Yizkor Book of the Jewish Community
in Dzialoszyce and Surroundings
(Działoszyce, Poland)

50°22' / 20°21'

Translation of
Sefer yizkor shel kehilat Dzialoszyce ve-ha-seviva

Published in Tel Aviv, Hamenora, 1973


 

Acknowledgments

Project Coordinator

Menachem Daum z”l

 

Edited by Fay and Julian Bussgang

 

Many thanks to Susan Javinsky, the original Project Coordinator for this project,
who coordinated the translation of the “Table of Contents”,
the chapter “Dzialoshitz Jews: How I Remember Them”,
the “Necrology”, the “Names Mentioned in the Yizkor Book”, and “Photo Captions”.

Our sincere appreciation to Moshe Roznek, president of the Dzialoszyce Society in Israel,
for permission to put this material on the JewishGen web site.

Note: The original book can be seen online at the NY Public Library site: Dzialoszyce

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


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This is a translation from Sefer yizkor shel kehilat Dzialoszyce ve-ha-seviva
(Yizkor book of the Jewish community in Dzialoszyce and surroundings),
Tel Aviv, Hamenora, 1973 (H,Y,E, 423 pages).


(H=Hebrew; Y=Yiddish)
Forward 5
 
Działoszyce: The Town and Its Residents Before World War I
The Beginnings of the Działoszyce Settlement (H) 11
There Was a Town, and Look, She is No Longer – Izrael Dov Skóra (H) 16
Sources of Livelihood of Działoszyce's Jews – Shlomo Gertler (H) 26
Grandmother's House (Now in Ruins) – Yisrael Zerachi (H) 30
An Obligation to Remember – M. Rafali (H) 49
The Beginning of the Enlightenment Period in the Town – Josef and Baruch Blat (H) 56
There once was a town – Chawa Karmioł (H) 60
From the Mouths of the Elders – Izrael Dov Skóra (H) 62
 
Between Two World Wars
The Jews of Działoszyce - Avraham Langer (Y) 69
From the Old Country – Chaim Szwimer (Y) 76
A Jewish Island in a Gentile Sea – David Shlomi (H) 78
Dzialoshitz Jews: How I remember them – Yosef Charif (Ostry) (Y) 90
Jews with Estates – Chaim Szwimer (H) 96
Small Businesses in Our Town – Arje Rolnicki (H) 101
Torah Study and Charity Organizations - Rabbi Yehuda Frankel (H) 105
The Mizrachi Synagogue – Joshua [Szyja] Wdowiński (H) 112
The Yavneh School – Joshua [Szyja] Wdowiński (H) 115
The Hattechija Library – Chaja Chawa (Szulimowicz) (H) 121
HaNoar Hatzioni [Zionist youth organization] and its activities – Ze'ev Sternfinkel (H) 126
HaNoar Hatzioni – Izrael Brandys (H) 129
Hashomer Hatsa'ir [Young Guard] – Moszek Pułka 135
The Gordonia Movement – Natan Krelman (H) 138
Agudath Israel (Orthodox non-Zionist) – Leibel Yutchenka (Aryeh Shahar) 141
Trends of the Zionist Movement – Naftali Szydłowski (H) 146
Drama Groups and Entertainment Activities – Shoshana Rolnicka (H) 152
The Flood - Natan Krelman (Y) 158
Grandfather's House – Chaim Cycowski (H) 164
My Memories – Menachem Lasker (Y) 167
Memories – Bracha Pozner (Zając) 171
Memories from the Old Days – Clara Waks (Y) 175
From My Memories – Benjamin Włoski (Y) 178
Memories – Majer Cudzynowski 180
Stories from the Past – Chaim Jakub Kac (Y) 182
 
Customs and Tradition
What the Bet Hamidrash Was – Hayyim Balitzki (H) 187
Torah and Worship – Dov Ptasznik (H) 190
Hasidic Shtiblekh – Aryeh Shahar (Lejbel Jutrzenka) (H) 195
Dedication of Torah Scrolls to the Synagogue – Josef Kac (H) 197
The Arrival of Shabes In Our Town – Tauba Avni (Szydlowska) (H) 198
Teachers in Działoszyce – Aryeh Shachar (Lejbel Jutrzenka) (H) 201
The Rebbe Reb Joskele – Naftali Szydlowski 204
Reb Kalman Dayan – Alter Horowitz 206
Ignacy Mann – The Rabbi and his Pupil – Chaim Schwimmer (Y) 207
The Town Cantor – Moshe Salomon (H) 210
My Father, the Community Activist – Moshe Drobiarz (Y) 213
From Działoszyce Folklore – Dov Bejski (H) 216
 
The Holocaust
Days of the Shoah – Dr. Moshe Bejski (H) 233
The Outbreak of World War Two – Moshe Rozenek (H) 261
Social Assistance During the Nazi Occupation – Dov Bejski (H) 267
My First Fear of Death – Avraham Chobeh (Chaba) (Y) 271
Jews Repent – Chaim Yitzchak Wohlgelernter (Y) 273
The Horror Has Begun – David Wohlgelernter (Y) 275
The Evil Decrees – Szulim Szulimowicz (H) 278
Chapters from the Past – Aryeh Shachar (Lajbl Jutrzenka) (H) 280
In the Polish Underground – Szlama Leszman (ben Jakub) (H) 298
The Deportations from Działoszyce, Skalbmierz, and Miechów – Abraham Tennenbaum (Y) 304
My Own Experience in the Holocaust – Dov Bejski (H) 307
All Alone In Hiding – Eliyahu Rozdział (Raziel) (H) 324
Memories – David (Gustav) Rajsfeld 329
The Tragedy of Działoszyce – David Gelbart (Baltimore) (Y) 336
Jankielówka and its Jews – Chaim Frajman (New York) (Y) 343
Years of Pain – Avraham Chobeh (Chaba) (Y) 349
Under the German Boot – Aszer Rafałowicz (Y) 357
I Fainted – and Was a Free Man – David Rotam (Rotner) (H) 361
My Life Underground with the German Cannibals – David Wohlgelernter (Y) 365
In Działoszyce and in the Camps – Majer Zonenfeld (H) 374
During and After the War – Abraham Langer (Y) 380
 
Town Residents Who Perished in the Shoah, hi”d 397
 
The English Section
Foreword - Moshe Bejski 3
History of Dzialoszyce 7
Jewish livelihoods before World War I - Shlomo Gertler 8
A Jewish island in a gentile sea - David Shlomi 9
The Yavneh school - Joseph Wdowinski 13
Torah Study and works of Charity - Rabbi Yehuda Frankel
   I. The Talmud Torah 14
   II. The Yeshiva 15
   III. Bet Yaakov 16
   IV. The Bikkur Holim Society 16
   V. “Purity of the Family” 16
The Agudat Israel - Lebel Yutchenka (Aryeh Shahar) 17
What the Bet Hamidrash was - Hayyim Balitzki 19
The Jews of Dzialoszyce - Abraham Langer 20
The Outbreak of World War Two - Moshe Rozenek 23
My Own Experiences in the Holocaust - Dov Bejski 25
   The Expulsion 26
   On the way to the Camps 26
   At the Prokocim Camp 26
   Firma Richard Strauss 27
   The Plaszow Camp 28
Dzialoszyce during the Holocaust - Dr. Moshe Bejski 30
   Foreword 32
   The Beginning 32
   Inhabitants and Housing Conditions 33
   Hygiene and Epidemics 34
   Livelihood and Occupations 34
   Relief and Welfare (The Communal Kitchen) 36
   The Judenrat 37
   Faith and Hope 38
   The First Expulsion 39
   The Final Liquidation 42
   Afterword 44
 
Names mentioned in the Yizkor book
Photo captions
Addendum - Photographs from Działoszyce
Vocabulary List for Działoszyce Yizkor Book
Style Sheet for Działoszyce Yizkor Book


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