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We now turn to the chapter concerning the shuln [synagogues], bote-medroshim (study houses), and minyanim (prayer quorums) of Białystok, the religious institutions that played a role in both communal and private life. Yet in order to better understand their essence and grasp their value, we must begin with a general overview of their historical development in the lands of exile, and thus we must truly start from the very beginning.

The Jewish shul for prayer was already known in the time of the Second Temple, in all the lands of exile: in Babylonia, in Egypt, in Greece, in Rome and all their provinces, and also in the Land of Israel. It bore the name beit knesset (“House of Assembly”), in Aramaic beit kenishta, in Greco Roman usage “synagōgḗ”. All these words carry the same meaning: assembly or place of gathering.

The purpose was to serve as a place of unification and communal gathering for all the dispersed and scattered Jews in every land of exile. The synagogue was the place of assembly for the Jew, sustaining them in foreign lands so that they might remain a united nation. In the shul people gathered to conduct tefillot b'tzibur (public prayers) and to study Torah.

The house was not called beit tefillah (“house of prayer”) nor beit limud (“house of study”). From this it is clear that the primary purpose was not prayer to God nor study–both of which each person could also do privately–but rather the essential aim was the gathering itself, so that even in exile the Jews might remain a complete, united body, a distinct people. Therefore the central feature of the beit knesset was the communal prayer, upon which the sages of the Mishna and the Talmud strongly insisted and placed great emphasis.

Wherever Jews would settle in the course of their wanderings in exile, their very first task was to obtain from the local authorities a distinct parcel of land on which to establish a beit ha-knesset, a place of gathering, together with all rights of protection attached to it.

The beit ha-knesset, the synagogue, was in foreign lands the Jewish fortress–for their religion, for their unique spirit, for their completeness, for their nationality.

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For this reason we find in Jewish history that all non Jewish magistrates in the Greek and Roman lands of the entire ancient cultural world would, by governmental law, assign free sites for the building of such synagogues and protect them. As related by Josephus Flavius, the great Jewish historian of the time of the khurbn ha bayit [destruction of the Temple], in his major historical works Antiquities and The Jewish Wars.

These synagogues were also supported with special privileges by the Roman emperors, even though they prohibited the assembly places (collegia) of other nations and idol worshippers, since those had become sites of bacchanalia that disturbed morality and peace in the land. But the Jewish synagogues, as the great Alexandrian Jewish philosopher Philo (who lived before the khurbn [destruction of the Temple]) said, were schools of justice, of moderation, and of instilling in Jews all good moral qualities.

The beit ha-knesset [synagogue] was no longer called by the names once found in the ketvei ha kodesh [Holy Scriptures] during the First Temple period: beit tefillah [House of Prayer] (Isaiah 56:7; I Kings 8:30); beit Adonai [House of the Lord] (I Kings 6:37; 7:12); beit Elohim [House of God] (Psalms 122:1, 9; 42:5; 116:19); or Mo'adei El [Assemblies of God] (Psalms 75).

When the Jews were a people in their own land, they did not need separate centers of assembly, for their land itself united them. They required only holy houses to draw them nearer to God in prayer.

But in exile, among foreign nations who were their rulers, and among whom the Jews might easily be assimilated, they needed such gathering places that would unite them and hold them together–through public prayer and study.

For this reason the Talmud exalts tefillah b'tzibur [communal prayer] in many sayings. For example: “A prayer is not heard by God unless it is in the beit ha-knesset; ten Jews who pray together–the Shekhinah [Divine Presence] is with them” (Berakhot 6a).

Rabbi Natan says: “From where do we know that God does not despise the prayer of the many? Because it is said: Hen El kabir velo yim'as (Job 36:5) – God does not despise the multitude^[2]. And likewise: He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me, for many were with me (Psalms 55:19).”

The Holy One said: “Blessed is he who occupies himself with Torah and with gemilut chasadim [deeds of lovingkindness] and prays with the community–I reckon it for him as though he had redeemed Me and My children from the nations of the world” (Berakhot 8a). And there are dozens more such sayings.

And for this reason it was also decreed that one should pray only in Hebrew, not in any foreign language –not even in Aramaic, which was close to Hebrew (Shabbat 13b). For the Hebrew national language also unites the Jews together.

The beit ha-knesset [synagogue, “House of Assembly”] was not devoted only to prayer, but also to Torah study, to the moral instruction of the people through derashot [sermons], musar [ethical teachings], and the cultivation of middot tovot [virtuous traits]. These were delivered every Shabbat and on the festivals.

As Philo relates, in his time on the Shabbat thousands of study houses would open, where people learned understanding, moderation, diligence, justice, and in general all good moral qualities.

Ezra [priest and scribe], returning from the Babylonian exile, re instituted the ancient law of Moses (Deuteronomy 31:11–13): to read the Torah during prayer (Ezra 8; cf. Bava Kamma 82a; Mekhilta Beshalach; Jerusalem Talmud, Megillah 1). Later, the Torah would be read with translation–in Babylonia into Aramaic, and in the Greek Roman provinces into Greek–and sermons were delivered to explain the Torah.

This union of prayer and study – the house of prayer together with the house of learning– sustained the Jews in exile and raised them as a distinct moral and cultural people.

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T. Herford, the Unitarian English clergyman, writes in his Das Preußische Judentum^[3]: “He who first devised prayer in the synagogue together with the public reading and preaching grasped upon one of the fundamental traits of human spiritual nature and made one of the discoveries that positively influenced the future development of humanity for all time.”

He further points out^[4]: “As far as I know, no form of communal prayer existed in all of history until the synagogue was established. Until then, divine service was held in a temple or in a local sanctuary and consisted in bringing a gift or a sacrifice, usually through the mediation of a priest, and it was certainly accompanied by a prescribed prayer.

So it was likewise in the beit ha mikdash [Temple] in Jerusalem, as long as it stood… But the synagogue served another purpose. Its idea was twofold: it was the place of communal worship and of study. Of all the institutions that mankind has ever devised, the synagogue possesses the longest continuous history. And since it fulfilled a permanent human need, we see from this that the Christian faith adopted from the Jews the idea of incorporating it as well.”

It is noteworthy that in our Jewish vernacular the synagogue is referred to only by its association with study, with the name shul (“house of learning”) or bes-medresh [house of study], and not with a designation that would emphasize prayer as its primary function.

Later, in Babylonia, when the study of Torah spread throughout its entire scope, and one could no longer be satisfied with the mere reading of the Torah and sermons in the batei kenesiot [synagogues], separate bote-medroshim [houses of study] were established for learning.

These were joined together with the batei kenesiot, and the sages of Israel expounded: “I sleep, but my heart is awake” (Song of Songs 5:2) – “I sleep in the beit ha mikdash [Temple], but my heart is awake in the batei kenesiot and in the bote-medroshim” (Shir ha Shirim Rabbah). “I am a wall, and my breasts are like towers” (Song of Songs 8:10) – these are the batei kenesiot and bote-medroshim in Babylonia (Megillah 29a). “You have been our dwelling place in all generations” (Psalms 90:1) – these are the batei kenesiot and the bote-medroshim (ibid.).

As we have seen from all these sources, the bote-medroshim were originally separate and designated only for learning, while the batei kenesiot were only for prayer. But later, people began to combine study with prayer in the bote-medroshim, as is reported in Berakhot 8a:

Abaye [Babylonian Amora of the 4^th century, head of the Pumbedita academy] said:

“At first I would study at home and pray in the beit ha-knesset. But once I heard what Rabbi Khiyya bar Ami [Babylonian Amora of the 3rd generation, transmitter of Ulla's teachings] said in the name of Ulla: ‘From the day the beit ha mikdash [Temple] was destroyed, the Holy One, blessed be He, has in His world only the four cubits of halakhah [Jewish law],’ I no longer prayed except in the place where I studied. ”

And it was taught: “Rabbi Ami and Rabbi Assi, although they had thirteen batei kenesiot in Tiberias, would pray only between the pillars, in the place where they studied. ”

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Because of this, over time the bote-medroshim gained predominance in all communities. They were found everywhere in large numbers, whereas a beit ha-knesset, a synagogue or shul, was usually only a single one in each community. In the bote-medsroshim both prayer and study were carried out by the respected members of the community, while in the shul it was mostly the common people who prayed.

Later, the Chasidim replaced the bes-medresh with the shtibl and related even more negatively to the shul than did the misnagdim [opponents of Chasidism].

Author's footnotes:

1. This overview is an abridgment of my larger work in the second volume of my book, in manuscript form, Megilat Yohasin (“Scroll of Genealogy”) in Eretz Yisroel and in Babylonia. Return
2. The preacher explains kabir not as a title for God, but connects the word to the verb lo yim'as [does not despise]. Return
3. I quote according to the German translation, Leipzig, page 167 Return
4. Ibid., pp.65–66 Return

Translator's footnotes:

1. Contents in [ ] are from the translator. Contents in ( ) are from the author. Return
2. With only a few exceptions–such as bes-medresh and its plural form, bote-medroshim–in my translation of the Pinkas Bialystok I employ, more frequently, the Sephardic pronunciation and transcription of Hebrew, rather than the Ashkenazic. Return

The basic form of the old beit ha-knesset or synagoge in the diaspora among the Greco Roman lands was renewed only later in the new synagogues of the Western countries and in America, and also among us in the so called khorshuln [reform synagogues] of the more reform minded Jews.

The khorshuln were already fashioned after the model of the foreign synagogues, where prayer was once again combined with singing in choir and with modern derashot [sermons].

But among that part of the more pious Jews in the Eastern lands, where study outweighed prayer, the “shul synagoge” mostly lost its former, original practical value. It remained only as an old, sanctified, traditional religious institution, in which it was mostly the posheter oylem [the simple folk] who prayed–chiefly because of the cantor with the meshoyrerim [choir singers], which drew them in, without sermons and without deeper intention.

I say mostly, because there were and still are exceptions, such as the Vilner shul [synagogue of Vilna]. It preserved its basic form; it always had a great khazn [cantor] with an organized choir, its cantors were always the best, world renowned singers, and it also always had a great darshan [preacher], a shtot magid [city preacher], who took the place of a rabbi there.

Indeed, the Jewish congregation of Vilna was always the most developed of all the Jewish communities in our region, for it was raised upon liturgical, exemplary neginah [music] and upon religious and moral sermons with lofty ideals.

Once, being in Vilna on a distinguished Shabbat, when the khazn prayed with the choir and the then city preacher Rabbi Yankele Kharif preached, I saw how the shul was packed, head to head, and the oylem [congregation] received nakhes [deep contentment] and swallowed the words of both.

As I went out, I heard how the congregation expressed its deep emotional impression from both, with great mevines [understanding].

Also Grodno always had a beautiful shul with a good khazn, and in it all the city's wealthy notables and respected men would pray.

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But the Bialystoker shul was, as in all the small towns, a neglected one, a dirty one. The always open polish [entrance hall, vestibule] in the old shul was a makom miklat [refuge] for all the underworld figures; in the large shames kastns [large storage chests in the synagogue, overseen by the sexton] all the little market thieves would spend the night and hide themselves.”

The Bialystoker shul [synagogue] had only a small and insignificant khazn. It also had no magidim [preachers]. The Magid Meysharim [preacher of uprightness] was once found only in the Old Bes-Medresh [house of study].

In its four enclosed kohel shtiblekh [small communal rooms] there gathered, as we have seen above, religious khevras [societies] of artisans. Under the guidance of rabeyim [teachers], they studied the khumesh [Pentateuch] with Rashi [classic commentary], Na”kh [Prophets and Writings], midrash [homiletic literature], Ein Yaakov [“Well of Jacob,” anthology of Talmudic Aggadah], Menorat ha Maor [“Lamp of Light,” a medieval ethical work by Rabbi Isaac Aboab], and the Shulchan Arukh [code of Jewish law].

In the Bialystoker shul it was always only the simple folk who prayed.

The first Jewish settlement in Bialystok, it seems, was founded by the more scholarly class, who required a bes medresh [house of study] above all for learning, and also for prayer. Thus, already in the year 5478 [1718], they built a bes medresh, and within it arose an aristocratic, Talmudic, intelligent, closed khevra [society] known as Ner Tamid [Eternal Light]. In this circle gathered the entire shmalts [cream, elite] – silta ve shmana [the choicest and finest] – of Bialystok's Jewish society.

According to the strict conditions that were set for admission into this khevra, there was no place there for the common folk.

When the shul^[1] was built later, it became concentrated only with the simple folk, headed by the more ordinary balebatim [householders], who were not admitted into the Khevra Ner Tamid [Society “Eternal Light”].

As the Jewish settlement in Bialystok grew, and Jews spread from their “ghetto” into all parts of the city, and as bote-medroshim [houses of study] were already established there in democratic form, without the Khevra Ner Tamid but open for students and distinguished Jews, the few balebatim and nekhbadim [respected men] who, from the beginning, had still prayed in the shul, moved over into the bote-medroshim. And the shul was left entirely to the masses.

The shul, however, played a great role according to the laws of the Russian government, which abolished the Jewish kehile [community] and in its place established a Jewish religious society of worshippers. The synagogue in the shulhoyf [synagogue courtyard] became under it juridically and officially the center of all the worshippers, and only upon its expenses

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could money be drawn from the korobke [communal collection box], and this led to various grievances.

Let us here recall that the shul in Bialystok was founded later than the Old Bes-Medresh. Yet already from the year 5510 [1750] its gabbaim [wardens] are mentioned.

In 5532 [1772], the Old Shul was rebuilt in stone. It was torn down on Khol ha Mo'ed Pesakh [intermediate days of Passover], 5665 [1905], and the new one was erected on 26 Elul, 5673 [1913].

Author's footnote:

1. As we have explained above, it may be that earlier a wooden shul [synagogue] was built in Bialystok even before the bes-medresh [house of study], but that wooden shul burned down.” Return

Translator's footnote:

1. Contents in [ ] are from the translator. Contents in ( ) are from the author. This also applies to all subsequent subchapters. Return

Among the Jews themselves, however, the same communal order remained, though it divided into dozens of centers, since each bes-medresh [house of study] became the center of its street, of its quarter. All of them together were united under rabbinical authority, and later through the Bialystoker tsdoke-gdoyle [Great Charity, the central communal fund for charitable purposes], the so called Komitet [committee].

In this unofficial Jewish communal order, the bote-medroshim played the leading role; they were considered the true members of the community. At their assemblies concerning general Jewish civic matters, only representatives of all the bote-medroshim were called, and they held the decisive opinion on everything.

Within the bote-medroshim the leading role was usually played by the lomdim [students], the meyukhosim [men of distinguished lineage], and the gvirim [wealthy men] of their respective quarters. Thus each bes-medresh had its own character, bore its own stamp, and possessed its own history, which was most often recorded in separate pinkasim [communal record books]. Taken together, these pinkasim constitute the religious history of the Bialystoker community.

According to these pinkasim, insofar as I was able to obtain them^[1], I present here a brief overview of the historical development of the Bialystok religious community according to its years.

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The Old Bes-Medresh

א. The Old Bes-Medresh [house of study] in the shulhoyf [synagogue courtyard] was founded in the year 5478 (1718) with a Khevra Ner Tamid [society “Eternal Light”]. From the beginning it was a wooden structure. Later, around the year 5560 [1800], it was rebuilt in stone. About it we have already written earlier.

ב. The New Bes Medresh in the shulhoyf was at first a wooden structure. No pinkas [communal record book] has remained from it, except for a pinkas of a Khevra Shulchan Arukh Orach Chayim [society devoted to the “Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim”[b] section of Jewish law], which was founded in it in the year 5566 (1806). One may reckon that the bes-medresh itself was built several years earlier, around 5560 (1800).

The present building was rebuilt in stone in the year 5613 (1853) and was renovated in the year 5620 (1860). Its name, “New Bes Medresh,” indicates that it was the second bes-medresh in Bialystok after the old one.

In the pinkas from the year 5615 (1855), already of the stone built bes medresh, are recorded the decisions concerning the shtet [family seating places] of the heirs, derived from the old shtet of their parents in the wooden bes medresh. The most important eastern shtet belonged to the heirs of:

• Leyb Tsipores, called Heylpern
• Zvi Hirsh ben R' David Zabludovski
• Yitzchak Zabludovski
• Avraham ben morenu ha Rav [son of our teacher Rabbi] Yehuda Rafalovski
• Yehoshua Heshil Heylpern
• Moyshe Malts, called Moyshe Sloves
• Yakov-Yehoshua Reigrodski
• Chaim-Shlomo [Khayim-Shloyme]
• Zalmen ben R' Eliezer Meir Shoshkes
• Chaim [Khayim] Eliezer ben R' Arye-Leyb Rashkes
• Yakov-Kopl Heylpern
• Avraham Eber ben R' Meir Weinreich [Vaynreykh]
• Zvi Hirsh ben morenu ha Rav Dober Freydenberg
• Yeshaye ben morenu ha Rav Yitzchak Zilberfenig and so forth.

• Sender Myedovnik,
• the distinguished rabbinic scholar R' Meir-Eliyahu son of R' Moyshe-Shmuel Silberblat,
• Shaul son of our teacher Rabbi Moyshe-Efraim Barukhin,
• Aharon Silbershtrom,
• Ayzik Horodishtsh, and so forth in order.

Among its first members we find:

• R' Hillel ben R' Shloyme Zalmen,
• Khenoch Zundl ben morenu ha-Rav Yosef (called “Master/Author of Anafim”),
• Nokhum Horowitz [Hurvits],
• Kopl ben morenu ha-Rav R' Yehuda Leyb Heylpern,
• Gershon ben bla”a [lo adoni] morenu ha-Rav R' Elkhonon Hendil,
• Yitzchak ben morenu ha-Rav R' Tuvya bekhrakh [of the city]; and so forth.

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And if at any time a member failed to come to study, he had to pay a fine of one godl. After the death of a member –Heaven forbid–ten members were required to go there to pray and to study for the full shloyshim [thirty day mourning period]. Later, according to a decision from the year 5571 (1811), the fine was reduced to half a godl.

Among the members in the year 5569 (1809) were: the distinguished and renowned rabbi morenu ha-Rav Yehuda Leyb ben morenu ha-Rav Simkha of Pressburg; Avraham ben ha kadosh morenu ha-Rav Yehuda, of blessed memory.

In the year 5574 (1814) there was entered the avrekh [young scholar], the distinguished and renowned Rabbi Yehuda-Leyb ben morenu ha-Rav Binyamin Kahana; this was the later dayan R' Leyb Cohen.

On the first of Shevat, 5590 (1830), was recorded as a member the distinguished and renowned Rabbi Moyshe ben morenu ha-Rav Ze'ev Charlap, author of Be'er Sheva, later rabbi of Trastena [Trestená, Slovakia]; and also the distinguished and renowned Rabbi Yitzchak Ayzik ben morenu ha-Rav Avraham, who contributed one and a half rubel kurant [Russian silver rubles].

It was recorded as a memorial, by order of the whole society, that the communal leader morenu ha-Rav Hillel ben ha-Rav R' Shloyme Zalmen ben R' Kh. [Khayim?] remained indebted for weekly dues and fines from the year 5583 (1823), together with ten zehuvim [gold coins] for a Shas [complete set of the Talmud]; he was pressed for payment, but he did not pay.

In the bes-medresh there was a Khevra Mikra [society for Bible reading] and a Khevra Midrash [society for study], which had twenty subscribers for the Midrash Tanhuma, which R' Khenoch-Zundl ben morenu ha-Rav Yosef published together with his Anafim [“Branches” commentary] in Vilna and Horodna [Grodno] in the year 5593 (1833).

ג. The Yekhiel Neches-Bes-Medresh was founded by the elder Yekhiel Neches[2], together with his daughter Leah in the year 5580 (1820).

There a Khevra Mikra [society for Bible reading] was also established, to study Scripture between mincha and ma'ariv, and it was the earliest of all the khevras [societies].

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In the pinkas of the year 5582 (1822) all the members were recorded with their names, but that pinkas has been lost. According to the description of the correspondent of Hatsefirah^[3] (no. 43, 5637 / 1877), Rabbi Yekhiel Neches gave over his house and erected a new building for a bes-medresh. Before his death, in the year 5587 (1827), he transferred the bes-medresh to the community, on condition that his heirs should retain the eastern shtet [seats], and that from among them the gabbaim [wardens] should be chosen.

When the building later had to be rebuilt, the members of the bes-medresh (after the death of R' Meir Neches in 5623 / 1863) decided to demolish the old structure and erect in its place a large stone-built bes-medresh, which was completed and dedicated on Rosh Hashanah, 5626 (1865). At that time a new pinkas of the Khevra Mikra [society for Bible reading] was drawn up, in the year 5628 (1868). The first to sign it was Rabbi Gershon Chen Tov. The building cost 5,000 rubles.

The seven elected overseers for the construction of the house were:

• R' Moyshe-Aharon ben Shmuel,
• R' Binyamin (Garfinkel) ben R' Shmuel ha Levi (the sofer u dayan [scribe and judge], author of Bigdei Yesha)
• R' Osher ben R' Nachman ha Kohen
• R' Shraga Yosef ben R' Avraham ha Kohen
• R' Yonah ben morenu R' Tuvia (Slonimski)
• R' Yekutiel ben morenu R' Avigdor
• and Rabbi Meir ben morenu R' Yekhiel.

• R' Barukh ben R' Moyshe
• R' Avigdor ben morenu R' Yekhiel
• R' Eliezer ben morenu R' Shmuel
• R' Shmuel ben morenu R' Avraham ha Kohen
• R' Yonah ben morenu ha-Rav Tuvia (Slonimski)
• R' Meir ben morenu R' Yekhiel
• and Rabbi Daniel ben morenu R' Shmuel.

The Yekhiel Neches Bes-Medresh was the first study house to be founded outside the shulhoyf [synagogue courtyard], for the Jewish residents of the central quarter of Białystok, so that they would not have to go all the way to the shulhoyf to study and pray. The two bote-medroshim in the courtyard no longer had room for everyone.

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Since the family of Yekhiel Neches itself included great scholars–Meir Neches and his son in law R' Gershon Chen Tov were among the leading scholars of the city–and because the bes-medresh contained many scholarly books, it became the scholarly study house for the central part of the city, outside the ghetto synagogue courtyard.

From this bes-medresh there emerged several great geonim [sages, geniuses]. It is said that the author of Bigdei Yesha studied there; his son, R' Binyamin Garfinkel, the tobacco manufacturer, later became one of its distinguished community members. At the same time, the author of Pitchei Teshuva, R' Gershon Chen Tov, and R' Khayim Zelig Slonimski also studied there. Later, the great geonim – R' Avraham Aba Kleinerman, R' Shabtl [Shabtai] Wallach, and R' Shmuel Lifshits – along with many other prominent city scholars, studied there as well. The alley is still called by Jews to this day “Yekhiel Neches Alley.”

The bes-medresh is still regarded today as the scholarly bes-medresh, with many scholarly books. Yet true scholars are found there only in small numbers–these are the rabbis who teach without pay with a Khevra Shas [society for Talmud study], holding three to four minyanim [prayer quorums] daily. But they are all middle aged and older Jews; younger men are found among them almost not at all.

Although Jews already then made up two thirds of the entire population, they lived in their own houses along all the main streets in the center of the city, where they also had their shops and businesses. Christian residents and houses were scarcely to be found there; they lived almost entirely behind the city. Nevertheless, the Jews did not build their bote-medroshim fronting onto the street[5] in the middle of town, as did the Catholic church and the Orthodox church. Instead, the Jews placed their bote-medroshim in the outer synagogue courtyard quarters, hidden away in courtyards and back alleys–except for two bote-medroshim that were built in later times.

It may be that the guberniya [governorate] authorities, from whom one had to obtain permission to build a Jewish house of prayer, did not wish to grant such permission, lest Białystoker Jewry be placed before the eyes of the higher nakhalstvo [imperial officials] who had to pass through those main streets–even though the only prohibition was to erect a Jewish house of prayer near a church. Or perhaps the Jews of earlier times were fearful and fulfilled the testament of Yakov, our forefather: “lama titra'u” [Why should you make yourselves conspicuous?].

On this same Yekhiel Nekhes Alley, at that time several private bote-medroshim were also built, such as Mendel Meir's Bes-Medresh, which was later eliminated by the new owner of the house.

ה. Tzalel Oge's [Gonyondski's] Bes-Medresh was built of masonry about one hundred years ago, approximately in the year 1840[6], in the passage courtyard of Gonyondski,

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in the large corner house at the junction of three streets. The bes-medresh still exists today. People pray and study there.

It also contains many books–rabbinic works alone number over five hundred.

Shmuel Bulkovshteyn's Bes-Medresh

ט. Shmuel Bulkovshteyn's Bes-Medresh was built of masonry and formally transferred to the communal congregations in 5617 [1857] by R' Shmuel Bulkovshteyn, a learned and wealthy Jew. According to the pinkas (record book) of the bes-medresh, a grandson of the founder reports that the initiative to build the bes-medresh came from his wife, Perl-Dvora (who died on 5 Tishri, 5639/1879). She also purchased all the precious books preserved in the bes-medresh for her sons in law, the great scholars R' Yosef Shalom Shakhna (Yosef son of ha-Rav R' Khayim Fishl, rabbi of Maków) and R' Avraham-Khayim, who studied in the bes-medresh and spread Torah through his teaching there. Thus it became a scholarly bes-medresh.

Within it there is a Khevra Lomdei-Shas [society of Talmud learners], which had great rabbis. The greatest among them was ha-Rav R' Naftali Hertz son of Rabbi Aryeh Ha Levi (son of R' Leyb Weinshenker), who later became the rabbi of Jaffa; he was a great master in both the revealed and the hidden Torah.

Of all the private bote-medroshim in Białystok, R' Shmuel Bulkovshteyn's bes-medresh was the most important, because it was located directly on the street, in the busy commercial tumult of Kupiecka Street, and was full of worshippers and learners almost the entire day. Its great activity exceeded its small physical space; since there were no sold pews, its members were free notables from the surrounding area, who changed from time to time.

Of the private bote-medroshim, only this one and Naymark's Bes Medresh were entered in the communal registers, and their existence was thereby legally secured.

It should be noted that R' Shmuel Bulkovshteyn was the grandfather of the two sisters Helene and Fanya Trilling, benefactors of the oylomes [communal congregations] (see the list of oylomes in the following chapter, sections ו and ז). R' Shmuel Bulkovshteyn was a learned Jew, a distinguished notable, and, as it appears, also knowledgeable in the Russian language. He was therefore chosen as a delegate to the Rabbinical Commission in Petersburg.

In the possession of one of his grandchildren there is a letter to him from the rabbi of Białystok, Rav Rabbi Lipe Heylpern, in which he gives him his blessing, that he should succeed in defending Jewish interests.

י. The Bes Medresh Gemilus Chasadim stands on the border between the shulhoyf and the outer shulhoyf quarter. One enters it through a narrow passageway from Piłsudski Street (formerly Tiktiner Street).

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According to the introduction of its pinkas, earlier, in the year 5588 [1828], the Khevra Gemilus Chasadim was founded with the approval of Mar'ot haTzov-ot [meaning Rabbi Velvele, the author of the book of the same name], yet it had no suitable premises for the society or for the security of its possessions. The society wandered from dwelling to dwelling, until, with God's help, they obtained a suitable courtyard in the middle of the city^[7], in which they built a structure for the Gemilus Chasadim and for a bes-medresh for study and prayer.

The bes-medresh was opened on Elul 3, 5612 [1852]. The fixed regulations of the bes-medresh were established on Markheshvan 5, 5613 [1853].

The first regulation was that no shtot [seat] in the bes-medresh could be sold except to members of the Khevra Gemilus Chasadim. The Khevra Gemilus Chasadim, honored by the presence of R' Velvele among its founders and by his approval, undertook a major campaign to promote the bes-medresh together with the Gemilus Chasadim. They placed it above all the older bote-medroshim in importance, and therefore all their most distinguished members purchased seats there.

It is enough to say that Malka-Reyzl Blokh [Bloch], the daughter of the wealthy man, widow of R' Sender Bloch, the most prominent woman in Białystok at that time, purchased the first seat in the east, by the aron koydesh on the right side, for 18 rubles and 50 kopeks. The second seat was purchased by one of the most important balebatim of that time, R' Zvi ben R' Yakov Vaynraykh [Weinreich], for 15 rubles. After them:

• R' Naftali Hertz ben Morenu ha-Rav Yehoshua Zvi Naymark,
• Rabbi Nokhum, son of the sainted R' Yehuda Ha Levi,
• R' Hirsh Makovski,
• R' Shmuel Bulkovshteyn,

In the year 5620 [1860] the building of the bes-medresh was renovated, and as many as fifteen seats were added along the eastern wall. Prominent balebatim also joined, including:

• R' Moyshe-Meir Rozental,
• R' Khayim [Chaim] Mikhl Kaplan,
• R' Aharon ben R' Yerukham Ha Levi,
• R' Nokhum Rafalovski,
• R' Yekhiel Ber Volkoviski,
• R' Aharon Shabtai Gordon,
• and R' Meir- Eliyahu Zilberblat.

• Dober Volkoviski,
• Khayim Ber Zakheim,
• Mordechai Gordon,
• Avraham ben R' Hertz Yafe,
• Khayim Vitkind,

• R' Shmuel Lifshits,
• Meir Simkha of the house of Kohen,
• David Meir Tsimerinski,
• Ephraim Lipski,

On Tevet 2, 5613 [1853], a Khevra Mishnayes [Mishnayot] was established in this bes-medresh to study the Shas [entire Talmud] and the Mishna every evening, under strict regulations. For example: if a member failed to attend study even once in a month, he was removed, and could only be re entered in the register after completing an entire order of Mishna. Each member was obliged to come daily to pray minkha and ma'ariv in the bes-medresh in order to study together in fellowship.

Indeed, among the members were:

• Aharon Shabtai ben R' Yehuda (Gordon),
• the distinguished young scholar, morenu ha Rav Yosef-Shalom, son of Rabbi Ephraim Fishl (1855),
• the eminent morenu ha Rav Meir-Simkha ben Moyshe Shimshon Klonimus Ha Kohen^[8],
• the eminent Rabbi Shmuel ben R' Yehuda Leyb (Lag Ba Omer, 1913),
• Mordekhay [Mordechai] ben morenu ha Rav Aharon Shabtai,
• Yisrael ben R' Yehoshua Trilling,
• the eminent notable Avraham ben Moyshe Lipkes,
• and Rabbi morenu ha Rav Arye-Leib Slutsker, son of morenu ha Rav Gedalya (1866).

Here too, as in the Old Bes-Medresh, we find that the bes-medresh currency [the internal price scale for seats ] did not correspond in equal proportion to the merchants' currency. The finest seat here cost 18 rubles and 50 kopeks. According to a resolution of Friday (Erev Shabbat Kodesh), 5634 (1874), when among the mentioned balebatim there were already great gvirim [wealthy, powerful persons], the shames, R' Yisrael ben R' Yitzchak-Yakov, was granted an additional half ruble each week for his great and diligent work, so that from then on he would receive a full two rubles weekly, on condition that he perform his duties in full, to the satisfaction of the wardens and of the notable R' Mordechai Gordon.

Puzhe's Bes-Medresh

יד. Puzhe's Bes-Medresh was established in the year 5640 [1880]. It is located at the beginning of Fabritshne [Fabryczna] Street. In that area of Yurovtser [Jurowiecka] Street with its side lanes, densely inhabited by Jews, there was a lack of a bes-medresh. For this purpose, the childless woman Puzhe-Blume, daughter of the late morenu ha rav Naftali Hertz Ha Levi, donated her entire courtyard with its buildings.

According to a will that she made on the 21^st of Iyar, 5637 (May 15, 1877), she bequeathed her entire property–the courtyard with its buildings, her Torah scrolls in the Bes-Medresh Hagavoa [High Study House], and even her enterprise, which would remain after her death–into the names of R' Yakov-Shloyme Barash, R' Shmuel ben R' Avraham Katz, R' Shmuel ben morenu ha Rav Berl-Leyb Lifshits (son in law of R' Zvi Peilet), R' Aryeh-Leyb Doilider, R' Eliezer Bavli, and R' Moyshe Eliezer ben morenu ha Rav Zvi, that they should serve as the leaders of the bes-medresh which would be built in her name.

This was on condition that Kaddish be recited for her during the first year after her passing, that her yahrzeit and the yahrzeits of her father, mother, and of R' Shimshon Osher ben R' Meir, be observed, and also on the condition that prayer and study be conducted in her bes-medresh as in all other bote-medroshim.

Her will was fulfilled, and the bes-medresh that bears her name became one of the city's beautiful study-houses, for the balebatim and residents of that neighborhood to pray and study in it as in other bote-medroshim.[9]

During the time of the war 1914–1918, the bes-medresh distinguished itself by its generosity in aiding distressed balebatim, providing them with food and sustenance^[10].

Later, Peyshe Lifshits decided to build a larger bes-medresh. For this purpose he purchased, for 75 rubles, the site of what is today called Bes-Shmuel, from Mendel Furman. But because of certain obstacles from the representatives of the Orthodox Church and the police, he was at that time unable to carry out his plan.[11]

1. Some pinkasim [communal record books] have been lost, and some were from the outset of little value. In addition, I have come across such ne'emanei ha pinkas [trustees of the record books] who in no way wish to release their treasure from their hands, even when it concerns the scholarly investigation of the history of their bes-medresh [house of study].
   In general, I have dwelt at length on the older bote-medroshim [houses of study], in which the earlier distinguished Jews of lineage prayed and studied – the city fathers of the later families in Bialystok. A great part of them have already today been forgotten, but in their time they played a major role in building up Bialystok. Return
2. Yekhiel Neches was a well known personality. Neche was his wife's name. She was a woman of valor. His family name was Hershkovitsh, after his father's name Hersh. He had five daughters and took for them sons in law who were lomdim [scholars], who held important positions in Białystok:
   • Khayim [Chaim] Zelig son of Rabbi Aryeh Leyb (died 28 Sivan, 5567 / 1807);
   • Yakov son of Rabbi Binyamin “Bishke” Slonimski (father of Khayim Zelig Slonimski, died 5591 / 1831);
   • Rabbi Simkha Bunim son of Rabbi Khayim (died 18 Elul, 5599 / 1839);
   • Leyzer son of Rabbi Khayim (died 20 Tishri, 5609 / 1849);
   • and Rabbi Meir son of Rabbi Eliezer Aldman Neches (died on the Fast of Esther, 5623 / 1863).
   Rabbi Meir Neches had three sons in law: Rabbi Gershon Chen Tov, author and halakhic decisor (mentioned above); Hershl Paylet Makovski (father in law of the two great scholars, Rabbi Meir Simkha and Rabbi Shmuel Lifshits); and a certain Rabbi Shmuel.
   The inscription on Rabbi Yekhiel's tombstone was as follows:
   “For the eternal memory of the righteous, the distinguished elder, God fearing, our master Yekhiel son of our master Zvi, of blessed memory, who passed away in peace and goodness in the year 5586 (1826). He built a bes-medresh in which Torah and prayer are cultivated, and five (?). May his soul be bound in the bond of life.” Return
3. The undersigner signed himself ha ohev emet ve rodef shalom [the lover of truth and pursuer of peace]. This indicates that it was Eliyahu Slonimski, who was the agent and correspondent of Hatsefirah, and not Kh.Z. Slonimski, the editor. In a note he addressed to the Ra'avad [chief rabbinical judge] in Białystok, he asked him to attempt to reconcile the dispute in his grandfather's bes-medresh. Return
4. See: Noach Zabludovski, “The Great War in Yekhiel Neches's Bes-Medresh”, in Dos Naye Lebn [“The New Life”], nos. 23–24, 1929, p.?3000. Return
5. The Polish kościół [Catholic church] was first erected in wood in 1581 and was rebuilt in masonry in 1617. The Orthodox church dates from the year 1846. Return
6. Its subscription to the book Gilyon Masekhta dates from the year 5604 [1844], so one must assume that it was established several years earlier. According to the testament of its founder Aryeh Leyb son of R' Nekhemiah Gonyondski, from the year 5615 [1855] (signed as witness was R. Khenoch Zundl son of Yosef, the author of Anafim), the bes-medresh stood on the same site. Return
7. This gives us an impression of the straitened conditions in that period of Białystok, then still a small town – for to erect even such an insignificant building as the old first Gemilus Chasadim Bes Medresh (that is, the small front building, which today has been converted into shops), great effort and exertion were needed. Return
8. Rabbi Meir-Simkha was born in 5610 [1850] and married at the age of sixteen. He was enrolled [in the bes-medresh register] here in 5623 [1863]. He left Białystok for Dvinsk in 5648 (1888; see Hatsefirah, Nisan 1888). Thus he sat and studied here for twenty six years. Return
9. The bes-medresh has no pinkas [communal record book]. Return
10. In my Bialystoker Tageblat, I used to present it as a model, with its great philanthropic activity on behalf of other bote-medroshim. Return
11. Thus it was related to me by the elder of that quarter, R' Yitzchak Vigoda, who was one of the founders of Bes- Shmuel. Return

Translator's footnotes:

1. Contents in [ ] are from the translator. Contents in ( ) are from the author. The same applies to all following subchapters. Return
2. Shulchan Arukh Orach Chayim [ashkenazisch auch Shulkhn-Orekh Oyrekh Khayim]: The first section of the Shulchan-Arukh, “The Set Table”, the most important collection of halachic principles and laws. The “Orach-Chayim” includes the laws on prayer, Shabbat, blessings, holidays, and more. Return
3. Gemilus Chasadim (Ashkenazic pronunciation: Gmiles Khsodim) means literally “the practice of acts of loving kindness.” It is a traditional designation for charitable societies or synagogues associated with benevolence, emphasizing the communal duty to support the needy and to perform deeds of compassion. In many Eastern European communities, the name also referred to the interest free loan fund, a central institution of Jewish communal life that provided financial assistance without usury. Return

יח) [18] The Bes-Medresh Khevra Shas was established in the following way:

On the ninth day of Kislev in the year 5621 (November 23, 1860), the “Khevra Shas” [a society dedicated to studying the six sections of the Talmud] was founded by several comrades in the city. Among them were:

Eliyahu, son of Moyshe (Meylakh),

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Aharon, son of Yitskhok [Yitzchak]-Ayzik (Aharon R' Ayzikl's),
Noyekh [Noach], son of Moyshe Movshovski (Noach Polyak),
Moyshe Kheyn,
Fishl, the son of Morenu HaRav [our teacher and rabbi] Yakev [Jacob] Sobol,
Shmuel Gedalye, son of Moyshe Mines,
Yakev [Jakob], son of Mordekhay Okstavski,
Tsvi, son of Ze'ev Sulkes,
Eliyahu Leyb, son of Yitskhok [Yitzchak] Eyer,
R' Akiva-Leyb Veys,
Azriel Eliezer, son of Avrohem [Abraham] Berant
and others.

According to the khevra's rules, two pages of the Gemara must be studied daily. In the summer, this takes place early in the morning after prayer. In the winter, it takes place in the evening at half past eight.

A small celebration is held on the occasion of a “siyum” [completion of the study of a Talmudic tractate]. After each “seyder” [completion of the study of one of the six sections], a larger celebration is held. At the time of the “Siyum HaShas” [completion of the entire Talmud study], a grand celebration takes place.

The members of the khevra had [previously] studied at friends' homes and aspired to establish their own bes-medresh. Since some of them leaned toward Chassidism, a decree was issued that the Ashkenazi style should not be changed in their bes-medresh. Furthermore, anyone who opposes this decree may not be accepted as a member or sold a seat in the bes-medresh.

And indeed, some later moved to a Chassidic shtibl [for prayer].

In the year 5624, the couple, the Torah scholar Morenu HaRav [our teacher the Rabbi] Ze'ev-Baruch, son of Morenu haRav Eliezer, and his wife, Malka, daughter of Morenu HaRav Shmuel, donated their house on the synagogue courtyard opposite the “shul” to be dedicated as a permanent bes-medresh for the “Khevra Shas”, on the condition that after their death- after the learning and on occasion of a “siyum”- the Kaddish would be recited throughout the year, and that their souls would be remembered as well as prayers said on their anniversaries every year, forever.

Signatured,

the third day of Chol haMoed Sukkot, in the year 5624 [October 2, 1863].

The current Bes-Medresh Khevra Shas was built on the same site in 5656 [1895-1896]. The bes-medresh with its “Khevra Shas” still exists today with the same rules. Its last rabbi was R' Gedalye Tikotshinski [Tykocinski].

יט) [19] The Bes-Medresh Oyrekh-Khayim^[2], located in the synagogue courtyard on Tshemne Street, was built in 5631 [1870-1871] by R' Leyb Luksenburg, Leyb Rozenblum, and Zelig Kanel.

In 5634 [1873-1874], the Khevra [society] “Oyrekh-Khayim” of the bes-medresh was founded to study together the “Shulkhn-Orekh Oyrekh Khayim”^[3], so the members would know how to observe and comply with all Jewish laws. They created a book containing the khevra's rules, as well as its income and expenses.

According to these rules, every day, between afternoon and evening prayers, the “Shulkhn-Orekh Oyrekh Khayim” must be studied together with the “Ba'er Hetev” [commentary on the “Shulkhn-Orekh”].

[Page 291]

On Shabbat and holidays, one should study for an hour before the afternoon prayers. Religious laws pertaining to holidays must be studied before each holiday.

If one fails to attend study sessions for one week, it is customary to pay a 5-kopeck penalty to the khevra treasury. However, there should be no compulsion to hand over the 5 kopecks. Anyone who does not attend for three consecutive months is excluded from the khevra so they have no longer any influence. They should be readmitted to the khevra only if they catch up on the entire past year's studies, pay all fines, and the khevra recognizes that they did not act maliciously.

After completing the study of the entire “Shulkhn Orekh Oyrekh Khayim,” a large feast must be held every year. No strangers may participate in this feast.

Each year, three rubles must be collected from each member to cover the costs of festive meals from start to finish. A rabbinical supervisor must be appointed for the “Shulkhn-Orekh” and a second one for the “Khevra Shas.”

The bes-medresh members belonged to the following families:

Kanel,
Shmigelski,
Sereyski,
Cohen,
Slonimski,
Zelmans,
Slobodski,
Fridman,
Rozenblum,
Barenblum,
Kartun,
Bezim,
Kroneson,
Likhtenshteyn,
Medovnik,
Pat,
Barakin,
Belostotski,
Vaynberg,
and Broyde.

In the city, the bes-medresh was called the “Shkotsker^[4] Bes-Medresh” because its members dared to oppose the most respected and proud people at community meetings.

Today, like all the other bote-medroshim by the synagogue courtyard, the bes-medresh is completely broken down.

כ) [20] The Bes-Medresh Khaye-Odem.

In 1857, Rabbi Yehoshua Heshl traveled from Grodno to “all the cities” in an effort to establish khevras [societies] for studying the Khaye-Odem^[5]. He also founded such a khevra in Białystok, which included ten craftsmen. The khevra rented a house on “Betsalel Ayzenkremer's Street” (now Kalushinsker Street 4). The number of members soon grew to sixty.

They compiled a book of regulations, according to which each member undertook to pay three “prutes” [coins of little value] per week to maintain the bes-medresh. This money was used to pay the rent, purchase religious books such as “Khaye-Odem,” the “Mishnayes” [the six Mishna sections in the Talmud], and the “Khumoshim” [the books of the Pentateuch], and pay the rabbi's salary.

They hired Rabbi R' Aharon, son of Ze'ev (Leybele), who studied “Khaye-Odem” and “Eyn-Yakev”^[6] with the members every day between afternoon and evening prayers and “Mishnayes” after evening prayers, as well as a weekly section of “Khumesh” [Pentateuch] every Shabbat.

The bes-medresh was constantly filled with students, both on weekdays and on Shabbat.

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Eight to nine years after the khevra was founded, the idea arose to build their own bes-medresh. The brothers Zundl and Moyshe Koleshnik took on the task of raising money for this purpose, and they fulfilled it completely. They collected money in the city from wealthy and middle-class individuals, receiving sums ranging from small coins to three rubles. In this way, they collected several hundred rubles.

Velvl Shtrikdreyer was the treasurer at that time. He and Yeshaya Toker, the two oldest “gaboim” [secretaries in charge] of the khevra, were entrusted with the task of purchasing a plot of land. They purchased the plot of land at what is now 7 Viltshe [Street].

Construction began on the wooden bes-medresh in the year 5631 [1870-1871]. Members contributed money and labor, and seats [in the bes-medresh] were sold.

The bes-medresh was completed and opened in the year 5632 [1871-1872].

Hired rabbis played a leading role in the bes-medresh, devoting themselves entirely to studying with the members. Sacred studies took place daily, especially on Shabbat and holidays.

Two years after the first rabbi, R' Leybele, left for Israel, R' Fishele, a great scholar and preacher, was accepted as the new rabbi. In 5631, a khevra called “Tiferes Bokherim” [Glory of Young Men] was founded under his leadership. The khevra consisted of young men and aimed to purchase religious books for the bes-medresh.

After ten years as rabbi at the Bes-Medresh Khaye-Odem, R' Fishele became rabbi in Vonses. R' Benyamin Yeshaya, the son of Yerokham-Fishl HaCohen Pashkovski, replaced him as rabbi and served at the bes-medresh for 44 years.

He was very popular and had a great influence on his students. He died on 12 Iyar 5693 [May 8, 1933].

In the year 5690 [1929-1930], a “gmiles-khsodim” [cooperative lending fund that grants interest-free loans] was established in the bes-medresh in the name of Tuvia Goldshteyn. (He was a former Russian private lawyer in Białystok, a Jewish scholar, and a pious man). He left an estate of $150 for this purpose, and the prayer community donated the remaining $150. Today, the “gmiles-khsodim” has 5,000 zloty at its disposal and has granted up to 800 loans totaling 50,000 zloty within three and a half years^[17].

The bais-sheyni^[7], which was affiliated with the bes-medresh, played an important role in the labor movement history of Bialystok. For a period of time, it was dedicated to a minyan of weavers. They established it as a general center for Jewish and Christian weavers.

[Page 293]

In it [the bais-sheyni], all decisions regarding strikes were made, and all deliberations took place there until the police closed it down.

Author's footnote:

17. According to the report in the protocol book of the charity's overseers of the bes-medresh Return

Translator's footnotes:

1. Contents in [ ] are from the translator, contents in ( ) are from the author.
   The Hebrew dates are given by me according to the Gregorian calendar.
   The transliteration of Yiddish and Hebrew words mostly follows the YIVO standard or the Yiddish-Ashkenazi pronunciation.
   The title “Rabbi” and “Reb” are both referred to by the author with the same abbreviation, “R' “. I have adopted this in my translation accordingly. Return
2. Oyrekh-Khayim= The first section of the “Shulkhn-Orekh” [The Set Table], the most important collection of halachic principles and laws. The “Oyrekh-Khayim” includes the laws on prayer, Shabbat, blessings, and holidays, and more. Return
3. This refers again to the first section of the “Shulkhn-Orekh” Return
4. shkots= Cheeky, naughty person Return
5. Khaye-Odem= “The Life of Man”, popular religious book, in which one finds in brief the laws of the “Shulkhn-Orekh” Return
6. Eyn-Yakev= “Jacob's Well,” Bible commentary Return
7. Bais-Sheyni or Beis Sheni=  (lit. “Second House”) traditionally refers to the Second Temple in Jerusalem, destroyed in 70 CE. In Eastern European Jewish communal usage, however, the term could also denote a secondary prayer room or annex affiliated with a main bes-medresh (house of study). Return

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