Podgaytsy, Ukraine [Pages 282-283]

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[Page 282]

In Memory of Yitzchak Ettinger of blessed memory

Translated by Jerrold Landau

Uncaptioned
Yitzchak Ettinger

Yitzchak the son of Aharon Shmuel and Chaya Ettinger was born on 22 Adar, 5681 (April 1, 1921) in the city of Podhajce, Poland. He made aliya in 1935, joined the Haganah, and was a member of the guards of “Kofer Hayeshuv”. He served in the coast guard starting from 1939.

During the War of Independence, he fulfilled a senior role in the military command in Acre (Akko). Later, he was appointed in charge of security information and smuggling in the entire Galilee region.

Yitzchak spent the best of his years in the service of the nation: in the Haganah, in Aliya B and in the information corps, where he served as a captain during his final years He was a dedicated and very active captain, who fulfilled his roles with excellence. On more than one occasion, he risked his life during his service on the borders.

Yitzchak fell in fulfillment of his duties on 13 Sivan 5719 (June 18, 1959). He was brought to eternal rest in the military cemetery in Nahariya. He left behind a wife and three children.

May there be honor to his memory, and may his soul be bound in the bonds of the nation, for which his entire life was dedicated to its protection.

The Family

The Admor of Bursztyn in Podhajce

by Rabbi Z. Eichenstein of blessed memory

My father, the righteous rabbi Rabbi Yitzchak Eizikl Eichenstein of holy blessed memory, settled in Podhajce in the year 5669 (1909) at the age of 33. He came to settle in that city with the approval of the rabbi of the city, the rabbi and Gaon Rabbi Shalom Lilienfeld of blessed memory, for there were many Jews in the city who were Hassidim of his father-in-law Rabbi Nachumche of holy blessed memory of Bursztyn.

When he came to Podhajce, many Hassidim of all streams drew close to him. As well, many householders who were not members of any Hassidic sect supported him and followed him, since they were impressed with his demeanor and were convinced that he was indeed a righteous, pure and upright man.

With the assistance of his supporters and Hassidim, a large house was set up, in which the rabbi lived with his family. There, there was also a Beis Midrash for Torah and prayer. The Rebbe was a great Tzadik, worker of wonders, and unparalleled charitable person.

Thus was life conducted until the outbreak of the First World War. The war brought in its wake many changes in the lives of the Jews in general, and in religious life in particular. Many of the householders of the city who left their city on account of the tribulations of the war, did not return after the war. The elders of the generation passed on, and the face of the city changed in a very great fashion. There were new householders, new customs, and also a new intelligentsia. Various Zionist factions blossomed and rose up – people of the right and people of the left – as well as factions whose color was Red. Various factions were also formed within Orthodox Judaism. Thus was the face of Jewish life that took root in the city after the recovery from the destruction of the First World War.

However, these changes did not have much influence on the way of life in the Rebbe's court. The house was filled with light and joy on the Sabbaths and festivals. The large congregation who came to the Rebbe's “table” drew a full measure of spiritual bliss. Hassidim from cities and towns close to Podhajce would recline around his table on festivals.

The situation in the city became increasingly severe during the final years before the Second World War; however the people of the city assisted the Rebbe in maintaining his household in an honorable fashion. Thus did things continue until the days of the major Holocaust during the era of Nazi rule. The Rebbe died on 13 Adar I 5702 (1942), and his entire family was murdered during the final aktion on 3 Sivan 5702. I alone was saved through the help of G-d, since I had been in New York from 1936.

[Page 283]

Rabbi Yitzchak Izak Eichenstein
of holy blessed memory,
the Admor of Bursztyn (the Bursztyner Rebbe).
He died in the Podhajce Ghetto on
13 Adar I, 5702 (1942)

Rabbi Zeida Eichenstein
of blessed memory,
the son of Rabbi Yitzchak Izak
of holy blessed memory.
(See his article in Yiddish on page 152)

The son-in-law of the Rebbe, the husband
of his daughter Babele, with a group of
young men who were close to him. The
first on the left is Eli Kohn. Next to him
is the son of the rabbinical judge Eisen

From the right: Yitzchak (Yitzchakl)
the Gabbai of the Admor of Bursztyn.
In the center: the son-in-law of the
Rebbe and two of his grandchildren,
Naftali and Avraham in the year 1938

From left to right: The rabbinical judge
Rabbi Avraham Eisen and his brother-in-law
Rabbi Yaakov-Yitzchak Weisselblum.
The first on the right is Reb Leibish Perl

In the center, the wife of Reb Zeida Eichenstein with family members and friends of the family. (1938)

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