[Pages 5-6 English] [Page 7-8 Romanian]

It was at the initiative of a meeting, convened in Holon at the end of 1977, that a call was first issued for the convocation of a world convention of former residents of Bivolari. Thereafter, following considerable discussions, planning and re-planning, the said convention finally took place in July, 1978, and its participants resolving to publish a volume in perpetuation of the memory of our town, Bivolari.

From that decision and until the project crystalized, the road proved long and arduous. After all, most of Bivolari's elder citizens had long gone to their eternal rest, many slaughtered by the murderous Nazi oppressor. Those had had survived are understandably too infirm to rise to the challenge of reconstructing, in meaningful detail, characteristic episodes from our community's life. Our younger generation, most of which immigrated to settle in the Israel homeland, had shown itself firmly committed to the notion of this book's publication, but regrettably, only very few found it within their means to offer useful written material in the form of diaries or memories. The process of compiling a rounded historical record thus took considerable time.

At length, however, the work is complete and we are proud to present this volume which describes the history and activities of our beloved township, its inhabitants, their way of life, their hopes and their beliefs. It is a story of simple folk who, with faith and dedication, and inspired by a deep-rooted love for their fellow man, kept alive the glorious flame of the Jewish heritage. It is the story of a small province with a dusty landscape, bereft of roads, electricity or proper water supplies but populated by a community firmly united in spirit and prepared to share to the utmost the blessings accompanying all joy and sorrow, ecstasy and fear, celebration and disaster. It was a community characterized by vision, keenly alert to the riches derivable from social, cultural, religious and educational activities; a community rooted in the finest traditions of charity, mutual consideration and moral decency.

Its sons and daughters were among the first to venture out to try to rebuild the Jewish national home. Its offspring were exiled to labour camps, and some of the finest of these perished at Yasi in June, 1941. But others, sturdy young people, sailed for Israel in immigrant ships, reached these shores and were jailed in Cyprus. It was from Bivolari that they came to fight in Israel's War of Independence, and all too many fell during the country's subsequent campaigns. But others have been spared for life to lend their vitality and strength to the noble cause of building Israel's towns, its kibbutzim and its moshavim. They are a living monument to our heritage, an endless source of pride.

Our grateful thanks are due to the Centre for Research on Romanian Jewry, Jerusalem, and to its administrator, Dr. Theodore Lavie, as well as to Professor, Mrs. Zumer of Romania who placed, at our disposal, much valuable historical material that had been preserved for decades by her late husband. We are similarly indebted to Mordecai Amiti of Kibbutz Sarid for his fine aid in the editing process and to Moshe Kagan of Kibbutz Shamir for designing this book's cover.

We apologize to all those families who, though we wrote to them repeatedly, were unable to supply us with data requested, such that the names of their loved ones could not be included in the sacred “list of the departed” that we strove so hard to compile.

We apologize, too, to all those who were kind enough to supply us with some most interesting memorabilia and historical material which, for reasons beyond our control, we were simply unable to incorporate in this volume.

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General note regarding Romanian names Names of people and places were left throughout the book in their original Romanian spelling. As a rough guide, the letter 'ă' sounds half-way between the Spanish 'a' and 'e'. The letters 'ţ' and 'ţ' sound like 'sh' and 'tz', respectively, and the ending 'ti' sounds almost similar to a simple 't'. The sound “î,” is sometimes written as “â,” and is derived from Slavic influence; it is pronounced like the Hebrew “Shva”. The sounds of 'ce' and 'ci' are also from Slavic influence and sound like 'tche' and 'tchi', respectively. Apart of that, all vowels sound clean, like the Spanish a, e, i, o, u.

Dr. Rafael Manory

To the east flowed the river Prut, under the hills where the peasants' homes were located. Every morning through a brownish layer of fog, one could see the quiet river – we swam on hot summer days. We would swim across the river and walk along its sandy banks towards Bessarabia to walk in the endless forest, where we would pick blueberries, walnuts and flowers of all kinds. In this old forest we held our parties on festive days, all of us, young and old.

To the west of the town there was a green grass field, which was as long as the town. This was a place where the boys and girls would go for a walk, this is where they would declare their love for one another. Sometimes we would sit on the warm ground that was covered by weeds, and we would sing and dance. With the arrival of the holy days , families would go out with their children to spend the weekend in the shade of the trees in the school's park.

The primary school was built on the field at the edge of the small footpath named “Das Krime Gesil.”^[1]. The school building served also as a hall for cultural festivities, weddings, artistic shows, as well as the base for the “Hashomer Hatzair”^[2]. The city library was in the same building. Because of the multiple activities the school was full of life, that's where the children studied, there was song and dance, they were getting Zionist education, love for the Jewish people and the country.

Nearby, on a hill, there was Iser's flour mill, the motor sounds of which could be heard in the town.

Not far from the school was the public bath. Even the grazing lawns for sheep and cows were nearby. In the evening, when the flocks returned from the field they passed slowly through the town's streets, leaving clouds of dust.

The Jewish inhabitants lived on the Main Street, which ran the length of the entire town. Only a few Jews lived on parallel streets among the Christians. Every house in town had a fenced back yard, with a gate at the back and with stacks of wood for winter heating. Most houses also had a basement where they kept the conserves, kept food al low temperature, the drinking water and the wine barrels.

In the center of town, near the church, was the farmers' market. Hundreds of peasants would arrive on market days from the surrounding villages to sell their produce and to buy their weekly or monthly supplies. All merchants were waiting for the peasants at the entrance to the town, looking to buy from them eggs, chickens, and

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all sorts of fruits. Most of the peasants, however, went directly to the market, to arrange their merchandise on the carriage for display.

The peasants, in their picturesque garb, would then go for a walk among the stores and then went to party at the bar, from where one could hear their joyous songs and also some heavy swearing. Itinerant fiddlers would make their party happier, and in the evening on market days, some drunken peasants would wander the streets.

Our town was not yet connected to the water network, and a few Jews were bringing water to town in wooden cisterns, mounted on carriages drawn by old horses on the dusty road coming uphill from the Prut River. That's where the springs and the fountains that supplied the water to the inhabitants were found.

The town people were used to saving water. At the edge of town, along the main street, there were a few wells where some of the residents, the poorer ones, drew their own water.

As a child I liked to sit near the wells and listen to the conversations that were going on between the people waiting in the water line, I also liked to listen to the noise of the chain going up and down and sometimes I would be the one rotating the wheel and pulling the buckets up with the wooden handle.

When winter came, the town would wear a white snow coat. Sometimes the snow would be one yard deep or more. This is when footpaths needed to be dug with shovels, and this was a day of joy for the kids. To play with snow, make snowballs and snowmen, with eyes made of coal, noses of carrot and hands of wood sticks. The roofs, the windows, the trees and the field, all were snow-covered. Sometimes they would also close the school because of the strong winds.

All this would be finished when the sun came out. As soon as it was a bit warmer, the snow would melt and streams of water would flow towards the lower places around the market. The small footpath that joined two streets would turn into a gigantic pool of mud. The water streams were bringing so much clay and soil that passage to the market and the school became impossible.

Sometimes they were pouring soil to raise the level of the footpath, and I even remember that once they installed a wood bridge over the pool in the footpath.

Before holidays, the entire town would be enveloped in a festive atmosphere and a special air, like that described by the writers Mendele Mocher Sefarim^[3], Shalom Aleichem, Bialik and Peretz. Maybe in our town there were no people wearing kapote and shtreiml^[4] like in Russia and Galicia, but a festive atmosphere was definitely there.

The painters were very busy, everybody was buying materials for new clothes, new shoes would be ordered from the shoemaker, and people would also buy new kitchen pots, all for the holidays.

This was our life in the town until the bitter day when the town was emptied of Jews. Some of them were sent to work camps, and the others had to abandon the town.

This is how it happened that after 100 years of life

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in this town, the last Jews were chased out, disoriented and bitter.

Along the street the trees were not moving. The birds on the branches were quiet, and only the cats were meowing, as if expressing their indignation. The chimneys on the roofs witnessed what was happening on the streets, as if glancing at the town residents and at its founders. At the edge of town only the Jewish cemetery remained, sad and abandoned.

Jews have been living in Romania since the 13^th century, particularly in Moldova and Wallachia. The ruler Stefan the Great (ruled 1457–1504) kept a Jewish doctor next to him, and the historian Ortalius indicates that there were numerous Jews in the armies of Mihai the Brave (1558–1601) that fought against the Hungarian general George Basta. The township of Bivolari was built in 1834 during the rule of Mihai Sturza. In the contract prepared between the local authorities and the first founders, areas were allocated for communal activities such as synagogue, market fair, public bath, cemetery, abattoir, etc. In the first year there were already 59 Jewish families, but it is difficult to be precise on the question of who exactly were the founding members and where did they come from.

In a book published in 1914, Dr Schwartzfeld deals with the history of the Jewish settlements of Moldova and claims very firmly that none of the Jewish settlements of Moldova has been around before the 18^th century.

Before the establishment of townships on these lands, the residents had to withstand attacks by the Tatars, the Poles, the Hungarians and the Turks, who were looting and destroying anything that stood in their way. For these reasons the residents of those areas have dispersed and those left suffered hunger and diseases.

The deserted areas could not be maintained properly for lack of manpower. The leaders then applied to populations beyond the borders of Moldova to come and settle here. This message was for everybody, irrespective of nationality or native language. They appealed to Christian Orthodox, Catholics, Protestants, Lutherans, and Jews. The message specified that not only peasants are invited, but also tradesmen, salaried workers and guardians.

The acceptance of Jews as settlers in that period was very limited. Even they could rent blocks of land from the big landowners (“boyars”) as “Jewish tenants,” they were not allowed to work the land by themselves. They were allowed to be middlemen or do commerce, to purchase grains from the peasants after they were milled, to sell alcoholic beverages, or to be shoemakers, carpenters, tailors and such. They were also allowed to open bars or build bridges over rivers.

In a document found in the museum of the city

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of Lemberg^[5], the rulers of Moldova appeal to Jews, Russians, Poles and Armenians from Lemberg and surroundings, inviting them to come and settle in cities and villages. “You would be able to live in peace and quiet and without fear, you would be able to trade wherever you wish, thanks to the order instilled there through the laws that we promise to enforce in the Iaşi region”^[6]. A similar manifesto was published as far back as 1658 by Gheorghe Ghica.

From the above one can conclude that the Bivolarean Jews could also be traced back to places beyond the borders of Romania. An additional proof for this I found in a brochure published in 1950 by my cousins, sons of Avraham Horovitz, on the occasion of his passing.

This brochure contains old documents, besides family history and from them the hypothesis that the Jews of Bivolari originated from outside Romania is confirmed. Here is what it says in this brochure: “My father, Eliezer Nehemia, was born in a small town in the Lublin region in Poland, which was at the time under the rule of tzarist Russia. In those times the Russians used to kidnap Jewish boys, children and youth and send them to the army, where they were trained and prepared for war. Among the taken was also my father, this happened in 1840. He was an orphan, so nobody could save him. However, it was God's will that he be saved. Another boy, also named Eliezer, who was also among the kidnaped kids, was very energetic and made various attempts to escape and managed to do so after getting help from people who transferred him across the border to Romania. This guy decided to save my father as well and paid the smugglers to bring my father to Moldova. The smugglers transferred my father over the Prut River and brought him to the village Vladomir in the Iaşi region. After he married, he moved to Bivolari.”

Additional testimonies about the arrival of Jews from Russia, Poland and Galicia can be found in the book by Tony Solomon “Teig fun Tzarn”^[7] and also in the article “Chapters about Bivolari” published in this book.

Bivolari was a border station, on the way to Bessarabia. In 1859 the Jewish settlement grew and numbered one thousand people. In view of the prosperity and the development, Christian residents from nearby areas started to join and they settled around the small town.

In a document that was signed at the occasion of the creation of the market fairs around the Iaşi region, which eventually became a model document for other small towns, it says:

“1. Stores and bars will be raised on lots of about 25 m length and more; on the lot will be raised a dwelling, a stable, a barn and a hen house, and all this without payment of fees.

2. Lots will be allocated for public use, like, for example, a synagogue, a school, a marketplace for cattle and a cemetery, all without any payment.

3.In the town there will be room for other residents, with other occupations than the first settlers, who could be dealing in commerce or trades without interference from the ruling authorities. The lots

would be allocated by the local committee, which will be answerable to the authorities.

4. Those who would raise their houses at the periphery, either to reside or for workshops, would be allocated lots of about 20 m length and about 10 m width and would pay 2 lei per year but would not be allowed to open drinking establishments.

5. Citizens who would deal in raising cattle would pay 5 paras^[8] for each animal (horse, ox, cow) to cover the costs of fencing the grazing fields. It is totally forbidden to use forested areas for grazing.

6. For the butcher shop to be opened in town, the owner is to pay 5 kg meat per week.

7. Any wine distillery to open in town would pay 2 lei per year for fuel, and they would have the right to use trees from the forest, provided they only use dried trees.

8. Merchants would have the right to sell their merchandise at the market fair. The price will be set by the appropriate authority.

9. Anyone wishing to leave town for any reason will have the right to sell the house to someone else, and the buyer would pay the land owner a tax according to the official price.

10. Any resident in the new villages, will measure the lot according to the law to contribute to the development of the settlement, will build the house, shop or workshop and will be exempt from taxes in the first year.”

In his book, [the historian] Chiriţă mentions a document signed between the residents of Bivolari and the owners of the land according to which, every person who would settle on the land of the abandoned village Bradul—to be called henceforth Bivolari—will be exempt of taxes. They would receive lands for public use. The village will have someone responsible with the public order, appointed by the government and called “Head,” whose role would be tax collection.

It could be confirmed that the Jewish colonization of the area contributed greatly to the economic development of the region. The Jews showed a strong ability for integration, creativity, industriousness trustworthiness, as well as an ability for reviving places that have been abandoned for decades before their arrival. The peasants were again queuing to live in villages inhabited by Jews, they built houses, they worked the fields, the earning of the lot owners increased and commerce flourished. The Jews knew how to make commercial contacts even beyond the borders, and they exported agricultural products that increased the income of the country and the government. By their growth, these small towns became centers for the surrounding villages. That's where local (county and region) government offices such the police and the courthouse as well as fixed market days, got established. With time, the Jews set up centralized workshops, and produce warehouses, thus strengthening the development of the small town.

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Many others arrived to Bivolari following the first settlers, and they integrated into the traditional cultural atmosphere, and enjoyed the rights allocated by the rulers of the land by documents and contracts. During 50 years, the Jewish population of the town has met with three disasters.

In 1889 a terrible fire burst out and spread quickly from house to house throughout the small town. Most homes were built from flammable materials, walls made of clay and hay, with wooden roofs that were very close to each other. A strong wind contributed to spreading the fire, which took place on a Shabbat, when all the Jews were at the synagogue. When people found out about the fire, they ran home to help their family and possessions. Almost all the houses in town were destroyed and one Jew was burned to death.

Following the fire, a number of families left the town, some temporarily and some permanently. Those who remained started the next day to build some type of shelter for the coming winter. The town was rebuilt after a few years, this time the houses were built in clusters and were separated by footpaths. Despite the reconstruction, for many years after that, the residents were counting time from the fire event.

Not more than 18 years passed, and the Jews in town found themselves at a crossroads, this time because of anti-Semitism.

A peasant revolt took place in Romania in 1907. Their demand was to divide the land and give it to the peasants [who were working it]. The two main parties in Romania had opposing positions on this issue.

The ruling party were the Conservatives, composed mainly of-owners of very large farms, and they were opposed to any division

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of the lands. They were defending the interests of the “boyars”^[9]. The Liberal party was representing the capitalists, industry owners and bankers, and defended the demands of the peasants in order to ascend to power. In reality they also didn't care about the peasants, but were distributing propaganda material under the slogan “Land to the peasants.” Their propaganda incited the peasants, who started an uprising demanding the expropriation of land from the boyars and its distribution to the landless peasants.

Eventually the revolt gained an anti-Jewish flavor. The provocateurs could not deliver the promises they made to the peasants, and in order to divert their attention from the real problem, they managed to shift the blame for their problems to the prosperous situation of the Jews. The anti-Semitic trend took over the entire country and its strength grew because it was led by the leadership of both parties.

Our town, Bivolari, which was set among tens of villages, became the center of provocations in the region.

The more prominent citizens started to worry about the situation and their representatives appealed to the local authorities. An elected committee went to Iaşi to explain the situation to the governor, their fear of this propaganda and the provocative acts that were taking place in town. As a result, a cavalry regiment was sent to town to ensure order and protect the residents.

On a Saturday in March 1907, a large crowd of peasants from the neighboring villages gathered in front of the Town Hall; The cavalry regiment was stationed there. After an anti-Semitic and inciting speech, the peasants looted the Jewish houses, shops and workshops. This went on for a day and a night, destroying doors and windows and looting whatever they could get their hands on. Every peasant had an ax and a carriage ready in front of the house to carry away the possessions of the Jews. The looting continued the next day and everything was transported to the peasants' houses. They also looted the Jewish-owned drinking houses. They entered the basement where the wine was stored, and drank until drunk, and the remainder was spilled on the street.

After the pogrom an inquiry commission was set up. There are different and conflicting versions about the conclusions of this inquiry. In a book by Avraham Horovitz there is a reference to this pogrom. It mentions that after the pogrom the Court sent a commission headed by Judge Casim, who was born in Bivolari, the son of a well-known Armenian family. The commission accused the officers of encouraging and supporting the pogrom. The chemical analysis of the horse feces showed that the horses were given wine from the drinking houses -. The Judge did not leave town until the cavalry regiment was replaced. There have been a few arrests but the loot was not returned and the revolt participants were not punished.

I found a different version in another document, which says that the then-Mayor insisted, after the pogrom, that the Jews leave Bivolari. Only the intervention of the Jewish organizations of Iaşi and of the regional governor have prevented the exodus. Nevertheless, a number of families have left the town, because they were left with no means for living.

Years later, although life has returned to normal, it was proven that the seed of anti-Semitism

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caught roots everywhere throughout the country.

In 1912, the members of the student union of Iaşi published a manifesto against the county governor, asking for his resignation, given that he was “bought by the Jews of Bivolari” because he accepted the honorary title of “President of the Ball of the Jewish Community of Bivolari.” The proceeds for the Ball were meant to go towards the building of a new communal bath in Bivolari. The governor justified himself in a pamphlet, in which he explained that the Jews of Bivolari had always been loyal patriots of Romania and supported monetarily the construction of a public institutions from which all the region residents benefited such as the central hospital, the State school, etc.

To understand the events in Bivolari, we need to clarify the situation and the political atmosphere in Romania between the two world wars and in the period preceding WW1.

This is what I. Bercovici writes about this:

“In the period mentioned, 1918–1941, the political parties of Romania have worsened their attitude towards the Jewish population. In the Romanian army there was systematic discrimination toward Jewish soldiers who fought in battle in the period 1916–1918.^[10]. The discrimination peaked in the last stages of the war as well as in the release of the soldiers from service. It was clear to all that the acts of discrimination were not locally initiated but were a result of a policy imposed by the higher forums.”

Violent skirmishes, accompanied by looting and destruction, took place in Bucharest, Brăila, Buzău, and in others cities with Jewish population. This period started with provoking slogans such as “Red beasts,” which predicted catastrophes, that were indeed to come.

The year 1919 was a year of struggle for rights and social equality. In December 1919, after numerous internal and international pressures, including important international interventions, the government of Al. Vaida Voievod signed the document known as “The Peace Treaty of Versailles.”^[11]. A few paragraphs there referred to freedoms and rights for the Jews of Romania. A bit later, in the Treaty of Saint-Germain with Austria, dated 20.8.1920, paragraph 2 states: “The government of Romania undertakes to provide public protection to all the citizens of Romania, in respect with their life and liberties, without discrimination in regards to place of birth, nationality [meaning ethnicity], language, race or religion.”

Thus, starting from 1920, there was a new notion in the Romanian political system: Jewish citizens, members of the middle class (bourgeoisie), received the right to vote. A very relentless adversary was the National Liberal Party, the representative of the local middle class, which had an influential political power in the 1930s.

The Liberal Party, a well-known anti-Semitic party,

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proved itself again to be against the Jews immediately after the signing of the Treaty that, as mentioned, accorded rights to the Jews. For this reason, they dragged the legislative reform proposal intended to validate the citizenship rights of the Jewish population. The population numbers have increased considerably as a result of the creation of “Great Romania” and the annexation of new regions.^[12].

The created atmosphere was intended to justify and explain the dragging by the government of a judicial matter that they were committed to apply. There were anti-Semitic demonstrations, political actions and articles in the press. Following these measures, that were organized by the Liberal Party, on 10^th December 1922, the Christian students at the University of Cluj performed violent actions against the Jews, and spread slogans for the “expulsion of the Jews” from anatomy studies and the introduction of a “numerus clausus”^[13] for Jewish students in Romanian universities.

Only after a continuous struggle and pressures of the Jewish community representatives that lasted three years, the Liberal government under Ion Brătianu finally agreed to present an Amendment to Parliament and by this to finally offer a legal base to the obligations contracted under the Peace Treaty. In 1923 the Grand National Assembly [the Parliament] of Romania granted citizenship rights to the entire population, irrespective of ethnicity or religion.

However, even with this act, the problem of Romanian Jews was not completely solved. First, by a formulation that was intentionally confused, they managed to deprive of rights a population of about 14,000 people. Second, the violent anti-Semitic acts perpetrated by the students, have opened a new and horrible page in the history of Romanian Jews. This time there was a real movement that was acting to reduce the rights obtained by the Jews after the war. Moreover, this movement opened the way for the fascist-legionary current in Romania.

The anti-Semitic current infiltrated, during the years, the entire political life. The democratic and progressive forces were limited and were lacking an effective leadership, that would fight for the implementation of human rights. There were attempts to set up a League for the Protection of Human Rights, but without results. The Jews have also not been successful in organizing and supporting the Jewish Party. On the contrary, the Jews were supporting the Romanian parties, that were actually all anti-Semitic. The party called “Corpul National Evreiesc”^[14] was established in 1919, but did not get any place in Parliament.

In 1919 the party called “Liga Protecţiei Nationale-Creştine”^[15], was established in Iaşi, and with time, various anti-Semitic unions merged under the leadership of Prof. A.C. Cuza, C. Păulescu, and Corneliu Zelea Codreanu, all individuals with a strong power of influence.

The Bivolari community organized a night guard on the town streets to secure the life and possessions of the Jews in town. No evidence was found

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that such a guard really existed. There are however memories of the visit of Mr. A.C. Cuza in Bivolari and of the organization of meetings in the courtyard of the church in town center. These activities were disturbed by the local Jewish youth. Thus, the anti-Semitism penetrated all aspects of life in a manner protected by law under the pretext of the right of free gathering.

There was control over the commercial system through heavy taxation. In the school system taxation was introduced per student, per teacher, and for each building used for teaching.

For example, to build a new school, the Jews in town contributed significant amounts, and in particular, Mr. S. Zilberman from the US contributed 300,000 lei.

The government not only did not participate, but also demanded taxes.

In the archive preserved by the school headmaster, Professor M. Sumer, I found a few documents revealing the government attitude towards the Jewish students. In Memorandum no. 1 of 1928, issued by the Regional Office of Education in Iaşi and `addressed to the headmaster of the Bivolari school, the latter is asked to transfer amounts of about 120–200 lei, retroactively from 1927.

Memorandum no. 2 announces the management of the Jewish school that, according to law, every activity of the school requires an application, and every teacher at the school requires approval by the Ministry. In addition, each application and approval require official publication in the government journal, for a fee of 250 lei.

In Memorandum no. 3 of 1928, the Ministry of Education claims that all the teachers teaching from 1923 who have not been approved yet, have to pass an exam, and this included teachers of religion, gardening, etc. The headmaster had to send a list of all unapproved teachers by August 28, 1928.

The harassment reached its peak in the guidelines regarding teaching the history of the Jewish people. Memorandum no. 4 informs the headmaster that the Ministry of Education forbids the use of the book written by Gabriel Aroux and published in France in 1924. The Ministry was of the opinion that this book contained insults to Romania. The book was describing the history of the people, the struggles of the Jews for rights over the world and the difficulties raised by Romania against Jewish emancipation, despite its signature on the Treaty of St. Germain.

In the years after the signing of the Balfour Declaration and the signing of the Decree of equality of all citizens, youth and student organizations started to pop up in all towns, large and small. The white-and-blue flag started to wave on the Jewish streets. Various schools started to present the Jewish flag on national events. It goes without saying that this act was not accepted, so that on the 28^th May 1928,

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a memorandum was issued to the Jewish school headmasters in the Iaşi region, by which it was absolutely forbidden to parade with the Jewish flag. This interdiction applied not only to schools, but also to youth organizations. Infringement of this directive could lead to the abolition of the youth organization and the people responsible could face court proceedings (Memorandum no. 5).

In the 18th century, the activity of the Community was disorganized. The main demands that they were dealing with were: a rabbi, a shoichet^[16], a hazzan [cantor] and synagogues that also served as schools. The teachers (“melamdim”) were coming from afar and the material studied was based on the Pentateuch with Rashi interpretations and very few were also studying Gemara^[17]. The Jews in town started to look for ways to organize themselves and already at the beginning of the 19^th century a few volunteer youth have organized a committee, the main scope of which was to build a Jewish school and the setting of a traditional slaughtering service. It should be noted that this activity has been successful^[18].

In the school year 1897–8 the first Jewish elementary school was opened; the school was located in a temporary building and in a short time it had 300 students studying there. The school was government-controlled.

Already from the start argumentative discussions started regarding the importance of its existence. Later on, the discussion focused around the teaching material. The opponents argued that such a school would raise a generation of “gentiles” and were mainly opposed to the government control.

The argument got more heated when the local committee applied to the representatives of the I.K.A. charity in Romania^[19] asking for financial help for building a suitable building for the school.

The charity agreed to finance the project, provided that the curriculum corresponded to the national one, and would be under government control.

It should be noted here that the rules for general development and the circumstances, also affected the town of Bivolari. The stream of emancipation, which penetrated late into Romania, has made its way among the youth. They were looking for an identity, and only a few of them assimilated [into the Romanian population]. The older people were more conservative, the simpler people were happy with the way things were, did not like changes and were afraid of modernization. This was the reason for their opposition, not only to the school itself, but also to the change in curriculum from the traditional “Heder.”

The situation was totally different among the youth and the intellectuals of the town. Their orientation in regards to the future of the Jewish nation was completely different. They saw the new current in Romania in a particular way, after emancipation. Looking for new opportunities for organizing, for general education, for a Zionist outlook, they wanted the revival of Hebrew and this is why they insisted on having a new building for the school.

In 1913 the Jewish school of Bivolari was constructed with a substantial contribution from I.K.A. After a few years, the youth

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demanded that a kindergarten be established, and arguments and discussions started again. All these issues are covered in the Memoirs of Avraham Horovitz.

“I was appointed City Treasurer on condition to reorganize the public institutions and manage the community affairs in such a way that controversies should be avoided. The Committee of the Community consisted of two groups. The Community Chair belonged to the group that caused the discussions, and I, as treasurer, belonged to the opposite group. We reached a compromise regarding urgent matters, i.e., slaughtering, the rabbi and the school, which would be reorganized.

I have renewed contact with the I.K.A. charity regarding the help promised, and they have instructed the inspector of the Jewish schools in Romania, to renew their visits and to report accordingly.

The discussions among us revolved around my proposal that the schooling period be prolonged to start from kindergarten age. The Community Chair was opposed. This antagonism manifested itself in particular in the meeting convened when the national inspector from I.K.A. visited the school. I suggested to establish a kindergarten, which at the time was called “elementary course” for ages 4–7. For this aim I applied to I.K.A. to build the necessary locale and establish an annual budget to recruit a female kindergarten teacher. My proposal was based on the assumption that at such a kindergarten the children will receive a sufficient preparation, that will facilitate their study of the holy books without neglecting their studies of Romanian.

The inspector accepted my proposal.

Given the inspector's acceptance, the Chair did not dare to express his opposition during the meeting. After his return to Paris, the inspector recommended my proposal to I.K.A., following which I received a letter from I.K.A. with the promise of supporting 50% of the expenses of the building, the furniture, and the annual management expenses. For this, an account was opened for us with I.K.A., with the provision that the construction works have to begin in the same year, otherwise our account will be closed without the right to re-apply for the same purpose. Despite the favorable report and the conditions of the grant, all the other members on the Committee were against it. The year passed without starting the construction and I.K.A. closed the account.

I didn't want to fight and to create again a split in the committee. Nevertheless, the kindergarten was established later, also because of me.”

In August 1918, there were, for the first time, democratic elections for the community committee, and the custom of naming renown persona has stopped. The new Committee was made of progressive people and partly of Zionists. The elected Chair was Avraham Horovitz.

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In the same year the building was equipped for use as a school, it was divided into classrooms, all with government approval.

The previous committee was surprised of the fast pace of the new arrangements and of the intensive actions and did all it could to undermine them. In a few cases it succeeded. First, they managed to convince the old teachers to resign and to leave town. This created anarchy in the education system because it was difficult to replace the teachers. Thanks to the Zionist personalities of Iaşi, who were informed of what was happening in Bivolari and took the side of the progressive forces, we managed to hire teachers from Iaşi who agreed to move to our town.

These teachers managed to make some important changes in the curriculum and in particular it should be mentioned that the “Sefardi pronunciation was introduced in the teaching of Hebrew, something that was consider only a dream previously.^[20] At school, the teaching methods were also changed and the behavior was also without reproach.

The arguments, however, were not only about teaching methods. The number of problems grew with the growing needs.

A town like Bivolari could not survive without rabbis and slaughterers, who were maintained by the community. In larger cities a slaughterer could set up his own business and provide ritual slaughtering for the Jewish population, but this was totally forbidden in Bivolari.

In 1905 there was a major fight in the town. A number of residents have decided, for personal reasons, that one of the two slaughterers had to be fired and someone else hired in his place. The committee was against, but someone was hired, so now there were three. This step, however, has endangered the committee's finances. Up to that moment, the work was well organized.

Because the discussions continued for five years, deficits were created in the community's budget, which caused the closing of the school for a period of two years. Only the intervention of respected members of the community, who were not involved in the dispute, managed to put an end to the discussions. Two members were added to the Committee, the issues of ritual slaughtering were resolved and the school reopened its gates around the school year 1912–13.

A law was in force in Romania since 1891 regarding the removal of “foreigners and undesirables” from the country. It should be noted that in that period there was an immigration wave from Tzarist Russia and Poland, of people fleeing anti-Semitism. Some of them were looking to emigrate to the US by passage through Romania, but others didn't mind remaining in Romania. The Romanian government, however, in view of the abovementioned law, deported a large number of Jews, among them numerous intellectuals.

With the increase in anti-Semitism in Romania, the Jews that were deprived of any rights have set up an organization called “The movement of the nomads” (wanderers). They were going from city to city, from town to town, looking for a way to immigrate or a place to stay until the pursuit will pass.

[Page 22]

Among them, many were destitute and were begging for charity. Because there were many of these in Bivolari, a committee was set up to look after the newcomers. The committee dealt with getting them accommodation and means to travel to another town, at their request.

Initially these “nomads” were receiving meals at poor families, that were getting assistance for this. This arrangement turned out to be unsatisfactory for the donors. A charity organization named “Hosting the needy” was set up in town, with the task of collecting weekly fixed donations for this purpose.

The difference was that now the visitors were hosted with well-off families in a pre-arranged order. An old building was purchased and set up, with the aim of accommodating these “visitors.” This act did also not pass without arguments. The President opposed vigorously purchasing a building for “humanitarian” purposes. He was afraid that the visitors would get used to the arrangement and would not want to leave the place, becoming a permanent burden on the community. For this reason, resignations and changes occurred in the committee. The building used to be a dormitory for visitors. However, this stopped with the start of WW1^[21]. Destitute persons, beggars, and various vagrants stopped coming. Eventually the building was occupied by the army and in 1918 it caught fire.

The Zionist activity in Bivolari was affected by the cultural activity and the national wake-up of Romanian Jewry of that period. Those who took part in these activities were united by the basic principle of togetherness of the large masses, and of the cultural values of the Jewish people. In 1904, after Herzl's death, a period of decline that was felt in the Zionist movement overall, was also felt Romania. This manifested itself also in the Zionist movement of Romania. The Federation has adopted the principle of “Work for the Present” in Diaspora and was involved only in cultural events.

In the period 1916–1918, when Romania was involved in WW1, the national Jewish spirit awoke among the Romanian Jews, particularly the youth. There have never been more centers of Zionist youth. There was almost no city or town with a Jewish population that did not belong to the Cultural Zionist Union.

In Bivolari, a Zionist Union was established in 1908 with the name “The Ways of Zionism.” The headquarters were in Galaţi and its goal was collection of funds for the construction of the country (Palestine)^[22]. The Union would strengthen the Zionist spirit, in particular among the youth, distributed “shares” of the “Settlement Fund”^[23], would make donations towards the “Herzl” forest plantation in Palestine, from the membership fees of the Zionist organization.

[Page 23]

The enthusiasm of the new generation did not agree to even the smallest diversion from principles. By contrast, opposing reactionary groups showed up in small towns, that were acting under the slogan of “emancipation,” and their aim of was in fact to achieve gradual assimilation [into the Romanian society]. They founded in town “The Union of Native Jews,” but their activity was quite limited and this organization dissolved in a short time.

In 1911 a reading hall was established, which included a small library and Zionist publications in several languages, Romanian, German, French and even Hebrew.

In this hall they held lectures and symposia on literary topics. With time, adult groups joined this activity and strengthened the undertaken actions.

The writer Bercovici analyzes the more important events from the beginning of the process regarding the Jews in Romania and writes:

“Opposing currents were fighting for supremacy. The orientation toward history and tradition was clashing with the trends of assimilation and adaptation. The themes chosen by Jewish writers were showing a tendency towards politics. It seems that the literary creation in Romania was only meant to carry out and develop historiographic research.”

It seems that the general atmosphere in Romania in the last century^[24], had something special, which did not permit the Jews to sever their ties with the places in which they lived before. This, despite the equality between citizens being abolished, ill-willing politicians and anti-Semitic journalists were setting obstacles in the way of the Jews. This is reflected in the artistic work of Romanian Jews. These works give the impression that “the idea of adoption and climatizing”, the loyalty towards the Romanian homeland and the assimilation efforts hit difficulties.

The Jews have brought a significant contribution to the Romanian literature and to its philology. There were a few

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who were baptized. However, despite their patriotic attachment, they encountered many disappointments, seeing that anti-Semitism was developing.

These contrasts have left their marks on the life of the Jews of Romania that lasted until the end of WW1. They caused sorrow and despair in the souls of those, few in numbers, from among the personalities who showed close ties with the Jewish culture. Overall, among the Jewish masses, a few nonpolitical streams were born. These were manifested by apathy towards the day's events, an attitude of lack of care towards the acts of discrimination and persecution.

In fear and in worry of a possible worsening of their “tolerated” status, many small merchants and tradesmen preferred to be in isolation, and keep their distance of the arena of internal political fights. They stayed away of any interference in any issue that would remind them that they actually were “a homogeneous group,” and they chose a policy of “non-intervention.” With this status, vague echoes could be heard that were similar to those from the time of Alexandru Ion Cuza in 1864, when Jews were awarded “partial citizenship.” They feared for the fate of Jewish traditions in a period in which atheism was spreading and policies were changing. In the regions of Iaşi and Moldova, there were three major streams, as follows.

1. The religious stream, which included the Hassidim and the opponents to Hassidism, but had in common the traditionalism and the opposition to progressive ideas and atheism.
2. The groups of the progressive and the assimilates.
   In these groups, which enjoyed a good social and economic status, young people of the high-bourgeoisie were prominent. Among them there were also intellectuals, clerks, students and “proletary” who were influenced by socialist and communist ideas.
3. Zionist groups, who pursued the dissemination of the Jewish culture and Hebrew language.
   The first two streams had in common their opposition to Zionism.

The generation of Zionist Jews before WW1 in Bivolari included the best youth and older people in town, who had important positions in political life and in teaching. The Zionist tradition passed from generation to generation. In particular after the war a very rich cultural activity was taking place, which included lectures, conferences,

[Page 25]

Evenings of dance and various parties, where collection for Keren Kayemet and Keren Hayesod;^[26] as well, subscription to Zionist publications, took place .

I recall a special event organized for the occasion of the Balfour Declaration^[27]. I was about 6 years old on that day. Although I did not understand the importance of this declaration, I knew that something important was happening. We were living near Templul cel Mare^[28], where many people gathered. The lawyer Alter Aharon, who was the headmaster at the time, went up a table and gave a moving speech. The Jews were happy and started dancing on the streets. It is difficult to say what caused the collective enthusiasm of the people at the time. Was it the emigration possibility of perhaps the opportunity of rebuilding a country for the Jewish people? In any case The Balfour Declaration, and, after a few years the ceremony of laying the Foundation Stone of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, were two memorable events that marked the Zionist activities in our small town in those unforgettable days.

In this period the youth got organized in the ATS movement (Young Zionists Association). Within a few years, this movement was instrumental in maintaining intensive cultural and Zionist activities. They opened a library and rented an apartment for meetings. Every Shabbat they had cultural activities. The common goal of the activities was training for the building of the [new] country. During these activities arguments started on cultural and Zionist issues. Some people supported the Yiddish stream and opposed the revival of Hebrew. With the penetration of the Zionist stream increasing among our youth, the issue of identification with Zion and self-realization in Eretz Israel was becoming everybody's life goal.

Bivolari 1980 : At a road intersection In Hebrew: A wasted dream

1. The “The Armenians' Street” Return
2. The Young Guardian, a Zionist youth movement Return
3. Mendele the Bookseller Return
4. Kapote and shtreiml are traditional garb worn by orthodox Jews consisting of a dark overcoat and a fur hat Return
5. Modern day Lviv, Ukraine Return
6. Iaşi was the capital of Moldova Return
7. Yiddish for “Day of wrath” Return
8. 1 leu = 100 paras Return
9. The owners of the large farms Return
10. Romania only joined WW1 in 1916 Return
11. Known in Romania as “The Treaty of Paris” Return
12. After WW1 Romania has annexed the regions called Bukovina and Bessarabia. Return
13. “closed number,” i.e., number limits Return
14. The National Jewish Body Return
15. The League for the National-Christian Defense Return
16. Traditional slaughterer Return
17. Jewish oral law Return
18. Bivolari was among the first townships in the area that was organized and has also set up a tax collection for ritual slaughtering. Return
19. A Jewish charity supported by Baron Hirsch. Return
20. The Sefardi pronunciation is used in modern spoken Hebrew; the Ashkenazi pronunciation was only used in prayers. Return
21. 1916 for Romania. Return
22. Still under the Turks Return
23. Most probably the Keren Kayemet Return
24. i.e., the 19^th century Return
25. The Light Return
26. Organizations known today as Jewish National Fund and United Israel Appeal Return
27. A letter given on November 2nd, 1917, declaring the sympathy of His Majesty's government towards the Zionist ambition of establishing a national Jewish home in (what was then called) Palestine. Return
28. The Large Temple Return

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It is the story of people who were proud of their past and of the richness of their tradition, who applied in their life the ideals of national rebirth. The history of our small town mirrors brilliantly the lifestyle of any Diaspora settlement, where the framework and social relationships that developed that were specific and typical to the place.

In the same way that migrating nations always settled on water shores, refugees of the anti-Semitic pogroms in Russia settled on the banks of the Prut River, at the boundary between Moldova and Bessarabia, in the township of Bivolari. Snippets of life, the occupations, the customs, and the dreams of the people of Bivolari, are the topic of these diggings into memory.

* * *

The destiny of our generation was to be an active factor at the time of the town was flourishing, and we were also witnesses to its final destruction.

My memories of the customs and beliefs are deeply rooted in my mind; smart and laborious people; tightly-knit families and the warm and loving home; the authority of the father, the conveyor of tradition, together with mother's good heart and fine behavior, always hard-working and burdened by worries; the expressive face of the small children and the vivacity of the enthusiastic youth; the industriousness and creative initiative of the merchants and the exhausting work of the tradesmen; the traditional weddings that were full of joy but also tears, and which were held from dusk to dawn; the festive atmosphere that filled our houses and our street on Shabbat eve and at the coming of the Pesach, Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur holidays; the fiery prayers in the synagogues that were full of men, women and children. All were unforgettable…

* * *

From among the prominent personalities, I remember those who characterized the live spirit of of our small town.

The luminous figure of Rabbi Goldenberg, who was brilliant in his sermons that were based on biblical culture and wisdom, which were skillfully applied to everyday life.

The unforgettable image of Professor Belotinsky is also vivid in my memory. In his simple and modest lifestyle tried to educate the youth and connect them to the thesaurus of the Hebrew language and

culture. A man of integrity and conscienscious of his role of educator, he devoted his entire life to preparing the youth for the future, which he saw possible

[Page 27]

only in Zion. His only son, Muny, was shot in the pogrom of “That Sunday” of 29 June 1941 in Iaşi,^[2] and proved, through his tragic death, the undeniable truth of the Zionist concept supported by the poor father: that there is no future for the Jewish nation except in its own homeland, Zion.

Who does not remember Professor Marcu Sumer, the Romanian language teacher, an outstanding educator and headmaster of the Israelite-Romanian school from its establishment and until the very last day of the evacuation of the Jewish population? He was the community representative against the educational and government authorities. He was the educator of our generation. He dedicated his life towards growing and cultivating a knowledgeable youth who would be industrious and conscientious. After the evacuation, Marcu Sumer remained the leader of the refugees, who were left without any assets and any support, in the city of Iaşi that became deserted by the killing of the Jews in the disastrous pogrom of June 1941.

And who can forget the personality of Mendel Antonier, his intelligence and courage as the innovator of new ways? Enlivened by the ideals of the times, but well-linked by the people, Mendel was the promoter of the theater “Jdiş”, which appeared at that time on the Jewish street in Iaşi.

And what about the shining figure of Strulică Goldner, the intellectual multiskilled youngster with wide horizons? Talented and studious, Strulică acquired a sound cultural knowledge and a life concept which he shared with us, teaching us material taken from the thoughts of the thinkers and reformers of the time, from Freud and Bergson, to Marx, Trotsky, and Lenin.

In the pogrom of “That Sunday”, our Strulică was kidnapped in an evil way, alongside his brother Marcu—together with the other 12,000 Jewish martyrs, decimated by the barbarian Nazis in their killing wagons.^[2]

* * *

With the appearance of the Zionist movements on our streets, talented and enthusiastic youngsters started to stand out in their contribution in forming and strengthening our youth.

Who was not familiar with Moşcu Abramovici, the enlightened and courageous pioneer who established the movement of “HaShomer Hatzair?”^[3] He was the first who, by leaving to Eretz Israel in 1932, opened a brighter horizon for all of us.And who does not remember Zeilic Antonier, the educator who was full of enthusiasm and initiative from the HaShomer Hatzair base? Or MarcuŢă Goldner, the founder of C.T.S.^[4], or Solo Croitoru, the founder of the revisionist movement “Bethar?”

The memory of the beloved figure of Morthe Şehter is very vivid in my mind; his name was actually his profession (“Shochet”^[5]) and he would go from house to house before Yom Kippur to perform the ritual of “Kapures”^[6] for all the members of the community. Rabbi Morthe taught the children “Humash” and Rashi^[7] and would also prepare many of them for their Bar-Mitzvah.

I also can't forget the lively image of Favel Solomon, who, despite working hard all day long together with his children in the bakery, knew how to express his faith by serving as a cantor at the Kitrarsky synagogue.

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His melodious prayers, that were quiet and calm, full of piety and spiritual warmth, would often mix in a harmonious “cantata” sung by the entire synagogue.

* * *

From amongst the dominant families of the small town, I remember with sorrow the families named Antonier, Goldner, Yser, Leibovici, Abramovici, Solomon, Ţukerman, Moskovici, Goldenberg, Bittman, Meirovici, Friedman, David, Strulovici, Leiba, Maizner, Cosever, Zilberman, Mates, and not less the Berariu family from the “Court,” which by their nobility, culture and popularity offered a warm, hospitable and guiding home for many of us.

The leaders of the Jewish community knew the way of establishing and organizing community institutions, representing the interests of the population with dignity in the hardest of circumstances, in front of the [local] authorities and of the Romanian government. Under their leadership, four synagogues were built and maintained: “The Great Synagogue,” “The Builders' Synagogue,” “The Tailors' Synagogue,” and the one known by the name “Yser's Shule.” They built and maintained the Israelite-Romanian school with its daily Hebrew lessons, which were useful for us all, when we made our first steps of acclimatization in Israel. They also maintained the place for ritual slaughtering, the public ritual bath, the specially arranged workshop for the preparation of matzot^[8] for Passover, and anything linked to communal life in town and the aid to the poor.

In honor and in memory of the community leaders it must be mentioned that many institutions were built, maintained and advanced in our small town thanks to their will and drive, for the benefit of the entire community.

The contribution of the community Heads is also worth mentioning: Abraham Horovitz, Moşe Meirovici, Baruch Goldner, Strul Gold Herşcu, Herman Friedman, Marcu Antonier, and alongside them the active members of the community: Iţic Ţukerman, Strul Leibovici, Iţic Moscovici, Bercu Solomon, B.H. Goldner, Smil Goldenberg, Haical Solomon, N. Froimovici, Pascal Meirovici, Sulim Bittman, Leiba Leiba, and numerous others.

Periodically, elections were held in the community according to “strictly democratic” principles. They caused upheaval in town and split it into two camps, according to the two “parties” that were competing for candidacy. These elections however have shown the spirit of responsibility and political maturity of our Bivolareans.

* * *

A glorious chapter in the history of our generation is the start of the Zionist movements at the beginning of the [20^th] century; and in particular the youth movement of HaShomer Hatzair.

This movement brought the Zionist-Socialist ideal on our street, an ideology that was suitable for the young Jew, who was so hungry for the humanitarian and social ideals of the time.

The materialistic basis and the life concepts of HaShomer Hatzair have penetrated deep into the hearts of the Jewish youth and constituted

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for many of us the leading thread of life.

These ideals were harmoniously embedded with the ideals and principles that we inherited from our parents, our teachers and educators, and from everyday life of our small market town of Bivolari.

We were all grown up and educated on the basis of the same healthy principles, and were bound by thousands of threads to our Jewish tradition and identified with our nation's history.

We all learned to be honest, industrious and modest, hungry to absorb the great ideals of humanity, and to be bound to our people and its fate.

These ideals and values have always led us in life, and thanks to them we managed to pass through the hell of persecutions, by their strength we managed to implement the dream of our national revival in Israel. These are our Bivolareans.

Since the start of the town's history, since its bright period and up to the evacuation of the entire Jewish population, from the Aliyah of the first pioneers in the 30s through to our renewed unification in the homeland and through our penetration in all branches of activity, from Kibbutz and Moshav to universities and hospitals, the history of our generation is reflected in all these stages.

From beginnings of the town with a patriarchal life, and through the persecutions and the massacre in Iaşi and until the establishment of the State of Israel, the darkest of times, and also the brightest of times in our nation's history are reflected.

1. Yiddish for “My small town Bivolari”. Return
2. The text describes the pogrom called “The Death Train” that took place in Iaşi on 29 June 1941 Return
3. Zionist youth movement; the Hebrew name means “The young Guardian.” Return
4. This abbreviation is not spelled out in the text, but it probably stands for “Comitetul Tineretului Sionist”, i.e., The Zionist Youth Committee. Return
5. “Ritual butcher”. Return
6. Ritual slaughtering of chicken prior to the fast of Yom Kippur. Return
7. The Pentateuch and the interpretations of Rashi, Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, a well-known rabbi who lived in France in the 11^th century CE. Return
8. Unleavened bread traditionally eaten during Passover [Pesach], and which requires special preparation. Return

On the farm called Cornul Luncii, on the village Bradul on the Prut River, a group of Jews settled in 1834, and their numbers reached 59 families in 1838; they were tax-exempt. The establishment document is dated 1844, when the market town was already settled. The agreement between the town settlers and the land owner was renewed in 1848. Nevertheless, there were disagreements between the settlers and the owner because when the market town began to prosper the owner wanted his profits to increase despite the written agreement. When he didn't achieve his will, he would send the farm manager to threaten the inhabitants. This is what happened, for example, in 1847, with Pinhas Iosef Altman. At the trial, ten town people testified that they knew the accused as a Moldova resident. The testimonies carry seals inscribed as “Cornul Luncii or Bivolari 1845” and “Cornul Luncii or Bivolari 1846,” which indicates an organized township administration.

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In the cholera epidemics of 1848, 18 Jewish residents also died in town. The known historian Yakov Psanter indicates that in 1869 there were only 50 Jewish families in town. After this date the town developed quite rapidly, because in 1889 the number of Jews was 1000. After the fire in 1895, which destroyed almost the entire township, the population started to decline gradually.

The community maintained itself from a “tax” on kosher meat. In 1897 a mixed primary school was established, with 300 children, but the school did not have its own building until 1913. Fifteen years later another building was built for the school. In 1915 the community had a rabbi and two slaughterers. From 1908 the rabbi was Hanoch Henrich Şafran, born in 1887, and the author of a few scholarly works. Between the two World Wars the town enjoyed a very lively community life.

Between Soloneţ and Hermeziu, on one side, and the orchards of Sănta Maria–Tabăra, on the other side, stretches a piece of land watered by the Prut River. Surrounded by a large village by the same name, here was our birth town, Bivolari. Two main streets passed through it, Strada Principală [Main St.] and Strada Armenilor [The Armenians' St.], (di Krime Goss), which was full of ditches and mud during winter and spring, and the rest of the year.

No skyscrapers, but also no shacks, only small houses made of concrete or shingle. This is where we spent our childhood and youth.

We did not have intellectuals or famous people who make history, only simple folks, peace-loving, with warm hearts, Jews whose fantasies did not go much further than their occupation. And what were their occupations? They were petty merchants, or small “needle professionals,” shoemakers, tanners, tinsmiths, bakers, day-workers, in short: simple people.

[Page 31]

And the small market town was populated by old families, with deep roots in town, honest and respectable people, with first, and second and nicknames that we remember to this day. First, the Goldners: Moise and Leizer, Burăh and Chaim Goldner; then, the families Aronovici, Goldenberg, Strulovici, Leibovici, Moscovici and Abramovici;^[2] Aron Gingă [Gum], Ceapă-Iapă [Onion-are], Iampolă, Der Vasluier [The guy from Vaslui (Yiddish)], Avram-Urţe, Leibl-Hunes, Haia di Roite [Red Haia (Yiddish)], Sure di Firzugern [?], Hana-Leia, Rivke di Bube {Rivkah the Doll] (Yiddish)], Levi Iohans, Ruhaleia di Spraheren [Rachel-Leah the Talkative (Yiddish)], Tzirel di Krasnerke [Tzirel the Handsome (Yiddish)], Iosef-Erţ, Huna-Beilă [Hannah the Beautiful (Yiddish)], Feivel-Iankels, Favel-Zaides, Iţic Nusbroh [?], ţmilucă, Sulem-Bade [Sholem mate], Herţ Kupke and Sone Knaper, and Iosale Dains…and many other lovable Jews - may they rest in peace.

And one day Progress reached our town, in other words, Industry. We recall the flour mill of the Iser family, where the peasants would crowd to mill their harvest. And we also recall the machine for scratching hemp, which managed to maintain itself. And we shouldn't forget the two plants for filling soda bottles that were competing with each other; one belonged to Moşe Antonir and the other to Herman. And the factory that was making matzot for Passover, and opened its gates already on Purim. True, everything was made by hand, but the product was of excellent quality, had the same taste and was the same level of kosher like the matzot of Rishon L'Zion.

And tourism? Is this not an “industry” as well? Bivolari was on the banks of the Prut River, and as such was placed on the tourism maps. And in the hot days of summer, many people would want to bathe in its cool water. True, the “bikini” fashion had not appeared yet, but one could still see enough body.

Five-star hotels could not be found in our market town. However, not a few travelers and important guests were received with hospitality in our small town. The simple people (“amcha”) would stay at the hotel called “Rogojina” (The hay mat) of rabbi Pincu Dănilă. And also, crowds of hungry Jews from Bessarabia would also invade our town.

Together with the flour mill, a movie theater was installed in town. Who doesn't remember the cinema of Isac Abramovici et Co. with the silent movies of Charlie Chaplin, Greta Garbo, Pat and Patachon, Tarzan and others? And when the film would break in the middle it took about half an hour to repair it. However, it was much worse when the electricity was cut-off. Somebody had to run from the school (where the theater was) to the mill, because they were the only ones who knew how to repair a short-circuit. So, for the amount of two lei, the price of entry, you could spend 3-4 hours at the cinema of Bivolari, even if the movie was not “Gone with the Wind.” Later on, the theater moved to the center of town, and was managed by Albert, who was a mechanic. He had a nice hall, and owned his own generator.

We grew up without electricity. Our generation,

[Page 32]

– which we had nothing to be ashamed of – grew up by the light of oil lamps. There were a few lamps PETROMAX or LUX^[4] (that were seen at Moişe Antonir's place, in Uşer Leibovici's tavern, or in Herman Friedman's convenience store), and we looked at them as the miracle of the century. On the street, on dark night, the lamplights in town would create romantic shades.

In the morning and in the evening Moşel Bodoagă's car was passing through the town; he was doing the route Ştefăneşti-Iaşi. But we also had our own car round, Bivolari-Iaşi, that alternated daily between Iozef and Mihai.

It goes without saying that on Saturdays, all activities on the road would stop, according to tradition. And if once, some youth wanted to get to Iasi to see a show with Molly Picon, they surreptitiously hired Tocu's car and tried to get out through Pretor without anyone noticing. However, their parents found out and angrily chased the car till the outskirts of Soloneţbut it was all in vain. This was the first revolt of the “nonbelievers” in the holy community of Bivolari.

For transport we would also use the horse carts of the cart-drivers Iţic Rohes, Berl Bot, Leizer Iţe, Adolf Postelnicu, and others. When the snow melted, we had to help the poor horses and after Cărniceni we got off the cart and had to push it. Sometimes the distance of 40 km (~25 miles) between Bivolari and Iasi would take us more than a day and a half.

On “Sliches”^[5] the children did whatever crossed their mind

When we had to go out and greet the rabbi from Ştefăneşti, that noble Tzadik, with a white beard, who was coming to us on Hanukkah and would spend the night at the Antonir family, we would hire a carriage. Likewise, when we knew that a bridegroom was coming from afar, we would welcome him with decorated carriages, and would throw a bucket of cold water on him, for good luck.

And if we are talking about rabbis and weddings, let's not forget the four synagogues of our modest small town, that numbered about 200 Jewish families. So, we had in Bivolari: The Great Synagogue, Iser's Synagogue, the Day-laborers' synagogue, and the tailors' synagogue.^[6] They were thus named because this is how we inherited them from our ancestors. The largest synagogue, The Great Synagogue, was at the center of the town and had a round ceiling, with paintings depicting the Creation and the people receiving the Tablets of the Commandments on Mount Sinai.

Next to the Great Synagogue was the place for chicken slaughtering. Here, wearing a yarmulka, reigned the slaughterer Mordechai; and later, his son, Pini Schechter, may he be in good health; after that, the named “rabbis” of the Zimbering family lived there.

Next-door lived Beri Şloimales, who sold “kvitleh”(flower-shaped cookies); he was actually a shoemaker, but if needed he could also be a cantor.

And so, with the “minyan” prayers in the morning and in the evening, the town would bless every day. And on Shabbat everything stood stopped – nobody would work. And the Christians in town showed understanding and respected God's will.

On “slihes” days, when the Jews went to pray while it was still night, the youngsters would be busy with their mischief. They would get on the streets, change the signs of shops, move ditch platforms, and take

[Page 33]

furniture out in the street –a real upheaval. Leizer-Leizer the shoemaker would find on his door the sign of Dr. Zilberman; and Dr. Şemeş would find the sign of Simon Bucureşteanu.In the morning the whole township laughed and the children were happy

On weekdays, peasants of the surrounding villages, and even from across the Prut, came to Bivolari, but our market town would be full of life and noises in particular on Mondays, when the fair took place. The villagers would display in abundance all their “goodies,” garden vegetables and legumes, birds and cattle, and, a bit toward the market's edge, the cereals. The merchants came and argued, unloaded the products in their warehouses or barns, and from here, after getting a favorable price, would sent them by train from the Şoldana station to the wholesale dealers in the cities.

Sometimes the circus would also come to Bivolari. They put up a tent on Maidan and immediately there would be a crowd of kids around it, with many onlooking villagers, all keen to see the acrobats and the jugglers; and after that they all pressed their way inside to see the “wonders” with their own eyes. The Jews would not be left behind, they also took part in the show. The small town was joyous, in particular because the trade was also invigorated during those days.

The village people liked us. It may very well be that back in their village the flame of hate had already been lit, but we did not sense it yet. We continued to have a quiet life. And the peasants, by their understanding behavior towards us, were helping to plant in us a sense of security. A few of them even knew some Yiddish, and even though we spoke in such a way that “er zol nisht mevin zein,”^[7]

they understood what they needed to know. We could not “sell them.” One of them, Costică Bucium, spoke the language perfectly (because he used to be an apprentice with the tailor Avram Horovitz). Likewise, Anica, the servant of Rabbi Goldenberg, knew how to sing “zmires” and all sorts of songs such as “Ysmechu hashamayim, Shomrei Shabbat” and others.^[8]

The Romanian countryside school was open for us as well, for whoever wanted to obtain a diploma of seven primary classes. Their principal, Mr. Andrieş, was a sympathetic , warm person who liked to greet everyone with “Have a good day.” So, what would we, mischievous children, do? We would always form a long line, “as long as the Galuth”, and when the headmaster passed, we would greet him one by one, and he would wave his hat to each and every one, and our line wouldn't end. There was between us a good dialogue of people who live together.

At the Town Hall we were also well received, but here when someone would hold their hand open we knew that we had to leave a bribe in it. Sometimes we would meet them at the local tavern, and from the second quart of wine the tongues would go loose.Thus, for example, the notary Anghel would always start praising Iuliu Maniu, and always ended up with insults toward the “Jids.”

There were many decent people,

[Page 34]

who loved other people, Christians that carried no grudges in their hearts, such as the priest Vrînceanu, General Mihai Negruzzi, etc.

Community life was at peace. The community, as a self-standing entity, looked after all aspects of a full Jewish life. It supported the Jewish-Romanian school “Zilberman,” and sometimes a kindergarten (in Hebrew). Likewise, it maintained a ritual bath, the rabbinate, and a Jewish cemetery. The community would strive to bring first-class teachers to Bivolari, such as Mr. Belotinsky, Mr. Dulberger, Mr. Sumer, Mrs. Credinciosu, Mr. Nudelman, Mr. Iadlin, and also famous rabbis for whom we have only words of praise.

There was a special atmosphere among the Jews in the small town, with everyone wishing to do something for the sake of the “klal,” for the common good. After the resignation of Mr. Moşe Meirovici, and after Burăh Goldner, Marcu Antonir, Favel Solomon, Iţic Ṱuchermann, and others left the leadership of the community, fierce electoral fights started in Bivolari for the leadership role, as if at stake was the Presidency of the United States. Posters appeared with the photographs of the candidates. There were meetings in the school's hall (where the movie theater was once), and in the four synagogues. Speeches were heard. Some of the Jews went after the popular list of Mr. Strul Gold Herşcu, and others followed Mr. Herman Friedman.

And from the elections for the community, to the elections for the country's Parliament. When these elections were approaching, our small town was visited by all the parties. Thus, Dr. Caranda, the hospital manager, an activist of the party of Gh. Brătianu, enjoyed much influence on the Jews of Bivolari. On the eve of elections he would come to us, passed from house to house asking for the Jewish vote. Some would [promise to vote for him], but would not always keep their promise. And they would be in trouble – if caught.

Among others who used to come was Demostene Botez, on behalf of the Peasants Party, Victor Iamandi from the Liberals, and that's without mentioning the Jewish Party, with its propagandist youth.

Another election cycle that would revive the town from its sleepy state was that for the Zionist Congress. All the parties were present: “The Radicals – the Revival” (Radicalii-Renaşterea) with Marcuţa Goldner, the sympathizers of The Working Palestine, with the movement HaShomer Hatzair, The Revisionists, with Oibis Ciuntu and Toive Shimon, and “Mizrachi” with Marcu Antonir and Mr. Brandes.

Class struggles were also not lacking in Bivolari. Thus, the tailors' apprentices, who were learning the trade under harsh conditions, because they also had to –among other things – look after the children of their masters, who would wake up early in the morning and go to sleep at 10 at night, organized against exploitation, and declared a strike. They won.

Let's talk now about the commercial competition in town. In the center, there were two iron smithing shops. Naturally, these merchants would try to attracts clients from each other. They started to quarrel, and from

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insults they moved to fists and strikes, and all this in front of the gentiles.So yes, we also had in Bivolari this realistic “theater,” which was quite shameful.

We sometime had real theater as well. Numerous artistic groups would visit Bivolari, in addition to cantors and all sorts of actors. They all enjoyed success.

The “Hashomer Hatzair” cell would show plays by Shalom Aleichem, Goldfaden, etc. Later on a “Cultural Club” was formed. It's also worth mentioning here the “Purim shows,” or the concerts of the Suculeni orchestra, or the parties with “Jean's strings band,” and Rahmiel's shouting of “Cold bragă,”^[10] and David Rosner's “Ice Cream” shouts that disturbed the quiet in the town. As you can see, Bivolari had its own “theatrical life.

Whoever claimed that “they wasted their youth in Bivolari” were wrong, because life in Bivolari had its fun, we enjoyed the Jewish traditions, there was the wonderful youth organization “HaShomer HaTzair,” and, in general, and a love of life and of people, because our slogan in life was “As long as we live, we have to be alive.” This went on until the arrival of “The Iron Guard”^[11]…and Hitler.

We Bivolareans were educated to love Zion. We were proud that the majority of town inhabitants who survived, managed to be among the liberators our Holy Country. With sadness we remember our loved ones who perished during the times of persecution. And, in their memory, we believe that this small Jewish town, Bivolari, where we were born and lived, and which for us is unforgettable, deserves to be memorialized.

1. “The old kingdom” is another name for “Romania of the past.” Return
2. Following are nicknames of people, some in Romanian, some in Yiddish (in Romanian spelling). Some nicknames are based on words that rhyme and were left in original. Return
3. “The Straw Mat” Return
4. Kinds of kerosene-fueled lamps that give very bright light. Return
5. The period before the High Holidays when prayers of atonement are read before sunrise. Return
6. The synagogues' names are given in Yiddish in original, but were translated in the text. Return
7. Yiddish for “so that they shouldn't be able to understand.” Return
8. The word “zmires” means “songs” in Askenazi Hebrew and in Yiddish. The listed songs are common Friday night songs. Return
9. Yiddish for “As long as we live.” Return
10. A fermented drink of Turkish origin, otherwise known as “boza.” Return
11. An antisemitic-nationalistic organization that was active in Romania in the 30s and early 40s. They were the organizers of the pogroms in Romania during the Antonescu regime. Return

[Page 36]

This happened in the town of Bivolari, where I was born.

My father, Rabbi Hanoch Şafran, told me this story in the winter of 1920.

This was in the freezing winter during the term of Iehoşua Rabinovici, who, between the years 1855–1915 was the rabbi in this town, forgotten by time and people. The venerable Rabbi Iehoşua, my mother's father, preached in this community for 60 full years. After Rabbi Iehosua's death, my father replaced him between 1918 and 1922, while I moved to Bucharest, after a stopover in Iaşi and then at my grandfather's, the famous rabbi, the gaon^[1] Bezalel Ze'ev Şafran, of Bacău.

Bivolari was as large as a hole, at the edge of the cemetery. It probably had around 400 Jewish inhabitants, on top of about 800 Christian God-and people-fearing ploughmen. The town had only one main street, on which the Synagogue was reigning, and also two lateral streets on which there were houses with porches. One of these houses was our residence, and next to it was the residence of the town slaughterer, my father's brother-in-law.

The story I am about to tell you, was told to my father by my mother's father, Rabbi Rabinovici, in the summer of 1917. The story took place in 1890, and deals with the gang of bandits that was led by Ioină Şeigheţ.^[2]

This band was operating in the “shuk,” the town's market; when there was a fair, with purchases and there were crowds from the neighboring villages. This is where Ioină Şeigheţ was operating, collecting a bribe from all stall holders, Christians and Jews, in order to “protect” their stalls from other bandits. For years, everybody knew about the dishonest deeds of this rascal, but they were all silent, out of fear.

Ioină Şeigheţ was not satisfied with taking cash only, but took first-class merchandise as well, merchandise that he would select himself, together with two assistants, Gheţel and Huna, also known as Oişer, who was stealing in a serious manner. Huna was a “specialist” in chickens, ducks, fat geese, and also furs. Gheţel loved fabrics, felt or cloth for shirts of bridal sets for brides. They were “taking,” not stealing. All three criminals would boast about how industrious they were in their zeal of “robbing the rich.”

Ioină Seigheţ had a very respectable place in the synagogue, between Gheţăl and Huna. Everybody knew about their deeds, the rabbi, and also Father Gheorghiţă, the priest of the Church that was just opposite the synagogue. Rabbi Iehoşua knew very well that the Ten Commandments forbid stealing; moreover, they even punish it.

A small iterant merchant made his way to the fair on a Thursday, when he noticed Ioină Şeigheţ; by the time he realized what happened, Ioină Şeigheţ “operated” on him, and took from the cart whatever was best. The merchant would be happy that he didn't lose his life. I am telling the truth; Ioina's band never ever used knives, but only looks and smiles. Until the new itinerant merchant would get used to . . . the local custom. After being robbed, the ambulant merchant went to Rabbi

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Iehoşua, who sent the janitor to call Ioină to him. Ioină looked at him with wonder, lifted him up and kicked him out. The janitor came to the Rabbi in fear, and told him what happened. Bivolari was all noisy. After this, all the merchants came to the Rabbi to tell him about their painful encounters with Ioină. Rabbi Iehoşua was in awe. To have Ioină in the synagogue, moreover in a honorary place on the East side, and to have to honor him with calls to the Torah, this was more than what he could accept.

On the Shabbat after these incidents, after the rabbi had his sermon, Ioină Şeigheţ was called to the Torah. At that moment Rabbi Iehoşua got up, and when Ioină got near the table on which the parchment scroll was open, the Rabbi came from the behind, held his coat, pushed him out of the synagogue and shouted as loud as he could: “get out, you thief!”

All the congregants became stiff with fear. Who knew what was Ioină Şeigheţ capable of doing together with his band of criminals?

A week after that, a newly-wed came to town to invite Rabbi Iehoşua to be the godfather for his newborn boy. The young man lived not far from Bivolari, in Răducani. Rabbi Iehoşua promised to come on Thursday to fulfill the mitzvah of being a godfather.

The Rabbi left with his carriage, accompanied by the janitor and another two congregants. It was a very cold December day. The Rabbi was wearing a very heavy coat and, on his head, he was wearing, instead of a felt hat, a typical warm peasant hat. Only his white, patriarchal beard revealed his actual profession. Immediately as they left town, the sound of galloping horses could be heard behind them.

Ioină Şeigheţ, leading his band, was riding behind them in mid-day, as if this was the middle of the forest.

All Rabbi Iehoşua's companions became afraid. They knew that their lives, as well as that of their master, were in danger. Rabbi Iehoşua, however, was completely calm. He stood there and prayed, as if nothing happened around him. Ioină Şeigheţ showed up in front of his bandits. He saw Rabbi Iehoşua and became livid. He disappeared like a ghost. Nothing happened to the rabbi, of course, and he arrived in time to be a godfather.

The first Saturday after this, Ioină Şeigheţ abandoned his seat on the East side of the synagogue, and donated a large amount of money to the synagogue, to atone for his sins. He turned into a decent person.

This is a true story that I heard from my father, who had a lot of appreciation for his father-in-law, Iehoşua Rabinovici, the Rabbi from Bivolari.

1. “Gaon” (genius) is a respectful descriptor for famous rabbis, usually gained after authoring a number of commentary books on the Jewish Holy Scripture. Return
2. The name means “Ioină who does mischief” in Yiddish. Return

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