[Page 105]

As we recall from our childhood in Galicia, our father Zelig Kranz was the district chairman of the Zionist organizations “Kadima” and “Achva” which were designed to provide training for new immigrants going to Palestine. He was fully invested in the activities of these organizations and these activities were spread throughout the district. He organized and supervised meetings and assemblies of the organizations, and he dedicated much work and effort to the national funds, the “Keren Kayemet” and “Keren Hayesod.”

He was the central figure and driving force of the central Zionist organizations, and thanks to him, there was fraternal collaboration between the General Zionists, Gordonia and the Revisionists, and for this his name was entered into the Golden Book of the Keren Kayemet in 1932. The non-Jewish institutions opposed his activities with the Jewish youth. He decided to make aliya in 1934, after the British authorities imposed limitations on new immigrants. In Israel, father continued his diversified activities in the Zionist organizations in the ranks of the Liberal Party. He was one of the founders of the Israel Zionist Worker Movement and was a member at its head office.

Upper and second rows from left to right: The third Niunia Ecker, Shoshona Goldstein, Feige Barach, Ehrenwerth, Breindel Szargel, Sara Letzter, the Pelz sisters, Golda Rosen, Meir Sachs, Ehrenwerth Mina, Gertwagen, Shimon Barij Third row: Moshe Weissman, Zelig Kranz, Merwitzer Yaakov, and Natan Barach

[Page 106]

Activists of the Zionist Movement in Radekhov Top row, from right to left: Moshe Baranenko, Aharon Sternberg, Zeuger Tilly [Tehila], Yehuda Kratz, Reizel Kober, Linson Shmuel, Floh Efraim, Goldscheider Ester, Goldscheider Avraham, Barij Kalman, Barij Shimon, Lalo Wurm Second row: Mendel Czop, Avraham Kranz, Moshe Safier, wife of Shimon Baranenko, Chaim Szargel, Mirel Schrage wife of Goldscheider, Moshe Lewit, Friedman daughter of Itzhak Mordechai, Rosen Mima, Awner Schorr, Hinda Lewit, Zeuger Efraim Yosef, Baruch Ecker Third row: Michael Schrage, Dr. Natan Milgrom, Rivka Schrage, Zelig Kranz, Yehudit Kranz, Dr. Peczenik, Avraham Ecker

[Page 107]

Reb Shmuel Ecker was one of the most respected individuals in our town. Before the First World War, he was in banking. He was a follower of the Rabbi from Husiatyn, making annual pilgrimages to spend a few days with the rebbe, then returning rejuvenated and spiritually charged to continue his daily tasks. Between these visits, he diligently studied the Gemara daily page. Reb Shmuel often collaborated with the rabbinical judge, Yaakov Unger, in making Torah decisions and helping Torah learners with explanations. He also taught in the cheder alongside Yitzchak Shapira, who later became rabbi of the city. Yitzchak would often say to him: “Shmuel, even though you know 10 times more than I do, I will be the one to receive the position and not you since I will inherit the position from my father.”

Reb Shmuel Ecker and his wife Scheindel z”l

[Page 108]

H. L. Grinberg, Y. Katz, H. L. Zugman, Y. Pfeffer, and others. They collaborated with his daughter, Berta z”l, on lectures and various other activities at the Zionist club, “Kadima” [“Forward”]. The younger generation also engaged in discussions related to [the youth movement] “Gordonia.”

We cannot overlook the contributions of the “Yiddishe Momma,” [“Jewish mother”] Sheindel Ecker (Sheintzeh), who was a true partner and support–“Ezer Kenegso”^[2]–in all aspects of life. She was dedicated to educating her children and exemplified mutual respect within her family as well as in the community. She practiced charity discreetly and expressed endless joy when hosting a guest for Shabbat. She preferred reading books over gossiping with her neighbors, and her knowledge of literature greatly benefited her children's education.

Dov, their son, painted an vivid picture of life at home. “On winter nights, when severe cold envelopes the outside world, the family finds warmth and coziness indoors. It is eight o'clock in the evening, and the children gather around the table surrounding their father, who studies the Gemara. Meanwhile, their mother is sewing, and the children are preparing their homework for school, even though they have just returned from the cheder an hour earlier. Accompanying all this activity, the soft, melodic voice of a mother can be heard as she recalls one of the Goldfaden plays of the time.”

Tragically, like most families in Poland, the parents, along with four of their children and their families, perished in the Holocaust. However, four of their children survived. One daughter miraculously made it through the Holocaust and subsequently reached Eretz Israel, while a son and another daughter immigrated to Eretz Israel before the Holocaust. The fourth child, a son who had been studying in France, remained there and still lives there today.

Students of the Hebrew school in Radekhov 2) Sima Pelz 3) Sara Charap 4) Zipora Schwarz 5) Niunia Gertwagen 6) Sima Wittlin 7) Botknecht 8) Scheindel Kupferschmidt 9) Bluma Sigal 10) Ester Salzinger and others On the poster: Hebrew School in Radekhov

[Page 109]

Yechiel Menaker z”l

From an early age, I was an activist in the Zionist movement and actively participated in general Jewish public life. I was one of the founders of several Zionist student organizations. While studying at the university, I served as an educator and member of the Board of Governors for the Lvov Jewish community's orphanage. In 1933, I was appointed secretary of the Eretz Israeli office in Lvov. As part of my role there, I took a special interest in and dedicated myself to organizing and nurturing the pioneer training for Jewish youth. I was also involved in the organization and promotion of the national funds. I published articles and participated in the editing of Jewish journals that were published in Lvov. In 1937, I represented the labor movement at the 20^th Jewish Congress in Zurich.

[Page 110]

I made Aliyah to Eretz Israel in 1938. At first, I lived in Jerusalem. I worked with the Jerusalem Workers' Council, organizing educational and cultural activities in the Mizrahi community and in impoverished neighborhoods. While in Jerusalem, I took on some public roles on behalf of the Jewish Agency and the Community Committee of Jerusalem. My responsibilities included organizational and promotional activity for the “Kofer HaYishuv”^[1], overseeing election affairs for the 21^st Jewish Congress, serving as the secretary for the community committee for emergencies, and more.

I published several articles in Eretz Israeli journals, among them a comprehensive dissertation on “HaPoel HaTzair” [“The Young Worker]” focused on Zionist publicity efforts. At the end of 1939, I left Jerusalem. I worked in the Kvutzot^[2] of Genigar and Mishmar HaSharon. During that time, I developed connections with the kibbutz movement and became interested in the problems facing the youth living in kibbutzim, including the newly immigrated youth who were being educated there.

From the estate of Yechiel Menaker

Standing from the right: The brothers Yechiel, Efraim, and Yosef Menaker Sitting: The sisters Rivka, wife of Modlinger and Mina Menaker, in the middle: the father Nissan Menaker of blessed memory.

Translator's footnotes:

1. “Kofer HaYishuv” [translated literally as “Settlement Ransom”] was a fundraising initiative that supported the security needs of communities in Eretz Israel. It operated until the establishment of the state of Israel. (Based on Wikipedia). Return
2. Kvutza (plural: Kvutzot) is a type of cooperative settlement, similar to a kibbutz, founded in Eretz Israel during the Second and Third Aliyahs. Its principles were similar to those of the kibbutz settlements (they are based on the existence of a cooperative communal working and living arrangement) but Kvutzot were made up of smaller, more intimate groups. Return

[Page 111]

Yechiel Menaker was born in 1909 in Radekhov, Poland. He received a secular education that was parallel to his traditional one. He completed the Hebrew high school in Lvov and graduated from universities in Lvov and Krakow with degrees in law and political science. In 1931, he received an advanced degree in law and graduated from the college for Jewish studies in Lvov. He continued to work as an intern in the courts and at various law firms in Lvov. Between 1934 and 1938, he served as a department manager at the Eretz Israeli office in eastern Galicia. Yechiel was active in the Zionist student movement from his youth. During his university studies, he was among the leaders of Jewish student organizations in Poland. He was also a member of the Socialist Zionist Student organization (Z.A.S.S.) and the editor of the organization's Polish-language newspaper, “Idea and Action.” Among other articles, he published for the first time in Polish, a comprehensive review of the General Union of Workers in Eretz Israel, on the 13^th anniversary of its founding.

Yechiel was a member of the Zionist labor party “Hitachdut” [“the Union”] while still a student and served as the party's secretary and spokesperson in western Galicia and Silesia from 1929 to 1930. From then until he made Aliyah in 1938, Yechiel was among the leading activists of the Zionist movement and national funds in eastern Galicia. He served as an organizer and guide in branches of the “Hitachdut Poalei Tzion” [“Union of Zion Workers”] party^[1], and acted as a delegate to its conferences and a member of its central committee. He was elected as a delegate to the 20^th Zionist Congress in Zurich and served as an acting member of the Jewish Agency Council for Eretz Israel. Yechiel also served as a central committee member for the “HIAS”^[2] organization in Galicia, and he contributed to the Zionist Yiddish and Polish journals “Der Neuer Morgen” [“The New Morning”] (formerly “Das Tagblatt” [“the Daily Newspaper”]), and “Das Freier Wort” [“This Free Word”].

During the first few years after making Aliyah in 1938, Yechiel worked as an agricultural laborer in the Kvutzot of Genigar and Mishmar HaSharon. Later, he served as a lecturer for the cultural department of the executive committee of the Histadrut.^[3] He contributed to journals such as “HaPoel HaTzair” [“The Young Worker”] and “Dapim LaOleh VeHeChalutz” [“Pages for the New Immigrant and the Pioneer”] (in Yiddish). Additionally, Yechiel translated the book “A History of the Jewish Settlement in Israel” by Dr. A. Bein into Yiddish. He also served as a battalion cultural officer in the “Haganah”^[4] and received the Haganah's service ribbon. When the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) was established, he continued to lecture on a voluntary basis for a year, on behalf of

[Page 112]

of the IDF's cultural division. From 1945 to 1947, he interned at a law firm in Tel Aviv. Following that, from 1948 to 1951, he served as the secretary of the Israel Bar Association. During that period, he also initiated the establishment of the lawyers' community in northern Tel Aviv.

From 1951 until his death, Yechiel Menaker worked as a lawyer in his Tel Aviv law office and as a legal consultant for several workers' councils. During that time, he remained active in institutions of the Israel Bar Association and was a delegate to its conferences. He also held positions as the vice chairman of the Mutual Insurance Fund and chairman of the lawyers' retirement fund, and was an honorable judge at the Tel Aviv municipal court. Additionally, he was an active member ofMapai [Eretz Israel's Worker Party] for many years. He had a broad educational background and was engaged in numerous fields, earning him respect in the legal community. He passed away at the relatively young age of 53 on the 6^th of Tamuz 5722 (July 8, 1962) after a brief illness. Members of the Knesset, judges, lawyers, and a large gathering of friends accompanied him on his last journey.

In his memory, his family published a book titled: “Yechiel Menaker: Articles and Notes; Journals and Letters; Eulogies.” Two articles in this Yizkor book were sourced from his family's memorial book.

Top row, from right to left: Shimon Barij, Yehuda Kratz, Zalman Menaker, Schonenfeld Max, Zalman Sigal, Menaker David, Ecker Baruch, Floh Efraim, Zeinvel Kardasz Second row: Rachel Sigal, Scheindel Wasser, Hinda Lewit, Tolci Kurzer, Golda Laszczower, Rivka Menaker, Peshe Menaker, Friedman Malka Third row: Moshe Lewit, Bluma Menaker, Elimelech Lewit

Translator's footnotes:

1. The World Union of Poalei Tzion evolved from several Zionist socialist parties (including the Hitachdut) into the largest Zionist Socialist body, later becoming the basis for the workers' labor party,Mapai, which dominated Israel's policy in the years after the state won independence. Return
2. HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society), founded in 1881 in Russia, is a Jewish-American nonprofit organization that provides humanitarian aid and assistance to refugees and advocates for their fundamental rights. Return
3. Histadrut is Israel's largest labor union. Return
4. Established by the labor movement, the Haganah was the main Zionist paramilitary organization that operated in Eretz Israel under the British Mandate for Palestine. In 1948, it was integrated into the Israeli Defense Forces. Return

[Pages 113-116]

Mordechai was born in Radekhov on Tammuz 20, 5667 (1907). His parents were affluent merchants, and Mordechai was educated in traditional Judaism. From his youth he absorbed information from the sources of Judaism, and always had a great affinity for tradition. He combined the flame of Chassidism with the needs of the period, and all of his actions and deeds merged as a: “modern Chassid.” He was an enthusiastic Zionist from his youth, and although he complied with his parents and their views, with regard to Zionism, Mordechai was unrelenting and was not influenced by them. At that time he belonged to the clandestine “Hachalutz” movement, and this was the most romantic period of his life, during which his youthful dreams and future aspirations were woven together.

In Kiryat Anavim, winter 1930 Second from the right – Mordechai Weissman, and fifth from the right – G. Kressel, the book's editor		Mordechai Weissman

In 1929 he moved to Eretz Israel, and this decision was a heavy blow to his parents. Mordechai struggled for a long time over his love for his parents and his love for the Land. However, his common sense overcame his emotions, and ultimately he made the decision and emigrated. After being a settlement member and an agricultural worker in the towns of Rehovot, Kiryat Anavim, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, in 1933 he moved to the settlement of Ein Vered as one of the founders of the moshav. Mordechai was finally happy, after four years of wandering and searching, he found his proper place in the country.

He devoted himself to his new role with every drop of enthusiasm. He established a warm home, and attended to his work with joy and energy, and despite his whole–hearted devotion to his farm, he always devoted himself to the needs of the community in his free time. He was a social man, and his work was esteemed everywhere, especially in Ein Vered. He was one of the main people involved in the security of the village, and was always one of the first to serve as a guard and in any other activity, which is why he had many friends in the village.

With his skills and knowledge, he could have easily managed in the city, but he didn't like office work. He found himself and felt best at work in the fields. He could easily adapt to life either on a kibbutz or small kevutza because he was always prepared to pass up on his comforts for the good of the group. However, he specifically preferred life on a moshav with children and the younger generation. He could see the future of the nation and the country: “We must do everything and toil with love and joy so that the youth will have an easier life than we have. We are the generation of the desert pioneers and we are paving the way of life for those who come after us.” When through his efforts and assistance, his sister Shoshana came to Eretz Israel he did everything possible for her to settle down to a life of agriculture, in a village rather than a city. He was totally opposed to her plans for life in a city and did not back down. “We don't have to continue the life of exile here in the Land.” When his sister settled in the village he visited her frequently and helped her with suggestions and in action. He was attached to his family with all his soul, despite having moved to Eretz Israel against their will. He never cut off contact with his family back home, and would plan on how to bring them to the Land. He foresaw what was going to happen to them. He tried every possible argument to persuade them of the correctness of his views about life in the diaspora. He promised them that if they moved to Eretz Israel he would give them his farm in Ein Vered and start from scratch. His family members respected him greatly, but they treated him as an idealistic dreamer whose move to Palestine was impractical. Only when World War II broke out did they begin to understand and value him. After tremendous work and endless efforts, his brother succeeded in moving to Palestine, but encountered a cruel fate and died on the day of his arrival.

Mordechai was involved with people and accepted by them. He was unable to understand how anyone could live a life alone without involvement with neighbors. He was always able to offer assistance to those who needed it. His home was open to all, and he was generous beyond his means. This attitude was perplexing to his friends and relatives. They thought he had income on the side, and was only able to make ends meet with outside work. He absolutely loved work and never knew the meaning of fatigue. When he returned from work, he devoted himself to his own land and was happy with every new tree and patch at home or on any other farm in the village. The rapid growth of the village encouraged him and strengthened his faith and trust in our victory. His enthusiasm in his youth never left him. He was the same inside and out, and could never hide his happiness and love of others from outsiders or friends. Everybody used to visit him at home and tell him their troubles while obtaining his assistance in a simple and natural way. He excelled in hosting guests, and had many friends. Even the Arabs respected and appreciated him, and he often advised them and loaned them money. Whether secular or very religious, young or old, everyone visited his home and he found a warm and encouraging word for each and every one of them. He spoke calmly and with a sense of humor. He was able to calm violent winds in a pleasant manner. When his nephew immigrated as a student he treated his nephew as a father would. When Mordechai earned his first 150 lira from his orchard, he offered it to his brother–in–law because he saw he was in difficult financial straits, despite the fact that he himself had significant debts. He offered his own produce to relatives and friends in town, and would occasionally travel to town loaded with sacks full of produce from his field as gifts to the needy in town. During hard times in town, his friends and relatives knew that Mordechai would never abandon them and would always be their supporter and helper. Mordechai could not tolerate injustice of any kind. Whenever he encountered it he became very angry, and the crooked politics of the British made his blood boil. Thoughtless acts of terrorism, irresponsibility of individuals or parties, and the narrow interests of political parties over the needs of the settlement all provoked him to energetic protest. Despite the fact that he was not religious he was nevertheless attached to the tradition in which he had deep roots. “When the Belzer Rebbe moved to Palestine they visited him in Jerusalem (his father was a Belzer Chassid). Although he was a pioneer from Poland he would visit the Rebbe on the eve of Yom Kippur, and would travel to his sister in the town of Pardes Chana and pray in a synagogue on holidays” (this according to his sister). Mordechai considered Chassidism a mirror image of pioneering – he would say – that pioneering is the modern form of Chassidism, and only Chassidic pioneering could light the flame of enthusiasm of both the youth and adults to undertake great things. Mordechai believed with perfect faith that the redemption was fast approaching and soon the State of Israel would be created. The rebirth of the state was at hand, it would be only on a matter of time. Every morning before going to work he would visit his neighbor to listen to the news, then analyze it and head off to work. However, fate was cruel to him. He fell on the very day the State was declared. And his many relatives and friends cried and still cry over him saying that, “if only Mordechai had lived to see this great moment he would have been overjoyed and happy.” On November 29, 1947 when the United Nations made its declaration about the State, Mordechai was among the first people who traveled to Tel Aviv and danced the night away. Two days before the establishment of the State, on Iyar 3, [May 12] 1948 he visited his sister Shoshana who had lovingly taken care of him after the death of their parents who were murdered by the Nazis. His sister recounted that, “on that very day Mordechai was filled with apprehension about the fate of the Jewish community in Palestine.” She begged him to stay, but to no avail. He refused to stay overnight. “Who knows if I'll be able to come later, so I came now to visit you and your family, but I have to go back.” He could not leave his pregnant wife and the villagers in this time of danger, so he returned. When the operation began in Kfar Hess, they came and awakened Mordechai as well, because how could they have an operation without him? As a mortar expert, he was always the first person to take a position in the breach. But this time he was permitted to stay home because of his wife's condition. His friends told him, “Be careful, Mordechai, watch yourself, don't go!” But Mordechai did not take advantage of his right, and could not stay at home resting in a time of danger. He left his wife affectionately and calmed her by saying, “Take it easy, I'll be back in a few hours.” When he was lightly wounded on his forehead his friends begged him to go home, but he absolutely refused and instead continued to work until, with a mortar in his hand ready to be fired, he was killed by an enemy bullet. Mordechai remained consistent until he died. The enemy bullet ended his life, but his faith and trust in the realization of his vision will illuminate future generations.

Exactly 19 years passed since I saw Mordechai Weissman for the first time. I came to work as a physician in Ein Vered, and he was one of the first people whom I encountered, because my apartment was near to his. Ever since then, he has been engraved in my memory as a handsome man, strong and joyful. He was a good hearted and sincere fellow who was always ready to help. It seems like it was only a day or two ago, I remember how he would go off to work every morning in the orchard and around the area, and how he would spend nights in that period of the events of 1947–49 as a guard at the posts. One day he came to me with a letter in his hand that he had received from abroad in which his parents wrote in Yiddish “…stay right at home and don't get involved!” Evidently his parents found out about the events going on in the country and were warning him. To what extent he followed these warnings is known to all of us….

I still remember one detail that sheds light on Mordechai's personality: one night in the autumn of 1946 in the afternoon a young man from the nearby kibbutz of Kfar Yavetz (which was also part of the area where I worked) requested I come to the kibbutz on an emergency. He was riding on a horse and came alone without weapons. I did not like the idea of going along with the boy without weapons and thereby endangering both of us since we had to go through an open field in a very dangerous area. However, I went to Mordechai's house and knocked at the door. Mordechai awoke, and when he heard me knocking his immediate reply was, “Yes, doctor, where do you have to go? I'll be ready in a minute.” A few moments later he was ready, and when he heard my request he saddled his horse and got his weapon. Without asking any questions or saying a word, he joined us to visit the patient in Kfar Yavetz. This story typifies his fine character, and it remains fixed in my memory.

Years later during the War of Independence, Mordechai “became involved” again in things, and from what I heard he was killed in an operation in which he was not even required to be involved.

[Page 135]

My father, the late Yosef Grinberg, arrived in Radekhov from Russia in his youth and made his home here.

He was a scholar in the full sense of the word, a yeshiva student and a follower of the Rabbi of Belz. At the head of a group of students, he would complete a tractate in the Shas every year. He was also a progressive and educated man steeped in Western and Jewish culture and he was an ardent Zionist. Of course, he could not publicly express his opinions since the townspeople at that time were primarily ultra-Orthodox Chassids.

I remember when the happy news of the Balfour Declaration was published, my father found the courage to wear a blue and white ribbon around his chest and give a speech in the Great Synagogue on this subject. And indeed, as punishment for this act, he was removed from the Belzer shtiebel. I still remember winter evenings when my father would read from our classic literature: Bialik, Gordon, and others. The atmosphere at home also influenced the children. My eldest brother Hersh Leib Grinberg headed the Zionist branch in our town, and he was involved in distributing Zionist shekels, organizing arts evenings, shows, etc. I was also influenced and as a result I made aliyah to Israel. Sadly, I am the only one who was fortunate enough to do so.

My entire family perished at the hands of the German oppressors.

I will climb the ridges, ascend the hill, With a hoe and pick-axe slung firm on my shoulders still. My feet will find their path through the forest's floor, No longer a stranger, I wander no more. From the break of light until the stars are seen, I shall plow, and soften the hardness of your seam. Each tree will grow and proudly rise, Planted in your lowlands by diligent hands. Upon the clearing, the wind will still sweep, The pine trees' tousled locks and their tangled weave. And how they will stream in, hasten from the classroom to rest Those whom the midday heat from their corners chased. Across the rocky slopes the shadow too shall spread, Where, sheltered, song-born creatures make their nests. And on their harp-strings–nature's gift, divine and bred– They'll sing with joy, a chorus from the heights expressed.

[Page 139]

My brother Yossi was born in Herzliya on the 4^th of Adar, 5705 (February 17, 1945), to our parents Sara and Meir Schwarzenberg. His childhood was distinguished by his strong desire to help our parents, and his entire life was characterized by his boundless devotion and close bonds with his family.

In elementary school, Yossi was a quiet and disciplined youngster. He was often a participant in sports, including swimming and soccer, and yet found enough time to pursue another hobby, one which he chose as his profession: electronics. Upon completing his studies at elementary school, his attraction to this technical branch led him to enroll in the “Max Fein” vocational high school. Yossi graduated from this school with honors and then planned to study at the Technion for the next stage of his life. However, before that, he had to complete his military service.

As a graduate of a vocational high school, he was presented with various options for his military future. Yossi, who never shied away from difficult challenges, chose the most difficult and dangerous option of all: he volunteered for the paratroopers.

He served in the paratrooper unit as a communications technician, and when he was released from service, he worked tirelessly and saved every penny to finance his future studies at the Technion.

Tragically, Yossi was killed in the Six-Day War in the incursion into the Old City of Jerusalem. In his role as a communications technician, he was sent to repair a broken device. The street leading to the Rockefeller Museum was exposed to enemy fire, and bullets whistled, and shells exploded around him. Yet he did not flinch, and he leaped for the device to repair it. As he jumped, he was hit and fell while holding the repair tool in his hand. He was 22 years old when he died; may his memory be blessed.

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