Kremenets, Ukraine

Memorial Book of Krzemieniec
(Kremenets’, Ukraine)
50°06' / 25°43'

Translation of
Pinkas Kremenits; Sefer Zikaron

Edited by: Abraham Samuel Stein

Published in Tel Aviv, 1954

Acknowledgments

Project Coordinator

This is a translation from: Pinkas Kremenits; Sefer Zikaron
Memorial Book of Krzemieniec,
Editor: Abraham Samuel Stein, Tel Aviv 1954

Note: The original book can be seen online at the NY Public Library site: Krzemieniec (1954)

Purchase details for a printed copy of this translation can be found at http://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/ybip/YBIP_Kremenets.html

This material is made available by JewishGen, Inc. and the Yizkor Book Project for the purpose of
fulfilling our mission of disseminating information about the Holocaust and destroyed Jewish communities.
This material may not be copied, sold or bartered without JewishGen, Inc.'s permission. Rights may be reserved by the copyright holder.

JewishGen, Inc. makes no representations regarding the accuracy of the translation. The reader may wish to refer to the original material for verification.
JewishGen is not responsible for inaccuracies or omissions in the original work and cannot rewrite or edit the text to correct inaccuracies and/or omissions.
Our mission is to produce a translation of the original work and we cannot verify the accuracy of statements or alter facts cited.

Translation Project Coordinator's Note	Ronald D. Doctor
Translation Acknowledgments	Ronald D. Doctor
Dedication
Table of Figures

Contents

[Title Page]		i
[Copyright page]		iii

Part One [Hebrew]

Contents		3
Within the Book	The Editors	7

History of Jewish Settlement in Kremenets	Sh. Etinger and Ch. Shmeruk

A. The Town of Kremenets and Early Jewish Settlement		9
B. The Prosperous Era		11
C. The Decrees of 1648 and 1649		17
D. The Era of Consolidation		20
E. Internal Life (From 1648 to the Second Partition of Poland)		26
F. Kremenets under Russian Dominion (1793–1917)		30
G. Between Hasidism and Enlightenment: Love of Zion		34
Addenda
Addendum 1: Announcement of the Kremenets City Secretary on the Destruction of the City's Defenses by the Cossacks in 1648		37
Translation of the Announcement		39
Addendum 2: The Trial for Blood Libel in Kremenets		40
Translation of the Document “From the Kremenets Castle Books of April 16, 1753”		42
Addendum 3: The Magid of Kremenets, R' Yakov Yisrael Son of Tsvi HaLevi		43
Addendum 4: The Troubles of the “Unregistered” in Kremenets		45
Endnotes [Translation Editor's Note: The numbered footnotes in the Yizkor Book section appear as endnotes in this translation.]

Chapters in the History of Kremenets Jewry

Changing Eras	Manus Goldenberg	46
The Landscape		46
RYB”L and His Era		47
In the Early 20th Century		50
During World War I		51
During the Revolution and the Civil War		51
Under Polish Rule		52
During World War II		53
Before World War I	Yitschak Rokhel	54
A View of the City and Its Surroundings		54
Economic Life		55
Public Life		55
Volunteerism and Civic Activists		56
The Story of the Dispute		56
Torah and Fear of God		58
Relations between Peoples		58
Status of the Zionist Movement		59
Education		60
How Kremenets Was Saved from the Riots	Akiva Ziger	60
Help for Refugees during World War I	Menachem Goldgart	61
At the Beginning of the Revolution	Motye Kornits	63
During the Changes of 1917–1920	Azriel Goren	65
Twenty-one Months under Soviet Rule	Ayzik Hofman	66
Courageous Spirit	General Yosef Avidar	69

R' Yitschak Ber Levinzon (the RYB”L)

RYB”L: His Life and Personality	A. Ben-Or (Orinovski)	71
RYB”L's Books		74
Testimony for Israel		74
Tribe of Judah		76
RYB”L among Children	L. Rozental	76
On the Value of Crafts and Agriculture	RYB”L	77
A Student Traveling to His Teacher	Yochanen Tverski	78

Public Life

The Kremenets Community under Polish Rule	Munye Katz	82
The Jews in the Town	Zev Shumski	84
Synagogues and Study Halls	A. Gluzman	87
Eighteen Synagogues	Yonatan Kucher	92
The Economic Situation between the Two World Wars	Leon Hokhberg & Zev Shumski	92
The Jewish Banks	Moshe Shnayder	95
TOZ Branch – Health Care Organization	Y. Portnoy	97
The Jewish Workers' Struggle	Netanel Kagan	97
Jewish Sports	Chayim Taytsher	100
Institutions and Organizations		105

Zionism, Pioneering, Immigration

The Evolution of the “Organization”	Yisrael Biberman	107
The Pioneer Movement	Yisrael Otiker	112
The First Group of Pioneers	Chanokh Rokhel & Yitschak Biberman	115
The Second Wave of Pioneers (1921–1925)	A. Yosef	119
Young Pioneer and Pioneer (1923–1934)	Arye Shochet, Tsvi Zeira, & Sore Bat	122
Verba – A Spark of Klosova	M. Blizhovski	125
The Kibbutz in Verba	Sh. Zaromov	125
The Youth Guard Movement	Ayzik Hofman	127
Academic Pioneer	Sh. Titelman	130

Education and Culture

Masters and Rabbis	Tovye Troshinski	131
Jewish Primary School	Motye Kornits	134
School of Commerce	Moshe Shnayder	135
How a Hebrew Shelter for the Needy Was Erected Overnight	Pesach Litvak	136
Tarbut School	Yehuda Kenif	137
The Hebrew Corner	Yisrael Otiker	143
The ORT School	Munye Katz	144
The Kremenets Newspaper	Yisrael Otiker	146

Memories and Lifestyles

Kremenets – Election Headquarters	Avraham Levinson	151
In the City of RYB”L	Rachel Amari (Faygenberg)	154
The Golden Key of Kremenets Jewry	Rachel Amari	156
Names and Nicknames	K. L.	158
The Heroes of the Village of Folvarki	Sore Bat	160
Construction Style	Zev Shumski	161
Alterman's Courtyard	Manus Goldenberg	165

Characters and Personalities

Rabbis & Slaughterers	Yonatan Kucher	179
Teachers & Cheders	Zev Kligman & Bunya Shniftman	182
Water Carriers & Porters	Akiva Ziger	183
Two out of Thousands	Mordekhay Otiker	184
Images (Members of the Youth Guard)	Rachel Otiker-Nadir	187
Tsvi Prilutski (1862–1942)	Yosef Heftman	189
Excerpts from Tsvi Prilutski's Letter	Tsvi Prilutski	191
Dr. Tovye Hindes (1852–1920)	Avraham Zamir	193
Dr. Binyamin Landsberg (1890–1942)	Tovye Troshinski	195
Moshe Eydelman (1864–1942)	Yitschak Rokhel	197
Duvid Goldenberg (1880–1934)	Manus Goldenberg	199
R' Ben-Tsion Hofman	Ayzik Hofman	200
R' Meshulam Katz (1850–1908)	Moshe Katz	200
Boris Liakh	Manus Goldenberg	201
Yisrael Margalit (1865–1942)	Zev Shumski	203
Shlome Fingerut (1888–1942)	Yisrael Otiker	203
Arye Feldman (1900–1942)	Yisrael Otiker	204
Avigdor (Zeydi) Perlmuter (1876–1942)	Ayzik Hofman	205
Moshe Frenkel (1902–1944)		206
R' Getsi Klorfayn (1872–1942)	Leye Klorfayn	206
Hadasah Rubin	Yisrael Otiker	207
R' Tsvi Menachem Rokhel (1835–1922)	K. L.	208
Mikhael Shumski (1857–1928)	Yitschak Rokhel	210
Dr. Zalman Sheynberg	Sonye Radzinovits Aksel	212
Meir Samsons (Meir Bernshteyn)	Yisrael Otiker	213

Kremenets Exiles in Israel

Kremenetsers' Role in Building the Land	Yitschak Rokhel	214
General Yosef Avidar (Rokhel)	Dr. Duvid Lazar	219
Eliezer Dubkirer	Manus Goldenberg	223
The Two Who Fell in Yagur (Hinde Fishman, Shmuel Dishel)	Ester Fidel	224
Yisrael Goldenberg	Manus Goldenberg	226
Shmuel Koyler	Mordekhay Otiker	227
The Spirit of Two Fighters (Sunye Keselman, Avraham Margalit)	Moshe Krementsutski	228
Shprintse Rokhel	A. Yosef	229

The Destruction of Kremenets

Burning Embers …	Manus Goldenberg	231
The Holocaust	Betsalel Shvarts	234
The Story of the Extermination	Tova Teper Kaplan	251
Desecrated Parchment	Tovye Troshinski	264
Heads of the Judenrat in Kremenets	Ayzik Hofman	268
He Did Not Succeed	Yisrael Otiker	269
My Heart, My Heart Aches for Your Fallen	Duvid Shukhman	269
Notes	The Editors	270

Supplement

This Is How I Saw You, My Town	Miryam Bat	271

Part Two [Yiddish]

Title Page		274
Contents		275
Introduction	The Editors	277
History of Jewish Settlement in Kremenets	Sh. Etinger and Ch. Shmeruk	281

R' Yitschak Ber Levinzon (RYB”L, 1788–1860)

Fighter for the Enlightenment	Volf Shnayder	288
Restoring R' Yitschak Ber Levinzon's Home	Yisrael Margalit	299

Between the Two World Wars

Jewish Kremenets	Yisrael Otiker	301
The Community Budget	Kremenitser Shtime	308
The Great Synagogue	H. Gilernt	311
The Orphanage	Bela Bernshteyn	314
The Circle of Independent Orphans	L. Eler	320
A Working City	B. Barshap	321
The Tailor	S. Fingerut	322
The Porter	Hadasah Rubin	323
The ORT School	Kremenitser Shtime	324
Jewish Theater Life	Kremenitser Shtime	326
The Charity Fund	Kremenitser Shtime	327
Ledger of the “Free Loan” Charity Fund	M. Gershteyn	328
The “Other” Kremenets	Kremenitser Shtime	333

The Jewish Workers' Movement

The Professional Movement	Manus Goldenberg	335
The Bund	Tovye Troshinski	340
The Communist Movement in Kremenets	Manus Goldenberg	344

Personalities

Tsvi Prilutski		353
Mikhel Barshap		354
Volf Gornfeld		355
M. B. Goldfarb	Kremenitser Shtime	355
Meir Goldring		356
Avraham Yakov Vaynberg		357
Chaykel of Kremenets	Yitschak Vakman	357
Eli Chaykel's (Bernshteyn)	Manus Goldenberg	358
Dr. Arye Landsberg		359
Dr. Meir Litvak		360
Rabbi Shraga-Arye Marder	M. Sambirer	363
Shimon Chayim Moliar (Karsh)	Yitschak Vakman	363
Mendel Karsh	Manus Goldenberg	364
Rabbi Yechiel Yitschak Rapaport	K. R.	366

Remembrances and Customs

The Anski “Expedition” in Kremenets	Chanokh Gilernt	367
How We Once Disseminated Jewish Literature	Duvid Roykhel	376
The Funeral of a Torah Scroll	Chanokh Gilernt	378
Market Day in the Dubno Suburb	Moshe Shnayder	380
On Old Customs	Chanokh Gilernt	381
Purim (Memories of My Childhood Years)	L. Rozental	388
What Happened	Kremenitser Shtime	389
My First Day in Cheder	Esther Laybel-Rubinshteyn	392
Old Kremenets (Leafing through the “All Kremenets” Album)	Moshe Suravski	393
Two Poems	Hadasah Rubin	398
Kremenets Nicknames	Heynekh Kesler	400
Kremenets Characters	Motye Kornits	401
Yidel Shuster (Shoemaker)		401
Chayim Gershon Shnayder (Tailor)		401
Mordekhay Shnayder		402
Vizale		402
Yankel Vasertreger (Water Carrier)		402
Moshe Hipsh (Nice)		402
Shalom Peyke (Pipe)		403
Hinde di Groyse (Big) and Hinde di Kleyne (Little)		403
Hirsh Klezmer		403
Moshe Tate (Father)		403
Ayzik Shlisele (Middleman)		404
Leybenov Atiets (Priest)		404
Malke de Lange (Long)		404
Babtsye fun der Fish (from the Fish) and Babtsye fun der Puter (from the Butter)		404
Rachel fun der Genz (from the Geese)		404
Perl Chicory		405
R' Shlome Koval (the Blacksmith)	Yitschak Vakman	405
Documents		407

Destruction and Holocaust

A Shtetl by the Potik, Destroyed and Desolate … (a Poem)	Manus Goldenberg	413
Ghetto Martyrology and The Destruction of Kremenets	Betsalel Shvarts	416
The Final Chapter	Eliezer Barshap, Netanel (Sanya) Kagan	438
With Refugees in Italy	Yitschak Vakman	439
To You … (Poem)	Tovye Troshinski	440

Kremenets in the World

40 Years of the Kremenets Landsmanschaft in New York	Yitschak Vakman	441
A Word on Chaye Rapoport	Duvid Rapoport	446
Kremenetsers in Argentina	Yehuda Koyfman	447
My Town Kremenets	Helene Vaynberg	450

Supplements

S1. The “Holocaust” of the Jews from Krzemieniec in 1942	Jerzy Strumiński
S2. New York Kremenetser Incorporation & Related Documents	Ronald D. Doctor
S3. Death Notice for Galina Sorochinski	Submitted by Anna Brune

A Bibliography of Kremenets Yizkor Books

[Translation Editor's Note: This Bibliography includes citations for Yizkor Books for Kremenets and nearby associated towns (Brody, Pochayev, Shumsk, Vishnevets, and Yampol) as well as 18 booklets published by the Organization of Kremenets Emigrants between 1967 and 1982. Some of these include material on Shumsk and Vyshgorodok.]

Name Index

Town Locator

[Translation Editor's Note: The translation of Pinkas Kremenets uses the English names of well-known cities and towns (e.g., Haifa, Jerusalem, Moscow, New York, Petersburg, Warsaw). Names of other European cities and towns are transliterated as they appear in Pinkas Kremenets. This locator shows those transliterations, likely standard names in the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) as of January 2010 (see http://earth-info.nga.mil/gns/html/bgn.htm), and the likely location and distance from Kremenets.]

Yizkor Book Project JewishGen Home Page Kremenets, at Kehilalinks

Yizkor Book Director, Lance Ackerfeld
Emerita Yizkor Book Project Manager, Joyce Field z”l
Contact person for this translation Ronald D. Doctor
This web page created by Lance Ackerfeld