[Page 1]

Frampol was too small for many historical documents about it to exist. The little shtetl curiously seemed to carry a name of Greek form (like Tarnopol in Galicia). Did the residents of Frampol ever hear of such a theory?

Jews who belong here cannot separate Frampol from its 'District (Capitol) City' – Bilgoraj. Fate decreed that all of the Jews in both of these cities be uprooted by Bogdan Chmielnicki's Cossacks. In the 'Sefer Ha'Ittim'^[2] it is recorded that not one single Jew emerged from that place alive during the gruesome times of the decrees of Ta”Kh.^[3]

More than a hundred years later, in 1765, a Jewish settlement again begins to develop in Frampol. Bilgoraj already has 661 Jewish souls (according to the well-known 'registers' of the great non-Jewish historian Berszadski).

In the year 1841 there were 1,637 Jews (out of 4,745 residents). In 1856, there were 1,708 Jews. In Frampol, there were 652 Jews along with 8311 Christians. In the year 1897, during the census-taking in Czarist Russia there were 1,251 Jews living in Frampol, At the time in Bilgoraj and its Powiat^[4] there were 8,958 Jews.

According to the Czarist laws, in the years 1823-1862 no Jews were permitted to settle in the Bilgoraj Powiat, because of the proximity of the region to the border with Galicia, altogether 21 km distant from Frampol.

Frampol – previously a small shtetl, is now a settlement in the Lublin Guberniya, Powiat of Zamošć,

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which is on the border with the Janow Powiat, lying on a hilly area, 2 viorst^[5] from the right side of the Lado River, near a paved road that goes from Janow Ordinacki to Wiezhniec: it contains a District Office and a savings and loan bank, an elementary school, post office, more than ten shops and stores, about 300 houses most of which are wooden.

On January 1,1890, the Frampol district numbered 6,118 residents: 2,903 men, 3,215 women: 79.3% Catholic, 1% Russian Orthodox, and 19.7% Jews. The settlement itself was 2,422 residents, of which there are 1,111 men and 1,311 women; 52.6% Catholic, 0.3% Russian Orthodox, and 47.1% Jews. The settlement covers a square of 2.6 viorst. There is a parish cloister, that belongs to the Zamošć Deaconate. The old wooden cloister named for the Saint Jan Niepomuc, was erected by Jozef Butler in the year 1740, and in the years 1873-1878 thanks to the donations of the parish residents, was exchanged for one made of brick and stone. The Jews also built a synagogue for themselves. The Christian population was engaged in working the soil, which is quite rich, and also with the making of pots, shoemaking and weaving: this was in contrast to the Jews who lived chiefly from the sale of merchandise.

Frampol was founded in 1705 by Franciszek Butler (the name of the settlement comes from the name of its owner): In the year 1773, the settlement was raised to the level of a city, and in 1789 [King] Stanislaw August installed seven fairs there, by the first division up of the land, In the year 1772 Frampol remained on the borderline between Galicia and Poland.

(Andzhi Szwientokhovski – the Great General and Illustrated Encyclopedia, vol. 21, Warsaw, 1898, Page 989).

Frampol – a private little shtetl in the Lublin Guberniya, Powiat of Zamošć, by the [railroad] track to Janow, which is beside the Lado River 2.5 miles from Janow. When it was founded – is not known; before this, it was the property of the Wislocki family, today it belongs to the Bus Zezhinskis. The present population of Frampol is 1,362 people, among which there are the following people by their religion: 169 Catholics, 3 Russian Orthodox, and 590 belonging to the old faith (meaning: Jews), who are engaged, principally, with weaving, and with working with unfinished linens. There are 208 wooden houses. A parish premises, a wooden cloister, erected in 1740, a magistrate's office, a tax collecting office and an elementary school. Six fairs take place in the course of a year, especially involving [the sale of] cattle. It is very animated.

(Franciczek Maximilian Sobieszczewski – The General Encyclopedia, ninth volume, 1862, Orgelbrod. Page 135).

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Forty-Nine Kilometers from Zamošć

A small shtetl in the Zamošć, Powiat (atan Ben-AriJun 20 #679069
Can anyone share with me a family tree of Rabbi David of Novardok, ben R' Moshe and Leah of Kletzk. R' David was the Rav of Novarodok during the 19th cent. and was known for his sefer (book) “Galya Mesecht(a)”.

TIA

Yoni Ben-Ari, Jerusalem atan Ben-Ari Jun 20 #679069
Can anyone share with me a family tree of Rabbi David of Novardok, ben R' Moshe and Leah of Kletzk. R' David was the Rav of Novardok during the 19th cent. and was known for his sefer (book) “Galya Mesecht(a)”.

TIA

Yoni Ben-Ari, Jerusalem of Lublin) beside the Lado River, a distance of 49 km from Zamošć. It contains 3,500 residents, farmers, weavers, or other trades.

(According to Maliszewski Edward and Boleslaw Alszewicz – The Geographic Handbook, a special effort of the interests of Poland. First Part, Warsaw 1925. Tszaska. Evert and Michalski, page 365).

Frampol – a settlement, once – a little shtetl beside the Lado River in the Lublin Guberniya, ZamošćPowiat , a distance of 85 viorst from the nearest train station in Lublin. The population – 4,060. It was founded as a settlement in 1705, by the then owner Franciszek Butler. The later owner, Jan Wisolcki, raised the level of the settlement to that of a city in 1773. King Stanislaw August gave the shtetl the right to hold seven fairs, and organized groups of weavers, shoemakers and pot makers. The difficult communication did not permit the shtetl to develop. Now, in current times, the material status of the residents has improved, the population has grown and together with that, commerce and handcrafts developed. The residents are engaged in agriculture, weaving, making pots and shoemaking. They do [this work] without a large number, items from sheepskin to the tune of 150 thousand pieces a year. Commerce is very weak. At six fairs, the greatest movement was in the sale of livestock. The settlement has a large municipal plaza and 12 streets, to be truthful – not paved, but kept very clean, that even the Cholera epidemic of 1894 did not affect the settlement. In general, the population is clean and employed. The stone parish cloister was built in the year 1873, at the expense of the parish residents. Apart from this, there is also an old wooden cloister named for the Saint Jan Niepomuc, built in 1740 by Graf Jozef Butler. The birch synagogue was erected in 1875. In the settlement, there is a municipal office, and elementary school and a post office. The houses are mostly made of wood.

(Leonard da Werdman Zhak – Short monographs of all the towns, large and small, and settlements in the Polish kingdom. Warsaw 1902, pages 52-53).

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Anti-Semitic Occurrences

More than ten years ago, our little shtetl was not comparable to its current appearance. The city square was so big, that an outside traveler arriving, could lose a lot of time at night until he came upon the right address. He was also exposed to a specific danger. There were so many pits, little hills and potholes, that many undeserved and incorrect stories were attached to it, but sometimes –they were entirely correct. For example, it was related that wolves ate up the burgomaster^[6] of Frampol in the city square; when the burgomaster drowned in the river and he could not be saved, there was a joker,that showed the drowned man a ducat. Because of this, he acquired the suitable authority – and he saved himself. As the old residents relate, the burgomasters of those times were not always spenders. It appears that need compelled them that they should be stingy with their money, because the little shtetl was very poor. Today things are different already. The city plaza was made smaller, consisting of half its original size, and on the old outhouses there are now pretty little houses with gardens.

It is necessary to recognize that the local residents are clean people and fully employed, like worker ants. One can be very certain to count Frampol among the cleanest towns in our entire Guberniya, when the Cholera spread over the neighboring towns of Szczebrzeszyn and Janow in 1894, we lost only one – someone who had come to visit from an area with had been touched by the epidemic. The shtetl contains 400 good wooden houses, with permanent residents of over 4,000,' – of which – half were Jews, who complain today that it is not possible to deal in contraband or strong drink, which was a good form of business for them.

We have here a district office, a post office, and a school with one class. The local cloister was erected with the help of smaller donations and work by the people, thanks to the priest Kartuz, who, as an example, worked alongside the simple laborers, landless residents, and contains two locations with handwork shops, the richest had several. Even a child who is only a few years old can work with linen. The primary goal of every resident is to be able to purchase a plot of land. For this reason, the prices for land in our area are very high, for a Marg of land (not even for planting wheat), one pays between 300 and 3,000 rubles.

Not long ago, a woman of the Mosaic faith arrived here and converted to Christianity. She married a young, intelligent man. May God bless the young couple...

(An excerpt from the “Gazeta Lubelska,” 1899, No. 91, p. 3.)

The settlement (previously a small shtetl) in the ZamošćPowiat, the district and parish Frampol, which occupies the lawful place according to the court ruling in Goraj, lying in the western part of

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the Powiat, beside the Lado River, on the Post track of Bilgoraj to Janow Lubelski ('Ordinacki') and lies on the border of the Jano Powiat. Frampol is 46 viorst from Zamošć. It is 24 viorst from Szczebrzeszyn and 17.5 viorst from Janow Lubelski, Frampol is 70 viorst from Lublin and Reiwic, a crossover point for the railroad train. The little shtetl was founded in Minor Poland in 1705, in the former voievode of Lublin, Uzhendower powiat, by its owner at the time, Franciszek Butler. It was only first in 1773 that the later owner Jan Wislocki, the heir to Butler, raised Frampol from a city and installed a modern municipal management with a cadre of weavers, shoemakers and pot makers. King Stanislaw August confirmed this by granting it a special privilege, an act of December 1, 1389, with a right to hold seven annual fairs. However, this shtetl developed weakly because of the difficult communication resources, and did not attain the true character of a city, for which, in 1870, it was degraded to the level of a simple settlement.

At the first partition of Poland in 1772, Frampol was the border-point of Galicia, which ran from Silesia, Vistula to the San [River] discharge; additionally – past Frampol, Zamošć , Hrubieszow –up to the Bug River and ended at Zvarazh, Podhartzeh and the Dniester River.

The cloister from the time of the founding of Frampol belonged to it – a wooden building, which up to the year 1873 was sustained by the support of the local parish and in later times – and had gained permission with the right to issue birth certificates (metrikehs). During 1873-1878, the time when the [new] cloister was built, a Jewish synagogue for 1,189 of the faithful. Apart from the mentioned cloisters and synagogue, Frampol now also has: a district office, a savings and loan bank, post office, a peoples' school, 11 small shops and stores around an excessively large city square, which is distinguished by its level surface: [There are] 12 streets (unpaved), 227 houses, two of which are made of concrete. In 1870 there were 130 wooden houses here. This settlement covers 423 Marg^[7], counting in farm land. And of gardens there were – 393 Marg. The settlement numbers 2,154 permanent residents, of which 953 are Catholic, 7 are Russian Orthodox, and 1,189 Jews. The Christian population consists of 245 farmers and their families. The rest of the Catholic populace is engaged in weaving, making pots, and shoemaking. The Jews are mostly engaged in retail trades and speculation.

In 1827 there were 114 houses, 654 residences. The local land consists of clay, gray in some places, mixed with sand, and also just of sand, where there are to be found a few places of stones and gravel. The contour of the land is more regular, the working of the land – common and unpredictable. The populace has a significant desire to plant orchards, even in a small area.

The following villages belonged to the Frampol district: Aleksandrovka with 9 shops, occupying 53 Marg; the Buczyn Fall works which belongs to Buczynsky, 139 farmed parcels occupying 138K Marg and 150 Marg of forest. These villages are: Karluwka, Komodzianka, Kanti, Niemirov, Zhetczytsa, Staroviesz, Sokoluvka, Teodorowka, Woly Radzhientszyska and Woly Kantecka.

(Excerpts from the Geographic Dictionary, Second volume, Warsaw 1881, pp. 400-401)

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A Shtetl in the Zamošć Powiat

There were nine villages in our parish, and the shtetl of Frampol, where one finds a cloister in the gothic style, erected in 1873, on the place of the older one made of wood. The villages, which lay on the sand area, do not have any good appearance with a few exceptions, which were on better land. The residents there were sunk into a great embarrassment. There is a school in only one such village, which however, is empty for most of the year, because the children are busy shepherding livestock. They don't read any books. A number of balebatim get the 'Gazeta Szwieontetczna.' In the residences, which consist of one room, a chamber and an entry hall, there is great disorder. Pitiably, the residents are poverty stricken, [eating only] potatoes. In the summer, their clothing consists of a shirt, white linen trousers and a long jacket, called a 'porczanka.'

In general, the people here are quiet, relaxed and busy with work.

Only five peasants belong to the farming circle which has been in existence for two years, the same ones that read the 'Gazeta Szwieontetczna.' The (limited) membership of the farming circle is not the fault of only the peasants, they make little use of the reading club and the library, but also the management, because it did not take an interest at the start, when many signed up. This year, many of the young people went off to Prussia to seek employment.

So much for the villages.

And now, we turn to the shtetl of Frampol itself and its residents.

The settlement of Frampol, once a small shtetl in the ZamošćPowiat, Lubliner Guberniya, founded in the year 1705, consists of 405 houses. The houses are all wooden, except for the one Rathaus, which is made of concrete.

The local residents occupy themselves with farming and weaving, working with ordinary linen. Thanks to this industry, there is no poverty, because every member of a family aged 15 and above, can easily earn a half-ruble per day.

I have counted 305 weaving shops, which operate every day. The people here are subdued and quiet, having work and tied to the fatherland. It is possible to infer that the local people lack solidarity in order to prevent their reliance upon the Jews. And this leads to the fact that the largest part of earnings from working the land is taken away by Jewish middlemen.

About a year ago, a weaving cooperative was organized, lacking only an appropriate leader, and therefore not achieving its goal. The cooperative vegetated. Several years ago, thanks to the effort of Mr. Maskalevsky from Zwiezhniec, a weaving school was opened here, whose objective was to instruct the local youth. Only a few men took advantage of this school, and the rest of the populace was drawn to it in the same way. Today, this school no longer exists, and its shops are being run by themselves, by the former manager, who works out porters, tablecloths, towels and other things. His tenure at this workplace is guaranteed. He cannot satisfy all the demands that he gets from various parts of the land. The local weavers get the raw material for ordinary linen mostly from the local shops, during the time of the fairs. For more delicate work, the material is brought from Warsaw and Lodz.

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None of the Frampol residents has any middle or higher education, but most everyone can read the printed word and most have the skill to write. I ran into about 50 men who could neither read nor write, but these were older people. The reading of books and newspapers is, as it is in the villages, not developed.
There are community social institutions: there is a farmers' circle under the name of 'Rolla,' with a reading room and a library, volunteer firemen, and a chorus of four voices.

There are 560 books of various kinds, which are given out to the farmers ever Sunday and on holidays. The local residents get books – whenever they want to. There are 200 readers registered at the library. No special amount of money is taken for borrowed books, but there is a money box, into which everybody can drop in a voluntary contribution for the benefit of the library. The following newspapers can be found in the library: 'Haslo,' 'Goniec Poranny e Wiczorny' 'Szwiat,' 'Spolem,' 'Gazeta Szwieontetczna.' 'Zaraniya' 'Khlop Polski' 'Wiara' 'Posziew' and 'Polak Katolik.'

(Jozef Skimberowicz. 'Ziema Lubelska' 1908, from the 3rd of May No. 120, under the heading, 'Correspondents.')

Frampol, in the Lublin Voievode, is on the track from Szczebrzeszyn to Janow. The tested stones for the material used to build the Zamošć fort were taken from the local stone quarries.
Andzhi Slowoczynski – Poland in an Historic-Statistical-Geographic sections,
Paris 1833-38 Polish Book Store and Printing, p. 108

Frampol, Voievode Lublin, Zamošć circle, Tarnogrod Powiat, Frampol Parish. The Powiat composition is 114 houses. The general population: 654, The distance to the district city – 2 miles.

(According to the Table of the City, Villages, Settlements. First Section, Warsaw 1827, p. 119)

Frampol, Lublin Voievode, ZamošćUyezd, belongs to those places where Jews did not encounter any difficulties regarding residence. In 1856 there were 837 Christians, Jews – 652. According to the census of 1897, there were 2,539 residents in Frampol, of which there were 1,251 Jews.

('Yevreiskaya Entziklopedia' Volume 415, Petersburg 1912)

Frampol, Bilgoraj Powiat. The number of Jews for the years 1939 – 1,935: Before 1940 – 377.

The little shtetl of Frampol was burned down during wartime operations, and the residents spread themselves out over six villages in the vicinity.

Following the minutes of the acts of the Jewish Community Self-Help, in the month of March, 1941, there were 538 Jews in Frampol, and in June 1942 – 685. The Frampol Jews were led to Belzec to be exterminated on November 2, 1942.

T. Berenstein: 'The Martyrology, Resistance and Battle of the Jewish populace in the Lublin Voievode in the time of the Hitlerist occupation.'

Translator's footnotes

1. The classic Yiddish name for a small town, which was emblematic of how Eastern European Jews lived together. It is the diminutive of the German stadt, which describes a full-sized city. Return
2. The Hebrew name for 'A Book of the Times.' Return
3. The Hebrew acronym that stands for the year 1648, when Chmielnicki launched his assault against the Jews of Eastern Europe. It is often coupled with the acronym for the following year, 1649, producing an acronym of Ta”Khv'Ta”T. Return
4. The territory of Poland is divided into voievodeships (provinces); these are further divided into powiats (counties or districts), and these in turn are divided into gminas(communes or municipalities). Major cities normally have the status of both gmina and powiat. Return
5. A Russian measure of distance equivalent to 0.66 miles (1.1 kilometers). Sometimes rendered as versts. Return
6. The equivalent of a Mayor, or Chief Administrator. Return
7. An old Russian measure of land area. Return

[Page 8]

About a half-century ago, Frampol numbered about 800 Jewish souls, which consisted of storekeepers and laborers. The itinerant peddlers going to the villages were counted as merchants, who sold their manufactured city products to the peasants in exchange for eggs, butter, cheese, milk, flax, linen, and grain, as well as fruit. All of this was brought to the shtetl, Here, one could already find retail merchants who would buy all of this and take it off to Janow, Bilgoraj, Szczebrzeszyn and Zamość.

The town storekeepers sold food, leather, cuts of material, clothing and sweet products. Most of these were Hasidim.^[1]

Again, the working people like the shoemakers, tailors, boot makers, carpenters, fur handlers, hat makers and bakers – nearly all were made up of well-to-do families with many children. To earn enough to support such large families only came with difficulty.

The real living was drawn from the big fairs, which were run once a week, every Monday. Among the prayers of the Frampol Jews was in winter – no snow, or intense frosts. This was due to the fact that if bad weather would disrupt the market-day, Jews went about in a state of concern: How will earnings be obtained, or – where can one get a charitable loan in order to make it through the week?

Despite this, children were married with great dignity, and the daughters, as was the custom, were given larger and smaller dowries. The Jewish holidays were celebrated with great fervor, and they made an effort not to be embarrassed in comparison to Jews from the surrounding, wealthier towns.

The Jews of Frampol were dominated by Hasidism, they believed in great Tzadikkim and Rebbes, and they viewed Hasidim as a physical manifestation of divinity itself. Occasionally, one of the popular Tzadikkim would drop in for a visit into the shtetl – and this was a great experience for young and old alike. Such a visit pushed everything else into the shadows, including worries, and making a living. I wish to describe the visit of the Rebbe of Kuzmir:

The news that the Rebbe was willing to pay us a visit, brought the entire populace into a spiritual high. Since we did not know from which direction he planned to arrive in Frampol, the triumphal gates were put up on the three chief roads that led into the shtetl: The Road to Janow, Bilgoraj and

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Szczebrzeszyn. Benches were hammered together for the Bet HaMedrash^[2], on top of the other, until they reached the soffit and hung with multi-colored lamps, that literally lit up the entire inside like daylight. We were also not stingy with mottoes one of which I even remember till now:

‘Bozhe Khranii Tsariya Nikolaya Vtorova’ (God protect the Czar Nicholas II)

We were tense for the entire week, when we found out that the Rebbe is arriving Thursday evening, along the Janow Road. The entire shtetl, young and old, even the Poles, went out into the street. Nobody was left in the house. The Rebbe appeared at 11 o'clock at night, surrounded by sixty well-dresses young men, who rode on nicely decorated horses escorted by wagons and carriages packed full with Hasidim from the surrounding towns. The train extended up to the courtyard of the nobleman Zilnek. In front, the previously brought-in Bilgoraj musicians were stretched out, led by Tevel Marszalik, and played happy marches. On both sides of the road, there were Frampol Jews, with burning straw torches in their hands. They wanted to get a glance of the Tzaddik, but because of the crowd it was impossible to see anything.

I was eight years old at the time. I climbed up on the roof of Joseph Zitrinbaum's house and from there I could exactly see the arrival of the carriage, drawn by four horses. The Rebbe stopped at the Rathaus, which was in the middle of the market. Right after standing up, the Rebbe raised his arms high, and blessed the shtetl from all sides. Then the Hasidim rushed him and greeted him heartily and with great respect, and escorted him into the new, and as yet unfinished, home of R' Shmuel Joseph Kestenbaum. Inside there were very large, beautiful and well-lit rooms. But there was no way they could accommodate the enormous crowd, whether local or those from the outside, who besieged the house. Dawn began to break outside, when the last of the Hasidim dispersed.

On Friday morning, as usual, I went off to the Heder of Herschel Melamed. In the street, I encounter children from other Heders, who joyfully advise that today there will be a ‘manifest.’ All the Melamdim^[3] let their Heders go in order to prepare and receive the Kuzmir (Rebbe). Various groups began to gather in the market. Each one wanted to outdo the other with the exceptional deeds and miracles which they alone had seen and heard from the Tzaddik. There was ecstasy on their faces, and their eyes sparkled from spiritual uplifting.

At about three in the afternoon, the Rebbe, escorted by a group of Hasidim, went to the bath house. The shtetl came alive again. People began to ready themselves to welcome the Sabbath. Upon returning from the Mikva, and going off to the synagogue to receive the Sabbath, Jews who were bathed and dressed in their finery appeared from all streets, byways and houses – alone, or accompanied by their children and headed for the synagogue, in order to enjoy the privilege to pray alongside the Tzaddik and say ‘Shalom’ to him.

There was a great deal of overcrowding, lots of crowds, and pushing in the synagogue, which could

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not accommodate the hundreds of worshipers. Many, many stood outside. These same took themselves to the Great Bet HaMedrash, when the ‘Kuzmir’ [Rebbe] presided over the Tisch. The Hasidim sat around the long tables and swallowed every word that emanated from his mouth. The Rebbe himself, with an attractive face, sat up front, having Shlomo Herman at his right hand and Wolf Ber Shokhet, and Shmuel Moshe the Cantor, Itzik Kestenbaum and his son Shmuel Joseph, Moshe-Mendl Aszenberg, Moshe Zibner, etc. On the left side: Aharon Mahler, Sani Steinberg, Elchanan Weltczer, Shmulik Hoff, Berisz Elbaum and many Hasidim from the surrounding towns.

To begin his speaking about Torah, the Rebbe began with the sentence: ‘Pinchas ben Eliezer ben Aharon HaKohen’ – and immediately the entire audience reacted as if hypnotized. With open ears and mouths one listened to the sacred words emanating from the Rebbe's mouth. After that, the leaders of the Tisch, R' Wolf-Ber Shokhet, and Zindl Lehrer from Janow (Elbaum) sang by themselves and led with further singing. Afterwards, everyone who was close to the Rebbe was called out by name that he should take Shirayim. After the Rebbe left, the tables were pushed back and from the beginning danced a variety of Hasidic dances with ardor, and in the course, snatched a ‘Kozaczok,’ a ‘Khlopkeh’ and other dances.

On Saturday night, related and also outside visiting Hasidim again gathered around the large and new house of R' Shmuel Joseph Kestenbaum, who was an ardent Hasid of the Rebbe, and a son of the most wealthy man in the shtetl, filling the large and as-yet empty rooms, waiting patiently on line to come into the Rebbe's presence with a kvittl^[4] (and naturally also with an emolument). It was enough to look upon the shining faces of the Hasidim coming out, in order to assess their faith and confidence that they had been helped from this day forward…

This went on until after midnight. Later, the tables were set with a variety of food and drink, prepared by the families of Kestenbaum and Weltczer (they were relatives) – with such generosity and for such a large assembly, that even the richest of people could not permit. They considered it a great honor to receive the Tzaddik in their house and at the same time, utilized the event in order to put on a double feast: The dedication of their new house (which, at that time was the biggest and most beautiful in the shtetl) and the Bar Mitzvah of their son Sholom-Ber, who had studied very well (under the tutelage of the Melamed R' Fyvel Szleicher).

The Tzaddik of Kuzmir sat at the head of the table, having the Bar Mitzvah boy on his right side, and on the left side – his Melamed. And then, according to protocol the distinguished people which at that time were the Heads of the community, and decided in all of the issues of the shtetl such as: selection of a Rabbi, a Shokhet, designating a Melamed, etc. The grandfather of the Bar Mitzvah, Itzik Mirels (that is what he was called) and the father, R' Shmuel Joseph were the first ones seated on both sides of the Tisch, and after them – balebatim: Elchanan Weltczer, Moshe Zibner, Aharon Mahler, Moshe-Mendl Aszenberg, Mordechai Avigdor Levinger and others.

The Bar Mitzvah gave a lecture and recited 32 pages of the Gemara by heart, which engendered

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astonishment not only in the large host of Hasidim, but even the Rebbe himself, who gave the boy an inspired kiss on the head, and afterwards he took the Bar Mitzvah boy with both of his hands, and blessed him, (saying) there should only be many such sons from the Jewish people. After eating and drinking, the laughing Hasidim sang and danced until morning.

On Sunday, the building of the house first began, where the Rebbe was put up. From the surrounding towns, Jews came traveling, even with their wives and children, in order to approach the Tzaddik with a kvittl and work out with him all that was good. It was wondrous to see these simple village Jews, who practically abandoned their assets and came to the Rebbe for him to bless them. This is the way Frampol was tied up for five whole days and nights, when the Rebbe of Kuzmir came here to visit.

At 12 o'clock noon on Tuesday, escorted by all those near to him and a large host of Jews – he traveled off home. It was only at that point that the shtetl calmed down and everyone returned to their daily concerns.

At the end of my memories I wish to describe how the education of children looked where we lived. First of all – (there were) the conditions in which the larger majority of the Frampol Jews lived. [It was] in one room where one would find the kitchen and the oven. A large family lived this way, with many children, for whom providing food was like the crossing of the Red Sea, never mind clothing them and getting themselves shoes. Most suffered from hunger and cold, dressed in torn rags and barefoot. In the summer it was only half-bad, but in the winter, children had to be ordered on the oven, where, at the very least, it was a bit warm.

When a boy reached to age of 3, he was ‘lent’ to a Heder^[5], run by one of the elementary school Melamdim in the shtetl: Yiddl Melamed, who was blind in one eye; or Beinusz Melamed, who was also a bagel-baker. When a child did not grasp very well what the Rebbe was teaching, he received blows from a whip that the Melamed held in one hand, which had five or seven strands– and some of the time, with the handle as well. Every Melamed had a helper, who would assemble the smaller children and lead them to the Heder. To this day, I can feel the blows from the Rebbe or his helper when for some reason or another I didn't want to or couldn't go to Heder. The child would be instructed by this elementary level Melamed for two years. Among the older students, there were three who had begun to learn the Parsha of Leviticus: David, Levi Turobiner and Naphtali Melamed. They studied with the children Pentateuch with Rashi commentary for three years, until the child began to learn the Gemara. These were then ‘loaned out’ to the Gemara Heders of the Melamdim Abraham Hirsch Korn, Netanel Steinberg and Israel Finkelstein. They inculcated the children with entire pages of Gemara^[6] and Tosafot^[7]. But they did not learn any secular studies, such that when a young boy, upon completing six years of Heder, did not know how to recognize a number and could not sign his name…

Translator's footnotes

1. The plural of Hasid, denoting an ultra-Orthodox Jewish man, usually the adherent to the congregation of a Rebbe. Return
2. Hebrew for ‘A House of Study.’ A separate building from a Synagogue, where worship was also conducted, but principally given over to the study of Holy Writ. Return
3. The plural of Melamed, being the Hebrew name for a “teacher,” in this case of religious subjects. Return
4. A small chit of paper, usually bearing a request from the holder. Return
5. The Hebrew word for a room, used to designate a classroom where religious studies were conducted. Return
6. The complete discussions and disputations of the religious scholars (Amoraim) who analyze the Mishna and laid the foundations for the formal enunciation of Jewish Law as it is understood today. Return
7. The ‘added commentary’ of scholarly analysis, supplementing the Rashi commentary on the Talmud. Return

[Page 12]

The night spread its darkness over the little, down beaten shtetl of Frampol. It is quiet everywhere. All are asleep. The thin shutters block the low-slung windows. From somewhere or another, a pale light comes through.

A still little wind steals its way into the shtetl, and cascades over the rotten shingles on the pitiful roofs. On the roof of Chan Naftczarnia one can hear the frequent banging of the metal, that barely hold themselves high up. One thinks that, any minute now, they will roll down into the street.

From afar, one hears the crowing of a rooster, an extended ku!-ku-ri-ku! By contrast, from Moshe-Mendl's yard one hears the noise of turkeys.

If one of the residents could fly up into the air, over the shtetl, he would certainly be sure, that he could envelop all of Frampol, in his two arms, which remains sunk in a deep sleep, dreaming, and fantasizing… perhaps about a rich uncle in America, who will certainly respond with a ship's ticket or a letter in which there will be a few dollars; or of an aunt in Canada, who will remember the Old Country, and the family she left behind in Frampol and send them a few dollars, a small check, a demand…

Yoss'keh Shimshon roused himself. He is not certain whether or not his wife, Yente-Shayndl is asleep, but he calls out:

– When my Malka Nekh'ehs would send us, my word, a, a, a thousand dollars… she would not stress herself, and for sure, it wouldn't hurt us. How does the gentile say this: ‘Od pszibitkuglovaniebolii.’

Yente-Shayndl did hear her husband speaking. She straightens out the curl on her head and sleepily replies:

– You haven't extracted yourself a bit too badly. Using the same opportunity, she could send us ten thousand dollars. What the…? Is there a lack of money in America? They are all stuffed full of it…

– How many, for example, might there be in Crowns for a thousand dollars? Hah, Yente-Shayndl?

The darkness of the night still lingers over Frampol, but on the Janow road, the still sleepy Hersch Gritker, the fur coat tailor, is on his way. A sack full of merchandise is slung over his back. He begins to softly hum a tune, ending it on a loud voice and then coughs vigorously. Later, he

[Page 14]

begins to talk to himself: ‘Ach, a bad road, clay, mud, and dust everywhere.’ It is fortunate that the shtetl has a road of 20 arszyn (dwellings). He can already hear the scraping of the wagons coming his way. This means that somebody else had left to go on his way. One thinks that the squeaking of the unlubricated wheels can be heard as far as Aharon Shayndl's house.

The wagon comes nearer – and here we encounter Frampol Jews whom we recognize: Crazy Sariyeleh, who shouts and screams, thereby making happenings; R' Chaim-Shlomo with his sons, who are now traveling to the fair to sell freshly-baked small pletzlech; The commissioner of fish, Jany Bakwill and others. They are stuffed inside like herring, by good humored and happy they ride behind the wagon driver, along with the horses…

Translator's footnote

1. This description was written in the year 1920. Forty years later, in 1960, it was turned over for the Yizkor Book to our friend A. Bekher (who lived in New York at that time), by his cousin, Rosa Elbaum. (Author's footnote) Return

I turned ten years old – I had already made my way through the entire way that a Jewish youth could do in Frampol, who began learning from the Melamdim since the age of 3. The shtetl had become too crowded for me, and I began to demand of my father that he take me to his brothers in Zamość. I remained with my uncles in Zamość for 2 years, and I learned in Heder there as well. At the age of 12, when I returned to Frampol, I wanted to attend a school, which our parochial small-town Jews looked upon as an apostasy. When a young man came from Warsaw with his parents to live in Frampol, he enrolled in the ‘Gentile Szkola’ and together with all of the Christian children, we learned Russian and other secular studies. My friend Avrom'cheh could not stand the harassment and traveled back to Warsaw. I, not wanting to remain among so many anti-Semitic youths, traveled back to Zamość where I finished a school and began to work and earn money. It was only on the Holidays that I would come home to my parents.

In the year 1910, when I was already 18 years old, using the money I had made for the whole season, I made a new suit and came home for Passover. Feeling proud I paraded on the floor with my new suit. All my friends and friendly girls looked at me with envy.

On the seventh day of Passover nearly the entire townspeople spent the clear spring day strolling. It was first at nightfall that we, a group of friends, went to the Bet HaMedrash to perform the Mincha^[1] service. Since we make a great pause between Mincha and Maariv, we once again went out into the street and on Frampol's road for strolling we encountered our female friends, who did not want to go home yet, because the full moon that night enchanter everyone. Each of us boasted to the girls about what he had done, and I, at the least, expressed my independence by my modern suit.

Coming up to the Rathaus, we suddenly heard the alarm trumpet. A fire must have certainly broken out. We took off running in the direction of the road to Bilgoraj, from where one could see tongues of fire and smoke. While running, I recollected that I cannot help extinguish the fire while wearing my new suit for which I had to work for a whole season, I therefore turned off onto our side street, fell into the house like a laser beam, quickly threw off the suit, quickly donned my weekly dress, and

[Page 14]

not even answering the question of my frightened house residents, I quickly went out from the house. Approaching the house of Mordechai Joseph Hinde Mireh'lehs, I take a glance behind me, and noticed that it was the attic of our own home that was on fire, on which there stood a Sukkah. Not hearing my father's shouting: ‘You'll get burned, wait for the fire-fighters.’ I concluded that I could not wait for water because of the great flames. I then threw my jacket on the fire and pressed on it. Immediately, the fire was extinguished. With more energy, I began to beat on the bushes which I also extinguished. But the wooden shingles were still burning on the roof. With my bare hands, I then broke out a hope in the shingles, pushed through my had with the jacket and beating on the fire with it, I was able to extinguish it. However, in no way could I control the asphyxiating smoke, which sat over the tar-covered roof and shingles, smeared on like an oven, like a troublemaker, half choked from the smoke with singed hands, I let myself down from the attic, and only now, our neighbor run up and asks:

– Should I bring some water?

–We don't need it anymore – I replied.

I ran into the fire fighters who just now appeared and I declared to them that they no longer have anything to go up for. However, they did not want to believe me, pushed me to the side and went up into the attic, controlling the smoke, When they came down afterwards, they patted me on the back being satisfied, and called me ‘molodiec^[2]’ and proposed that I become a fire fighter. As it became evident later, the fire came about because of the fault of Pesseh'leh Yente's, a local person near us, who had the flat board with the matzos hanging in the Sukkah. At night, she went up to the attic to get some matzos, but did not notice the small candle which she was holding in her hand, had ignited the skhakh^[3] which had been let lying there since last year and was very well dried out.

Circles of men and women stood around for many hours and, and wondered at my presence and energy. I, by contrast went to sleep satisfied, and wit the thought that because I came home, I saved our poor house from the fire, and perhaps the entire shtetl.

After this, I emigrated to America

Translator's footnotes

1. Prayers recited in the afternoon at a synagogue. Return
2. The Russian nickname for a youngster. Return
3. The pieces of small branches used to create a roof covering for a sukkah. Return

[Page 15]

Frampol has behind it a history of centuries, as attested to by historical sources and information form old headstones in its cemetery; and also that the Jewish settlement in Frampol has its own history. I will limit myself to writing about the events of those years that I personally lived through and to the extent that they are etched into my memory.

I wish to dedicate the following lines to the shtetl that was and is now no more. [To its] dear Jews who were eradicated in Sanctification of the Name (of G-d). Let us hope that – without any polishing – this will bring out the life of Jewish Frampol, whose formation and development I have provided my oldest contribution.

Today, I pose the following question to myself: How did the miracle occur, that Frampol, ringed by the Goraj mountains to the north, the Grajec-Szczebrzeszyn mountains on its east side, and with ‘Polish roads’ from Bilgoraj, Janow, Goraj and Szczebrzeszyn, without a train station, far from larger Jewish settlements – did not remain behind similar, but larger Jewish settlements in Poland, even thought their geographic location was more advantageous? Coming to Frampol, especially in the fall and winter, was quite difficult. Wagons sunk into the mud, and not only once did a wagon driver recite the blessing ‘Gomel,’ if he returned safely to the shtetl. The nearest train station in Zwiezhniec – was 20 km distant. Also in the shtetl proper, the streets were covered in… mud.

Such are my memories of Frampol, where Jews lived with faith, that He who sits on high, and nourishes the entire world, will also be a Father of mercy to his Jewish people in the shtetl and not forget them. That is why, when they first arose, they prayed to their Creator, studied and prayed in the fully-packed Bet HaMedrash. In addition it was not forgotten to recite a chapter of the Psalms, or a lesson in the Gemara. If there was anyone who required [the presence] of a Frampol Jewish person, and in early morning hours – he could find him only in the Bet HaMedrash. All of them could be found there.

This was the normal weekday. If the month of Elul drew near, with its days of increased awareness, with Selichot^[1] and of the High Holy Days – a God-induced fear enveloped everyone. Using a wooden hammer, the Shammes^[2] would knock on the shutters and wake people to do the work of the Creator.

In those years, all of Jewish life concentrated itself in the Bet HaMedrash, whether this was in the morning, at the time of Shakharit, or in the evenings between Mincha and Maariv. Frequently, a skilled speaker of the commentaries would come, or an emissary from the Yeshiva, and with their orations between Mincha and Maariv disrupted the small town monotony. After the oration, such a Jew would post himself by the door, in order to collect donations. A more important orator or emissary would go around to the houses of the better off important balebatim in the community, to gather up the donations for the Yeshiva, or for other important institutions.t is understood, that all world news, politics, wars, memorials, and above all – news from the shtetl itself, was heard only in the Bet HaMedrash…

[Page 16]

When a Sabbath or a Holiday arrived – you could not recognize Frampol. Not only the residents discarded the weekly inner mood, but literally – the entire shtetl, along with the streets, houses and dwellings. Both the young and old participated in the Sabbath stroll; and if the Jews stayed asleep in their rest-bestowing Sabbath sleep – the shtetl also rested. There was no trace of business or work. The Sabbath was sensed in every corner, even the air was filled with the aura of the Sabbath.

This is the way Jews lived and hoped, that this way of life will continue for many generations. Children were raised, the children grew up, got married, brought new children [into the world] – just that everything was done as it was done by their father and grandfather. And in the spiritual life – [was derived only from the] books that were on the shelves of the Bet HaMedrash

Rarely, a pamphlet containing a story would happen to appear in the shtetl, which an itinerant peddler sold along with a little prayer book and a set of tzitzit^[3]. I am of the opinion that, in those years, if a spark of the Haskalah would have penetrated into Frampol, it would have been immediately extinguished. Who knows whether anyone wanted to support it and spread it about. The various Rebbes, who would often visit our shtetl, strengthened piety and warned against new winds [of belief]… What this means is that they came to visit their Hasidim, but also not to forget to extract their dues.

A great fire broke out in the year 1907, and nearly half the shtetl was burned down. This misfortune began in the house of Mordechai-Joseph Waldman's house on the Sokolowka street and the flames moved the ash almost to the road to Bilgoraj. The important thing is that it was the Jewish sector that suffered the most from this. With the smoke, the house of my grandfather Joseph-Itzik Zelda's was carried away with the smoke, as well as the house of my parents who lived in the house of Blind Mekhl'eh.

Left without a roof over my head, my parents traveled to Bilgoraj. I was still a child. Regarding our new domicile, the following question was posed with all acuity: What to do with me? My grandfather Joseph-Itzik Zitrinbaum had a grain operation and was also a merchant in Lenczna and dealt in tobacco (butter); my grandmother, known in the shtetl as Dvora'leh the Baal-Tzedaka and my father – Israel'keh the Pentateuch, and Rash'i commentaries teacher, as well as Gemara. The thought arose that I should be taken over to Rozwodow, [in] Galicia, there to learn from the Rebbe – and this would be a joining of Torah and merchandising in one place.

I arrived in Rozwodow in 1912, at the time of the Mendl-Beilis trial. In the city, a group called ‘Speakers of Hebrew’ already existed, as well as a strong Zionist movement. Despite the fact that the Holy Tongue at that time was considered not fit to teach in the Hasidic world, I immediately became a member of the ‘Speakers of Hebrew’ group, and began to take an interest in Zionism.

[Page 17]

This is how I spent my time in Rozwodow until the year 1915 – after which, I traveled back to Frampol, where my parents still lived. I found the shtetl in the same condition as when I left, with the difference, that Russian military was stationed there. There was a war going on in the world. However, Frampol made no progress because of this.

You can understand that the war operations on the fronts, and the frequent change of hands of the shtetl by various armies in Frampol, simply created concern and troubles among the people. Especially – the Jewish section. The shtetl felt itself to me more beaten and impoverished.

In the month of Tammuz 1916, the Russians left Frampol and in their place came the Austrians. As is usually the custom in case of a military retreat, the Russians, also this time, left behind chaos. Along with this, they took large parts of the Jewish settlement with them, who returned afterwards.

Meanwhile typhus raged through Frampol. There was not a single Jewish home, that this terrifying disease did not touch. Most of the family members were bedridden with a high fever, and there was no one to look after the sick. This situation led to the establishment of a self-help society called ‘Linat HaTzedek.’

The founders of this active institution were: ‘White Aaron (The Tall One)’, a brother-in-law to Nottl Szindlmakher; Zalman Tenenworcel (Zalman Rimazh); the Zimmerman brothers Zundl and Yehoshua (sons of Dark Shlomo who today are in Israel); Pinchas Zucker's son-in-law; Yankl-Yoss'keh's, Mekhl Ehrter; Leibl Zitrinbaum (my uncle); Yitzhak Shlomo Gaz (Gertzer); Sholom-Ber Kestenbaum, and this writer. Regrettably, I do not remember any additional names.

The goals and objectives of this group were: spending the night beside the poor sick and help them; to distribute both medical and social help.

Every member of Linat HaTzedek had to go spend a night with the sick poor if it happened in their row, and also to pay the monthly membership dues. With the depositing of the dues, every week, again according to row, two other members were involved. Our Jews generously contributed to ‘Linat HaTzedek’ valuing its activities and objectives.

There was an especially difficult objective for that member who was called to come out and lodge the night at the home of a dangerously or chronically sick person. After such a night de-jure the member himself would come home sick and broken.

In later years, R' Leib שו”ב^[4] Krendil, stood at the head of this group, Every year on the Sabbath of the parsha of Bereshit a general meeting took place at which a report was presented of the activities and a new committee was chosen.

The ‘Linat HaTzedek’ had its own separate synagogue for praying, know by the name ‘Lina

[Page 18]

Shtibl.’ For a long time, this shtibl was located in the home of Moshe Yekhezkiel Deitsch (Moshe Bekher).

After a visit by the Warsaw Rebbe to Frampol, his influence was strengthened, and his Hasidim wanted to take over the Linat-Shtibl for themselves. Yankl Yoss'keh's, Chaim-Yehuda Harman, Pin'cheh Elbaum (Stoller) and the owner of the house where the shtibl was found, all of them Warsaw Hasidim chose to transform it into a Warsaw shtibl. But the non-Hasidim of the group especially the craftsmen and simple Jews, did not permit this and the shtibl was transferred over to Malka Moshe-Mendel's (Levinger).

In the years of 1928-32 until my aliyah to Israel, I would lead discussions in the Linat-Shtibl during the days of Sukkot and on Tisha B'Av, about the Land of Israel and about national-historic events, in a light and Zionist spirit.

The economic condition of the Jewish residents of Frampol was very difficult. Normal commerce could not be run. Because of the prohibitions of the military authorities, it was hard to know what was permissible and what was forbidden. Not everyone was adept at taking up smuggling, and because of this, large segments of the population suffered want. As opposed to the Christian residents, apart from them being occupied in their own businesses, they were also positive about being recruited to work on the new road from Janow Lubelski to Bilgoraj, which was carried out by the Austrian authorities. The business of the Poles appealed to me. I asked myself and others, why shouldn't Jews also go to work on the road? I went to my friend, Moshe-David Koenigswald ז”ל (Sobik), tall Mordechai's son, a broad-backed young man and proposed to him that we both go away to work with paving the road. Regarding this, I received his short and final reply: ‘What? Two Jews among 400 Christians?’ I was taken aback by his answer and went alone to the military leadership and I asked him whether he would also employ Jews? I got a positive answer, so I am the first Jew to come to work the following morning. Several days later, every Jew who could simply pick up and hold a shovel in his hand, presented himself for road work. The start was made and thanks to it, many Jews got work and an income in those difficult wartime years.

In the years 1918-1919 life in the shtetl began to get normalized.

In the very heat of the First World War, in the 15^th year when I returned from Rozwodow to Frampol, the social and cultural lives almost didn't exist. It is true that many books were on the shelves of the

[Page 19]

Bet HaMedrash, but only about the Talmud^[5], Poskim^[6] and commentaries. Certainly one also ran into ‘A Guide for the Perplexed’ by Maimonides, or the ‘Kuzari.^[7]’ But there was no book from the newer Jewish literature – anywhere in the shtetl.

Also the general society life was entirely concentrated in the Bet HaMedrash. Most of the youth, just like the old people, sat day and night learning. One might study a page of the Gemara with Poskim, another – A Chapter of the Mishnah. The small town monotony was disturbed when we were visited by orators. Some of them could speak more easily to the masses, the simple Jews, while others held their lectures for educated people and Torah scholars.

We talked about all the events that took place in the land, and commented. The exceptions were the evenings of Monday and Tuesday. Then the principal theme was – the market day. One might talk about loose ends, a second person talked only about fowl, while a third person would relate the sales of horses and cows in the market… This is the way it was with the elderly Jews. At every table, where a group of Jews were sitting, I heard no other forms of expression. It was clear that the youth, despite a piety commensurate with the times, looked for something else and wanted to try out new things.

I carried on conversations with Sholom-Ber Kestenbaum, Chaim-Yehuda Harman, Leib'l Zitrinbaum, Mott'l Lieberbaum, Nahum Aszenberg and others, about establishing a library. All of them shrugged with their shoulders and thus, with resignation, they communicated: ‘The First Man did not fly through here.’ But I did not give up the idea about a library. From Szczebrzeszyn ( the city of the known researcher and Maskil^[8], Yaakov Reifman), as well as from the surrounding small towns, Janow-Lubelski and Bilgoraj, I brought books and distributed them to be read by the young people, who had the will and interest to do so.

When Poland first became independent and the first elections were designated for the Polish Sejm^[9] – The fresh winds began to blow throughout the entire land – and also penetrated into Frampol.

[Page 20]

The First Zionist Activity

Four days before the eve of the Sejm elections I was in Bilgoraj, and there I encountered the lawyer Jonah Ackerman, a well-known Zionist and community activist. Our discussion led to the elections that were near, in which we must take the initiative for the Zionist slate, ‘Correct,’ I replied to him ‘But in Frampol they have no idea of what is meant by ‘Zionism.’’ I knew that, apart for a few sympathizers, there is nobody to hope for…

Thursday night, three days before the election, after returning to Frampol, I went off to Kalman Aszenberg's restaurant (the so-called ‘Kneipeh’) where one could not only eat well, but also engage in a conversation with several people. This immediately led to a conversation about the elections. Chaim Aszenberg, a brother of Moshe-Mendl, who came to Frampol from Warsaw during the war years, declared that if he were still in Warsaw now, he would vote for the ‘Bund.’ How is it that in Frampol he can vote for the ‘Agudah?’ We knew that all day Thursday, various important people in the shtetl went around and distributed voting slips for the Agudah. Chaim Aszenberg had without any choice prepared to vote for the Zionists – but where does one get their voting tickets? I was waiting for this sort of a question. To everyone's astonishment I took out of my wallet a package of ‘numbers’ of the Zionist slate. Also, Yehuda-Meir Katz (Schultz) expressed his willingness to vote for the Zionists. After this, it was decided that tomorrow, on Friday, we should also go around to the houses and distribute the Zionist support-ticket – Number 9. But from where can we obtain so many ‘numbers’ for all of the Jewish residents from Frampol? A method was found for this as well. As soon as Chaim Aszenberg and his friends will finish their card game, they have to wake me, so that I travel off to Bilgoraj in a sled and bring election material from there.

In the morning, Karlak, the son of Benjamin Stoller, did actually bang on the shutter. Happily, I sprang out of bed, in order to get ready for the trip. My inspiration was great, no small thing: I now had loyal helpers to implement the Zionist idea. But I hear Karlak speak from behind the shutter.

– You no longer need to make the tip. Three speakers have arrived from list number 9…

I dressed quickly, in order to greet the guests: Friend Boez from the central committee in Warsaw: Cohen from Zamość, and – if my memory doesn't fail me – Sznycer from Szczebrzeszyn. That same morning, we all went off to the Bet HaMedrash and for the first time in the history of Frampol, we heard a Zionist speech from the podium. The shtetl was exhilarated by the event. The voting initiative first began to be led with enthusiasm.

At a meeting of the craftsmen, which took place at the house of Itzik'l Sternbach (Kalicz) I appeared for the first time before an audience, and spoke about the significance of the voting initiative. A few days later we saw the astounding results: 75% of the Jewish vote was in favor of the Zionist list number 9. The Jewish voters in Frampol created a solidarity with the Zionist movement.

The first open measure of the Zionists in Frampol was crowned with an extraordinary success.

After the elections we put in place a relationship with the Central Zionist Office in Warsaw. M. Ehrter, M. Frieling, L. Zitrinbaum, and other members, stood up to establish a library and a Zionist

[Page 21]

organization. For this purpose, our friend Joseph Honigman went off to Szczebrzeszyn, in order to bring back from there a friend to help us organize the library. However, nothing came of it. Then I personally went to Szczebrzeszyn on foot, in the hope that on the way I will encounter a small wagon, which would take me on. Regrettably, this did not happen – and so we ‘made a trip’ all the way to Szczebrzeszyn…

At a seating with our comrades in Szczebrzeszyn , it was decided to found a Tze'irei Tzion organization in Frampol. Elimelech Zaltzman along with myself and the two comrades from Szczebrzeszyn: Snycer and Bekher, taken in the morning in his wagon to Frampol, where there really was an establishment gathering and on the spot the first several hundred Zlotys were put together for the library.

The first committee of Tze'irei Tzion consisted of the following comrades: Shlomo'keh Zontag – Chair, M. Ehrter, M. Frieling, Yankl Tenenworcel (Rimazh), Zitrinbaum, the writer of these lines – secretary and librarian, and additional comrades, whose names I do not remember.

The first books to be shelved in the library – Graetz's Jewish History (all parts), all the works of Sholom Aleichem, the collection book ‘Yizkor’ dedicated to the fallen guardians in the Land of Israel, the collection book ‘Help’ and additional books in Hebrew: ‘Ahavat Zion’ and ‘Ayit Tzavua’ by Mapu, ‘Lan’ by Freierberg, the collection book ‘Bikurim,’ writings of Peretz, and others.

In the home of Zeinvill Mordechai's (Aszenberg) there was an active loan room. Every evening young people would gather and they went deeply into newspapers, journals, books, and brochures. This activity had to be severely limited, because the required legalization did not exist given by the authorities, for running a library and reading room. Because of this, all of this was organized in my room.

The general cultural and political revival in the shtetl, after Poland got its independence, did not include religious youth. So how does one approach them to win their hearts for the Zionist ideal.

Following the example of other cities and towns, a Mizrahi youth organization was established known by the name Tze'Irei Mizrahi. Their meeting place was located on the road to Goraj, in the house of Yoss'keleh Shimshon's. Apart from the study of sacred texts, such as Tanakh and others, they also learned history, Hebrew, knowledge about The Land. Often there were discussions and debates. The young organization excelled with great activity. A circle conference took place in Lublin of the Mizrahi and Tze'Irei Mizrahi, to which I was a delegate of the Frampol branch.

It is worth telling about the following episode resulting from our Zionist activity in the shtetl: On May 30, 1920, on a Sunday, the Frampol fire-fighters began to decorate the shtetl in honor of the Bishop's visit. With envy, the Jews looked at all the preparations, knowing that they are strangers, uninvited host regarding the festival that was not theirs… As Zionists, willing to utilize every situation, they took the pamphlet with money, out into the street and began to sell them to the gathered Jews. Suddenly the Commandant of the police showed up and asked me, what I was doing, and do I have permission to sell these notes. In short – the incident cost me quite a bit of money.

[Page 22]

‘Tarbut’ and the Drama Circle

A cultural society was created in Frampol in the year 1922, with the name ‘Tarbut,’ which especially became famous with its library and drama circle. In the ranks of the library activity, every Sabbath and Holiday, I would speak in special circles about actual, Zionist and Nationalistic themes, while the dramatic section belonging to the community, had an objective to present in word and pictures, historical and nationalistic personae and events, like the creation of financial resources for the general cultural activity, especially – for the library.

The following founders and participants in this endeavor were: Chaim the Blond, Moshe's, a young man from Warsaw, who found himself in Frampol, Mekhl Ehrter , Yankl Tenenworcel, Yekhiel (Yakh'cheh), Chaim Aszenberg's son-in-law's father from Warsaw, Avraham and Shosh'eh Pankewicz (today in America), Chan'cheh Aszenberg, Sarah Berger, Moshe Pankewicz, Berakh Finkelstein, Berisz Blumer, the brothers, Janek and Joseph Bendler, Baylah Korn, Leibusz Weltczer, Kalman Ehrter and others. Of the presented repertoires I remember the following pieces: Bar-Kochba – by Goldfadn: Tevye the Milkman – by Sholom Aleichem; Chasheh the Orphan Girl by Gordon, The two Kuni Lemels – by Goldfadn, The Romanian Wedding, Hertzel'eh Meyukhas – and others.

A special oversight commission existed at the drama circle to handle each play, before one began to rehearse it. It was only after this certification by the committee (Avraham Pankewicz and the writer of these lines) – that we began to prepare the presentation.

In 1924 the idea of ‘HeHalutz’ also penetrated Frampol. With the visit of A. Bialopolsky from the central [office] in Warsaw, for the first time a regular organizational and cultural-political activity was established. I was placed as the head of the HeHalutz organization and of the Keren-Kayemet^[11] division in the shtetl. Since there was no Hebrew school, I hitched myself to the role of Hebrew teacher – and from 8 o'clock in the morning til 12 o'clock at night we worked on the Zionist front. In this way not one Sabbath or Holiday was overlooked: there were public readings, discussions, and gatherings. The year 1925 can indeed be noted as the record year of Zionist activity in Frampol.

At that time, a general Zionist Organization already existed. Between the two movements – the pioneering one and the General Zionists – a contest began on all fronts of Zionist activity: learning Hebrew, Keren-Kayemet , and clarification work. At the circle conference in Zamość on 17 Tevet1925, Frampol was strongly praised for its work on the national fund. It is understood that there was no lack of stress from a variety of sides. The orthodox circles exhibited strong opposition to the Zionist ideal and to the Zionist youth groups in the shtetl. Whether for the acceptance of some of the Rabbis, and also out of fear of losing the religious influence over the youth, boycotts were

[Page 23]

called for from the study houses and Hasidic homes for all of its activities. The central argument of the pious Jews was, that the Zionist impetus with the same hand will lead to assimilation, at the time when this thing will come to us from the Heavens… They also feared that a Zionist upbringing will divert many young people from the tried and true path…

Attacks of Zionism also came from the left. The ‘Bund’ and the communists saw Zionism as an opposing force to their programs, and because of this, they waged a bitter war against us, using all methods at their disposal. They even resorted to such an absurdity as to when one time at night, they broke into the ‘Tarbut’ library put the books in sacks and threw all of this into… the creek. When the Christians, on the next day went to draw water from the creek, they uncovered the destroyed culture-treasure. It was against such things that the Zionist movement in Frampol had to fight…

Our theater productions did not have any better luck. The party opponents would throw stones or potato peels onto the stage during a performance, in order to incite chaos and disorder. This goes as well for the parents: These people were very frightened for their children, not wanting them to stray into false directions.

There was also a reconstructionists entity founded in Frampol, directed by Moshe'keh Waldman, a close friend of mine and a student, a former Yeshiva student, and a teacher at the local ‘Yavneh School.’ Until the outbreak of the Second World War, they conducted a nice movement.

Dedication of a Headstone on the Frampol cemetery Standing right to left: Liebeh Waldman, Dun'eleh Waldman, Anshel Hoff, Shmuel-Moshe Frieling, Neta Scheinman, Cantor Shmuel-Moshe Waldman, Moshe-David Koenigswald, Leib'l Zitrinbaum, Mendl Ehrter, Gitt'l Zitrinbaum, Sima Waldman

[Page 24]

The ‘Yavneh’ School

In 1930 a national-religious school named ‘Yavneh’ was founded. The teacher Lilienstein stood at the head of this institution. This school excelled with its high level pedagogy, and continued to broaden itself, as opposed to the various primary schools, which were in private hands, but were far from achieving the minimal level that would be demanded of a modern school. In the year 1922 a school was founded by the Lehrer Zilber. Later, the management was taken over by the teacher Zucker. But it was the ‘Yavneh’ School that had the most success, whose founders were: L. Zitrinbaum, M. Ehrter, M. Frieling, Henoch Reinzilber (a hatmaker) and the writer of these lines. The school experienced meaningful growth in the year 1932.The timely presentation of a LagB'Omer^[12] parade by the students, made a large impression on the city, the various public celebrations, including the participation in the official Polish holidays and Gala-days. In the city, appropriate plays for the children were gathered, which were implemented by ‘Yavneh.’

Without exception, Zionist groups in the shtetl did not overlook even one important event in Jewish national life and especially important to everyone, was what took place in the Land of Israel. In the month of Nissan 5685 (1925), when the entire Jewish world celebrated the opening of the Jerusalem-based Hebrew University on Mount Scopus, we in Frampol participated with this happy occasion. Sitting at covered tables, and in listening to speeches about the issues of the day, the celebration took place very successfully and with inspiration. The visit and greeting of the local police Commandant elicited a haughty reaction, who also wished us well… For this, I thanked him heartily.

The bloody events in the year 1929, which were elicited by the Arabs in the Land of Israel, had a profound reaction in Frampol. On the eve of the Sabbath, at Mincha, Rabbi Goldman [said] that tomorrow, on Sunday, there will be a general assembly and a protest-gathering; nobody should leave the city, everyone should attend synagogue. Even though this was a day of ‘Odpust,’ when masses of peasants from the surrounding villages come to attend church, and from whom the Jews earned money by selling sweets, drink and baked goods – despite this, the entire adult Jewish population of Frampol came to the protest-gathering. (It was told that only Benjamin of the short Moshe left Frampol at that time – and the pious believed that the paralysis that struck him later, was punishment for not taking part in the protest-gathering…).

In order to bolster the call of the Rabbi to protest and repentance, I read the telegram in front of the Holy Ark that was received from the Land of Israel about the bloody events. The mood in the synagogue was as if it were Yom Kippur . The Selichot prayers were recited, as well as Tehilim and special prayers dedicated to the events that had occurred. After the prayers, I appealed to the gathering that by simple banging oneself an ‘Al Kheyt’ is not enough. We have to literally help build and develop The Land.

On the spot, a larger sum of money was raised for The Land of Israel.

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The Congregation

In 1930 the first elections were held for the Jewish community leadership. I say the first time, because up till then, as Dozors^[13], selected only ‘prominent Jews,’ people who ran activities, and intermediaries. We simply would call together the masses and order them to vote for those selected by the Gabbaim^[14] and the community big shots… The Zionists and the craftsmen now decided to put an end to such a system of voting. Out with the intercessors and interceding. Several lists appeared:

1. United Hasidim
2. Small merchants (Butchers)
3. Zionist manual laborers

And the result?

The united Hasidic list – 4 mandates: Shmuel Joseph Kestenbaum, Yankl Yoss'keh's, Chaim-Yehuda Harman (Warsaw Hasidim), Leibl Redelman (Neutral). From List B: Shlomo Taub (A Merchant), Baruch Altman (A Butcher) and Mekhl Ehrter (A Tailor), Sh. Kleidman (QA Carpenter) – From the manual laborers-Zionist List.

In order to reconcile this with both sides, we agreed that the Chair of the congregation should be chosen, which was Shlomo Taub (Merchant). Our conflict was over the work of the Jewish community to be carried out in a democratic way, not to burden one part of the populace, in order to permit a second part to derive satisfaction from this.

The principal conflict took place over settling the annual budget of income and expense. The principal source of income was from slaughtering and Jewish community taxes, at a time when the expenses looked to cover all the religious and cultural, as well as social needs of the Jewish populace. At the time the Hasidim wanted to enact a fee of 2,100 Zlotys for their ‘Bais-Yaakov’ school, myself and M. Ehrter demanded such fees for the Zionist institutions such as ‘Tarbut,’ Keren-Kayemet and others. Regrettably, we were only two Zionist Dozor s at a time when the religious people had five. For this reason, our proposals were discarded. We had no other choice but not to sign the proposed budgets that were presented. So they actually went from Powiat (Bilgoraj) in the Lublin Voievodstvo , because they had to be confirmed by the official Polish people. Up till the year 1932, when I made aliyah to the Land of Israel, the budget was in fact not settled. Only when my place was taken by the Dozor Joseph-Itzik Royzer (Tailor) was the matter settled.

In so-called normal, peaceful times, the relationships between the Jews and Christians of Frampol were not bad, with no clashes, or larger conflicts. The relationship was especially friendly between the elderly Christians and the older generation of Jews. They lived like good neighbors.

Out of the approximately five thousand residents in Frampol almost half were Jewish. The square that formed the Rynek (Market), was occupied by the Jews with their businesses and dwellings. Only the employees of the Gmina , the fire-fighters, the former Rathaus, the pharmacy and the ‘spulka ’

[Page 26]

which were to be found on the Rynek – was taken up by Poles – the elected and employed in these institutions. There were also close relations in business between the Jewish Frampol merchants, such as Moshe-Mendl Aszenberg – of grain, and the tailoring merchant Itzik Mir'ehleh's, with the land lessors and wealthy peasants from the village focal point such as Kotzudza and others. The nobility would take a variety of goods and charge them to be paid later.

The market days on Mondays went by in a peaceful atmosphere and with mutual normal business relationships between the Jewish and Christian populations. It is true that the Poles established cooperative businesses (‘spulkas’) and wanted to always draw in the buying peasantry, who came to the shtetl for the fair – but with little success. It was only in the later years, when the Endekists^[15] and sanitation officials became more virulently anti-Semitic, that the solution of ‘svoi do swego’ (to each his own) severely impacted Jewish commerce and labor.

There were also attempts by the Zionists in Frampol to secure a more combative position in the city's Council, so that those who were still the intercessors, should become the community emissaries of the Jewish community and be penetrated with a national-combative spirit and substantively defend its interests. Regrettably these attempts did not succeed.

Nevertheless the Jewish-Polish relations were far from being ideal. Every year for the mobilization of a new cadre for the Polish military, when the recruits from the surrounding villages would come to Frampol to present themselves to be inducted, or to travel in the numbered units, there was tension in the city, and the Jews were dominated by fear. Once, on a Saturday afternoon, the ‘Podpisowa’ (literally the ‘signature’) fell upon a Jewish boy, Shlomo Berger, and beat him severely. We, a group of young Jews immediately went out into the street in order to react to what was happening to this victim, but the hooligans had left in the meantime.

A second incident occurred on a Sabbath, in the year 1926. A larger number of Jews [than usual] were strolling along the May Third Street, where the new priest resided. He was not pleased to see Jews strolling on ‘my street.’ suddenly there was panic, and anti-Semites had begun to drive [out] the Jews, because they pollute the holy street. Our Jews fled, and the street suddenly became empty. I was then among the strollers, in the company of a girl (not my wife) holding her under my arm. For this reason, I put my other hand in my pocket. Suddenly a pair of hooligans approached me, but seeing my composure and calmness, as well as my hand in my pocket, they did not want to accost us. It appears that my handling of this situation had a sufficient psychological effect on them that they pulled back…

And Joseph Honigman, seeing that I remained standing alone, was ready to help if I were attacked.

A similar incident occurred on a certain Friday night, when the strolling Jewish young people was assaulted by hooligans armed with staves. Since these assaults were repeated we, the Dozor s of the community, intervened with the local authorities. I also remember an incident of a blood libel on the eve of Passover, at Shimeh'leh Yoss'keh's on the Goraj Street. Our group immediately intervened

[Page 27]

and stifled the blood libel attack. The hooligan got his share on the spot.

There were also incidents of disputes over land between Jews and Christians. The latter would occasionally use the advent of Yom Kippur to ‘regulate’ the boundaries, knowing that on this kind of day, the Jews would not react.

Training at the Kibbutz in Zwiezhniec of the Frampol HeHalutz 1944 Standing (right to left): Shlomo Sternbuch, Shmuel Hochrad, Chaya Baum, Moshe Altbaum, Esther Zimiles, Moshe Weiss, Moshe-Yitzhak Elbaum Sitting: (right to left): Yitzhak Zichler, Sarah Alyetman, Chaim Kislowicz, Rachel Frieling, Moshe Gantz

Translator's footnotes

1. Prayers asking for forgiveness, usually recited prior to the High Holy Days. Return
2. The beadle, or factotum of a synagogue. Return
3. The fringes on the fringed garment worn by observant Jews. Very often these are exposed externally, even if the garment is worn internally. Return
4. The Hebrew acronym for someone who slaughters cattle and also inspects the innards afterwards. Return
5. The body of commentaries and debates over the contents of the Bible, inclusive of Mishna (Tanaitic lore) and the Germara (Lore of the Amoraim), which elaborates on, and debates the contents of the Mishna). Return
6. Literally ‘interpreters of the law.’ The cadre of religious scholars whose opinions about the contents o Holy Writ were considered equivalent to the law. They came after the Talmudic period. Return
7. A philosophical treatise written by the Spanish Jewish philosopher and poet, Judah Ha Levi (ca 1075 1141), also known as The Book of Argument and Proof in Defense of the Despised Faith (Kitab al Khazari). It is written in the form of a dialogue, purportedly between the king of the Khazars and the representatives of various belief systems, culminating with a rabbi. Return
8. An expert on the Haskalah, or Enlightenment. Return
9. The Polish name for its national legislature. Return
10. Taken from ‘Halutz,’ the Hebrew word for a pioneer. Return
11. An iconic support charity for the support of Israel, often identified with its light blue collection box for coin donations. Return
12. Taken from the acronym for the 33^rd day of the counting of the Omer, which is identified with the cessation of a major plague in the ranks of the students of Rabbi Akiva. It is treated as a celebratory day. Return
13. The Polish name for an official elected to provide guidance and supervision. Return
14. Plural of Gabbai, meaning an appointed official who oversees religious ritual in the synagogue. Return
15. An active group of Polish anti-Semites during the years between the two world wars. Return

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