Memorial book of Podhajce
(Pidhaytsi, Ukraine)

49°16' / 25°08'

Translation of
Sefer Podhajce

Edited by: S. Geshuri

Published in Tel Aviv, 1972



 

Acknowledgments

Project Coordinators

 

This is a translation from: Sefer Podhajce:
Memorial book of Podhajce, ed. S. Geshuri, Tel Aviv, 1972: Podhajce Society

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

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

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Translated by Jerrold Landau

Notes from Translator:

[Y] denotes a Yiddish section.
[Y – number] denotes Yiddish, which corresponds to an equivalent section in Hebrew.
[Y – number S] denotes that the Yiddish article is a summary of the equivalent section in Hebrew.

Introduction to the Book
Map from memory of the city of Podhajce and its surrounding area [1] 6
An Eternal Light M. S. Geshouri 7
With the Publication of the Memorial Book of the Community of Podhajce 13
With the Publication of the Memorial Book [Y – 9] 13
 
Chapters from the Past
History of the City of Podhajce by M. Sh. Geshouri 21
Table of Historical Dates of Podhajce by M. Sh. Geshouri 47
The Rabbis of Podhajce in their Generations by Rabbi Z. Firestone-Brecher 49
A Hymn to the State of Israel by Rabbi Chaim M. Brecher of blessed memory 52
Words about the Personality of Rabbi David Lilienfeld by Meir Pikholtz 53
Rabbis of Podhajce – Notable Men 54
The Sabbatean Kabbalist Rabbi Moshe-David of Podhajce by Chaim Virshovski 56
Dr. Falk - the Baal Shem from London by Dr. Herman Adler 57
M. M Oizerkis from Nachman Blumenthal 60
Life in Podhajce through the Mirror of Journalism Newspaper Extracts 61
 
From the Past [Y]
History of the Jews of Podhajce by N. Blumenthal [Y] 67
The Golden Chain of Podhajce Rabbis by Rabbi Wolf Firestone-Brecher[2] [Y] 84
A Few Lines About Rabbi David Lilienfeld by Meir Pikholtz [Y – 53] 85
Rabbi Moshe-David of Podhajce by Chaim Virshovski [Y –56 S] 86
Dr. Falk – the Baal Shem of London by Dr. Herman Adler [Y – 57 S] 86
Important Historical Dates for Podhajce[3] [Y] 88
M. M. Oizerkes by Nachman Blumenthal[4] [Y] 89
 
Chapters of Memories
From Podhajce to Jerusalem by M. Sh. Geshouri 99
Podhajce by Dr. Michael Weichert 101
Pleasant Conditions that Ended with the Holocaust by Dr. Emanuel Heller 105
Synagogues, Cheders, and Teachers by Yehuda Grussgott 107
Memories of the Hebrew School in our City by Yehudit Hadar 110
In memory of Reb Yechiel Meller 111
The Hebrew School in Podhajce by Etty Gross 112
The First Kindergarten in our City by Yehudit Hadar 113
The General Zionist Youth Movement in our City by Baruch Schatten 114
The Youth and Hashomer Hatzair in Podhajce by Avraham Brandwein 119
The Kadima Student Corporation by Yehuda Grussgott 124
Meir Mass the Hero of our Town by Yehuda Grussgott 126
Holidays and Festivals in our City by Yehudit Hadar 129
Experiences and Figures from the Recent Past by Dr. Baruch Milch 135
Anecdotes by Dr. M. Pomeranz 148
The House on the Small Hill by Etty Gross 149
Jewish Life in the Village of Zlotnik by Dvora Shapira 150
 
Memories of the City [Y]
From Podhajce to Jerusalem by M. Sh. Geshouri [Y – 99 S] 151
The Bursztyner Rebbe in Podhajce by Rabbi Z. Eichenstein of blessed memory [Y] 152
Dr. Michael Weichert [Y] 153
Synagogues, Cheders and Teachers [Y – 107] 155
Memories of the Hebrew School by Yehudit Heller [Y – 110] 156
The General Zionist Youth Movement by B. Schatten [5] [Y – 114] 158
The Activities of Hashomer Hatzair by A. Brandwein [Y – 119 S] 161
The Kadima Academic Corporation by Y. Grussgott [Y – 124 S] 163
Meir Mass – the Hero of the Town by Y. Grussgott [Y – 126] 164
Memories of Years Past by Dr. M. Pomeranz [Y] 165
Podhajce Anecdotes by Dr. Matityahu Pomeranz[6] [Y – 148] 172
Jewish Life in the Town of Zlotnik by D. Shapira [Y – 150] 173
 
The City in its Destruction
In Eternal Remembrance by Tzvi Goralnik 175
An Eternal Light for the Martyrs of Podhajce and Region by M. Feder of blessed memory 176
Lament, lament, my Soul Weeps by Y. L. Bialer 177
A Path Full of Obstacles and Suffering by Henia Shourz 178
The Destruction of our City by Nachum Pushteig 209
My Dear Town (a poem) by Klara Reich-Elbaum 214
The Story of One Family by Ada Weiss (nee Gross) 215
From Podhajce to Soviet Russia by Yosef Kressel 218
The Campaign of Annihilation and Destruction in Podhajce by Shoshana Haber 219
How I was Saved by Sara Drori (nee Rotstein) 220
Thoughts of a Native of the Land by Rachel the daughter of Avraham Kressel 222
Podhajce after its Destruction by Dr. Baruch Milch 223
The Gathering of Podhajce Survivors in Bad-Reichenhall 229
 
The Annihilation [Y]
A Letter from Hell by Yehoshua Weiss [Y] 231
Four Years of War and Destruction [Y] by Genia Shourz 233
Baptists Save Jewish Refugees [Y] by Sima Weisman 237
At the Barki Wielki Work Camp [Y] by Shlomo Teicher 240
Podhajce Under German Occupation [Y] by Leah Feldberg 243
Family Reflections from Zlotnik [Y] by Chaya David (Reich) 246
The Memorial Ceremony in Bad-Reichenhall[7] [Y] 247
Yizkor for the Murdered 251
Old Monuments in the Podhajce Cemetery [1] 265
About my City Podhajce, About my Parents and Brother who Perished in the Holocaust by Menachem Ettinger [1] 266
In Memory of the Brandwein Family, may G-d avenge their blood by Munio Brandwein [1] 269
In Memory of a Prominent Family - the Walden Family by Shlomo Walden [1] 270
The Household of Mordechai and Feiga Lehrer by Yafa Shulwolf [1] 271
In Memory of Dr. Arnold Landau of blessed memory by Janina Hersheles [1] 271
Memories from Father's House by Uri Milshtock [1] 272
In Memory of the Shotten Family by Baruch (Bunia) Shotten[1] 279
In Memory of our Son Yigal of blessed memory by Bluma and Menachem Ettinger[1] 280
In Memory of Yitzchak Ettinger of blessed memory [1] 282
The Admor of Bursztyn in Podhajce by Rabbi Z. Eichenstein[1] 282
My Grandfather Yaakov Shechter and my Father Moshe Gross by Etia Gross[1] 284
In Memory of Dr. Simcha Margolies of blessed memory [1] 287
In Memory of my Father Yitzchak Pomerantz of blessed memory by Dr. Matityahu Pomerantz [1] 288
 
Addendum
Activities of the Memorial Book Committee 290
A List of our Members and Townsfolk who have Contributed to the Publication of the Yizkor Book [1] 293
The Podhajce Landsmanchaft in America [1] 293
List of our City's Natives who Died in Israel 295
Errata 295
 
English Section
Preface 3
Podhajcer Association in Israel 6
Podhajce – After the Destruction by Dr. Baruch Milch [same as 223] 11
 
Necrology

Translator's Footnotes

  1. This entry is not in the table of contents of the book. Return

  2. There is a typographical error in the table of contents. This page is listed as page 48 by mistake. Note, this section is a summary of the corresponding Hebrew article on page 49, rather than a full translation. Return

  3. There is no note in the text about this section being a summary of the corresponding Hebrew section on page 47 – but it appears to be. It misses numerous dates, and does not appear to be a translation. Return

  4. In this case, the Hebrew is a brief summary of the much longer Yiddish article. Return

  5. The Yiddish appears to be missing the first two paragraphs that are in the Hebrew. Return

  6. Two anecdotes are missing in the Yiddish. Return

  7. Appears to be largely a translation of the Hebrew on page 229, but there are some differences. Return

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