Lancut; the Life and Destruction
of a Jewish Community
(Łańcut, Poland)

50°04' / 22°14'

Translation of
Lancut; hayeha ve-hurbana shel kehila yehudit

Editors: M. Waltzer, N. Kudish

Published in Tel Aviv, 1963, Associations of Former Residents of Lancut in Israel and the USA

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

 

This is a translation from: Lancut; hayeha ve-hurbana shel kehila yehudit
(Lancut; the life and destruction of a Jewish community),
Editors: M. Waltzer, N. Kudish, Tel Aviv, 1963,
Associations of Former Residents of Lancut in Israel and the USA (H,Y, E 524 pages)

Note: The original book can be seen online at the NY Public Library site: Lancut

This material is made available by JewishGen, Inc. and the Yizkor Book Project for the purpose of
fulfilling our mission of disseminating information about the Holocaust and destroyed Jewish communities.
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Translated by the Yocheved Klausner

 

Part One - Hebrew
  Preface    
  Foreword    
  Map of the town of Lancut    
  Table of Contents    
  Photographs    
 
I The History of Lancut    
  History of the Jews of Lancut Dr. Nathan Mechl GERBER 13
  The Synagogue in Lancut Eng. David DAVIDOVITZ 28
  The Synagogue, Reality and Legend Michael WALZER 31
  The Big Bet-Hamidrash Pinchas GOLDMAN 34
  The Proselyte [Convert] of Lancut Binyamin EINHORN 36
  Echoes in the Haskala [Enlightment] Press Yosef Meir ROSMARIN, Yitzhak WEISSMAN 38
 
II Tora and Hasidism    
  The Lancut Tzadik The Rav Y.L. Hacohen MAIMON 40
  The Gaon [scholar] Rabbi Arie Leibush M.S. GESHURI 43
  R'Yakov Yitzhak HOROWITZ of Lancut Based on Shimon DUBNOV 44
  Hasidism in Lancut - Growth and Development M.S. GESHURI 45
  Two Generations in Hasidism:
 1. Lancut in the frame of Lezajsk;
 2. From Hasid Pupil to Tzadik in Lancut;
 3. Lancut at the heart of the dispute between the Rabbi and his pupil;
 4. The Campaign on the Subject of Leaving Lancut		    
  The Great Men of Lancut The Rav Zvi DOMB 49
  Lancut, the Town of the Memorial Feast in Honor of Rabbi Naftali Zvi of Ropczyce [Rupshitz] M.S. GESHURI 50
  The Tzadikim of the House of Lezajsk in Lancut: Rabbi Elimelech WEISSBLUM, the Tzadik of Rudnik   52
  Rabbi Eliezer WEISSBLUM, his son   54
  Rabbi Elazar SHAPIRA, ABD in Lancut   55
  The Sons and Offspring of the Rav R'Elazar SHAPIRA of Lancut   57
  Rabbi Elazar SHAPIRA (the Second) the Rav in Lancut   58
  The Last Rabbis and Judges of the House of SHAPIRA   61
  The Last ADMORs of the House of SHAPIRA   62
  The Rav R'Israel Leib RABIN Rav Zvi Elimelech SHAPIRA 64
  The Rav R'Avraham David RABIN Rav Zvi Elimelech SHAPIRA 64
  Rabbi Aharon Moshe LAUFER the Tzadik of Zielun - Lancut   65
  The Rav R'David FUERER, may God avenge his blood Rav Benzion FUERER 66
  In The Court of Justice Prof. Martin BUBER 67
  An Assembly of Tzadikim in Lancut Eliezer STEINMAN 67
  “From the Mouth of the People”   68
  Stories and Anecdotes from Lancut   68
  On the Hasidim and the Kloizim [Synagogue and Bet Midrash] in Lancut M.S. GESHURI 69
  Cantors in Lancut   75
 
III Zionism and the Rebuilding of Eretz Yisrael    
  Parties and Organizations    
  The Zionist Movement in Lancut Nachman KESTENBAUM 78
  Po'alei Zion in Lancut David HAR 87
  Mizrahi and The Young Mizrahi Moshe KNELLER 91
  Agudat Yisrael Binyamin EINHORN 93
  Sparks (Istitutions, Organizations, Movements, Personalities, Local Customs)   94
  The Hashomer Hatza'ir Movement Aharon KERNER 100
  The Youth Association Michael WALZER 101
  The Youth Movement of Po'alei Zion Moshe HAR 102
  Freiheit - “Dror” [Freedom] Zeinwil LEVADI ? (Yosem) ? 108
  Youth and Aliya Michael WALZER 110
  Culture and Education    
  The Revival of the Hebrew Language in Lancut Dr. Natan KUDISH 113
  Education in Lancut Michael WALZER 115
  “Bet Yaakov” Binyamin EINHORN 118
  The Scientific Library “WIEDZA” Eliezer DISHA 119
  This is the History of the Nightingale Michael WALZER 120
  The Association of Theater Fans Nachman KESTENBAUM 123
  Bet Ha'am [The House of the People] Michael WALZER 124
 
IV Fighters and Defenders    
  Michael STERNHEIM Moshe CARMEL 127
  Shraga HAR   138
  Asher SCHLEIFSTEIN   132
  David KESTCHER   132
  Zvi GOLDBLATT   133
  Yitzhak SHELLY Antchel KATZ 135
  Israel HAR Uri URIELI 140
 
V Memories and the Way of Life    
  Self Defense Nachman KESTENBAUM 141
  Lancut my Town [Shtetl] (a. Deeds and Doers; b. A Memory of the First Day; c. No Outcry...) Antchel KATZ 145
  A visit in Lancut Zalman DEMBITZER 147
  A visit in Lancut in 1937 Michael WALZER 148
  Memories of a Visitor in Lancut Dr. Zvi HELLER 151
  The Blood Libel on R'Yakov the Blind Man from Baden Michael WALZER 152
  Chapters From A Diary Moshe ROSENBLIT 154
  Graf Alfred Pototzki [the Count Pototzki] and the Lancut Jews Michael WALZER 159
  On the Eve of Destruction Shimon WALZER 162
 
VI Figures and Types    
  Getzl DRUKER, Avraham SCHPATZ, Zvi RAMER Nachman KESTENBAUM 165
  Friends: Shlomo GRINBOIM, David JUST, Yechiel NUSSBAUM, Moshe FLASCHEN (REICHER) Antchel KATZ 167
  The WOLKENFELD Family Zvi BAUER 170
  We Were Eight Friends Nachman KESTENBAUM 170
  Shmuel GREIZMAN Dr. Natan KUDISH 172
  Elka FORDBEITEL Yitzhak NEVENTZAL 173
  R'Walwish LANTZUTER   174
  R'Yehuda Yakov BELZ Aharon Moshel 174
  The home of R'Hilel SHUB [the slaughterer] Nachman KESTENBAUM 175
  R'Zisele Sofer M.S. GESHURI 175
  R'Simcha Melamed (BUCH)   176
  R'Berele Melamed GOLDBLATT   177
  Types:
 a. R'Moshe Chaia-Eidels BUNINN;
 b. R'Shalom ESTLEIN;
 c. R'Eliezer WEISSBLUM;
 d. R'Hirsh MILRAD;
 e. Four Tavern-Keepers		    
  Binyamin BRAND Pinchas GOLDMAN 179
  My Melamed [Teacher in “Heder”] Shmuel GREIZMAN 179
  Zelig KRENER Antchel KATZ 180
  Zelig KRENER Aharon KRENER 181
  Avraham My Son Antchel KATZ 181
  Michael SCHIEFFER Zvi LANDOI 182
  David HAR Michael Walzer 183
 
VII The Destruction    
  From a Letter Uri Zvi GRINBERG  
  A Tear For My Shtetl (a poem) Menachem STEMPEL  
 
  Yizkor    
  The Years of the Nazi Occupation T. BRUSTIN-BERNSTEIN 186
  To my Fellow Sufferers... Pesach GOTTLIEB 193
  My Flight to Russia Moshe ROSENBLIT 193
  The “Job Story” of Eliezer PAS Michael WALZER 194
  Additional Stories From The Holocaust Period   196
  The Trial of the Murderer Michael WALZER 202
  Once Upon a Time There Was a Community in Lancut Dr. Natan KUDISH 206
 
VIII The Lancut People in Israel and Abroad    
  The Association of Former Lancut Residents in the United States Moshe FRIDAR 207
  The Association of Former Lancut Residents in Israel Michael WATZER 211
  The Lancut People in Argentina   214
  Appendix (Photograph of a Manuscript Page)   215
  Communal Workers and Active Members of the Lancut People in Israel (photographs)   216
  Map of Lancut District   220
 
Part Two - Yiddish
I The History of the Jews of Lancut    
  A Voice from the Past Dr. Yitzhak SCHWARTZBARD 223
  The History of Lancut Dr. Avraham CHOMET 224
  The Jews in Lancut Dr. Avraham CHOMET 233
  Under Austrian Rule Dr. Avraham CHOMET 245
  Under the Russian Occupation During World War I Dr. Avraham CHOMET 259
  In Independent Poland Dr. Avraham CHOMET 261
 
II Torah and Hasidism    
  My Stetl Lancut Moshe KNELLER 271
  The Rebbe of Lancut (R'Yakov Yitzhak HOROWITZ) Zvi Simcha LEDER 275
  The Big Synagogue [Di Groise Shul] in Lancut Michael WALZER 280
  The Big Bet Hamidrash [Der Groiser Bes Hamedresh] Pinchas GOLDMAN 283
  The Society for Buying and Repairing Books Binyamin EINHORN 284
 
III Before and Between the Two World Wars    
  About the Zionist Movement in Lancut Nachman KESTENBAUM 286
  “Po'alei Zion” in Lancut David HAR 299
  “Mizrahi” and “Young Mizrahi" Moshe KNELLER 304
  “Agudat Israel” Binyamin EINHORN 306
  “Hashomer Hatza'ir” Aharon KERNER 307
  “Agudat Ne'urim” Michael WALZER 309
  Youth and Aliya Michael WALZER 312
  The “Freiheit” [Freedom] Youth Movement Moshe HAR 315
  The Hebrew Youth Association “Akiva” Chaia KATZ-STEINMAN 323
  The Revival of the Hebrew Language Dr. Nathan KUDISH 327
  Education in Lancut Michael WALZER 329
  The Amateur Society Nachman KESTENBAUM 332
  a. The Tale of “The Nightingale” [“Hazamir”] Michael WALZER 335
  b. “The House of the People” [Bet Ha'am] Michael WALZER 338
  The Trumpeldor Sports Club (Pictures)   342
  How I Became a Zionist Eliezer STEMPEL 344
  a. The Jewish Self Defense Nachman KESTENBAUM 345
  b. Figures: Getzl DRUKER, Eng. Avraham SPATZ, Hersh Zvi RASSER, We Were Eight Friends   347
  600 Years in Lancut Marian BRANDEIS 352
  On the Eve of Destruction   354
  Photocopy of a Letter from the Poet H. LEIWIK   356
 
IV The Destruction    
  The Days of Judgment Melech RAVITCH 357
  YIZKOR [Memorial]   359
  A Memorial Service in Lancut Melech RAVITCH 360
  Once upon a Time There Was a Community in Lancut Dr. Nathan KUDISH 360
  The Destruction of Lancut Naftali REICH 362
  Graf [Count] Potocki an eyewitness of the annihilation of the Lancut Jews by the Nazis   365
  Regards from Russia Moshe ROSENBLIT 366
  Wounds That Cannot Heal Sheindl FRIEDER (KESTECHER 367
  In the Gettos and Camps Ada FENIK (KORNBLAU) 370
  A Road of Torment Shoshana ATLASOWITZ 377
  The Obliteration of My Family in Lancut Moshe SCHLEIFFSTEIN 385
  Their Last Road Moshe FRIEDER 387
  Two Small Jewish Martyrs Rivka MONDSCHEIN 389
  After the expulsion from Lancut Yoel PUDERBEITEL 397
  R'Naftali STERNHEISS, May God Avenge his Blood Rav Dr. Yitzhak LEVIN 398
  The trial of a Murderer Michael WALZER 400
 
V Lancut Jews Around the World    
  The Lancut Landsmashaft in New-York Moshe FRIEDER 404
  The Organization of Lancut people in Israel Michael WALZER 408
  The Organization of former Lancut Residents in Israel   414
  Parting Forever - Year After Year .... Dvora TUCHFELD (LIFSHITZ) 415
  A Memorial Candle Tuvia WEIDEN 418
 
  In Memoriam   419
  Index of Names   452
  Errata   461
  Addresses of Lancut People in Israel   462
 
English
  Foreword Editors X
  Photographs   XI
  There Once was a Lanzut Community … Dr. Nathan KUDISH XV
  On the Lanzut Community Editors XVII
  Yizkor Editors XXXIII
  Lanzut under the Nazi T. Brustin-Bernstein XVII
  The Society of Ex-Lanzut people in New York Morris Frieder XV
  Association of Lanzut Jews and its branches in Eretz Israel Michael Walzer L
  Farewell Forever – Year after Year Devorah Tuchfeld (Lipshitz) LII
  Restoration of the Synagogue Noah Zevuloni LV
  Lancut Addresses   LV

 

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