue is not the only legend that surrounds the holy place. Elders recounted that the three inner cupolas, which formed the upper part of the synagogue and were covered with a roof, were initially visible from the outside as well.

This irritated the gentiles, because the cupolas made a strong impression, and a decree was issued: the synagogue cupolas should be hidden under a roof. There was also a prohibition against changing anything in the construction of the synagogue. According to tradition, any change would bring divine retribution

[Page 29]

of years cut off. It is indeed told that the dazher (community leader) the great Moshe, wanted to innovate something in the synagogue building, and he was killed in the synagogue itself.

Hertzke the Cantor

In our times, in the years 1904-1905, during the time of the great revolutionary storm, the Gritze wealthy man and dazher Reb Mordechai ben Meir Feldman, may his memory be a blessing, initiated the construction of the large, brick-walled house of study. Many years before this, there existed the so-called small house of study, where Jews prayed and studied.

[Page 30]

The Kozhnitzer Maggid and Hasidism in Gritze

The renowned Kozhnitzer Maggid, Rabbi Yisrael Hopstein, of blessed memory, also had a significant impact on establishing Judaism in Gritze. How did the Kozhnitzer come to Gritze?

In the year 5535 (1775), a great fire broke out in Kozienice. Many houses were burned, including the synagogue. The impoverished community, which was not wealthy even before the fire, became even more impoverished after the disaster and could not support the Maggid on their own. He was therefore forced to take on Maggid positions in the nearby communities of Gritze and Magnuszew. Tzvi Rabinowitz writes in his book “The Maggid of Kozhnitz”:

“While still very young, Rabbi Yisrael became known as a great Torah scholar, a great master of Kabbalah, and a Halachic authority, to the point that he was already considered a genius in all areas, both Halakha, Aggadah, and Kabbalah.” “Although he was frail – a small, emaciated Jew – when it came to divine service, he would approach it like a stormy lion.”

“During the time when he would lie in bed, he would study Torah for twenty hours at a stretch. Rabbi Yisrael supported himself as a Maggid. He had a pearly mouth, he was an excellent speaker, who used to influence the world with parables from life.”

“In contrast to the Misnagdic Maggid, he did not paint terrifying pictures of Hell, but rather influenced with warm words and examples from folk life”,^[14].

The Kozhnitzer's sermons, saturated with love for Israel and Hasidic-religious enthusiasm, had an extraordinary effect on the Jews of Gritze and on the strengthening of their religious feelings. It is likely that the custom of saying “Keter” instead of “Nekadeshcha” in the Gritze synagogue was introduced by the Kozhnitzer Maggid, of blessed memory. Later, Rabbi Yosef Mendele, a great-great-grandson of the Kozhnitzer Maggid, became a Rebbe in Gritze, where he established a Rebbishe court in the Kozhnitzer style.

In general, Hasidism, as in all the towns of Poland, also struck deep roots in Gritze. The small Gritze had Hasidim: Gerer,

[Page 31]

Amshinov, Borisov, Kozhenitz, Grodzisk, Varka, Alexander, and Piaseczna, who studied, prayed with enthusiasm, and rejoiced at celebrations and holidays with Hasidic melodies and a Hasidic little dance.

The Jews in Gritze have always had a great understanding of social life and social activity. In the years when the pious way of life dominated, Gritze Jews created such societies as: “Chevra Torah,” “Chevra Hachnasat Kallah,” “Chevra Tehillim,” “Linat HaTzedek,” “Beit-Lechem,” and others.

A beautiful religious folk institution was the Torah Society, probably established at the end of the last century. Its main task was to study together, every Sabbath, the weekly Torah portion before praying and, later, pray in public. Among its members were fine homeowners and folk people: respected craftsmen, merchants, and small traders.

Members were accepted after acquainting them with the regulations and having the recommendation of two members or of the wardens themselves, they were solemnly inscribed in the society's register. On Sabbath, the accepted member would be called up to the Torah and give “Kiddush” for the worshipers. For several decades, R' Bendit Rinkewitsch, may his memory be blessed, and Yidele Schmukler taught the weekly portion there every Sabbath early in the morning. R' Bendit was a great Torah scholar and had a rich Torah library. In his sermons, he used to bring beautiful parables and pearls from our old treasures. There, three or four generations of one family, such as the Silbersteins, Wassermans, Ambergs and others, were seen together listening to R' Bendit's teaching,

R' Yosel Rotblat (the Blander tailor) and later his son Getzel, gave a free apartment to the society for the duration of their lives.

In addition to its support activities for poor brides, it also engaged in Torah study. R' Bendit taught here every Sabbath early in the morning. Its main activists were R' Beril Farber and Israel Mordechai Amberg.

[Page 32]

Chevra Tehillim (“the Psalms Society”)

The Psalms Society had its small synagogue in the vestibule of the Great Synagogue. There, the members of the society gathered and recited Psalms every day with great perseverance. The societies “Linat Tzedek” and “Beit-Lechem” conducted beautiful activities. The societies were not only a means to help the suffering – but also a place where social and religious life could be lived out.

Management of Beit-Lechem Sitting from the right: Mendel Freidenberg, Kalman Bamberg, Henoch Zanger, Israel Lenga, Heschel R' Aishes

The great upswing of social life and cultural activity begins in Gritze with the new modern Jewish lifestyle. The upswing reached its main point in the years between the two world wars – 1918 to 1939.

All social movements, parties and tendencies, the most diverse institutions – political, economic, cultural and social, which Polish Jewry created – also had their place in the 6,000-strong Jewish settlement in Gritze. As early as 1907, a loan and savings fund was created, whose founders were the Gritze Rabbi R' Eliyahu Lipshitz of blessed memory, Dr. Leipner

[Page 33]

Management of Linath Hatzedek Sitting from the right: Avraham Yitzchak Geldbard, Aharon Yidel Friedman, (name unknown), Dr. Baum, M. Y. Moshe, Y. Kleppisch, Y. Tepper, Ch. M. Neiman, (name unknown) Standing: Henoch Zanger, M. Bombolski, (name unknown), ltsch (son-in-law of Rabbi Chiel), Beril Licht, Sh. Hammer, Beril Ambaras, (name unknown)

R' Yaakov Klapfish, Beinish Mittelsbach, Avraham Kronenberg, Shmuel Ber Mariancke, and others. The loan and savings bank saved many Jewish families from ruin. It also supported merchants and craftsmen. During the years of the First World War, it almost ceased to be active. Thanks to the initiative of the craftsmen's activists: M. Ambaras, P. Artman, and Sh. M. Ketler, the bank became active again after the war and reached the number of 700 members, of whom the craftsmen made up over 60 percent. The bank was a member of the Cooperation of Jewish Banks in Poland.

In 1925, the Merchants' Bank (Bank Kupieczki) was founded by the leaders of the “Agudath.” The Merchants' Bank developed very well, conducted various monetary operations, and complemented the cooperative loan and savings bank well. At the head of the Merchants' Bank stood: Yechiel Margalit, R' Chaim Brahan, and Pinia Hershnfus.

Around that time, another new credit society was created – Gemilat Chesed-Kasse – at the head of which were Dr. Hershkorn, Avraham Yaakov Rapoport, and Yisrael Klepfish. The Gemach distributed smaller loans without interest.

In 1916, the cultural association was created, which later changed its name to the Y. L. Peretz Library. The founders: A. Rinkevich, the Klepfish brothers, Mane Zanger, Miriam Weinreich-Greenberg, Y. Tepper, Y. Goldberg, and others.

In 1917, the Zionist organization “Hatikvah” was founded. The founders: Rabbi Yaakov Shapiro, Nathan and Miriam Greenberg,

M. Y. Flint, Y. Kaminer, A. Y. Perel, and others. Later, through the initiative of Y. Klepfish and Sh. M. Ketler, the library was created at the Zionist organization.

In 1920, the Craftsmen's Organization was founded by: M. Beker, Daniel Dreyer, M. Ambaras, M. Freidenberg, M. Shulzinger, N. Mepen, Y. Bramer, A. Hecht, and others. The Craftsmen's Organization had a food cooperative and later also a tailor cooperative.

In 1922, the Merchants' Association was created, at the head of the institution were, in the early days: R' Herschel Feldman, Levi Kaper, Reisfus, M. Rochman, and others. Later: N. Greenberg, A. M. Hammer, Levi Kaper, Ch. Y. Weissman, and Secretary Y. Tepper.

[Page 35]

At the same time, the society “Linat Tzedek” was also created, which greatly helped to alleviate the suffering of the sick masses.

The cultural institutions grew apart. A choir, a brass band, dramatic sections were created, and a widely branched school system developed – Yiddish schools, Hebrew “Tarbut” schools, “Beit Yaakov” schools, and together with the professional and craft associations, merchant organizations, economic and philanthropic institutions, the activities of the political parties – a multifaceted Jewish social life was formed in Gritze, which impressed and fascinated all cultural workers, political workers, speakers, writers and artists who visited the small, pulsating Jewish town.

The Jewish youth, regardless of direction and conviction, lived a strongly impulsive spiritual life and were always thirsty for knowledge and art, for a good lecture and a good artist.

The various halls in the city: “Dom Ludowy” (People's House), Firefighters' Hall, “Tarbut House” and others were full every Sabbath with hundreds of listeners, who listened with rapt attention and reverence to the lectures on literary, social, political and even philosophical topics.

There was not a single major or minor personality from the Jewish political parties, cultural institutions, central school organizations, artists from the various theater ensembles, who had not visited Gritze.

On the canvas of this boiling, bustling Yiddish Gritze life, the special types and figures of this settlement were marked: Chaim Lenga and Yehoshua Brickman – old homeowners with white-silvered beards, former great merchants who had not forgotten their lineage and wealth; the Hasidic-pedigreed “R' Aishe's” and “Moshe'I Kalman's”; the beautiful Hasidic types – R' Henoch Kaminer and Avraham Yitzchak Drezner; pedigreed Torah scholars – Yudele Shmukler and Meir Yechiel Kirschenbaum, who longed for the old days, when by milky candles the “Amar Raba and Amar Abaye” was sung; esteemed intellectuals – Beinish Mittelsbach and Avraham Yitzchak Perl, R' Leibish Wolf and Berish Melamed who could not understand the boiling and bustling of today's youth, and Hasidic fanatics –

[Page 36]

fanatics, who were ready to sacrifice themselves and others for a “kutz shel yod' (a tiny thing).

The great figure and personality of R' Eliyahu Lipshitz, may his memory be blessed, who occupied the rabbinical seat there for half a century, stood and influenced the entire, diverse Jewish life in Gritze.

The Gritze Jewish community represented three generations of Jewish life before its destruction. Besides the pious Jews, Torah scholars of the old generation, there were the modern wealthy, forest and grain merchants, and others; the innocent folk people with their quiet, heartfelt good deeds; types from the common folk: water carriers, porters, village traders, goodish lads, bold tailor apprentices, soaked in world-liberating ideas, dark-faced wagon drivers, burnt by sun and wind, sturdily built, broad-shouldered porters, insolent fishmongers, and the constantly agitated, haggard cultural workers, party leaders, overseers, councilmen, bank directors, Keren Kayemet (Jewish National Fund) officials, quiet teachers, muscular athletes and footballers, and the beloved “prima donnas” of the dramatic circles.

This was Gritze. The entire Jewish Gritze, which grew up in the very center of Polish land and carried within it both the metropolitan character of Poland's capital cities and the charm and warmth of small-town Jewish life.

For nearly 200 years, Jewish Gritze lived an honest, toiling life, developed religious and cultural activities, lived in peace with its non-Jewish neighbors, until the hordes of “so called civilized Germany” arrived like a wild desert storm.

Jewish Gritze shared the fate of the 600 Jewish communities in Poland. The Gritze Jewish community was destroyed. Its sons and daughters were exterminated – the pious and faithful, the activists and cultural workers, and the simple toiling folk perished with a martyr's death.

We, the “sharit ha-pletah” (the surviving remnant), the miraculously rescued Gritze Jews, who are scattered across the world and those who are building the new homeland, the State of Israel, want to immortalize the memory of our destroyed holy community of Gritze with this modest memorial book.

[Page 37]

The old cemetery

The new cemetery

Original Footnotes

1. “Słownik Geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego,” vol. 845. Return
2. Ibid. Return
3. “Jewish Encyclopedia”, Volume 6, p. 798. Return
4. Israel Heilpern, “Lists from the Register of the Council of Four. Return
5. Lands”, p. 391. Return
6. “Słownik Geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego”, p. 846. Return
7. Ibid. Return
8. “Jewish Encyclopedia”, Volume 6, p. 798 Return
9. Słownik Geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego”, p. 846. Return
10. Ibid. Return
11. Ibid. Return
12. Ibid. Return
13. Ibid. Return
14. Tzvi Meir Rabinowitz, “The Maggid of Kozhnitz,” pp. 37-38. Return

[Page 38]

The wooden synagogue in the community of Gritze (Grójec) is among the most beautiful and interesting examples of Jewish religious architecture on Polish soil.

Unfortunately, we do not have historical data on the date of its construction; however, if we accept the assumption that only a short period of time separates the dates of its construction and interior decoration, then the house was probably built in the second half of the 18^th century.

Like most of the wooden synagogues in central Poland (Greater Poland) and southern Poland (Lesser Poland), the Gritze synagogue was not distinguished by its exterior architectural design; it did not have the richness of the external forms of the picturesque synagogues in the communities of Zabłudów or Wołpa (in the Białystok region), with their platforms, towers, and multi-story roofs, nor the charm that was poured upon the synagogue in the nearby community of Nasielsk. But in contrast to its external architectural modesty, the house was distinguished by its rich interior, with its folk-style furniture, and especially by its beautiful bimah built in the form of a garden pavilion, and by the Holy Ark rich in motifs taken from the animal world, like those arks holding a Torah crown, and decorated on both sides with columns and above its doors with a small “super-porte” in the shape of a tiny platform crowned at its upper end with two tablets of the covenant, which were placed deep inside the “ark” behind a curtain. Among the house's furnishings, special mention should be made of that unique piece of furniture, examples of which have been found only in some ancient synagogues in Poland – such as the synagogues of Zamość, Lviv, Krasnystaw Gąbin – and it is the small, raised, square “choir” for children, with a decorated railing.

However, the Gritze synagogue gained a reputation, and its name became famous in the Jewish art world, mainly due to the beauty of its interior decorations, the wall paintings, on which the glory of this tiny synagogue rests.

The history of Jewish religious art is not rich in the names of Jewish artists, and most of our synagogue creations from past centuries have therefore remained anonymous. The painter who worked for the synagogue was not at all interested in immortalizing his name; he saw himself only as a “worker engaged in sacred work.” And so, the small community of Gritze was privileged that the interior paintings of its synagogue would reveal to us the name of one of our blessed-talented artists, from the 18^th century, none other than the celebrated artist David Friedlander.

[Page 39]

David Friedlander excelled in his versatile talent. His name is associated not only with works in the field of painting (synagogues in the communities of Gritze and Piotrków) and carving (the Holy Ark in the synagogue in Wyszogród, where he incorporated, in addition to reliefs depicting biblical scenes, musical instruments mentioned in Psalms Chapter 150, and also human figures – Moses and Aaron; he is also known as an architect building synagogues in the communities of Piotrków, Działoszyn, and possibly Wyszogród and engraved tombstones of famous people (tombstones of the famous Zbitkówer family in the Warsaw cemetery).

Let us describe the interior paintings of the synagogue in Gritze, the work of this artist! The barrel-shaped dome, whose form resembled the domes of most wooden synagogues in western Poland (for example, in Dobrzyń on the Vistula [Wisła]), was decorated with polychrome depicting the dome of the blue sky. The birds of the sky that dominate this sky are eagles; they play an interesting decorative role here, as they serve as “holders” of the synagogue's chandeliers. To the viewer of the synagogue's dome, it seems a convincing artistic illusion, in a real sense, as if the eagles are holding the ends of the chains in their beaks instead of holding them in their claws.

Above the Holy Ark, on either side of the lions holding the Torah crown, was painted a polychrome whose subject was mythical creatures, such as winged lions, against a backdrop of fantastic vegetation. The painting was well adapted here as a frame, on the area of the eastern wall, above the “twin” windows on either side of the Ark and the dome of the house on one hand, and between the northern and southern walls of the house on the other.

Among the most interesting interior paintings from an artistic-decorative point of view, we will mention the biblical scene on the subject “By the rivers of Babylon” (Psalms 137), which adorned the upper part of the western wall, under the “women's section”.

A charming scene in its innocent artistic conception was depicted here by David Friedlander.

At the right end of the picture, we see a city, whose houses resemble those of the cities in Greater Poland in the painter's time. At the left end – a four-story tower, the Tower of Babel, and in the center – trees growing on the banks of a river; on the branches hang various musical instruments, hinting at the verse: “We hung our harps on the willows within it.” Before us is a work that is interesting as an artistic primitive, charming, and on the other hand, as a beautiful symbolic expression of Jewish suffering on foreign soil and its longing for the land of its fathers. This scene, which is very common in the polychromies of wooden synagogues in Poland (Przedbórz, etc.), is particularly dear to Friedlander; he repeats it, albeit with slight stylistic changes, even on the wonderful tombstone of Shmuel Zbitkower, father of the Bergson family, in the Warsaw cemetery. There too the

[Page 40]

“Babylonian” towers of cities of Batia and Migdalia are depicted. Also, a tall tower, reminiscent in its shape of the tower in the synagogue painting of Gritze; However, in the center, the Shachna stood out before the trees, on which instruments of music are hung. Above the drawing, the artist wrote the verses: “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.” A river and sailing ships appear, hinting at the deceased's trade. And he also wrote another verse below the painting: “We remembered Zion. We hung our harps upon the willows in its midst”.

We shall note here an interesting detail, which is also characteristic of most wall paintings in wooden synagogues, and that is the coordination of the painting with the “natural” frames created by the structure of the walls; here too, as in the polychrome above the Holy Ark, the painting appears within a rectangular frame. But this time behind the aforementioned “choir,” in the area marked on the “brick wall” (this is the background painted on all the walls of the building), and below the three openings of the “women's gallery” made of small wooden columns, the work of a woodcarver.

The polychromies of the synagogue in Gritze are among the most characteristic works of David Friedlander and perhaps even of the style of the period. And let us not forget that this artist already belongs to the last to emerge in the field of decoration in the wooden synagogues in the second half of the 18^th century, that is, to the period of decline of Jewish folk-ecclesiastical art in Poland, whose heyday was in the 17^th century, the same century in which the magnificent fortress synagogues and even the small, charming wooden synagogues were built, with their wonderful polychromies, their Holy Arks rich in carvings, and their platforms made by nimble wood chisels. And although the spirit of epigones already hovered over the works of the period in which Friedlander lived and worked, his polychromies in the synagogue of Gritze belong to the most beautiful examples of the religious decorative creations of the Jews of Poland.

Besides these paintings, the interior of the Gritze synagogue was also adorned with folk ornaments that appeared here and there on the walls of the house. Of these, the decorative motif, with its regional character, in the corners of the house is particularly noteworthy. This motif was made in the form of wooden consoles, composed of a pomegranate on which a dove rests with outstretched wings and a conch shell above it. This plastic and pictorial decoration was distinguished by its great charm and testified to a refined artistic sense of the architect of the synagogue. It is possible that this decoration was also created by David Friedlander.

And let us also mention here the broad and delicately shaped frieze, which extended inside the house, around the walls, and separated the walls from the dome rich in paintings. Also noteworthy is the upright, large Hanukkah menorah, made of brass, whose base rested on tiny lions.

It should be noted here for documentation purposes that the Gritze Synagogue, that modest Jewish artistic monument, which is so characteristic of the folk art of the Jews of Poland, has been frequently described by Jewish art researchers in Poland, such as: Balaban, Zitchik, Shiffer, Lukomski (Russian)

[Page 41]

and others, and aroused understandable interest among our art lovers^[a]. The cemetery of the Gritze community is also mentioned in Jewish artistic literature, as an example of a cemetery with the romantic charm of ancient cemeteries.^[b]

With the destruction of Polish Jewry and its spiritual and artistic treasures, this synagogue also fell victim to the lust for destruction. It was destroyed in the first weeks of the war, according to an order given by the Nazis, along with the many synagogues throughout the country, along with the synagogues in the holy communities of Piotrkow, Wyszogrod, Kamps, Działoszyn. Those built or decorated by “the worker engaged in sacred work” David Friedlander.

Original footnotes

1. Regarding interior paintings in wooden synagogues, see: D. Davidovitch, On a Jewish Artistic Revival in Poland (Interior Paintings in Synagogues in Poland in the 17^th and 18^th Centuries), “Gazit“, Issues July, August – September 1947, Tel Aviv. Return
2. Dr. A. Levy, The Art of Tombstones in Eastern Europe, “Yeshurun“, Issues July – October 1923 Berlin (in Germany). The article includes a photograph of the general appearance of the Gritze community cemetery. Return

[Page 42]

The old Gritzer synagogue, built of wood, was one of the finest and most interesting Jewish religious buildings on Polish soil. To our regret, we do not have any historical documents which can be used to determine the date when the synagogue was built. However, we can assume that a short time passed between the building of the synagogue and the interior renovation, and that the house of worship was certainly built during the second half of the 18^th century.

As with most of the wooden synagogues of central Poland (Greater Poland) and in the south (Lesser Poland), the Gritzer synagogue was not especially noted for its external architecture. It did not possess the rich, external artistic form of the synagogue of Zabłudów and Wolpa (Białystok region). It did not possess their galleries, towers, or domed roofs, as well as the charm that shone upon them from the nearby Nasielsk community. Nevertheless, with that modesty in external architecture, the Gritzer synagogue excelled with inner richness, with the artifacts and character of folksy motifs, and especially with its beautiful bima constructed in the form of a pavilion, and its Holy Ark, which was rich with motifs taken from the living world (lions holding the crown of the Torah). It has pillars on both sides, and a small “superfortes” over the doors in the form of a small gallery. The gallery was decorated with the tablets of covenant, cut into the depth of the ark and veiled behind a curtain.

Among the unique aspects of the synagogue, it is worthwhile to especially note the one-of-a-kind fixture that can only be found in the old synagogues of Poland – such as Zamość, Lemberg, Krasnystaw, and Gąbin – namely: a small choir-stall for cheder children. It was built, as was customary, near the western wall of the synagogue in the form of a raised, four-cornered gallery with an ornate stage.

[Page 43]

Wall art and wooden engravings – a fragment from a corner of the synagogue

[Page 44]

who lived in the 18^th century.

David Friedlender excelled with his multi-faceted talent. His name is bound with artistic-painting talent in the synagogues and communal buildings of Grójec and Piotrków. He excelled as a sculptor. His constructed the Holy Ark of the synagogue of Wyszogród. In his work, he incorporated sculpted images of Biblical scenes, musical instruments that are mentioned in chapter 150 of the Book of Psalms, as well as images of Moses and Aaron. Friedlender was also known as an architect. He built synagogues in the communities of Piotrków, Zelasin ^[1], and possibly also Wyszogród. He etched the famous gravestone of the Zbitkower family in the Warsaw cemetery.

I will attempt to portray the interior paintings of the Gritzer synagogue – the work of David Friedlender.

The ceiling arch, the form of which resembles most of the arches in the wooden synagogues of western Poland (for example, in Dobrzyń on the Wisłą), was adorned with a polychrome that was reminiscent of the firmament of the blue sky. The bird that dominated the heavenly firmament was the eagle. The eagles fulfilled an interesting decorative function there, namely: they were the “upholders” of the synagogue's hanging chandelier. The worshippers who would look up to the arched ceiling of their synagogue would get the impression that the eagles were holding in their beaks the ends of the chains from which they chandelier was hanging.

On both sides of the Holy Ark, where the lions were holding the crown of the Torah, there was a polychrome painting that represented in a fantastical canvas various legendary beasts such as lions with birds. The painting was framed very nicely on a section of the eastern wall – by the twin windows on both sides of the ark, and the arch of the synagogue on the northern side, and by the southern wall on the other side. From among the interior paintings, especially significant from an artistic-decorative standpoint are the Biblical scenes on the theme “By the waters of Babylon” (Psalm 137) that decorate the major portion of the west wall below the women's gallery. There, David Friedlender created a wonderful scene with his pure, artistic conception.

At the end of the picture, on the right side, we see a city whose

[Page 45]

buildings are reminiscent of the houses of the cities in Greater Poland during that era.

Wall painting – By the rivers of Babylon

[Page 46]

relief, below the trees with musical instruments hanging on them, there is a river with sailboats, a hint to the business of the deceased Shmuel Zbitkower. However, on that painting, the artist inscribed the verses “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat and wept as we remembered Zion. On the willows therein we hung our fiddles.” He inscribed another verse below the painting.

I wish to point out an interesting detail that is characteristic of many wall paintings in wooden synagogues, namely: the adaptation of the picture to the “natural” frames that were created in the construction of the walls. Here as well, as with the polychrome over the Holy Ark, the picture is adorned with a four-sided frame, but in this case, under the aforementioned choir platform, in the place known as the brick wall (the designated canvass on all the walls of the synagogue), and below the three openings to the women's gallery that were constructed of small, cut wooden columns.

The polychromes in the Gritzer synagogue belonged to the characteristic creations of David Friedlender's generation, and even to the style of that era. We must not forget that the artist was among the last of those who engaged in decorating synagogues built from wood. This was during the latter half of the eighteenth century, during the sunset of the popular synagogue art of the Jews of Poland. The era of the blossoming of that art was during the seventeenth century, the century of building – decorated fortress synagogues, and charming small synagogues, built of wood, their beauty lying in the polychromes, in the Holy Ark that was rich with etchings, and in the bima constructed of donated woodcuts.

Even though imitations^[2] were already floating over the creations of the era during which Friedlender worked, his polychromes in the Gritzer synagogue are among the finest examples of the religious decorative art of Polish Jewry.

Aside from the aforementioned paintings, the interior of the Gritzer synagogue also adorned with popular ornaments that one could see in various places along the walls of the synagogue. From among them, it is especially worthwhile to note the decorative motif of regional character that was in the corners of the building. The motif was constructed in the form of woodcuts of pomegranates, upon

[Page 47]

which rests a dove with spread wings, and over it a moshle ^[3]. The plaster decoration of that picture excels with its charm, and gives testimony to the delicate artistic sense of the architect of the synagogue. It is possible that the decoration was also constructed by David Friedlender. Let us also mention the wide decorations ^[4], made in an ideal form, that weave around the interior of the synagogue around the walls and move up the walls toward the ceiling vault, that was rich in pictures. It is also worthwhile to stress the large, raised, brass Chanukah menorah, supported on a platform of small lions.

For the documentation, I should stress here that the synagogue in Grójec, that artistic, Jewish, modest monument so characteristic of the folk creativity of Polish Jewry, was greatly portrayed by the researchers of Jewish art in Poland, such as Balaban, Zeitchik, Shipper, the Russian Lukomski, and others. Understandably, it piqued the interest of the lovers of Jewish art^[a].

The cemetery of the Gritzer community is also mentioned in the Jewish art literature as an example of a cemetery that portrays the romantic charm of the old-time Jewish cemeteries^[b].

With the downfall of the Jews in Poland and the destruction of their spiritual and artistic treasures, the Gritzer synagogue fell victim to the lust for destruction. It was destroyed during the first weeks of the war due to an edict issued by the Nazis. The Gritzer synagogue was torn apart by the vandals along with the synagogues throughout all of Poland; together with the synagogues of Piotrków, Wyszogród, Kępno, and Działoszyn. Those synagogues were built or decorated by the person involved in the holy work – David Friedlender.

1. Regarding the interior art of the wooden synagogues, see: D. Davidowitz “Regarding Jewish Art Renaissance in Poland.” (The interior art in the synagogues in Poland during the 17^th and 18^th centuries), “Gazit” half of July, August, September 1947, Tel Aviv. Return
2. Dr. A. Levi “The Monument-Art in Eastern Europe” – “Yeshurun,” half of July, October 1923, German, Berlin. There is a photograph of the general appearance of the Gritzer synagogue in that article. Return

1. I could not identify which town this was, as there are many variants, some with multiple occurrences: Zielęcin, Żelazy, Żelazno, Zaolszynie, Załusin, etc. Return
2. The word here is epigon – a follower or imitator, especially of art of philosophy. Return
3. I am not sure what this is. Return
4. The word is פריזן. I am not sure of the exact meaning. Return

  Grójec, Poland     Yizkor Book Project     JewishGen Home Page

Copyright © 1999-2026 by JewishGen, Inc.
Updated 04 Jul 2026 by OR