Losice, Poland

Losice: In Memory of a Jewish Community
(Łosice, Poland)

52°13' / 22°43'

Translation of
Loshits: le-zeykher an umgebrakhter kehile

Edited by Mordechai Shener

Published in Tel Aviv, 1963

Acknowledgments

Project Coordinator and Transliterator

This is a translation from: Loshits: le-zeykher an umgebrakhter kehile
[Losice: In Memory of a Jewish Community, Exterminated by Nazi Murderers],
ed. Mordechai Shener, (Tel Aviv: Former Residents of Losice in Israel, 1963), 459 pages, H, Y.

This material is made available by JewishGen, Inc. and the Yizkor Book Project for the purpose of
fulfilling our mission of disseminating information about the Holocaust and destroyed Jewish communities.
This material may not be copied, sold or bartered without JewishGen, Inc.'s permission. Rights may be reserved by the copyright holder.

JewishGen, Inc. makes no representations regarding the accuracy of the translation. The reader may wish to refer to the original material for verification.
JewishGen is not responsible for inaccuracies or omissions in the original work and cannot rewrite or edit the text to correct inaccuracies and/or omissions.
Our mission is to produce a translation of the original work and we cannot verify the accuracy of statements or alter facts cited.

I wish to acknowledge the help of a number of people who assisted me in the translation of the Yizkor Book. My wife, Cheryl Lewin who read at least one page every day for the past year. She did the reading in Yiddish and I translated into English.
My mother, Freda Lewin who translated a great many words which are similar in German. My uncle, Pinie Levine who was an invaluable resource helping in the translation of many words the meaning of which could only be known by someone from the locality of Losice, Poland.
Gila Isaacs, a volunteer at the Jewish Heritage of Western Canada, giving kindly of her time to translate stories from Hebrew into English. Ada Holtzman, for doing such a wonderful job in the name of the Jewish survivors of Losice and their children who are concerned enough to remember what once was, and to attempt to correct what is.
Viktor Lewin April 2003

Translated by Viktor Lewin

Edited by Ada Holtzman

([H] indicates that the article appears in Hebrew and [Y] indicates that it is in Yiddish)

	From the Editorial Board		7
[H]	To the memory of Losice	Dawid Ruzal (Tel Aviv)	8
[Y]	To the memory of Losice	Dawid Ruzal	9

The Shtetl

[Y]	Losice and Losicer Jews in the course of their history	B. Feder	11
[H]	Losice and Losicer Jews in the course of their history	B. Feder	17
[Y]	Can we forget?	Josef Fridman (Yosel Bubik, Melbourne)	21
[H]	Can we forget?	Josef Fridman (Yosel Bubik, Melbourne)	24
[Y]	That was our town	Dawid Ruzal	26

Memories of the Past

[Y]	The two great fires	Mordechai Szner	33
[Y]	The Large Wooden Synagogue	Herszel Kupersztok	36
[Y]	The year 1905 and the Bet Midrash Menorahs (Candlesticks)	Moisze Oksenhorn	38
[Y]	Losice During Wars and Revolutions	Iczel Rak	40
[Y]	"Zapasnea" in 1914	Shchori Ben Aron Alter	46
[Y]	The funeral of Jakob Isres	Yosef Fridman (Yosel Bubik)	47
[H]	The "Shabath desecrator" is brought to the grave of Israel	Chaim Zinger (Haifa)	49
[Y]	One year with the old cantor (Khazan)	Yosef Fridman	50
[Y]	Poor and Rich	Cipora Graber-Koifman	52
[Y]	Pogrom - Slander	Ahron Preter	53

Social Movements

[Y]	Shoemaking and Professional Movements	Chaim Iczel Goldstein (Paris)	55
[Y]	Professional Leatherworkers Union	Yosef Fridman	62
[Y]	Forty Years of the Bund in Losice	Yosef Fridman	65
[Y]	The Zionist Movement	Avraham Pinkus	74
[Y]	Social Activism in the Shtetl	Dawid Ruzal	81
[H]	The movement Hashomer Hatzair in our town	Rachel Hochman (Givataiim), Menachem Ruzal	92
[H]	Period of boom in the organization of Hashomer Hatzair	Balcia Goldband-Szulewicz	86
[H]	Memories of Hashomer Hatzair in Losice	Josef Ben Jakob (Jasczomb, Tel Aviv)	88
[H]	The shoemaker's workshop in the movement of Hashomer Hatzair	Rachel Hochman	92
[H]	Friends who are gone…	Rachel Hochman	93
[H]	A town in Podlasia	Eliezer Bar Chaim (Barnholc)	95
[H]	The lecture of one anti-Semite…	Balcia Godelband-Szmulewicz (Negba)	98
[Y]	"Yugen Freiheit " in Losice	Berl Binsztok (Jaffa)	99
[Y]	The Jewish Community	Leibl Hofer (Holon)	104
[Y]	Community Administration in Independent Poland	Shmuel Landau (Tel Aviv)	105
[Y]	Religious Social Activism	Shmuel Landau	106
[Y]	Jewish Credit Institutions	Leibl Hofer	109
[Y]	Help for the Villagers	Leibl Hofer	111
[Y]	Iron Safe and the Bank	Shmuel Landau	112
[Y]	Drama Groups and Choirs	Dawid Ruzal	114
[Y]	My Mother's Sabbath dress	Yosef Fridman	116

The Religious Life

[Y]	Several Losicer Rabbis	Avraham Pinkus	117
[H]	Rabbi Jonathan Eybeschuetz in Kock	Gdalyahu Grosman (Tel Aviv)	122
[Y]	My grandfather "the shaky" ("der citeriker")	Rabbi Yehuda Altowski (New York)	122
[Y]	The Konstantiner Rabbi	Yosef Fridman	127
[Y]	My grandfather, Rabbi Jozpa (Joizep)	Avraham Sluchowski (Paris)	130
[Y]	Joizep and Pinye Joizeps	Mordechai Szner	131
[Y]	Icchak Shoichet ("Szinkarzsz")	Yosef Fridman	133
[Y]	Torah and Labor and Godfearingness	Icchak Meir Grinberg (Kfar Khabad)	135
[Y]	Melameds (teachers), Cheders and Yeshivot (religious schools)	Dawid Ruzal	137
[Y]	A strike in the Cheder	Yosef Fridman	140
[Y]	Sabbaths and holidays in Losice	Yitzhak Faigenblum (Curitiba Brazil)	142

People of the Shtetl

[Y]	Not here…	Leibl Dobrzinski (Bogota Colombia)	145
[Y]	Godel Rozenband	Mordechai Shner	147
[H]	Gad Rozenband - my teacher and Rabbi	Balcia Goldband-Szmulewicz	154
[Y]	Abraham Pinkus	Szalom Icchak Wrobel	155
[Y]	Herszel Karcz	Sara Czarnobrode - Karcz (Tel Aviv)	156
[Y]	Matatyahu Goldwasser	Szalom Icchak Wrobel	158
[Y]	Zalman Minc	Dawid Ruzal	159
[Y]	The Kaminer Family	Dawid Ruzal	161
[Y]	Jeszajahu Szenker and Jehoszua Hochman	Chana and Rachel Hochman (Tel Aviv)	162
[Y]	Yerachmiel Cohen and the Anti-Semite commander	Biniamin Zilbersztein (Paris)	166
[Y]	The first Gymnasium student in Losice	Fiszel Cohen (Haifa)	167
[Y]	My father Dow Berisz Landau	Szmuel Landau	169
[Y]	Our brother Szalom Icchak Wrobel	Harry Wrobel and Tema Wrobel-Fisher (Liverpool)	170
[H]	Rabbi Szalom Icchak Wrobel	Rabbi Zalman Barm"a Plotnik (Liverpool)	172
[Y]	Yidel Sarakes	Iczel Rak	173
[Y]	Yosel Chanas and his son Eliezer	Sara Grosman - Liberman (Tel Aviv)	174
[Y]	Meir Krakowiak	Malka and Chaim Krakowiak (Tel Aviv)	177
[Y]	Jakob and Yenta Rozencwajg	Balcia and Mosze Rozencwajg (Tel Aviv)	178
[Y]	Abraham Sztejnman		178
[Y]	Szlomo and Dwora Liberman	Abraham Liberman (Tel Aviv)	179
[Y]	Szmulke Wolker		180
[Y]	My grandfather Mendel Wajman	Icchak Rozenblat	181
[H]	My father, Zwendel Ber "the taverner"	Abraham Ber (Haifa)	181
[Y]	The "Chazan" (the cantor) Icchak Meir Ruzal	Dawid Ruzal	182
[Y]	Dawid Yagodzinski	Szalom Icchak Wrobel	183
[Y]	Abraham & Malka Wrobel	Szalom Icchak Wrobel	183
[Y]	Abraham Icchak Goldring	Szalom Icchak Wrobel	184
[Y]	Icchak Oppenheim	Biniamin Zilbersztejn	184
[Y]	Mosze Gad Klerman	Biniamin Zilbersztejn	184
[Y]	Abraham Wasserman	Biniamin Zilbersztejn	184
[Y]	Yosef Aharon Ruzal	Biniamin Zilbersztejn	185
[Y]	Welwel Szemesz	Dawid Ruzal	186
[Y]	Israelke " Floi " & the old Hazzan (cantor)	Iczel Rak	186
[Y]	R' Mordechiles Ajnkel	Iczel Rak	187
[H]	"Aharon Rofe"	Arie Szpialter (Tel Aviv)	187
[Y]	The Goldszmidt	Dawid Ruzal	188
[Y]	Yokel Foyker	Dawid Ruzal	188
[Y]	Welwel Sznajder	Dawid Ruzal	188
[Y]	Abraham Woda, the tailor	Dawid Ruzal	189
[Y]	The watchmaker	Dawid Ruzal	189
[Y]	Szmulke Szpialter	Aria Szpialter	189
[Y]	The Yeshiva young men	Szalom Icchak Wrobel	190
[Y]	Young ones and youth	Tema Wrobel Fiszer	190
[Y]	Jankel Tretniks "demon"	Iczel Rak	193
[Y]	Awigdor "Faldseszat" and son	Iczel Rak	193
[Y]	Josze the postman	Iczel Rak	194
[Y]	Israel Icchak Grinberg the "Olearnik"	Dawid Ruzal	195
[Y]	Szewa Bajla		196
[Y]	Abraham Icchak Stoler	Iczel Rak	198
[Y]	Pitaie, the Water Carrier	Chaim Iczel Goldstein	198
[Y]	Szlomo the "Nedn", the dowry		200
[Y]	Meir the "Meshugener", the crazy	Mordechai Szner	201
[Y]	Josel Tomkes	Mordechai Szner	202
[Y]	Jeszaya Cohen	Chaim Iczel Goldstein	204
[Y]	Antczelicha	Chaim Iczel Goldstein	205
[Y]	Cziczeperelicha	Chaim Iczel Goldstein	205

Workers and Leaders

	Our dreamers and fighters ("The gotele"), Bajla Jonasz, Yosel Czop, Icze Ber and Jankel Sara-Roizes, Ziskind Sztajnman, Towia the milkman, Dawid Minc, Josel Chaja- Malies)	Chaim Iczel Goldstein	209
[Y]	Mele Koka	Iczel Rak	213
[Y]	Joske Minc (Joszke Chaja-Lipszic)	Josef Fridman	214
[Y]	Mosze "Khacham" (wise man)	B. Feder	216
[Y]	Chaim Iczel Goldstein	Mordechai Szner	219
[Y]	Jehoszua Ruzal	David Ruzal	220
[Y]	Iczel Rak	Mordechai Szner	221
[Y]	My sister Elka Fridman	Josef Fridman	222
[Y]	Yochcze Fridman	Mordechai Szner	224
[Y]	Revolutionaries from the Chassidic Prayer house	B. Feder	227

Personalities

[Y]	Mosze Goldstein, the talented writer		233
[Y]	Josef Fridman ("Yosel Bubik")	Mordechai Szner	237
[Y]	Mordechai Szner (B. Feder)	Dawid Ruzal	239

The Holocaust (“Der Kurban”)

[H]	Unbelievable	Chaja Rachel Rozenband (Colombia)	241
[Y]	It is difficult to believe	Chaja Rachel Rozenband	242
[Y]	First Nazi Bomb to fall on Losice	Biniamin Zilberstein (Paris)	243
[Y]	At night in an empty Shtetl	Jehoszua Binstok (Ramot Yam)	246
[Y]	Pain in the Ghetto	Mosze Smolarz (Kiriat Bialyk)	248
[Y]	My father - among the first Losicer victims	Ela Karszensztein Braun (Hulon)	255
[Y]	Mosze Bialykamien and the Judenrat		257
[Y]	In the Losicer Ghetto	Sz. Karszenstein	258
[Y]	The black devil	Chana Borowski - Herszenzon (Jerusalem)	262
[Y]	A Cry for help from the Losicer Ghetto		264
[Y]	Notes of Dr. Ringelblum		266
[Y]	My generation in Losice and its tragic end	Riwka Roitman - Rak (Petach Tikva)	267
[Y]	Gela Seksztein and her will	B. Feder	275
[Y]	Herszel Karcz during the Nazi occupation	Sara Karcz (Tel Aviv)	278
[Y]	My father (a poem)	Josef Fridman	281
[Y]	In a fight with death	Eliahu Madenfrost (Givataiim)	282
	Pictures from the "huge liquidation" in Losice		285
[H]	Their last path	Oskar Pinkus (USA)	291
[Y]	In Auschwitz	Ester Greczanik - Binstok (Tel Aviv	301
[Y]	Losicers from France in Auschwitz	Chaim Iczel Goldstein	307
[Y]	And may be? (a poem)	Josef Fridman	308
[Y]	I survived in Losice itself	Sara Wejman (Kfar Ata)	309
[Y]	Aryans among Losicer Poles	Chaja Szulamit Goldfeder-Ben-Arie (Ramat Gan)	313
[Y]	How I survived	Bracha Zilberberg-Rozenboim (Bat Yam)	318
[Y]	Ghettos, liquidations & forced work in Germany	Fradel Rozenboim (Venezuela)	323
[Y]	Running away from hell	Nachum Woda (Ramat Gan)	331
[Y]	In fields and forests	Arie Liberman (Ramot Yam)	333
[Y]	Losicers deported to Siberia	Itta Blatman Zilberstein (Paris)	336
[Y]	From hometown to Siberia	Iczel Rak	340
[Y]	On blooded paths	Josef Fridman ("Yosel Bubik")	342
[Y]	Escaping the Holocaust	Chaim Ruzal (Mishmar Hashiva)	350
[Y]	Under arrest of the Nazis	Bucze Koifman (Paris)	353
[Y]	Searching Losicers as a Soldier in the Brigade	Welwel Sztajnman (Kiriat Chaim)	355
[Y]	In Losice right after the Holocaust	Chaim Szwarc (Jaffa)	357
[Y]	A visit to Losice after Hitler's defeat	Chaim Iczel Goldstein	359

A Revenge

[Y]	My sister Chaja, the partisan	Jehoszua Binsztok	365
[H]	Gerszon (Grisza) Goldberg	Chaim Dinar	368
[Y]	Partisan's revenge	Gerszon (Grisza) Goldberg	369
[Y]	I'd rather die with a gun in my Hand	Hela Karszenstein	371
[Y]	In the Ghettos and partisan camps	Abraham Sluchowski	373
[Y]	A German's Idea	Moishe Goldstein	376
	List of the Jewish Martyrs of Losice		383

Jews Spread Worldwide

[Y]	From Losice to America in 1900	Berl Elzon (United States)	413
[Y]	Losicers in the United States		415
[Y]	Losicers in France	Chaim Iczel Goldstein	416
[Y]	Losicers in Argentina		417
[Y]	Losicers in Colombia	Chaja Rachel Rozenband	418
[Y]	Losicers in Brazil & England		419
[Y]	Losicers in Canada		420
[Y]	Losicers in the U.S.S.R., Uruguay, Venezuela, Australia, and Belgium		421
[Y]	With Losicers in Bolivia	Mordechai Szner	421
[Y]	And in Poland…	Rojzka and Chaim Iczel Goldstein	424

In the Homeland

[H]	The Losicer Landsleit in Israel	The editorial board	427
[Y]	The Losicer Landsleit in Israel	The editorial board	428
[H]	Losicers who befell in the War of Independence		429
[H]	Matatyahu Mendelboim		429
[H]	Simcha Kaminer		430
[H]	Dawid Zlotogora (Har Zahav)		431
[H]	My brother Dawid	Margalit Apel	431
[Y]	Losicers in Israel's War of Independence		434
[Y]	Dawid Ruzal	The committee	436
[Y]	Losicers in Jerusalem	Jakob Fridman (Jerusalem)	438
[Y]	The long, difficult path	Jehoszua Koifman (Tel Aviv)	440
[Y]	From Ein Kharod in the north to Negba in the south	M. Sz.	443
[Y]	Rachel Lewin		445
[H]	Members of "Hashomer Hatzair" in Israel	R. [H].	445
[Y]	Family Rozenband		446
[Y]	Family Weinstok	Dawid Ruzal	449
[Y]	Family Oxenhorn		451
[Y]	Our Chabadnik	Dawid Ruzal	452
[Y]	Berl Binsztok	D. R.	453
[Y]	From the Shoemaking Shtetl to the Field in Ganei Yona	B. Feder	454
[Y]	Losicer Landsleit in Israel		457

	Photographs

Yizkor Book Project JewishGen Home Page

Yizkor Book Director, Lance Ackerfeld
Emerita Yizkor Book Project Manager, Joyce Field z”l
Contact person for this translation Warren Blatt
This web page created by Mike Kalt and Osnat Ramaty