Culture and Education {Cont.}
[Page 111]
A Teacher of the Tarbut School in Rokitno remembers
Itzhak Dichter (Kiryat Haim)
Translated by Ala Gamulka
Unfortunately, I will not be able to describe in full, in this article, the
tremendous educational experience of the Tarbut Hebrew school in Rokitno. I
spent only one year teaching in the school in 1927-8. I have forgotten many
details in the interval. Hopefully, there will be others who will fill in the
missing parts. The school was located in a rented apartment too small to
accommodate all the children of the town. Even in 1928, we spoke of the need to
build a proper building for the school. This was not an easy task. Where would
we get the money? Wonders will never cease, for when I visited the school
several years later, I saw a beautiful new building. I can only imagine the
hard work and effort that the people of Rokitno put in until they were able to
erect this building. There were about 300 children in the Hebrew school in
Rokitno in 1927-8, i.e., almost all the children in town. It seems to me that
no Jewish children attended the Polish school, or at least very few did so.
The residents of the town, mostly of meager means, made every effort to send
their children to a Hebrew school. Many ate less in order to pay tuition. They
knew that only through Hebrew school would their children learn about their
heritage. They looked up to this sacred place and they sent their children.
They never even noticed that there was a large and spacious free public school
right across the street. This was a progressive town. The youth were dear and
likable, happy and progressive.
They were interested in everything and they were sports-minded. This was a
novelty. Not only the youth – the adults were also more liberal,
progressive and enlightened than those of other towns. What a liberal
atmosphere reigned in town! I did not meet in Rokitno any people who were
stubborn and conservative. I saw neither shtreimels (fur hats) nor side curls.
Certainly there were observant people in town, but they were not fanatics. They
understood the spirit of the times and allowed their children to move with the
times.
It was not an easy task for the parents committee to maintain the school, to
pay rent and teachers salaries, as well as for the cleaning, heating and
repairs. To this day I do not know how they managed it. At the beginning of
every school year the committee decided on the tuition that all had to pay
– according to their means. There were, of course, some complaints and
discussions, but it never happened that a child would leave the school because
of the cost.
The educational level of the school was high. The language of instruction was,
of course, Hebrew, except for Polish language and Polish history. It is easy
for us now to say Hebrew language of instruction. It is hard to imagine the
effort, dedication and good will that the teachers invested in teaching in
Hebrew. There were no Hebrew textbooks in science, geography or mathematics.
The teachers translated from other languages. Can you imagine the effort put
into a lesson plan for the study of science? Appropriate material had to be
found in Polish, Russian or another language. Then came the translation into
Hebrew before the students could be given this material. This went on daily.
The teachers spent days and nights in preparation of these materials. There
were no manuals or teacher guidebooks. The teachers had to create everything
from scratch. Not everyone is capable of doing so.
The Student Library
There was a student library near the school. It was not an easy task for the
principal and the teachers to obtain books since they had little money. Every
year, books were added to the library. One of the teachers ran the library as a
volunteer. There was such dedication to the library. Every book was lovingly
handled. Books were exchanged twice a week. Twice a week the school was buzzing
after hours. It was a pleasure to see the students hurrying to the school
library and exchanging views on the books they read. They recommended books to
one another. They had a great thirst for knowledge inside them. I loved to
visit the school at that time, to listen to their conversations and to enjoy
their evaluations. Who could forget it? Who could forget these sacred moments?
The Wall Newspaper
From time to time a wall newspaper was published in the school. It had two
purposes: educational and instructional. The first purpose was to educate the
child to read and to know what was happening in his immediate vicinity, in his
school, his town, in the world and especially in Eretz Israel. The
instructional aim was to develop writing skills.
The richest section was the one with news of Eretz Israel. This was our purpose
in life. There were always enthusiastic students standing near that section.
You could see in their eyes their happiness in reading about any
accomplishments in the land – a new settlement or a new purchase. You
could also see the deep sorrow when there were failures or tragedies.
The Work of Jewish National Fund in the School
The JNF served as a cornerstone for the nationalistic education – the
value of the land to the people. The notion: “The land will not be sold
for eternity” was well received by the students. Every new purchase of
land was received enthusiastically and donations were increased. There was a
JNF corner in every classroom and the blue box was the center of the corner and
of the life of the class. Every happy event was celebrated with a donation. A
god mark or the completion of a book brought a donation. Every event in the
life of a child such as a birthday, a Bar Mitzvah, a birth of a sibling also
produced a donation. The atmosphere in the school was one of pioneering
Zionism. An atmosphere of complete identification with Eretz Israel and all
that happened in it. We rejoiced with them and suffered with them. Every
happening, of course, was immediately reacted to in the school, in classrooms,
in the newspaper, etc.
We celebrated Rosh Hodesh (first of the month) in the school. On that day, we
emptied the JNF boxes and the agents reported on the activities of JNF and its
income. We heard news from Eretz Israel, sang songs from there, recited and
danced. These celebrations transformed the children to an atmosphere of Eretz
Israel and they imagined that they were also there building and creating and
living a free life. How sad is it they did not live to see the freedom towards
which they strove and for which they worked so hard.
Student Committee
for the JNF Tarbut School in Rokitno, 1937
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Holidays and Celebrations in the School
The celebrations held an important place in the work of the school. We tried to
discover artistic talents in song, dance and the stage. The teacher spent many
hours with the children in school after hours. She selected, taught and guided
and she always succeeded in finding a talent – often in unexpected places.
The school celebrations were famous in town. The parents and other residents in
town crowded the auditorium at every event. The performance was a topic of
conversation for a long time on the streets, in the stores and among friends.
The teacher encouraged the children. She gave them aspirations and wings to
soar on. Not just the teacher, but the whole staff and the parents helped to
make it a success. The preparations were extensive in school and at home. They
prepared backdrops and sewed costumes.
Purim Celebration
Tarbut School Rokitno, 1937
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As in all our work, we tried to emphasize themes from Eretz Israel e.g., drying
the swamps, harvesting on the kibbutz. On national Polish holidays, our school
performed together with the Polish school and we always outdid them. We were
once asked by the principal of the Polish school how we managed to always do so
well and why they could not compete with us. If that principal knew how much
work, love and good will the teacher put into every performance, he would have
understood how we did it.
Influence of the School on the spiritual Life of the Town
The school was a beacon of light in the life of the town and its influence was
great in all areas – cultural life, Zionist movement, helping the youth
groups and general atmosphere.
We often gathered the parents and lectured to them on different topics:
education, literature, history, and Eretz Israel. We held these gatherings on
Friday nights and the school auditorium was always full. The audience, tired
after working all week, came to hear about the revival of the nation and
redemption. They hoped for a miracle to happen.
Tarbut School in Rokitno Grade VI
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The school even helped the Zionist movement and national funds. Mr. Gendelman
served for many years as the JNF agent and he made certain that every Jewish
home had the blue box and he looked after emptying it. One of the teachers was
the agent for Keren Hayesod and helped with its collections. Much of our time
was spent with the Zionist youth movements. We helped them with advice,
guidance and especially in teaching the Hebrew language. It was not done in
order to be rewarded. It is difficult to list all the activities of the school
in town.
Parents Committee
I would like to recall the names of the members of the education committee and
the parents committee (as much as I remember) who worked tirelessly for many
years. I mention their names with respect and admiration: chairman of the
Tarbut committee Yosef Baratz, Noah Soltzman, Kitziu (Katz), Moshe Ber Gutman,
Moshe Roitblat and others (still among us).
These dear people dedicated a large part of their time and energy to building
an educational institution in town. They often would not rest in order to do
work for the school. I recall their names with trepidation and admiration. I am
deeply sorry that these dear souls did not live to see the founding of the
State of Israel – their lifelong wish. I bow my head in memory of these
people and I pray for their souls. May their souls be bound with all holy souls
who toiled for the revival of the Jewish people.
The Teachers of the School who perished in the Holocaust
With sadness and sorrow, with respect and admiration, I mention here my
colleagues, the teachers of the school in Rokitno who perished with the rest of
the Jews during the holocaust that befell our people: Shmuel Kulik, Shmuel
Volkon, Itzhak Shpirt, Mordechai Gendelman, Israel Feldman, Podlis and
Bronstein.
Dear teachers of Jewish children, I am heartsick that I must mention your names
in a memorial book. We were partners in educating a generation. How much
strength, thought and good will you invested in your work. You dedicated many
hours to teaching the language in the youth movements. This was not done for
any rewards.
You lectured to adults on the history of our nation, Bible and Hebrew
literature. You lit the fire of Israel in the hearts of many. You were like a
pillar of fire which lit the way for the people in exile. You educated
generations of seekers of freedom and people who aspire and wish to achieve.
My dear friends, you must know that you did not labor in vain. Your sacrifice
was not unworthy. The dream became a reality. Our country is free from rule by
strangers. Our people returned from exile to their homeland. Our children are
free of fear of the enemy. It is unfortunate that you did not live to see it.
It is most unfortunate that those who worked so hard for redemption did not
live to see it. I mention your dear names with those of the residents of
Rokitno. You were loyal partners to them in life and now your names will be
remembered even after your deaths. The guardian of Israel will bind your souls,
for eternity, together with those of other educators who dedicated their lives
to the education of others.
The Children of the School who perished in the Holocaust
Dear children of Israel; you wonderful beings, I cry for you and I mourn you.
Dear people of Rokitno. It is acceptable that there are bereaved mothers and
fathers. However, no one imagined that the most bereaved would be the few
Hebrew teachers who survived. We raised, cultivated and taught generations to
perform good work and creativity, to love mankind, to be charitable. We hoped
for good results, but evil befell us.
Beginning Classes in the School
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Since the Holocaust, joy has left me. My world is full of sorrow and darkness.
What is the meaning of our lives, the lives of Hebrew teachers if our children
are no longer with us? I recall those days, when the school was filled with
children's voices. I remember this sacred corner that we created inside an
alien and hateful world. This was a corner where our children absorbed Jewish
tradition, love of mankind, equality of rich and poor, values of charity and
truth. I recall the atmosphere of Eretz Israel which permeated the school and
the emotional preparation of the children for Aliyah and for building a new
society based on principles of truth and justice. I remember the Rosh Hodesh
celebrations after the JNF boxes were emptied, the shining eyes of the winners
of the JNF flag. When I recall all that, I appreciate only now the tremendous
creativity of the teachers, students and parents. Even now it is difficult to
get used to the fact that it was all cruelly uprooted. One million children.
One million Jewish children were slaughtered in the Holocaust. The world
shudders from the extent of the Holocaust. The numbers are shocking. For
others, it is only a huge and shocking number. For me, it is not a number. For
me these are live children, happy and excited, learning and misbehaving. They
are still alive for me. Here are the children of Kokel, Gutman, Gendelman,
Turok, Baum, Grinshpan, Korobochka, Binder, Tzipiniuk and Gitelman and many
more. Where are you my children! Who cut you down so cruelly when you were so
young! How many talents were lost!
There were so many talented children in the school in Rokitno. To this day I
remember that we wrote across one report card in large letters one mark: Very
Good. Unfortunately, I do not remember his name. Perhaps it was Frager.
How can the sun shine again if this happened to us? Such children fell victim
to cruel hands and were obliterated. They live on in the hearts of their
teacher. When I came to Eretz Israel you were still in front of my eyes. I
remember you on every occasion and to my dying day I will carry your memory in
my heart. I will mourn you forever.
[Page 119]
The Tarbut Library
Yakov Schwartz (Rehovot)
Translated by Ala Gamulka
The Tarbut library was attached to the school, but it was not always housed in
its building. It moved, sometimes too often, from building to building. The
reason for this was rooted in budgetary restrictions.
There were three sections in the library: Hebrew, Polish and Yiddish
literature. Most of the books were in Hebrew, among them the latest editions
from Shtibl and Amanut publishers. There was a good selection of children's
books as well as adult books. The library served not only the students of
Tarbut School, but the general population as well.
I remember that on book exchange days the line ups were long – consisting
mainly of young people. During the 30's the number of Hebrew readers decreased
and the number of Polish readers increased. The reason for this was that new
and interesting books would appear in Polish, but not in Hebrew. The readers
demanded the new best sellers.
The catalogues were well organized. The choice was great and the condition of
the books was satisfactory. Rebinding was constant. The readers respected the
books and never soiled or defaced them. No one wrote his name in the book.
There was especially much movement of books during the summer vacation. The
youths that studied out of town returned to Rokitno and were interested in
reading new books. The cost was minimal and the deposit was usually another
book. Although the library was situated far away, it did not stop the thirsty
readers and they always eagerly waited for the opening of the library.
The teachers prepared compulsory reading lists and those books were placed in
the library. I remember that the most popular and beloved books were those of
Yehudah Burla, Knute Hansen, Walter Scott, Emle Zola, Yakov Dingzon (mainly in
Yiddish) and, of course, the Hebrew classics. There was a great need for a
library since, unlike now, there did not exist secular books in the homes.
There were books in almost every home, but they were only sacred texts. For
that reason the library was the only location where secular books were
available.
In order to widen its activities and to enable the general public to read
newspapers and to find out about events in the world and in Eretz Israel, the
library established an excellent reading room. However, it did not last. I do
not know the reason. The room was quite attractive and served its purpose. It
contained newspapers in Hebrew, Yiddish and Polish. Newspapers from Eretz
Israel and the Diaspora were delivered. The reading room was located in the
home of Avraham Binder on Poniatovsky Street. In spite of its success it was
closed, probably due to budgetary constraints.
The last home for the library was on Messiviche Street (Soviesky). From there
it went to the furnaces of the Red Army. I recall the dismantling of the
library. When the Red Army entered Rokitno, the order came to bring all the
books to the former officers club of the Polish army. Nahum Turovitz, who
served as the librarian, packed the books. He hired a wagon and transported the
books to the required location. We hoped that they would save, at least, the
Yiddish and Polish books and allow them to be circulated after inspection and
censure. Our pain was great when we were told by those who resided nearby that
the Soviet soldiers were using the books as furnace material. In the officers
club there were also books from Polish libraries. The magnificent bindings from
the library of a Polish aristocrat from one of the villages stood out.
Among the refugees that arrived in Rokitno during the Soviet occupation, there
was a Jew from Warsaw who owned a large library. He was surprised to find out
that a small town like Rokitno had such a rich library.
The Soviets erected a new library on the ruins of our library. It was opened in
February 1940 and it contained books published in the Soviet Union – some
even in Yiddish.
[Page 120]
The Drama Club in Rokitno
Izia Golod (Haifa)
Translated by Ala Gamulka
It is not known when, exactly, the Drama club in Rokitno was founded. It is not
essential to determine this. However, there were real sparks of theater during
the national reawakening after the Balfour Declaration. The club fulfilled the
tasks of Zionism, propaganda, education and explanation. All that was advocated
by the Zionist speakers and orators on synagogue stages was also done by the
club through song and dance.
I remember a Zionist presentation in 1920. It was performed in the women's
section of the old synagogue. It had the participation of Noach Soltzman,
Leitze Kliger (the shohet's daughter), Liova Soltzman, Sheintze Lifshitz, Haya
Sara Lifshitz and Liova Geipman. The theme was harvest time in Eretz Israel.
There were sheaves of wheat on stage. The song: “Are there foxes there, my
dear young man?” was accompanied by hand and shoulder movements.
A short time after this performance, a group of young men and women was
established. They called themselves the Drama Club. The number of participants
grew since the following joined: Fanya Klorfein, Liova Litvak, Moshe Shechtman,
Nahum Katzenelson, Avraham Schwartz and Yentl Weiner. Some of the plays I
remember are: “God, Man and the Devil”, “Mirele Efros” by
Gordon, “Motke the Thief” by Shalom Asch. When I think of
“Mirele Efros”, I must discuss the prima dona who appeared in this
role and who was a central figure in the club – Fanya Klorfein, the wife
of the photographer Pinchas Klorfein. She always found time to actively
participate in the club, even though she had three children and a home to run.
She often invited the cast to her home for rehearsals. She usually played
tragic figures like Mirele Efros and the mother of Motke in “Motke the
Thief”. Her acting brought the audience to tears. Yonas Turkov said that
her acting reminded him of Esther-Rachel Kaminska and invited her to join a
professional group. The income from the performances was dedicated to Zionist
and civil institutions.
Drama Club Performing
“Tevye The Milkman”
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Over the years, a new generation of young people joined the club. They studied
in Rovno and in Vilna where they had seen performances by the Vilna Troupe.
There they learned to appreciate theater. The leaders of the new addition were
the brothers Reuven and Yakov Freitel. The members were: Bat Sheva Shohet, Haya
Berezovsky, Breindl Tendler, Esther (Etia) Klorfein, Izia Golod, Baruch Levin,
Moshe Binder, Taibl Shapira, Grisha Litvak, Leibl Lifshitz and Rachel Trigun.
This group also functioned for the good of the public. We did not only perform
for Rokitno audiences, but we also presented plays in Klesov and Dombrovitza.
The big attraction was when Lionka Kublchuk (non-Jew) joined our group. We
needed a tsarist-type guard and Lionka filled the role tastefully and
pleasantly.
In general, we performed comedies or melodramas. It was the era after World War
I and there was much sorrow in town. With our plays we hoped to reawaken the
spirit of our Jews. We performed “The Witch”, “Tevye the
Milkman”, “Dos Pintele Yid (A spark of Jewishness), and “The Big
Lottery”. We were inspired by the Ararat Revue Theater of Djigan and
Shumacher who sometimes performed in Vilna. We were able to see these comedians
and to enjoy their performances.
We also performed revues by combining songs and local current events. We were
not satisfied with only local directors and from time to time we invited
directors from other towns. They volunteered to work with us for a long time,
not for any rewards. We received a great deal of help from Mr. Fridzon from
Warsaw who was a talented dramatist. He came to Rokitno for his lumber business
and he directed “The Witch”. There are many songs as well as musical
accompaniment in this play.
I always had a funny part – Hotzmach in “The Witch” or as an
experienced matchmaker. There were many such parts since it is almost
impossible not to have one in a Jewish play. I tried to look stereotyped:
yellow beard, dirty cloth hat, red kerchief and a broken umbrella in my hand. I
did not always follow the script and I often improvised and ad-libbed. I added
local content and folklore. The audience was always amused.
In addition to the drama club, there was an orchestra conducted by the
experienced musician Moshe Kaminsky. At first, the plays were presented in
storage places and eventually we were able to use the stage and auditorium of
the army barracks. It was the only chance for citizens to visit the barracks.
As to costumes – we adhered to realism. A matchmaker would lend clothes to
the actor playing one. We also borrowed clothes from the rabbi, shohet, dry
goods store merchant and the rabbi's wife. They gave us clothes willingly. When
we needed a bridal gown from bygone days, we borrowed from older women who had
kept theirs. In this way, we broke the barrier between imagination and reality,
between the world of the theater and the real world. The audience was quite
influenced by these plays. They laughed and cried at appropriate moments. As
proof of this, that the plays touched the spectators, is the fact that
discussions and arguments went on after every performance. They analyzed the
text, the acting and the staging. There was no giving in during these debates.
They discussed everything and they were not afraid to pan the play if it did
not reach an acceptable level or if it did not satisfy their artistic
expectations. As stated earlier, many of our young people studied in big cities
and they were immersed in a high cultural environment in general and in good
theater in particular. They knew what to accept and what to reject. This
criticism was, after all, for the good of the club since it allowed for growth
and prevented deterioration.
The part of the prompters is very important in the theater. The prompter sits
in a crate hidden from view. Our veteran, professional prompter was Iliusha
Freierman. In addition to his task, he was also asked to report at meetings of
the club about the movements and acting of the performers, whether they
followed theatrical protocol and if they did their best to portray the roles in
an artistic manner. These meetings were very useful since they helped the
actors to perfect their art.
Every play was given a permit by an office in Sarny. For that reason we needed
to translate every play into Polish. We were obliged to omit the word goy from
“Tevye the Milkman“ since it was insulting and we had to replace it
appropriately. Certain Yiddish expressions seemed immoral to the Poles and we
had to soften them and to find the proper terms in Polish. This permit was not
easily given and we had to travel to Sarny several times in order to obtain it.
At times, things dragged on and we needed to ask local Polish dignitaries for
help.
In 1936-7 new members joined. A group of young people was organized. They
followed in the footsteps of the veterans. The amateur director of this new
group was Syoma Klorfein. Its members were: Moshe Kutz, Yakov Levin, Haim
Lichtman, Pearl Perl, Zlatke Perl, Toddy Linn, Yosef Golubovitz and others.
These years did not produce successful progress in the theatrical life of our
town. There were no real plays presented, only revues.
When the Soviets came, I am told it was possible to develop the activities of
the club – in Yiddish, of course. However, there were some serious
limitations since the Soviets did not permit any plays from our national
repertoire. The club participated in regional drama contests. The Soviets
called the contest an Olympiad. The club presented two short plays by Shalom
Aleichem – “The Doctor” and “The Agents”. The
performances took place in the cinema near the glass factory.
Although the audience was not entirely Jewish, the performance was well
received. If we had not been Jewish, we would have won first prize. The
government representative invited the club to another contest, but in the
meantime the war and ensuing Holocaust broke out.
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