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In dedicating this volume to the martyrs of Budzanow, we recognize the impossibility of translating into words the emotional impact of the catastrophe perpetrated by the Nazi–Satan. Stunned and bewildered we stand by the graves of the innocent. How does one measure the loss of a community, with its human and spiritual treasures?

We humbly dedicate this book as a memorial to the dead of Budzanow, and to the holy ground of their unknown graves; as a memorial to a way of life, a town spirit and folklore, to brothers, sisters, relatives, friends, all obliterated by the Holocaust; as an eternal reminder to all our survivors, and their children, and children's children, of the evil of the Nazi Amalek.

Though twenty–five years have passed since this tragedy, we have searched the four corners of the globe to ensure maximum cooperation from as many survivors as we could locate, in order to be accurate in the description of events. Because of our own artistic limitations, we appealed to professional writers for their contributions, for which we are thankful.

We express our thanks to all those kind people who either directly or indirectly made the publication of this volume possible, and especially to Mr. Hendel Dov, Secretary of the Budzanow society who headed this venture.

May all of them be blessed.

May this book serve as a final tribute and lasting monument to the heroic martyrs of our town.

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We will never forget the savage destruction of our people by the German, Ukrainian, and Polish murderers.

We will never forget the apathy and indifference of the “civilized” Christian nations while our brethren were gassed and slaughtered.

We cry out our ancient prayer: God, pour out thy wrath upon the nations which have shed the blood of our fathers, mothers, sisters, and brothers.

“The Holocaust which engulfed millions of Jews in Europe proved anew the need to solve the problem of the homelessness and lack of independence of the Jewish people by means of their establishment of the Jewish State, which would open the gates to all Jews and endow the Jewish people with equality or status among the family of nations.”

Youth Movement in Budzanow

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It seems to me that in a book commemorating a Jewish community those events should be included which deal with the entire community rather than with individuals' private lives. I shall tell the story of one such event.

The first year of the First World War, that is, the year 1914–1915, I spent in Budzanow, after graduating from a “gymnasium” in Stanislawow in the summer of 1914. Those were turbulent times due to the withdrawal of the Austrian army, the occupation of the town by Russian troops, and the subsequent re–entry of Austrian troops. there was fear that, quite apart from sufferings that may be inflicted by soldiers, the Jews in Budzanow might suffer from attacks or depredations by peasants living in near–by villages. there were quite a number of young Jewish fellows like myself who felt that some organization should be created to protect the Jewish community. Accordingly, about 20 or 25 of us organized a patrol which was to watch the approaches to the town at night. The only arms we had were sticks in our hands.

The patrol proved its usefulness on one occasion that I recall. A group of about 3 or 4 of us, including myself, patrolled a bridge over the Seret River which led into the town. One night, after midnight, we noticed a group of about 10 to 15 peasants, with empty sacks on their shoulders, coming into town over the bridge. We stopped them and asked them how they got that idea. The answer was that they had heard that it was permissible to take Jewish property and therefore they were going to do it. We told them that it was not permissible and that

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they should go back home at once and leave Jews alone. They turned around and walked back. We never heard from them or any other peasants again.

I felt at that time and I feel now that the organization of this patrol was the result of Zionist ideology which had been spreading among the Jewish youth. Zionism stiffened our backbone. Previous generations of Jews suffered pogroms and did not fight back. We stood up and tried to oppose those who might be our enemies.

Jewish Farmers from Verbovitz, near Budzanow

Jewish Farmers from Verbovitz, near Budzanow

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The town of Budzanow by Trembovla, near Tarnopol, Lvov region, is situated on the banks of the River Seret. The town itself sits in a valley that is surrounded by mountains which are covered with green in the summer and with ice caps in the winter.

Budzanow is an old town, probably dating back to the 16th century. In those days, the town was frequently attacked by the Turks and the Tartars.

It was at the 1699 Peace of Carlovitz that the entire Podolia region came under the domination of the Poles. Then, 80 years after the first partition of Poland, Galicia was ceded to Austria. In the beginning of the 18th century, it was annexed to Russia. In 1815 Austria once again took over control of the region until the outbreak of World War I.

After the war, the Ukrainians ruled for a short period, eventually giving the region up to the Ples, who annexed it to the independent Polish State. The independent Poles ruled for nearly 20 years. By the time of the outbreak of World War II the Russians were ruling authority, and they were in control until 1941 when hostilities broke out between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.

From the time the independent Polish State was established, the “Poland for Poles” campaign meant the systematic oppression of the Jewish population. First, they began to pressure the Jews with heavy taxes. Then, Government employment was closed to them. This drive against the Jews soon extended into private industry as well. Finally, Jews were driven out of the universities.

Soon, emigration of Jews was halted and the economic situation became extremely serious.

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So we lived, a typical house in Budzanow

Hebrew was taught in the Jewish schools and, following the Balfour Declaration, came the activities of the Hechalutz Youth Movement. But emigration to Eretz Yisrael was kept at a trickle because the British Mandatory Government refused to issue immigration certificates to Jews. Many of the Jews were trapped in Europe, and consequently met their death during the Nazi holocaust.

With the arrival of the Germans, the cruel and merciless persecution of the Jews of Budzanow grew in intensity. Their freedom of movement was severely curtailed. First there were isolated murders of Jews. These were soon followed by the mass murder of hundreds of Budzanow Jews.

November 1942 was one of the darkest months in the history of the Jews of Galicia. During that month, all the Jews of Budzanow, Janow, Stursow, Mikulinic and other towns were gathered into a ghetto at Trembowla and murdered in cold blood. After being forced to dig giant trenches, the Jews were driven through the streets naked and shot to dead. Their common grave is the network of trenches they themselves were forced to dig. This common grave is in the village of Plibanowka, not far from Trembowla.

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Only a handful managed to escape. And many of these Jews were caught in the forests by Ukrainians and murdered. A few managed to return to Budzanow and hid in the homes of their Polish friends, or in the Klashtor (monastery).

Of a total Jewish population exceeding 1,500 before the war, only 18 survived by the time the town was liberated by the Russians on March 23, 1944.

A few of these remaining Jews fled to the U.S.A. and Canada, and some came to Israel, their last station.

From letters received recently from Budzanow Christians, it was learned that many changes have taken place in the town under the Russian occupation, only a few houses remained, the town church has been converted into a mental hospital and the Synagogue is now a warehouse. Jewish graves have been smashed and the headstones used for building blocks.

All this leads us to accuse the Russian conquerors of attempting to destroy even the memory of our dear departed ones!

On the Budzanow Cemetery in 1937

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Who showed me mercy when trouble came? Who rose in protest? Who fixed the blame When the pinned on my coat the badge of shame… When my children screamed as the ghetto fell And Warsaw became a flaming hell? When the ashes glowed hot on Buchenwald, Who spoke? Who answered when conscience called? Did you not hear when I cried to you? When I died for you? I, the Jew… From “Song of my People” by T. R. Nathan

We, the members of the Budzanow Organization in Israel have resolved to perpetuate the memory of the town, its people and its institutions.

To honor our dear ones, we have donated money to the National Fund (Keren Kayemeth) for the planting of fifteen hundred trees in the “Forest of the Nazi Victims” (Yaar–Hakdoshim) located on the Judea Heights near Jerusalem.

We have also placed a memorial tablet on Mount Zion in Jerusalem's cellar of the holocaust (Martef Hashoa).

Every year on the Yahrzeit (eight day of the month of Sivan), we come together in Haifa or Tel Aviv for Yizkor to say Kaddish.

We have published this volume in which the history of Budzanow, its life and its tragic end is depicted. Several former Budzanow Jews have participated in this memorial volume, including the following:

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Dov Hendel: “My Slaughtered Brothers”, “My Hometown” and “In Israel”.
Israel (Morgenstern) Shifman: “Budzanow as It Was”, “My Town” and “Persons”
Shimshon Melzer: “In the Shadow of the Rose” (poem” and “Doodi Kmils”
Yosef Keliner: “Budzanow”
Shraga Gutmacher: “Rabbi Shlomo Eibshitz”
Israel Neufeld: “Memories and Episodes”
Simon Feilich (Ben Moshe): “Types and Events”
Morris Fellner: “A Boy in Town”
Rabbi Itzhak Weisblum: “Rabbis of Budzanow”
Muni Epstein: “My Town”, “Verbovits” and “Wandering in Russia”
Nachman Blumenthal: “A Visit in Budzanow”
Jona Goren: “The Gordonia Youth Movement”
Zipora Hendel: “From Home”
Eliahu Shitzer: “A Family”
Dunio Ashenberg: “My Town Janow”
Gershon Leisner: “Budzanow Scenes”
Shaye Glaser: “Destruction of Budzanow” (in Hebrew and Yiddish), “Escape from Death” and “After the War”
P. Drabik, Ing. Engel, Dr. G. Colin and Dr. I Weiselberg: “the Ghetto of Trembowla”
Abraham Buchholz: “Destruction”
Bronia Fleishaker (Levinson): “A Girl in the Storm”
Yaakov Balaban: “The Destruction of Janow”
Leib Tcheret: “I Survived”
Ester Detzker (Abramowitz): “How I Escaped from Hell”
Abraham Weinfeld: “Taking Jewish Property”

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