Jakob Jerusalimski, “the little one”, as he calls himself, was born in 1900 and grew up in “Chanajki”, a poor district of Białystok. In moving words and in comprehensive and meticulous detail, he describes the Białystok of his childhood and youth and suddenly everything comes alive again!

This memoir is a journey through time, guiding the reader along shopping streets, meeting prominent, engaging and quirky characters from old Białystok, and wandering through the “Breml” next to the city clock, to watch events in the famous “City Gardens”.

The author’s account of everyday Jewish life in Białystok include his memories and observations during the turmoil of the First World War. This is when his intact world, with its idealistic view of humanity, is shaken to its core and deep cracks appear. Surprisingly however, the author also experiences some romantic moments during this difficult time and even describes a flowering of Jewish culture and the Yiddish language.

Readers are provided with deep insight into the world of ideas at the time, as expressed in a burgeoning art, literature and theatre scene, and the establishment of idealistic Jewish relief organizations.

Then, in 1918, Polish independence brings not only new challenges, but also old anti-Semitism and great disillusionment for the Jewish population.

Reading Jakob's memoirs, one gets to know Białystok at the beginning of the 20th century through the eyes of an intelligent, sensitive and inquisitive Jewish boy, and one marvels at his almost photographic memory. Later, as an adult, the author recalls, with great pain, the disturbing and terrible years of the Białystoker Khurbn, and he appeals to the reader to respectfully honor the last will of the Bialystoker martyrs:

“REMEMBER US!”

As always, I would like to thank my friend Dr. Susan Kingsley Pasquariella for her great support! Thanks also to Dr. Tomasz Wiśniewski,
Dr. Mirosław Reczko and Joanna Czaban.

For those interested in other contemporary Białystok, Krynki and Ciechanowiec biographies, I recommend my translations of

“My Childhood Years in the Pyaskes” by Leybl Hindes

“Memoirs of a Woman from Białystok” by Rachel Kositza

“To the Great World” by Chayele Grober

“Krynki in Ruins” by Abraham Soyfer

“Destruction of Białystok” by Srolke Kot

“As It Happened Yesterday” by Yosl Cohen

“A Shtetl in Poland” by Isaac Bloom.

My translations of the mentioned books can be downloaded for free at JewishGen - Yizkor Book Translations and Społeczne Muzeum Żydów Białegostoku i regionu (jewishBiałystok.pl). Some are also available as printed books.

Contents in [ ] are mine. Contents in ( ) are by the author.

My translation was done to the best of my ability, However, I often had to translate somewhat freely and split up excessively long sentences to make them easier to understand. If I have made mistakes despite my best efforts, I ask for your forgiveness..

The transliteration of Yiddish and Hebrew words mostly follows the YIVO standard or the Yiddish-Ashkenazi pronunciation.

Quotations in Russian, Ukrainian or Polish, which in the original are written in Hebrew letters, are mostly romanised by me according to the YIVO standard, i.e. the pronunciation is reproduced approximately.