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Here young Binyamin spends countless hours reading in Hebrew and German, which he masters quickly and fully enough to delve into literary works, with a special interest in the nascent Zionist movement. He doesn't just read, he scours the daily Hatsfira from Warsaw and Hamelitz from Petersburg. He devours Herzl's “The Jewish State” and plums the Zionist weekly Di Velt from the very first issue, which preceded the First Zionist Congress, to the last.

Prior to the First World War, he becomes an author himself and a contributor to this publication [Die Velt] in Eretz Yisrael. In 1901, he travels to Berlin to continue his general studies and finds a home in the Safa Brura [Plain Language Association–founded in 1889 to advocate for the revival and preservation of the Hebrew language] and dives with youthful zeal into the Hebrew literary world. He writes his first important article, “Fragmentary Notes,” published in 1903 by [Reuven] Brainin [Russian Jewish publicist, biographer and literary critic] in Luach Achi-asaf, becomes an ardent supporter of the Zionist movement, corresponds with Herzl, enrolls in the Agricultural Vocational High School in Berlin, organizes student trips to “teaching farms” in Germany to prepare for Aliyah to the Land of Israel, and co-founds with Josef Leon and others the illustrated monthly HaKeshet (the first of its kind in Hebrew.)

On Lag BaOmer 1907, he arrives in Petach Tikva, labors most of the summer as a field hand, and is recruited by Gymnasia Herzlia in Jaffa, the first Hebrew high school, to serve as secretary and assist in the translation of educational texts into Hebrew.

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In the summer of 1910, he joins the Kineret outpost in the Lower Galilee (precursor to Kibbutz Degania). The next year he sets out to travel abroad, charged by Professor Otto Warburg [German-Jewish botanist and industrial agriculture expert, later president of the Zionist Organization] with promoting the cause of the Yishuv [Jewish community in Palestine under rule of the Ottoman Empire].

In the beginning of 1910, he marries Dvorah Shpiner, the first Hebrew teacher in Lvov, and returns to the Yishuv. She goes on to teach at the Gymnasia in Jerusalem and then the Tachkemoni school in Jaffa. He joins the Jewish Agency under the direction of Dr. [Arthur] Rupin, immerses himself in communal and literary life, particularly, alongside [Shmuel] Yavnieli in the effort to bring the Jews of Yemen to Palestine, as well as in the “battle of the languages” [the campaign to revive Hebrew, not Yiddish, as the language of the Jews in the Land of Israel]. He founds the publishing house Yafet with [Josef Chaim] Brenner and Alexander Ziskind Rabinowitz to publish classic works in translation and produces the first compilation, Yizkor; contributes regularly to the weekly HaPoel HaTzair from its inception, writes for Brenner's Revivim, organizes classes in sacred and secular studies by Rabbi/Dr. Zeliger in Tel Aviv and continues his translation work (is first to translate Emerson, Whitman, and others). He is active in Tel Aviv's foundational and cultural institutions (later becomes a founder of Nachalat Binyamin) and of the Southern collective Ruchama; continues his communal activities in the neighborhoods of Bayit Vegan (today's Bat Yam) south of Jaffa, Bayit Vegan north of Jerusalem, and Ne've Shaanan in Haifa.

After the war, he moved to Jerusalem, and settled in the Beit Hakerem neighborhood he helped found. In 1926, he founded the monthly Hahed and launched the daily newspaper Hatzofe. He founded Aluma, a modern yeshiva in Jerusalem and translated 80 percent of Herzl's journals as well as his Heichal Bourbon and several works by Rupin. He also authored an anthology, Otzar Haaretz, wrote a book about Herzl and a biography of David Wolffsohn (his only work in Hebrew), and penned various publications about Keren Kayemet, Chassidic immigration, and much more.

In 1949, his book, From Zborow to Kineret was published by the Hebrew Writers' Guild and Dvir Publishers. A multitude of his missives have yet to be collected and brought to publication.

Of his accomplishments in the field of education, we must note his relentless efforts to establish high schools in Tel Aviv and Haifa. His daring advocacy of adding a university in Haifa and in Tel Aviv, a religious university at that, met with general derision, with newspapers, such as Haaretz, refusing to publish his articles. Stubbornly, he pursued his campaign and eventually the Department of Education and Culture named a committee to investigate the issue. After deliberating for close to a year, the committee concurred with his views.

But this is just one example of his public stand against prevailing opinions. Much more controversial was his stand regarding the “Arab question,” beginning with the founding of Brit Shalom [A group of Jewish Zionist intellectuals in Mandatory Palestine that sought peaceful coexistence between Arabs and Jews in Israel] and continuing to his dying days.

R. Binyamin gave this issue his—penning articles and letters, engaging in polemics, contributing to public forums. In his last seven years, after the passing of Drs. Magnes [Judah Leon Magnes, first chancellor of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and later its president] and Klorisky [?], he founded the monthly Ner, which, on the one hand may have alienated the entire Hebrew public, and on the other hand, earned the respect of his opponents in Lishmah, who were not political partisans. His only purpose was to serve the loftiest human values: truth, love, peace, and justice.

He died in Jerusalem on December 15, 1957.

(From the memorial book, “R' Binyamin” on the occasion his Shloshim [memorial gathering 30 days after a person's burial] by his friends and colleagues:

Professors: Shmuel H. Bergman, Dov Sadan, Akiva A. Simon, R' Sh. Y. Agnon, and P. Schneierson; R' Sh. Shragai, Yehuda Even Shmuel, A. Ben Menachem, Shraga Kadri, and

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others from literary and scientific circles produced this memorial book in his honor, giving voice to the affection and respect with which he was held. Included is a bibliography of R' Binyamin's writings listing 54 books and articles written and edited by him, representing only a part of his wide-ranging literary output.

R' Yehoshua Redler-Feldman, our eminent townsman, who loved his town and her people, created a wonderful memorial for them with his book From Zborow to the Kineret, and brought honor to our town with his luster and distinction and lifelong commitment to the best in human nature and love of all of mankind. This is a great privilege for us and we cherish his memory in our hearts.

Upon graduating from high school, he enrolled at the University of Czernowitz and studied law. He heard the call to Zionism early on, at age 13 or 14, and once Herzl emerged on the scene, he joined the Zionist political movement, becoming an early member of the Mizrachi [Religious Zionist Organization, founded in 1902]. He took an active part in its communal and partisan programs, was chosen as a delegate to Zionist congresses, served on the board of HaPoel Hatzair, and was named a delegate to the Polish parliament [Sejm] as well as a top official of the Mizrachi in Poland.

Until the outbreak of the First World War, he practiced law in several cities in Galicia.

After the war, he resumed his career in law, but longed to find new horizons. One day, he left his successful practice and set off for Warsaw, where he became a teacher and mentor and then assistant director of the Tachkemoni Religious Seminary. While there, he was picked to be a delegate to the Polish Sejm from the region of Bialystok. At an organizational meeting in Antwerp, he was recruited to the board of global Mizrachi and in 1927 arrived in Jerusalem to take on his post.

He was active in literary and lay circles and his writings appeared various publications. He authored a lengthy treatise, in English, on Hebrew Historiography, as well as a memoir of his childhood and his years before making Aliyah.

He died in Jerusalem on December 30, 1955.

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Rabbi Benzion, the Moreh-Hora'ah [teacher and adjudicator], was of distinguished lineage, hence the appellation. Born in Tarnopol, he served in Zborow for over 50 years, first as teacher, then as Rabbi, until the time of the Holocaust. Though physically weak, he was a powerhouse of knowledge and wisdom, a master in resolving complicated Halachic [Jewish law and jurisprudence] issues, whose opinions and judgments were respected and sought after.

His four sons, all blessed with talent and diligence, followed in their father's footsteps. Jakob was the Rabbi in Tarnopol and Zeydel was the Rabbi in [nearby] Jezierna, while his two other sons Veftzi [?] and Yolek, and a daughter, Rachel, lived in Zborow.

At age 80, Rabbi Benzion met his fate with courage and spirit. When he was told that community leaders had been dragged out of their homes to be killed, he picked up a sacred text and puposefully strode out of his house to meet his death.

May his memory be for a blessing.

In addition to being a Torah sage, he was endowed with gentility and a mild manner, reflecting his kind heart and compassionate nature. His life was devoted to Torah and to seeking peace and harmony. He was beloved by everyone for his humility and humanity.

His life was not a bed of roses. His ascent to the town Rabbinate did not come without a power struggle which darkened his days for many years. The turbulent times, the wars, the changes in

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government and the constant worry about providing for his large family–all weighed on his spirit. But in spite of the hardships, he fulfilled his role as Rabbi with great dedication and devotion.

Rabbi Kleinhandler perished in the Holocaust together with his beloved family and community.

May his memory be for a blessing.

Alter, their eldest, stood out early on for his command of Torah and grasp of Talmud. His thirst for knowledge had no bounds and he delved into all areas of Judaic studies.

After receiving rabbinical ordination, he continued to immerse himself in his studies, but still found time to actively participate in community life. He was soon to become a founder of the Agudat Yisrael youth group, which, though not considered an arm of the Zionist movement, championed Aliyah to Zion, thus splintering from the original Aguda.

Flanked by leaders of various Zionist factions, Rabbi Zweig spoke out cogently and compellingly against the White Paper [issued in 1939 by the British Mandate in 1939 aiming to severely restrict Jewish immigration to Palestine.]

Before the First World War, he served as Av Beit Din Kodesh [head of the Rabbinic court] in Otok-Mohiliv (Besserabia).

In 1940, when the Germans invaded, he made Aliyah and taught for several years in the Mizrachi Religious High School and published many works on the Talmud. After the war, he accepted the post of Chief Rabbi of Antwep, Belgium. There he learned about the demise of his family, of whom no one was left, and was devastated by the news.

He authored several volumes, among them a Halachic responsa, She'elot u-t'shuvot, Ohel Moshe. He died in Antwerp and was brought for burial to the holy city of Jerusalem.

May his memory for a blessing.

One day in1946, at the end of a meeting of Zborowers in Jerusalem, with some of the early first survivors to arrive in Israel, I was asked by the writer R' Binyamin if I knew who Aron Czapnik was.

R'Binyamin added by way of explanation that he had recently met Professor Frenkel, the eminent mathematician at the University in Jerusalem, who inquired about Aron Czapnik's voluminous correspondence with distinguished world figures.

I then told to R' Binyamin what I knew and remembered and am relating it here, too, in memory of this scholar of great repute and greater modesty.

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Aron Czapnik was not a native of Zborow. He arrived in town when he married the lovely daughter of Jacob Katz, the well-to-do Gabbai. He opened a bank and lived in happiness and comfort for several years until the untimely death of his wife at age 26. He expressed his great sorrow by writing a poem in flawless Hebrew for her tombstone.

He returned to Zborow at the end of the First World War and lived a solitary life in a rented room, befriending very few and inviting fewer still to his home. His closest companions were two young rabbis, Alter Zweig, (later Chief Rabbi of Antwerp) and Leizer Meirsohn.

Much was made of him and the many letters he received daily from all corners of the world from individuals among whom was said to include Dr. Chaim Weizmann. I heard someone say that in a conversation, Czapnik casually mentioned that a young Albert Einstein revealed his theory of relativity to a friend while taking a walk in the woods. Another story told of him was that a friend of his happened to enter his home on a summer evening and found him sprawled on the wood floor, so immersed in writing by the light of a oil lamp that he did not hear of see his coming or going.

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Things come to mind that I recall from childhood, but understood only after I got older. At the end of the First World War, when the Jews of Zborow first returned to the ruined and depleted town, there was no way for them to earn a living, and hunger reigned in most homes. Help arrived by way of shipments from the American Joint Distribution Committee. but it was widely rumored at the time that those in charge of distributing the aid were not on the up and up, giving rise to bitterness and resentment. M. Ch. Silberman stepped up and took the operation in hand, providing a lifeline to most of the town's Jews.

I remember him as a strong leader and a compelling spokesman for his community, for which he advocated with pride, gaining respect from the Gentile world. I also remember him as an ardent supporter of the Zionist movement and a contributor to its fund-raising drives.

Moshe Chaim Silberman deserves a place of honor among those who brought the nascent cause of Jewish national renewal to the towns and villages in the Diaspora.

May his memory be for a blessing.

He worked with me on many projects, especially in running the Gemach [a fund or bank for interest-free lending of items such as tefilin, wedding gowns, and similar items, in the spirit of gemilut chassadim [deeds of loving kindness] from its inception until I left Zborow.

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A generous heart and a sense of justice were his guideposts. He was a partner in the town's Discount Bank, and thanks to his aptitude and integrity, the bank was highly regarded by all.

In collaboration with Itche Eidel, he created the Zborow gemilut chassadim fund, one of the most effective ways to aid those of little means by way of interest free loans and various monetary grants. Yisrael Katz was killed on the first day of the Nazi invasion.

May his memory be for a blessing.

I would like to dedicate a few lines to one of these activists, the kind who spoke less and did more, Mendel Sigal (Halpern), who perished in the Holocaust. This was a man wholly devoted to the community organization to which he gave his all. As secretary of the Jewish Community Council, on whose behalf he worked day and night, he familiarized himself with its various projects and was instrumental in bringing them to fruition. He listened attentively to everyone, studied the situation, acknowledged petitioners' needs and did all he could to come to their aid.

He was similarly devoted to the works of the Jewish Fund for Business, which he headed and served as project director. He was its chief advocate and its life force. The Fund was a financial entity, but its focus was on communal gain in the full sense of the word.

These two undertakings, the first widespread and varied, the second focused and intensive, as well as other communal activities, took up most of his time. Yet he still managed to dedicate a few hours during the day or night to educational endeavors. Hundreds of your men were mentored by him in business practices, particularly in bookkeeping.

Mendel Sigal was mild mannered, unassuming, attentive and responsive. Highly intelligent and well rounded in his studies (he was close to graduating from the law faculty), he was admired and beloved by all.

Of his whole family, only his daughter Eva survived and married an Adler.

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The First World War put a stop to his studies. In 1916, he moved with his family to Hungary and from there to Prague, where he was accepted at the Kogbinet [?] (Academy for outstanding high school students from Galicia) and successfully completed two years of studies in one year. In 1918, he returned to Galicia and continued his studies, completed 11th grade with honors and returned to Zborow. Here, with no prospects to go on with his studies, he threw himself into social and community work and became a moving force behind communal and Zionist projects. Naftali became the spokesman for the younger generation. His message was proud an unapologetic–his was a new brand of social activism that fired up the hearts of the young. The days were dark, the town was in ruins–open wounds of war and destruction. The younger generation stood at a crossroad. Anti-Semitism reared its head and tamped down hope for the future, but with the Balfour Declaration, hope was re-ignited in the hearts of the young and the banner was raised–the banner of national revival and return to Zion.

It was then that a new crop of young activists fought their way up the ranks and, step by step, rose to leadership positions in the community.

Naftali's entrance onto the public stage was stormy and impactful. In short order, he assumed the role of representative and spokesperson of the Jewish community: down with assimilation and accommodation on the one hand and equivocation on the other; up with a life of purpose and honor, of championing human rights–economic as well as social–and confronting the outside world with heads held high!

Naftali, who considered himself primarily an advocate for the poor and the working people, found his place in the ranks of the Labor Zionists, serving as their representative on the Community Council, but first and foremost, he saw himself as a champion of national revival and Zionism was his breath of life.

There was not a Zionist activity in town in the period between the two World Wars that Naftali did not take part in, often a significant part, be it creating the Hebrew High School, or promoting Keren Kayemet [Jewish National Fund] or Ezra [Aid] or HeChalutz [The Pioneer Jewish youth movement that trained young people for agricultural settlement in the Land of Israel]. In 1926, he became one of the founders of Hitachdut, the Socialist-Zionist party.

His thirst for learning and secular knowledge drove him to continue his studies, and in spite of economic hardship, he relocated to Lvov, where he passed his matriculation exams with flying colors.

Decency, integrity, uncompromising commitment to justice, fair play, human rights and Jewish honor were the hallmarks of his public service. Once, upon witnessing Polish policemen brutally abuse Jewish wagon drivers, he did not hesitate to stand up for the victims and was taken to court, where he was exonerated. As a social activist, there was no bound to his dedication.

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Though he made a meager living, much of his time and energy were dedicated to one quest–public service. Even after he moved to Lvov, he did not neglect his public duties and joined in the founding of Haoved Ha-tzioni [Zionist workers party] in Galicia.

But the essence of Nafatli Katz was not solely in public service, which was just one expression of the sense of duty he carried in his heart–man's duty to his fellow man–the ethic by which he lived.

One of his most important accomplishments in Zborow was the founding, with Binyamin Reiss, of the Hebrew High School. To Naftali, teaching was more than a livelihood it was a mission, and in educating the young, he saw his life's calling. His lessons, clearly and cogently presented, and sprinkled with amusing tales or parables, were beloved by us students.

In 1934, he made Aliyah. His educational and public service credentials no doubt entitled him to a distinguished post but he chose physical labor, and in spite of waning health, he steeled himself to withstand the harsh working conditions–he was a man who practiced what he preached. The hard work and ensuing fatigue prevented him from spearheading the kind of public service initiatives he had masterminded in the past. Only at his place of work did he take an active part as a member of the workers council. After he retired, he fell sick and succumbed to a debilitating illness.

Nafatli Katz was the embodiment of humility, modesty, open heartedness and unwavering commitment to justice. He was always ready to offer aid and solace with a smile on his face and wise counsel on his lips. In Zborow, he was the one all those in need turned to and his was the face of the new generation of social activists that rose in Galicia between the two World Wars, the generation that fought for the rights of Jews in the Diaspora, for Zionism, and for Aliyah. Naftali Katz deserves a place of honor among them.

For him, Zionism was a Zionism of deeds and actual activity for the building of the country. In order to achieve this goal, he did not spare his time. He always enlisted in every campaign on behalf of the national institutions and did everything with great dedication and enthusiasm.

Hersh Shapira was also among the group of patrons of the pioneering youth movements and his joy was great when his son Yehuda (Adyk) joined the Gordonia movement. His happiness was endless when he managed through the youth immigration (Aliyah) to send Yehuda, his young teenage son, to the agricultural institute in Beit Shemen.

He was so proud to receive his letters from Ha-Eretz [interchangeable with Israel].

He dreamed and hoped that the day would not be far away and that he and the rest of the family would join him in Israel. He did not live to experience it. The killing hands of the German and Ukrainians murdered him in his hiding place in a bunker. May his memory be for a blessing.

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In addition to his Zionist activities, there was no part of community life that he was not involved in. His tireless work on behalf of fund raising appeals for geulat ha-karka [redemption of land in the Land of Israel] raised our town's level of contribution to such an extent that it was acclaimed by the national organization.

Well educated, he was also possessed native intelligence and stood out as one of the best speakers in town. Many of us still remember the speech he delivered in 1929 in the wake of the Mufti-led riots in Jerusalem over Jewish access to the Western Wall.

Aside from his numerous community activities, he found time to pursue his interest in sports. He served as referee in most of the competitive events and was said to be quite a stickler for the rules.

Yakov Fuchs was also one of the founders of the Jewish National Bank and headed it for all its years of operation. To this bank, to which most of the Jews in Zborow owed their economic survival, he dedicated most of his time and energy, without any financial remuneration.

His positive Jewish presence and wide erudition were advantageous in his dealings with the Gentiles in town, especially with the local authorities, as in the following instance: a ball was organized by municipal officials and several Jewish youths attended. At one point, whether due to overcrowding or some other reason, it was announced that the Jews had to leave. Fuchs, who had been invited as a guest of honor, rose and headed for the exit. To the hosts who implored him to stay, protesting that order was not meant for him, he responded at full volume: “I am a Jew too, like the others,” and walked out.

One of the writers of these lines was a member of the board of the Hebrew [Jewish] School for the last two years before the outbreak of war, and was witness to Fuchs' dedication and much valued service. Fuchs oversaw the recruitment of new teachers and the opening of a kindergarten nearby, and, of course, he also dealt with the school's difficult financial issues.

May these few lines be a tribute to the good deeds and great accomplishments of Yakov Fuchs and may his memory be for a blessing.

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Memories of Zborow became holy, with deep nostalgia. They express a longing for a past reality and to the dear souls who were cruelly torn from us.

For me, it is my grandfather, Shimon Buchwald, z”l, who passed away 45 years ago, a symbol of Zborow. I tried to draw him based on my deep memory of his face.

I express my deep feelings for Zborow with several illustrations for this book. I am hoping that this contribution will add a small brick to the large building that will serve as a monument to the Zborow martyrs for future generations of this town's descendants when this book is published.

He numbered among those who founded the Hebrew School of Zborow and were wholly dedicated to its continued existence over the years.

He was a leader in the Zionist party, but his impact went far beyond its sphere of influence.

May his name be placed on the honor roll of Zionist visionaries, to whom we owe where we are today.

Yakov Mendel, son of Yente Kronisch and nephew of Hersh Katz, z”l, was one of the group leaders in the Jewish youth movement and an active member of the Zionist youth group Achava [Friendship].

After completing high school in Lvov, he made Aliyah in 1934 and enrolled in Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

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Upon arrival in the Land of Israel, he chose to do physical labor and started to work as a house painter. In time, he contracted typhus, and, at the end of 1935, returned to Zborow, intending to rest up a bit before going back to Aretz [The Land]. While in Zborow, he resumed his involvement in the Zionist youth movement. He was preparing to head back to Aretz but did not get out in time. He perished in the Shoah.

After the war, when the building was in ruins and the school ceased to exist, he took a position in the public school, teaching religious studies to children of Jewish parentage.

He was the only Jewish teacher in the public school and also served as head of the Municipal Department of Public Records. He was a good natured man who treated everyone well.

He was killed in one of the aktions [Nazi roundups of Jews] leaving behind a son, Shmuel (Samek], currently in Israel, and a daughter, Alma, in the United States.

Leib was one of the founders of the Zborow chapter of Hashomer Hatzair [the Jewish youth movement that trained young people for agricultural settlement in the Land of Israel] and served as group leader and mentor. He kept up his studies on his own and became well versed in a wide range of subjects. He was a serious young man who stood out for his well articulated views and his skill in debating those who argued against the Zionist-socialist way of life. He was a “salon speaker”–not loud or shrill but clear and cogent–never full of himself and always respectful of his opponents.

His one wish was to make Aliyah and join one of the kibbutzim [Jewish agricultural collectives], but it was not to be.

At the last moment, just days before war broke out, he arranged for his sister, Malka, to flee via Aliyah Bet [clandestine immigration to Palestine focused on rescuing Jews from Nazi occupied Europe] and paid her expenses for the passage.

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P. Auerbach was a member of the of the only Jewish football teams in town, and as a core member of Hechalutz and Gordonia, he was one of the first to make Aliyah.

He was outgoing and had a gift for organizing groups and events, as well as staging parties and performances. He was also a talented artist (most of the illustrations in Itonenu, the local organ of the youth movement, were done by him). Good looking and good natured, he stood out in any gathering even though he was modest and unassuming. He was instrumental in the growth of Gordonia in our town.

In 1931, he made Aliyah and joined the settlement of Shecharia in Migdal, near Tveriah [Tiberias], where he contracted a severe case of malaria and in 1934 left for a visit to Zborow to recuperate and marry his childhood sweetheart, Salka Herman, z”l. As he was about to head back home, he was conscripted into the Polish army and never made it out.

I was with him through various stages in life—in sports, in Hechalutz, in Hachshara, in Gordonia and here in the Land of Israel. Our bond was deep and I mourn the close friend and dear person who is no more.

Poldi Auerbach and Aisev Silberman Improving Shedot-Migal in Tiberias

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While in high school in Tarnopol, he joined Bar Kochva [a group of students and academics within the Zionist sphere]. Upon returning to Zborow after his studies, he was active in Achava until war broke out in 1939 and ably managed the town's print shop.

Achava Branch. In the second row, in the middle of the Four Adrecheem: Aisev SIlberman, Jakov Mendel, Jakov Fuchs, and Duniev Schwebel

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He was also athletic and played goalie in football. More than once, we three brothers played on the same team.

From 1939 to 1941, under Russian rule, Iziu worked for the Russians and in 1941 was conscripted by them and sent inland.

In 1946, we received a letter from a friend who was with Iziu in Russia, letting us know that our brother died in prison on April 11, 1944. Before his death, he asked that his brothers be told of his bitter fate. He had been arrested for refusing to accept Russia nationality. (He thought that a Polish passport would facilitate travel through Asia en route to the Land of Israel.)

May his memory be for a blessing

Zeinvel's boyhood was divided between the prayer house and the local (Polish) public school, and he excelled in both. When he grew older, he joined the Gordonia Zionist youth movement and was one of the group's first members in our town. He continued his studies but dedicated every spare minute to learning Hebrew and to the movement's cause.

Long and crammed were his days. After his own studies, he gave private lessons in order to ease his parents' economic burden. Nights were his only free times and these he devoted largely to the movement, to preparing material for presentations to the groups he led, to discussions and examinations of their issues. But his driving force and dream was to fulfill the charge of the movement-to make Aliyah and work the land of Israel.

Zeinvel, of blessed memory, was good hearted by nature and always ready to lend a hand, but his most defining trait was his devotion-to his family and his friends in the movement, and everything he did, he did with dedication, diligence and modesty.

After the German invasion, he went underground and continued his work for the movement. In his heart lived the hope that he would achieve his lifelong dream-to “ascend” to the Land of Israel, a hope brutally crushed. His young life was mercilessly cut down by the Nazis.

We will remember him always.

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Yitzchok Auerbach was born in Zborow in 1862. His parents were straightforward, upstanding people. His father, a scholar, gave his son a modern education. He sent him to cheder, then to a yeshiva, and at the same time, taught him German and Polish.

As he grew older, Auerbach gravitated toward the Haskalah (Enlightenment) movement and became a loyal soldier in the growing army of offspring of traditional homes whom the movement's proponents and its champions attempted to revolutionize in those days.

Zborow, a small town in what was then Eastern Galicia, produced renowned scholars and intellectuals. It was the birthplace of acclaimed Hebrew columnist, Yehoshua Redler-Feldman, who also wrote in German and was known as R' Binyamin. He later gained a place of honor as a journalist in the Land of Israel. Zborow was also home to the then well known scholar, Yehuda Labiner, who wrote for German and Hebrew newspapers and helped spread Jewish culture among the youth of Zborow.

The Jews of Zborow also liked theater, and above all, musical performances. The Brody Singers came to town and now and then a wealthy local Jew would arrange for a kapelye (band) of klezmer from Lemberg to come perform at a Melaveh Malke after the end of Sabbath meal. There was much joyfulness in Zborow.

Auerbach was smitten by songs of Avrum Goldfaden, Velvel Zbarazer, and Elikum Zunzer that were performed by the Brody Singers. Of a refined, modern, cultivated bent himself, he began to write his own songs, modeled after the folk tunes of the badchonim (wedding jesters) popular in the larger Galician cities at the time.

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Having written a large number of such songs and in need of a composer to create music for them, Auerbach traveled to Tarnopol, a short distance from Zborow, to meet with Chone Wolfsthal, who was already well known as a musician and composer, and the two of them began to collaborate, first on songs, then on plays for the Yiddish theater. Auerbach wrote the lyrics and librettos, and Wolfsthal the music. Many of their early songs were later incorporated into their operettas. Thanks to Wolfsthal's music, Auerbach's name came to be known in the Yiddish theater world of Galicia.

Among the works Auerbach wrote and for which Wolfsthal composed such successful scores that the plays quickly gained popularity beyond Galicia, it is worth mentioning “Reb Yehuda Ha-Levi,” performed in Lemberg in 1895, “Ibn Ezra” and “Busteni” (in 1896), and “Bat Yerushalayim” (Daughter of Jerusalem), performed first in Tarnopol and then throughout small towns in Galicia in 1897.

The most successful production was “Bat Yerushalayim,” thanks in large part to Wolfsthal's sparkling score. In spite of a weak libretto, the music and skillful performances by the troupe, which included Joseph Weinstock, Carl Gutentog, David Baratz, Pepi Lowitz, Berta Fischler, Berl Topf [later, in America, Berel Bernardi] and Erenkrantz added up to a hit. Auerbach and Wolfstahl toured the play throughout Austria-Hungary, and everywhere it was acclaimed. In 1899, it was performed in Budapest, in 1890, in Berlin, and in 1902, in Lemberg.

Jacob Zilbert, who played the role of Ben Shomron in the Berlin production of “Bat Yerushalayim,” produced the play at the Windsor Theater in New York in 1903 under the title “Ben Shomron.”

Yitzchok Auerbach got married in Berlin. When the troupe fell apart after “Professor Hurowitz” whisked most of the actors off to America, Auerbach went to London, where he produced

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(with Sam Shiling, Betty Axelrod (now—Gutentog) Philip and Sally Wiesenfreund [parents of Paul Muni-Weisenfreund], Frida Zweibel, and Adolf Meltzer) first “Busteni” then “Bat Yerushalayim,” which ran for five full months.

From there, Auerbach headed for Vienna, where he met Hershel Stambul (Harry Stambulka), who was there to recruit a theater company for Buenos Aires. The company included Betty Axelrod and her mother Annette Axelrod, Carl Gutentog, Morris Zager. In the wake of the success of “Busteni” and “Bat Yerushalayim,” he also invited Auerbach and his wife to Buenos Aires.

In Buenos Aires, the company had previously performed (in Teatro Libertad) “Shulamis,” then “Bar Kochva” and “Gibor Ha-Chayil” (The Hero), but without success. It was Auerbach's “Bat Yerushalayim” that rescued the company both financially and professionally.

After a while, when the fortunes of Teatro Libertad began to fail, the company, which was a cooperative venture, rented the Theater Marconi , where Auerbach produced his plays “Reb Yehuda Ha-Levi,” “Busteni,” and “Ibn Ezra” but to no avail. He was forced to work during the day and serve as a souffleur (prompter) at night, and when he could no longer earn a living, he left for America.

Here he wrote one-act plays, operettas, and sketches for vaudeville acts, which proliferated in New York at the time. He also served as a prompter in small “variety” venues and translated Emil Zola's “The Blind Wedding” or “The Price of Sin” for the actor Max Rosenthal (performed at the People's Theater in 1918) and adapted a play by Leon Wiesenfled, “Return to God.”

Two of Auerbach's plays, “Busteni” and “Bat Yerushalayim” were published in Lemberg in 1909, without his knowledge. He died in New York in 1919.

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[Title Page for Bat Yerushalayim]		Title Page for Bat Yerushalayim

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For the Character of the Poet R' Zeinvel Rota, see page 212, section 228, in addition to the Same Chapter on R'Binyamin

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He had apprenticed himself to a barber and during Passover, he helped out in a matzah bakery, so when he arrived in New York in the beginning of the 20th century with his mother and the other children, he soon found work in a bakery. He then became a barber and operated his own barber shop on East Houston Street until 1914.

Because the bakers' union meeting hall was located not far from his barber shop and was frequented by a host of bakery workers and owners, Shemesh became very involved with the Jewish bakers organization and was recruited as a field organizer. In that capacity, he would travel to Jewish bakeries in America and Canada, and report his findings in their organ, The Jewish Bakers' Voice. More often than not though, he also wrote about a topic that was very dear to his heart: Yiddish theater, especially about certain Yiddish actors he admired. He was a great fan of Boris Tomashevsky, who founded the Yiddish theater in America, and of Regina Zuckerberg, to whom he had hometown ties, Peter Graf, and Yankele Kirschenboim, but was no less enamored of Maurice Schwartz, founder and director of the Yiddish Art Theater, which he helped support through the Bakers' union.

Shemesh died in New York on December 31, 1951.

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