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Translation of Pinkas Kletsk
Edited by E.S. Stein
Published in Tel Aviv, Former Residents of Kletzk in Israel, 1959
This is a translation from: Pinkas Kletsk, Kletzk Memorial Book;
A memorial to the Jewish community of Kletzk-Poland,
Ed. E.S. Stein, Tel Aviv: former residents of Kletzk in Israel, 1959
JewishGen, Inc. makes no representations regarding the accuracy of
the translation. The reader may wish to refer to the original material
for verification.
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Our mission is to produce a translation of the original work and we cannot verify the accuracy of statements or alter facts cited.
Translated by Danny Rubinoff
| First Section | |
| A) Chapters Of Nostalgia | |
| From The Publishers | 4 |
| As An Eternal Light-The Editors | 7 |
| Scenes From The Destruction (A Drawing) | 9 |
| Historical Sources For The Town Of Kletzk | 9 |
| Blood Libel | 9 |
| Cemetery | 10 |
| Number Of Jews In Kletzk | 10 |
| Reformation Movement In Kletzk | 10 |
| Reb Yoel From Kletzk (“Pusher For The Redemption“) | 11 |
| Information On Kletzk Culled From Encyclopedias | 11 |
| The Informer-Binyamin Goldberg (Brafman) | 12 |
| The Milkman From Kletzk In The Old City Of Jerusalem | 12 |
| A Letter To The Magid Of Kamenitz | 12 |
| Kletzk Notations | 13 |
| The Light That Was Extinguished On “Kol Nidrey” | 14 |
| An Incident From The Days Of The Swedish War | 14 |
| Excerpts From The Enlightenment Press | 15 |
| A Letter To The Editors Of The “Hamelitz” Newspaper | 16 |
| Mendele Mocher-Sforim and His Connection to Kletzk | 17 |
| From The Memoirs Of A Veteran Zionist In Europe | 18 |
| Letter Of Commendation From Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer | 19 |
| B) Rabbis And Torah In Kletzk | 21 |
| 1. M. Tsinovitz -The Rabbis Of Kletz | |
| The First Rabbi; Rabbi Menachem Eizenstadt; Rabbi Moshe Eizenstadt; Rabbi Michael Eizenstadt (The Second); Rabbi Meir Eizenstadt And His Descendants; R' Nachman 'The Reciter Of Psalms'; The Rabbis: R' Gershon And R' Aharon; Rabbi Moshe Yaakov; Rabbi Yehoshua Rabinovitz (Ragoler); Rabbi Eliyahu Feinstein; Rabbi Zev Wolf Torbovitz; Rabbi Eliezer Strashon; Rabbi Tsvi Hirsh Tiktin; Rabbi Shal-Om Ber Herenzon, Rabbi Eliezer Yazgur; Rabbi Chaim Shimon Herenzon; Rabbi R' Moshe Feinstein; Rabbi Pesach Horovitz. | |
| 2. Rabbis From Kletzk In Various Communities | 29 |
| The Genius R' Dovid Head Of The Rabbinical Court Of Novordik; Rabbi Eliyahu Goldberg; Rabbi Eliyahu Yaakov Lesser; The Genius R' Yehuda Meshel Hakohen Tsirkel; Rabbi Yoseph Adler; The Genius R' Yitschak Isaak Veller; Rabbi Reuven Levinbook; Rabbi Eliezer Zalman Greyevsky; Rabbi Shimon Chaim Greyevsky; Rabbi Meir Berlin. | |
| 3. The Rabbinical Judges And Torah Scholars Of Kletzk | 33 |
| R' Yehuda Lieb The Son Of Shmuel; R' Yoseph; R' Chaikel; R' Eliyahu Feinberg; Rabbi Aharon Sinai Halevy Dovidzon; Rabbi Duber Halevi Dovidizon; Rabbi Noson Nota Handelsman; Rabbi Mordechai Kulkovsky; R' Shalo-M Tsvi Lampert; R' Yaakov Asher Greyevsky; R' Simcha Leib Izralite; Rabbi Chaim Pimstein. | |
| C) The Kletzk Yeshiva | |
| Rabbi Tsvi Yehuda Meltzer – “Bastion Of Torah” | 37 |
| Simcha Gordon – “The Growth And Influence Of The Yeshiva” | 39 |
| Rabbi Y. Halevi Epstein – “The Yeshiva And It's Personalities” | 41 |
| Rabbi Elchanon Sorotzkin – “Even Haezel” | 44 |
| M. Tsinovitz – “Greatness And Depth In Torah Study” | 45 |
| Rabbi Yisroel Leib Kessler – “Tifferes Bachurim” | 46 |
| Yehoshua Chaim Levin – “Dedication Of The New Yeshiva Building” | 47 |
| D) The Jews Of Kletzk And Their Contribution To The Development Of The Land Of Israel | |
| N.G. Miller – “First Buds” | 48 |
| Sh. A. – “The Love Of Zion In Kletzk And Surrounding Villages” | 48 |
| Nechemia Izralite – “The Izralite Family” | 51 |
| Y. Kantorovitz – “First Families Of The Soil” | 54 |
| Tsiporah Zeltser – “From Luebenitz Until Rechovot” | 56 |
| Y. N. Adler – “In The Zeltser Household In The Days Of The Second Aliya” | 57 |
| Y. Ohliynik – “The Pioneers Of The Third Aliyah” | 58 |
| Eliyahu Herenzon – “The 'Hitachdut' And Its Workings” | 59 |
| N. Katzenelson – “At The Dawn Of Zionism In Kletzk” | 60 |
| Eliyahu Goldberg – “Action In The Underground” | 61 |
| Chayuta – “Monument To Lipa Gavza” | 62 |
| Tsvi Lis – “In The Days Of The October Revolution” | 63 |
| E) Figures And Personalities | |
| Yehoshua Barzilai – “Autobiography” | 64 |
| A.R. Malachi – “From His Last Correspondence” | 65 |
| M. M. Ussishkin – “Dreamer And Fighter” | 65 |
| Sh. A. – “His Life And Works” | 66 |
| Sh. A. – “R' Ben Zion Eizenstadt” | 67 |
| R' Noach Eizenstadt | 68 |
| R' Yoseph Meir Fish | 68 |
| R' Moshe Eizenstadt | 68 |
| Yaakov Mazal-Activist And Writer | 69 |
| Moshe Hakohen | 69 |
| R' Kalman | 69 |
| Michael Tsvi Kamenetzky | 69 |
| Shal-Om Tsvi Halevi Lampert | 69 |
| Moshe Zalman Zatoransky | 69 |
| Chaim Yonah Gurland And His Father | 70 |
| Dr. Yehudah Leib Dovidzon | 71 |
| Rozenkrantz And Shriftzetzer | 71 |
| Y. Greenbaum – “Avraham Pudlishevsky” | 71 |
| Yosef Adler – “The Genius From Slonim” | 73 |
| F) Types From The Previous Generation | |
| A. L. Shvartz – “Grandfather's Character” | 74 |
| Y. N. Adler – “My Brother Avraham Shlomo” | 74 |
| Dr. A. Greenspan – “R. Berel Dovidzon, the Judge from Kletzk” | 75 |
| Dr. A. Greenspan – “R' A. L. Shvartz” | 75 |
| Dr. A. Greenspan – “R' Moshe Br' Tsvi Cohen (Moshe Hirshkes) | 75 |
| Dr. A. Greenspan – “R' Moshe Tsvi The Shochet” | 76 |
| Dr. A. Greenspan – “R' Leib Br' Yaakov Yoel” | 76 |
| Dr. A. Greenspan – “R' Shmuel Yosef Shu“B” | 77 |
| Dr. A. Greenspan – “The Head Shamash” | 77 |
| Y. N. Adler – “My 'Melamids' And Teachers” | 78 |
| G) Between The Two World Wars | |
| Aharon Hakohen – “Economic Life” | 79 |
| Shal-Om Herenzon – “Municipal Institutions” | 81 |
| Yosef Frankel – “Kletzk Under Soviet Occupation” | 84 |
| Dr. M. Kotsiak-Gur – “Education And Way Of Life Under The Soviet Regime” | 91 |
| Life In The 1930's | 94 |
| H) Youth Movements | |
| A. Fish – “The Pioneer Movement” | 95 |
| Esther Lev – “Girls In The Pioneer Movement” | 97 |
| Sarah Slivovsky – “An Outstanding Figure” | 97 |
| Chiyuta Busel – “As An Emissary” | 98 |
| Sarah And Yitschak Menaker – “The Shomer Hatsair Movement” | 100 |
| Elimelech Ben Ari – “Description Of The Youth Group” | 101 |
| Moshe Kornus (Elezri) – “Charm Of A Movement” | 101 |
| Moshe Vilentchik (Mexico) – “The Betar Branch” | 102 |
| I) Education | |
| Yosef Frankel – “From 'Cheder' To The 'Tarbut' School” | 103 |
| Rachel Alperovitz-Berzinsky – “Bais Yaakov“ Legacy” | 106 |
| Tsvi Liss – “In Such A Way Was A School Established” | 107 |
| Malka Kessler-Movshovitz – “Celebration Of 'Siyum' On Chumash” | 108 |
| The Guard Over The Reizin Home | 108 |
| J) Communal Leaders | |
| Ch. Y. Kreizer – “R' Michael Torbovitz” | 109 |
| Yosef Frankel – “Zev Torbovitz” | 109 |
| Yosef Frankel – “Avraham Breslov” | 110 |
| Yosef Frankel – “Isaac Katzav And Boruch Dlugatch” | 110 |
| Yosef Frankel – “Isaac Levenbook, Ginzburg And Friedkes” | 111 |
| Yosef Frankel – “Yitschok Tserkovitz” | 112 |
| Yitschok Menaker – “Meir Chaim Kulkovsky” | 112 |
| A. Fish – “Michael Liberman” | 113 |
| K) Kletzk And It's Surrounding Area | |
| Yehoshua Eizenstadt (Barzilai) – “Incident With Four Brothers” | 112 |
| Aryeh Neimark – “Character Of Siniawke” | 116 |
| Binyamin Eilan (Neimark) – “Small Town On The Crossroads” | 117 |
| Sarah Denenburg – “The Struggle To Keep The Pasture Land” | 118 |
| Shimon Shkolir – “The Kaplan Family” | 119 |
| Noson Hochberg – “Not One Soul Survived The Massacre” | 121 |
| L) Memories Of The Way It Used To Be | |
| Yehoshu Eizenstadt (Barzilai) – “An Incident With Four Brothers” | 122 |
| Rabbi Y. K. Goldbloom – “Visits To Kletzk” | 123 |
| A.L. Shvartz – “The Old Way Of Life” | 124 |
| Y. N. Adler – “Childhood Memories” | 125 |
| Boruch Noson Shamushkovitch – “Spirit Of The Holidays” | 128 |
| Y. Ch. Levin – “Sabbath In The Town” | 129 |
| A. Aharoni – “Four Roads” | 130 |
| Rabbi Yitschok Halevi Epstein – “Father's Household” | 132 |
| Menachem Breslov – “Memories Of My Youth” | 138 |
| M. Tabatchnik – “Archangelsk” | 139 |
| Yerachmiel Itzkovitz –“Superstitions” | 140 |
| Yitschok Torbovitz – “Father's 'Business'” | 141 |
| Golda Luria (Lampert) – “A World Destroyed” | 143 |
| Shulamit – “Drama Club In Kletzk” | 144 |
| A. Kam – “On The River” | 144 |
| M) Kletzk In The Diaspora | |
| Yehoshua Hochstein – “In The House Of Immigrants In America” | 145 |
| Moshe Kleinman – “Rabbi Y. K. Goldbloom” | 148 |
| Sh. A. – “The Yiddish Poet-Yosef Greenspan” | 149 |
| Morris Tadrov (Moshe Taravor) – “Kletzk Immigrants In America” | 150 |
| Organization Of Kletzk Immigrants In Argentina | 151 |
| N) The Destruction Of Kletzk | |
| The Ghetto In Flames-A Drawing By A. Finichal | 153 |
| Yoseph Rice-Rabinovitz – “To Their Memory…“(A Poem) | 154 |
| Tuvia Kirzner – “September-1939” | 155 |
| Yeshayahu Kashetzky – “So Came Upon Us The Destroyer” | 156 |
| Leah Fish-Meirovitz – “Life In The Ghetto” | 160 |
| Alter Meirovitz – “Battle Of The Partisans” | 162 |
| Nisan Izralovitz – “Destruction And Revenge” | 167 |
| Eliyah Glazer – “In The Forests” | 168 |
| Rochel Yonah-Dzsehntchelsky – “My Joining The Partisans” | 171 |
| Rochel Kleinman-Kaz – “How I Was Saved” | 172 |
| Second Section | |
| Kletzk In Pictures | |
| Third Section (Yiddish) | |
| As An Eternal Light-The Editors | 175 |
| A) Chapters Of The Past | 177 |
| Sources For The History Of Kletzk; The Founding Of The Community; | |
| Earliest Sources On Kletzk; Information From Various Sources; The Old Cemetery In Kletzk; Blood Libel On Kletzker Jews; Reb Yosel-Pusher Of The Redemption; The Reformation Movement In Kletzk; Jewish Informers In Olden Times; The Number Of Jews In Kletzk; Historical Sources For The History Of Kletzk – Dr. M. Vishnitzer; The Light That Was Extinguished On “Kol Nidrey” – Moshe Feinkind; The Milkman From Kletzk In The Old City Of Jerusalem. |
|
| Excerpts From The Enlightenment Press | 182 |
| Mendele Mocher Seforim's Connections With Kletzk | 186 |
| B) Rabbinical Dynasties In Kletzk – M. Tsinovitz | 188 |
| The First Rabbi In Kletzk; Rabbi Michael Eizenstadt; Rabbi Moshe Eizenstadt; Rabbi Michael Eizenstadt; Rabbi Moshe Yaakov Eizenstadt; R' Nachman The Psalm Reciter; Rabbi Yehoshua Rabinovitz (Ragoler); Rabbi Eliyahu Feinstein; Rabbi Zev Wolf Torbovitz; Rabbi Eliezer Strashon; Rabbi Ts. H. Tiktin; Dr. A. Greenspan-Rabbi Sh. B. Herenzon; Rabbi Eliezer Yazgur; Rabbi Yitschok Epstein; Rabbi Ch. Sh. Herenzon; Rabbi Moshe Epstein; Rabbi Pesach Horovitz; Rabbi Meir Berlin; Rabbi And Shochet Sh. Y. Veller. | |
| C) Kletzk – A 'Home' For Torah | |
| Simcha Gordon – “The Growth And Influence Of The Yeshiva” | 193 |
| Rabbi Ts. Y. Meltzer – “Impressions And Memories” | 196 |
| Ch. Y. Kreizer – “A Student Of The Kletzk Yeshiva Reminisces” | 200 |
| Rabbi Y. L. Kessler – “Tiferes Bachurim” | 201 |
| Yosef Adler – “The Slonimer Iliuy In Kletzk” | 202 |
| Sh. Teitz-Molier – “A Brick For The Building” | 203 |
| Eliezer Feinstein – “Learned Blacksmiths“ | 204 |
| D) Zionism | |
| N. G. Miller – “The First Buds” | 205 |
| Y. Kantorovitz – “Kletzker Pioneers In The Land Of Israel” | 206 |
| Sh. Ernst – “Kletzkers' Contributions To The Development Of The Land” | 209 |
| Tsiporah Zeltser – “From Lubenietz Until Rechovot” | 213 |
| Ts. Shimshi – “A Jew From Kletzk Works For Eretz Yisroel” | 215 |
| Nechemia Izralite – “The Izralite Family” | 215 |
| Eliyahu Herenzon – “The 'Hitachdut' And Its Workings” | 217 |
| Eliyahu Goldberg – “Illegal Zionist Activities” | 220 |
| Eliyahu Fish – “Pioneer Youth Movement” | 223 |
| Esther Lev – “Daughters Of The Chalutz” | 224 |
| Chayuta Busel – “As An Emmissary” | 225 |
| Mashe Kornus – “My Way In The Shomer Hatsair” | 226 |
| Elimelech Ben Uri – “The Shomer Hatsair In Kletzk” | 227 |
| Sarah And Yitschok Menaker – “There Was Once A N Adolescence” | 227 |
| Moshe Vilentchik – “Betar” | 228 |
| E) Between The Two World Wars | |
| Aharon Cohen – “Economic Life” | 230 |
| Tsvi Lis – “Echoes Of The October Revolution” | 232 |
| Sh. Herenzon – “Municipal And Social Institutions” | 233 |
| Kletzk In The 1930's | 236 |
| M. Taravor – “A Visit In Kletzk (1928)” | 236 |
| F) Culture And Education | |
| Yoseph Frankel – “From Cheder To Tarbut School” | 240 |
| Tsvi Lis – “The Tarbut School” | 242 |
| Y. N. Adler – “The Talmud Torah” | 243 |
| Rochel Alperovitch – “The Spiritual Inheritance From Bais Yaakov” | 244 |
| M. Tabatchnik – “Shulamit” | 245 |
| Golda Luria – “The 'Atmosphere' Of Kletzk” | 246 |
| G) Surrounding Villages | |
| A. Cohen – “The 'Yishuvniks' Around Kletzk” | 247 |
| A. Neimark – “Origins And Development” | 248 |
| N. Hochberg – “My Native Shtetel” | 251 |
| Sh. Shkolier – “Our Shtetel” | 252 |
| B. Ilan (Neimark) – “Between Field And Forest” | 254 |
| Sarah Denenberg – “Siniawke Memoirs” | 255 |
| M. Veinger – “A Family Of A 'Yishuvnik'” | 257 |
| Y. Frankel – “The Jews Around Kletzk And Their Destruction” | 258 |
| H) Ways And Memories | |
| Y. Eizenstadt – “Four Brothers” | 261 |
| A. L. Shvartz – “The Old Fashion Way Of Life” | 262 |
| Y. N. Adler – “A Young Boy Goes To Yeshivah” | 263 |
| Rabbi Y. K. Goldbloom – “Ways Of Long Ago” | 264 |
| M. Tabachnik – “Archangelsk; My Family; Breaking The Board” | 265 |
| Sh. Kreizer – “In The Redzimenter Kloizel-Fragments” | 270 |
| A. Aharoni – “Four Ways” | 273 |
| A. N. Shamushkovitch – “ Old Time Shabbos And Yontov” | 274 |
| Y. Ch. Levin – “Shabbos In Shtetel” | 276 |
| N. Epstein – “During The First World War” | 276 |
| Y. Torbovitz – “My Fathers' Feat” | 277 |
| M. Breslov – “From My Kletzker Memories” | 279 |
| Rabbi Y. Halevi Epstein – “My Father's Home” | 281 |
| A. Kam – “On The River” | 287 |
| Y. Menaker – “The Wood Knocker” | 288 |
| M. Taravor – “Kletzk In Our Childhood Years - A Poem” | 289 |
| I) Personalities | |
| Sh. E – “Yehoshua Eizenstadt” | 291 |
| Sh. E. – “Ben Zion Eizenstadt” | 292 |
| Chaim Yonah Gurland | 293 |
| M. Lias – “Reb Nachum Yitschok Shiff” | 293 |
| Sarah Malin-Gelfand – “Personalities” | 294 |
| A. Kolakovsky – “My Brother, Meir Chaim” | 295 |
| Y. Menaker – “M. Ch. Kulkovsky And The Younger Generation” | 296 |
| Y. Frenkel – “The Director Of The Way” | 296 |
| N. Epstein – “Preachers; Medical Men; A Melamid” | 301 |
| M. Tabachnik – “Moshe Galush & The Bund; Die Hushekes; Chatshe & Hetshe; Unusual Characters | 301 |
| A. Cohen – “Folks Mentchen” | 308 |
| J) On The Eve Of Destruction | |
| Y. Frankel – “Kletzk In The Years 1932-1943 | 310 |
| Dr. M. Kotsiak-Gur – “Under Soviet Occupation” | 326 |
| Sarah Fish-Shmukler – “Esau's Real Face” | 329 |
| A Voice From The “Bund” | 330 |
| K) Kletzk And The Diaspora | |
| Y. Hochstein – “In An Immigrant Home” | 331 |
| A. Alperin – “The Most Veteran Zionist In Europe” | 337 |
| P. Berg – “I Travel To America” | 338 |
| Unforgettable-Frume Kam-Kulkovsky | 339 |
| Herzl Gelfand – “An Episode” | 339 |
| Sh. Ernst – “The Poet Yoseph Greenspan” | 340 |
| M. Tarover – “Kletzkers In America” | 341 |
| The Kletzk 'Landsmanshaft' In Argentina | 343 |
| Y. Greenspan – “A Poem” | 347 |
| L. Shmukler – “Amongst Kletzkers In Buenos Aires” | 347 |
| M. B. Taraver – “To My Unforgettable Kletzk (Poem)” | 348 |
| L) Destruction And Struggle | |
| Map Of The Ghetto | 348 |
| Y. Rice-Rabinovitz – “My Heart Trembles With Your Memory” | 349 |
| Tuvia Kirzner – “September-1939” | 352 |
| Leah Fish-Meirovitz – “The Liquidation” | 352 |
| Alter Meirovitz – “Holocaust And Revenge” | 356 |
| Aryeh Glazer – “Struggle In The Ghetto” | 362 |
| Nisan Izralovitz – “With The Partisans” | 367 |
| Yeshayahu Kashetzky – “So It Happened…” | 368 |
| Eliyahu Bontshtchik – “One Family's Tally” | 375 |
| Rochel Yocha-Dzshentshelsky – “My Way To The Partisans” | 376 |
| Rochel Kleinman-Kaz – “How I Escaped” | 378 |
| Yitschok Garfinkel – “We Will Not Forget” | 379 |
| Dr. Avigdor Greenspan – “Memorial“ (A Poem) | 380 |
| Grisha Goldberg – “The Bloody Total” | 381 |
| List Of Names | 382 |
| Name Index | |
| List Of Kletsk Rabbis | |
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