The entire Jewish cultural life in the city shattered as soon as Czenstochow fell under the German occupation. All libraries, all schools and gymnazies [secondary schools] were shut at once. Because of the persecutions and edicts that kept pouring out on our Jewish settlement, everyone at first was concerned with saving themselves from physical death. A consultation among progressive cultural workers took place at the end of 1939 to bring about a change in this situation and cultural activity began, half legal and half illegal. Naturally not all worker activists immediately had the opportunity to take part in the cultural activities. The worst situation was among the well-known communist activists because the former agents of the Polish secret police, principally Wiesalowski and Pietrowski (“Pietrik”) severely persecuted the communists in general and the well-known communist activists in particular. Despite this, the cultural work in Czenstochow began during the first months of the occupation. Already at the beginning of 1940 the cultural work also took on another form. The studying young people, younger children and older ones, began to think about not losing any time. There then were 208 teachers and 7,576 children and young people of school age in Czenstochow.^[82] There arose illegal plots by young people, who under the leadership of their former gymnazie professors carried on continued learning courses. There were also groups of children who continued the courses of elementary school. Only the children of better-situated parents benefitted from all of this, those who were able to pay the teachers. It was worse teaching the children of the poor.


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Therefore, the underground activists decided to convert the feeding stations at TOZ [Society for the Protection of Jewish Health in Poland], from which 600 children benefitted (later – 2,008 children) into a children's club, day care houses – where the children in addition to eating three times a day, also received education and instruction. The author, as a former teacher at the YSO [Jewish School Organization] school, was assigned the task of organizing and leading this club. Kindergarten teachers – Laja Wajnberg, Ruszka Gelber, Saba Ginsberg and Rywka Waczecha – were the first ones to appear for work in the day care houses. In addition, more than 60 young people, mostly young women, threw themselves into this important work with enthusiasm and self-sacrifice. Sala Sziwak, Jadzia Mass, Ira Szterenzis, the two sisters, Polya and Dasza Szczekacz, Aviv Rozine, Yitzchak Fajner, Lili Krisztal, Stefa Haftke, Rusia Landau, Sosza Opatowska and the 16-year old Praszkewicz stood at the head of this group of young people.

With their dedication and temperament, the young people transformed the day care houses into warm, light homes not only for the children who were fed there, but for all Jewish children who were in Czenstochow without exception.

The children here were divided into groups according to the level of their knowledge and according to their age. They continued the elementary education in such a manner. A course in hand work was given. A certain young woman, Mrs. Mendelson, an artist who came from a Czenstochow family, headed this course. Every Shabbos, collective discussions were held about the problems of educating children, which were led by the writer of these lines and by Professor Lonja Rozencwajg so that the new, young, inexperienced educators would have a certain professional approach to their duties. In addition to this, the new educators would share their impressions of the week's work at these collective discussions. Master lessons were also given in which coworkers in the day care houses took part. It was first in 1941 that several professors from the Jewish gymnazie [secondary school] began to help in the educational work. Of them all, the one who most distinguished herself was Lonja Rozencwajg, who so took her new task to heart that she quickly won the trust and love of every young club leader and actively worked with them until the liquidation of the ghetto.


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She, with the greatest number of young educators and almost all of the children from the TOZ day homes, then perished in Treblinka.

The children's performances that would illegally take place every two months were the brightest rays in the dark ghetto life. The appearances of the children brought a bit of a holiday into the impoverished lives. The appearances by the children took place in Yiddish and Polish. The songs by Peretz, Reisen, Mani Leib [Brahinsky] and many other Yiddish writers that were sung in the children's clubs and at the children's performances entered every Jewish home where there were still children. A club hymn also was created.

Club Hymn

Come quicker, dear children,
To enter the day care house;
Here it is still always joyous,
Here it is always beautiful.
Everything here is decorated
With delicately fragrant flowers;
We are led
To the blue skies.
We learn, we work,
Here we are not alone,
So come, dear children,
Come here quickly.

The teachers watch here,
Their gazes watch us;
After all, here is our home,
Here is our luck.
We become cautious,
On the narrow paths,
We are led
Over thorny ways.
We learn, we work,
Here we are not alone,
So come, dear children,
Come here quickly.

The underground activists were not satisfied with only cultural work for children, they also were involved with cultural work among adults. An amateur dramatic group and chorus of adults were under the leadership of Jakob Razine, Ester Razine, Brener, Fiszl Blumenkranc, Leib Srebrnik and Jeszaja Bornsztajn under the TOZ mantel. Mrs. Razine was the theatrical director and Srebrnik was the orchestra conductor. Approximately 120 women and men took part in the chorus and amateur dramatic group. The performances took place in the former cinema room at Aleje no. 12. Machl Birncwajg and Noach Kurland took care of all of the ideas on the technical side – Leibl Kusznir, with the decorative part. The appearances of the amateur dramatic group and chorus would take place almost every month, mostly with separate programs and from time to time together. Their appearances in the ghetto were the most elevated events in internal ghetto life because the days on which their performances would take place in the ghetto were filled with exhilaration and a holiday spirit.


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In addition to serious works from our classics, the amateur dramatic group would perform actual scenes from past Jewish life and from ghetto life. The images were gathered and reworked by the Czenstochow poet, Fiszl Blumenkranc, who perished tragically. A one-act play, Zbaszyn,* in which was mirrored the tragedy of a mother who lost her only child during a deportation, was one of the strongest things that Blumenkranc wrote and was presented by the amateur drama group. The large movie room was always overflowing although the performances were illegal. Jeszajale Bornsztajn (we called him the “Czenstochower Dzigan” [Simon Dzigan was a comedic Polish-Jewish actor]), who awoke so much laughter with his appearances that we would forget our dark surroundings for a second.

The underground workers published a periodic illegal newspaper under the name Rasta [Rada Starszych – council of elders] under Walberg's editorship and with the participation of Konarksi, Roziner, Brener, both of the Fogel brothers and Mendl Asz. Sura Chliwner (née Okrent), Motek Kusznir, Datner (a son-in-law of the Fogel family) and Uzer Blechsztajn took care of the technical side of the publishing. Leibl Kusznir was employed on the artistic side of the illustrated publications. The life of the Jews under the German occupation, the cruel activities of the Gestapo, security police and city leadership was reflected in Rasta, as well as the sad role of the Judenrat and of the Jewish police.

It is worthwhile to remember the caricatures from Rasta:

1. “Homage to the Jews” with the chairman of the Judenrat on the throne, and all of the members of the Judenrat and their devoted officials swear allegiance to him. In the foreground, one official carries a flag with the inscription: “The health of the Judenrat matters the most.”
2. Bottles of whiskey corked with police hats and from each bottle another member of the Judenrat, who would frolic in the food halls, is looking out.
3. “Hocus-Pocus” – the treasurer of the Judenrat throws small papers in the air; the papers are turned into money that falls into his pocket.
4. “I have never in my life danced” – a caricature in which Dr. Zondsztajn dances in front of the Judenrat (Zondsztajn came from Czenstochow, studied in France and Germany for many years, thought a great deal of himself and his medical knowledge, strongly flattered the Judenrat and helped it in its actions against TOZ).
5. “Potatoes” – wagons of potatoes in the footlights, masses of the hungry are standing in the distance with empty sacks looking with pleading eyes in the direction of the full wagons of potatoes, at which stood the former bank director, Pruszicki, now food supply official at the Judenrat. With a shovel, he scrapes [potatoes] down into the sacks that members of the Judenrat hold. Words from his mouth gravitate to the hungry crowd: “There are now no potatoes for you!”

6. A dog with the head of the Judenrat emperor. Opposite him – Walberg with a TOZ-insignia and a letter about a subsidy in his hand. Words drift from the treasurer's mouth in Walberg's direction: “If I do not want to give, will you report it to the Rasta?”
7. The dermatologist's office at TOZ – Walberg sits in a doctor-like easy chair; opposite him, the Judenrat member, Jeremy Gilter as a patient with an outstretched hand full of ulcers. From Walberg's mouth drift down the words in Gitler's direction: “This hand will never again be clean.”
8. “Evening prayers” – Dr. Kacinel (then commandant of the Jewish police, who was well known for his bad relationship with the Jewish population) is on his knees and with a pitiful gaze looks at a picture of his wife hanging in the bedroom.
9. “Roman Rights” – a codex book surrounded with the body of a snake, which has the head of the organization chief of the Judenrat, Pohorille. All of the caricatures in the project were executed by the editorial board; Walberg reworked them, marked them and then Leib Kusznir, who had shown much interest and talent, photographed them in dozens of copies. Two Poles helped in spreading Rasta: a certain Kozlowski, who hid the finished samples outside the ghetto, and a certain Kruzler, who would receive the finished examples from Kozlowski, take them to Warsaw and from there send them by mail in the form of letters to the addresses that were given to him.

The “Workers Council,” which carried on separate cultural activities among their members for a time, also made a beautiful contribution in the area of cultural work. The council organized frequent readings, lectures and conversations among their members. An amateur drama group was active at the council for a time under the professional leadership of Maks Chraport and Orbach (both were active in the area of amateur drama groups in Czenstochow before the war), who were simultaneously active in the drama group at TOZ. The Workers Council's drama group appeared in Dos Groyse Gevins [Sholem Aleichim's “The Lottery”] and later joined the general group to strengthen the general cultural work.


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The library that was run in the greatest secrecy had a significant influence on cultural life in the ghetto. The library numbered approximately 25,000 books and in the month of February 1940 was smuggled from the Second Aleje no. 20 to Nadrzeczna Street to the librarian, Rayzele Berkensztat, who was engaged in giving out books for hundreds of readers, groups and amateur theater groups until the month of July 1941 when she was arrested by the Gestapo and the library was confiscated. The Judenrat first of all turned to the state chief for permission to carry out language courses for the young people from 14 to 18. The city chief permitted this and, on the 9th of December, the Judenrat opened a carpentry and locksmith course for men and a tailoring course for women. The carpentry and locksmith course lessons began on the 16^th of March 1941 in a room with 46 attendees and the tailoring course began during the first half of May 1941 in a room with 37 attendees. The mentioned courses were run under the directorship of Prusicki. The courses did not have any longevity; they ran for about four months. Official examinations were carried out and the courses closed. The reasons that led to the closing of the courses remained a secret known only by a number of members of the Judenrat. The Judenrat tried to receive permission to run a Jewish theater. On the 5^th of July 1941, Kapinski turned to the city chief with a written request for permission for theater performances and concerts. The request was motivated by the fact that since before the outbreak of the war, a large number of actors, musicians and singers, who were living in need and had no other employment lived in Czenstochow. The performances and concerts would serve as a source of income for the needs of the Judenrat.^[83] The following answer came from Wendler on the 22^nd of July: “The request is rejected. The actors, musicians and singers should look for other employment; their previous employment is no longer being considered.”


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On the 9^th of January 1942, the Judenrat again made a similar request, indicating that the Judenrat would facilitate several undertakings to create the means for supporting children and others suffering from need.84. Again receiving a refusal, the Judenrat gave up the idea of organizing events.

At the same time that the Judenrat tried to get permission from the Germans and they [the Judenrat] attacked TOZ in all areas of its activities, TOZ opened sanitary courses led by Doctor Walberg three times a month. The first was visited by 50 attendees; the second course had 54 attendees and the third – 100. The last course ended in the month of March 1941. The Judenrat tried to compete and wanted to open a dental technician course with the help of Z.S.S. [Jewish Social Self-Help – a social welfare committee], but it remained only an attempt.

The young people and the leadership of the “day rooms” increased their activity. Private children entertainments took place often in the “day rooms” themselves along with public appearances with social content. Among others, a children's opera, Lialkes [Puppets], was performed in which it is shown that puppets revolt against their “string-pullers” [puppeteers]. The performance, which made a colossal impression in the ghetto, evoked great bitterness in Judenrat circles.

There was not one public children's appearance that did not begin with the marching of hundreds of children singing “Mir kumen on” [We are coming]. The activity of the chorus and the amateur dramatic group also became more intense. Everyone who could make some kind of contribution came willingly to this work. Among others who joined was Jakubowicz, a young man, a refugee from Warsaw (his father was a ticket seller at the Kaminski Theater) who showed talent and became one of the most important pillars in the group (Jakubowicz survived after the liquidation of the ghetto, moved to the “small ghetto” and became a commemorator in song of our great tragedy. He taught himself to write Yiddish, described everything himself, alone appropriated melodies for his poems and at his own initiative carried out literary evenings).

Members of the former Lira chorus joined as chorus members, such as: Henrik Edelist and his young son, Ludwig; the strong bass of Grabiner, the well-known old singer, echoed again. Young male and female soloists appeared of whom the tailor Boruch Baum's daughter, the 18-year old Guta, who became the darling of the crowd, Roma Nodelberg of Łódź, Poznanska – a granddaughter of Rabbi Nochum Asz and Slowaka Zitenfeld, excelled. Many of the young people did not know any Yiddish.


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However, they learned it and worthily fulfilled the duties that they willingly took upon themselves. The assimilated Wanda Kapiecka, the well-know pianist-teacher in Czenstochow, also placed herself at the service of TOZ. She herself appeared in concerts and prepared her former students to appear publicly. Among her students, the very talented pianist Gliksman excelled (Miss Gliksman had the opportunity, thanks to her external appearance, to stay on the “Aryan” side in Warsaw after the expulsion, taking part in the military underground organizations and after the liberation of Czenstochow, marched into Czenstochow as an officer in the Koœciuszko Division*).

In addition to the joint cultural work, both the communists and the Bundists and the left Zionist groupings carried out separate political and cultural work among their members and sympathizers. This intensive cultural work in all fields included the majority of the population in the ghetto and kept expanding.

On the 22^nd of September 1942 the great misfortune of expulsion arrived; everything was interrupted and the cultural building became a ruin along with all of Jewish life in Czenstochow.

Footnotes

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