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[Page 71]
On the Life of the Young People
by Yehudit Koscikiewicz-Grunt (Petah-Tikva)
Translated by Allen Flusberg
Kamenetz was never fortunate enough to have a high school, and very few of the young people managed to study at high schools located in nearby cities. Instead, the majority of the young people studied with private teachers, took examinations and thereby obtained a general and professional education.
Our young people were aware of all that was taking place not only in the Jewish world, but also in the world in general. In particular they were closely following the increasing number of political trends in Poland and in all of the Diaspora. They were quick to organize Tze'irei Tzion [Zion Youth], Gordonia[2], Revisionist[3] and even Communist groups; and more than once the Polish police arrested young men at their meetings and put them in jail.
The Kamenetz theatre was very well respected. Among the many vibrant young people, there were always young girls and boys that were gifted with theatrical talents and could put on plays in amateur groups. Asher Saperstein[4], a suave and well-liked teacher, was unanimously chosen head stage manager. The leading comedian, who participated with great success in all the plays, was, of course, Mr. “Bubil Mazik”, who had an extended family and was a carpenter by trade.
At first the plays were performed in the school auditorium or in a large, private house; but afterwards, when the number of attendees increased, Mr. Motye Reznik, who had a barn in his yard, agreed to let the performances take place in his barn. It was a huge building that had once housed a large number of horses; but as the years passed the animals had been taken away, and the barn was now empty.
The young people invested a great deal of labor in the barn to transform it into a theatre. They put up a large stage, as well as benches, constructed of planks, that were brought in to fill seating in the barn to capacity. And they thus created a special, central building for theatre in Kamenetz.
More than once a bench broke and collapsed during a performance, spilling everyone sitting on it onto the floor; but the play would always continue as if nothing had happened. Some children used to find hidden corners on some side planks up in the attic, and when no one was looking they would sneak up there without tickets. Sometimes, in the middle of a play, they would lose their footing and fall down into the audience; but they would stay there, protected by the audience, until the performance was over.
Some of the noteworthy plays that were put on, to name a few, were: “The Sale of Joseph”, “Chasya the Orphan”, and Goldfaden's “Shulamith”. Nowadays in Israel I sometimes get together with many of these amateur actors, and we reminisce about those idyllic, good old days.
[Page 72]
Owners of professional stage groups—though not first class—would occasionally visit our town. For us, each of these visits was a great experience that left a deep impression. And obviously our barn, the “Central Theatre Building of Kamenetz”, also took in traveling troupes that came from elsewhere to perform.
I must mention that all the profits from these performances were contributed to various charities and distributed as well to support the solitary and isolated needy. Let's hear it for the young people of Kamenetz, dear to all of us!
Zionist preachers and modern lecturers did not overlook Kamenetz, either. Most of the lectures on the topics “Rebirth of Israel” and “The Return of the Jewish People to Zion” would take place in schools, synagogues, and even outdoors.
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| Young people boating on the Leshna River |
Summers were interesting enough and pleasant. The surroundings, the view, the river and the “Slup”[5] enchanted all who came; and there were always many guests who were there to visit family. But in the winter…when winter came, we were overcome with boredom. No wonder our adolescents, always looking around for some relief, would try to flee from Kamenetz, whether to move to a large city, to leave Poland altogether, or to wander overseas to Argentina, Cuba, and America. But the greatest aspiration among all of us had always been, and remained, to get to the Land of Israel!
Footnotes
[Page 73]
HeChalutz (Pioneer Movement) in Kamenetz-Litowsk[1]
by S. Dubiner (Petah–Tikva)
Translated by Allen Flusberg
The longing for the Land of Israel became deep–seated within the hearts of the Jewish youth of Kamenetz as the young people began to understand that it would not be possible to continue living as our ancestors had for generations. Within the Zionist youth movement there was a desire for aliya [immigration to Israel], yet only very few actually went.
After the end of the First World War, people began thinking about immigrating to the Land of Israel with the goal of starting new lives. There was a need for them to undergo physical and mental training to become fit for lives of productive labor. HeChalutz called for learning a productive trade, going back to working the land, renewing the life of the nation, preparing for agricultural life in the Land of Israel, and immigrating there.
Many of the Kamenetz youth embarked on productive work where they lived, while others traveled to places of hachshara [training] in HeChalutz centers. A few of the members of HeChalutz from Kamenetz, I among them, were sent to Pinsk to prepare themselves for aliya to the Land. The working conditions were difficult. We labored from sunrise to sunset. The equipment was primitive, food was meager and we received very little spending money. Many learned to be carpenters, locksmiths and electricians. Cooperatives were set up for these types of work. All physical labor that was not professional, such as felling trees and the like, were accepted as training for aliya. At the end of the training period each chalutz [pioneer] was entitled to appear before the aliya Committee. There was an aliya Committee in Kamenetz, and no one could obtain a certificate [for aliya] without its endorsement. The applicant also had to have some knowledge of the Hebrew language and the history of Zionism.
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The members of HeChalutz in Kamenetz practiced what they preached: many of them immigrated to the Land of Israel, put down roots and excelled wherever they worked, whether in an urban or rural setting.
Footnote
[Page 74]
Poalei-Zion (United with Tz.S.) in Kamenetz-Litowsk[1]
by Chaya Krakowski-Karabelnik
Translated by Allen Flusberg
Like many other Jewish communities of Lithuania and Poland that were not very large, Kamenetz had few organized cultural institutions and few regular, recognized schools. There was no theatre there, nor was there any fixed amateur acting group. There was no movie theatre, either. Instead, groups of young people who were good at singing, playing music, dancing and acting would occasionally get together, under the direction of the brothers Asher and Shlomo Saperstein, and with help from the local youth would put on theatrical plays. Since there was no suitable building in the town to serve as a theatre, they would use a warehouse that they had adapted for this purpose.
Each play generated a good deal of interest among the townspeople, entertaining them and transporting them away from their bland daily routine. Moreover the plays served as an opportunity to collect money for various community causes.
In contrast with the town's dearth of regular cultural and artistic activity—and perhaps actually because of it—nearly all the townspeople were members of one or another of all the political movements that existed in Poland at that time, particularly the various Zionist and socialist movements. Each movement sponsored lectures, discussion periods and educational activity. Our lives were vibrant and rich in action, especially in the framework of the Zionist movements, which focused their activities on training for immigrating to the Land [of Israel] and for productive labor in the historical homeland.
In that respect the work conducted by the Poalei Zion party, united with Tz.S.[2], excelled. The local branch was organized in 1925 by a group of members of HeChalutz[3] and by several others who had been part of HaShomer HaTzair[4], among them myself. The founders of the branch and its first members were: Yosef Kotik (Ben-Efraim) and Tuvya Savitzki, who later passed away in Israel; Faygl Riveles, who passed away in America at a young age; Avraham Bleichbard, who later joined Kibbutz Dafna; Shmerl Solnitze; and myself.
At first we were an illicit, underground organization; we would meet at one-another's homes, disguising our activities as family celebrations. Although in fact our party was officially legal, we had not been able to obtain a license from the authorities because we lacked the requisite three adult members to take responsibility for our activities, as required by the authorities. We would therefore send patrols outside during our meetings on the lookout for the police, who might raid us and falsely accuse us of communism. Under these conditions we used to conduct study classes; organize indoctrination[5] activities and the distribution of party periodicals; engage in training for aliya; and browse through circulars and instructions that we had received from party headquarters.
[Page 75]
In 1926 we began public activity after we received a license from the authorities: two members had managed to correct their birth records and were now considered adults by the police, and a third member, Yankl Neimark, who actually was an adult, had arrived from outside the town to work in a tannery.
The first public meeting took place in Manish's house on Brisk Street. Two representatives of the party's district committee participated: Comrade[6] Rogzhanski, who later came to live in Kamenetz for a while; and Comrade Sheinman from Brisk [Brest-Litowsk]. Starting at that time we extended our work. New members from among the working class joined our ranks. We rented an apartment and invited speakers from the central and district committees: Comrades A. Palushka, Arachov, and Bayla Klatnitzki (the latter perished during the Holocaust]; we used to organize literary evenings, during one of which Comrade Perlov participated. Occasionally we would have an open forum for the audience, set aside for topical questions. We would also set up question-and-answer evenings.
The activity of Poalei-Zion generated a great deal of interest among the townspeople and attracted large crowds to its meetings.
Our first members who left for training in Pinsk were: Tuvya Savitzki; Yosef Kotik (Ben-Efraim); Sh. Solnitze; and Simcha Dubiner; the latter later moved to Hitachdut[7].
Our members were active in HeChalutz, in Kapai (Fund of Workers of the Land of Israel[8]), and in distributing the shekel[9].
In the promotional-information meetings of the party the following members of the Central Committee participated: Minkowski, A. Bialopolski and others. Lectures were given on the ideological path of the party.
When Shlomke Saperstein and Yisraelke Freier joined our ranks, they added their intellectual strengths to the party, and we then decided to participate in the election for Town Council.
Additional members who left for training were Faygl Riveles and Yaakov Mikey. The latter immigrated to Argentina because of difficulty getting a certificate that would entitle him to immigrate to Israel. After living in Argentina for three decades, he sold all his property, came to Israel and settled here. He lost his life here after a short time in a traffic accident that took place while he was traveling to work.
In 1927 Poalei Zion appeared in a joint list with the Association of Craftsman (the Hantwerker-Ferein) in elections for Town Council, and we got our member Shlomke Saperstein elected as our representative. Later he immigrated to Israel and settled in Petah-Tikva; and after several years he passed away here.
[Page 76]
Under the influence of Poalei Zion, the youth movement Freiheit [Freedom] was established in 1926. Among its founders were: Ben-Tzion Sapir, Chaim Ruchmes, Shayne Shmukler, Avraham Yagalkowski, Tova Solnitze, as well as others. In order to run the Freiheit youth work, Comrade Yisrael Rogzhanski would occasionally come from the district (Brisk). After a short while the activity of Freiheit expanded, attracting many of the young people in the town, particularly those who worked in tailoring, shoemaking, carpentry and other crafts. The young people in Freiheit began studying, participating in classes and training themselves for activities of the movement. Outings and meetings were organized with other members of the Freiheit movement from the vicinity of Kamenetz. These young people became accomplished in Jewish history and in knowledge of the Land of Israel. They participated in party events and carried out the party's assignments.
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| Text written on photograph reads: 1st Convention of the Freiheit Org. and
Ch.S. Force in the Brisk Region… (translation is tentative, some letters being difficult to decipher; the third line is illegible) |
The Kamenetz townspeople considered the Poalei Zion party and the Freiheit youth movement that was associated with it leftist, and they therefore refrained from including Freiheit representatives in the local committee of the JNF (Jewish National Fund). Understandably our members protested to the JNF Board of Directors in Warsaw. And when Comrade Bialopolski, who was a member of both the Central Committee of Poalei Zion (united with Tz.S.) and of Poland's JNF Board of Directors, came on a visit to Kamenetz, our members petitioned him; but he was not comfortable coming out openly against the other members of the JNF Committee, and so he made no decision on the matter. But the Freiheit movement did not give up its right to be represented and active in the local committee of the JNF. After some time passed another member of Poland's JNF Board of Directors, Rabbi Menachem[10] Hager of blessed memory, visited the town. A Freiheit delegation approached him, the writer of these lines being one of them; and he ruled that Freiheit should have representation in the local JNF committee. And after that we participated in additional activity, working for the JNF, together with agents of the other movements.
Only a small number of those young people were privileged to immigrate to Israel. Most of them perished during the Holocaust period.[11]
May their memory be preserved among us forever!
Translator's Footnotes
[Page 77 - Hebrew] [Page 423 - Yiddish]
The Gordonia Movement in Kamenetz-Litowsk[1]
by Pinḥas Ravid-Rudnicki, Haifa
Translated by Allen Flusberg
Like all the other cities and towns of Poland, Kamenetz was blessed with political parties and pioneer-Zionist youth movements. One that stood out in particular among the youth movements—and that could claim seniority for being the first to have been established in the town—was the Gordonia Movement. It was founded by Laybl Shostakowski and Moshe[2] Bilecki (both of blessed memory), as well as Yaakov Kolodicki (may he live a long life), who is now in Argentina. The three of them were members of the Tz.S. Association Party[3], and for that reason our movement was under the auspices of that party for a while.
Gordonia was established in the year 1926, right after the “Hebrew Circle” Union was disbanded; its goal had been to promulgate the Hebrew language among the local youth, but it had drawn only a very small number of members. As soon as Gordonia opened, however, it began attracting the local youth, especially the student population, into its ranks.
Having no dedicated meeting place, we would get together twice a week in members' homes, where we would hear a lecture on a pioneer-Zionist topic given by one of the founders, followed by a discussion. One could see how involved everyone was, particularly during the open discussions that were conducted in the form of “questions and answers”—or, as we called them back then, “kestl ovnt” [box evenings]—referred to as such because each member could write a note about a question or issue that he was concerned about, and deposit the note into a special box designated for this purpose. The discussions that followed would encompass all the questions and issues that had appeared on the notes. These meetings would end with various announcements, and after that the administration, consisting of 5 to 7 members, would meet to address various organizational problems.
This situation lasted for a while, until finally we found a roof over our heads: first, as sub-tenants in the General Zionist Histadrut [Workers' Organization] auditorium, and then later in our very own meeting place. The cultural-educational program that had previously been run by older members was handed over to a younger group of members: Laybl Nowinski[4] (of blessed memory), Laybl Goldberg/Sarid (may he live a long life) and the present author. The educational program, run according to a fixed schedule, was extended to cover different age subgroups.
At that time the head administration of Gordonia was established in Lodz[5] (it later moved to Warsaw), in addition to the administration that already existed in Lvov, covering East and West Galicia[6]. The connection with the head administration and also with the regional administration in Brisk[7] contributed significantly to the continuing operation of our branch. Everything was well organized to run smoothly. We were circulating periodicals written by the head administrations, and similarly we were receiving the announcements and letters that were serving as directives to all the branches of the movement and lifting our morale.
[Page 78]
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| Writing on photograph:
Staff of Gordonia Organization of Kamenetz-Litowsk. Kamenetz, 28 Nisan 5690.[8] |
Our local Gordonia Movement had entered a smooth routine as its membership underwent steady growth. Its framework expanded with the establishment of additional groups for different ages. More instructors were recruited from among its members; evening lessons in Hebrew were set up; and we started a drama club that put on shows not only in Kamenetz, but in other nearby towns, as well. A newspaper, affixed to walls, began to appear regularly in Hebrew and Yiddish; and parties and banquets were scheduled for celebrations. Commemoration services were organized to memorialize important figures in the Zionist and Socialist movements, such as A.D. Gordon, Dr. T. Herzl, Yosef Trumpeldor, of blessed memory, and others. Whenever one of the members of the head administration came to visit our branch, we made sure to schedule a public lecture that would draw a large audience.
The scope of the movement's activities was not limited to culture and education. Members were also active in collecting contributions for the various national funds. The emptying of coins from the little blue collection boxes of the Jewish National Fund was done on a monthly basis mostly by the members of Gordonia, something that raised the movement's prestige within the entire Zionist community of the town.
We played an important cultural role, as well. Our members were represented in the administration of the Tarbut library, in public “Literary Trials” [mock trials][9] and also in other various cultural appearances.
[Page 79]
Like any pioneer youth movement, the Gordonia Movement of Kamenetz did not restrict itself to the spiritual and cultural development of its members; it also concerned itself with encouraging their personal fulfillment through aliya. It is no coincidence that this activity later began to bear fruit as some of the members of the movement left for training, in preparation for their immigration to the Land of Israel. As time passed several members were indeed approved for immigration. We would hold festive farewell parties for members who were about to depart on aliya; those left behind took leave of these fortunate individuals with evident envy.
The movement's days of glory continued for some time. We still recall those days, when the movement was bustling with vigor, and the outside walls of the auditorium resonated with the sound of pioneer singing and dancing late into the night. During spring and summer, we used to often have organized hikes into the woods and to scenic points in the vicinity, mostly on Sabbaths and holidays. The most outstanding and memorable one—which became a tradition—was on Lag BaOmer[10]. Our members, wearing their distinct uniforms and loaded down with supplies for the outing, would file out in formation from the outskirts of town, marching toward the Prusky Forest, a distance of about 10km from Kamenetz. There they spent the entire day relaxing in the great outdoors and discussing the significance of this date. As evening was approaching, the outing would end with Hora dancing, followed by a march back to town. The march, with its singing, flag-waving and burning torches, left an indelible impression on everyone in the town.
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| Writing on top of photograph reads:
Gordonia Organization of Kamenetz, on the Lag BaOmer outing of 5692 [May, 1932].[11] |
As stated above, the activity of the movement branched out in various directions. On its initiative a pioneer training program for Gordonia members from various regions of Poland was set up in our town. We made sure the group would have financial stability by arranging employment for its members. The very existence of this group breathed new life into our local branch, and it also made a significant impression on all of the town.
The Kamenetz Gordonia members participated in the regional meetings that were held in the Polesia province[12], and also in the regional summer camps. Two such meetings were held in Kamenetz, hosted by our local group. At one point there was also a summer camp meeting in the village of Kruhel, situated in the vicinity of Kamenetz.[13] Our movement also sent its delegates to national conferences.
Memories of that period are engraved in the minds of former members who are now in Israel and the Diaspora.
The members of the movement viewed fulfilling their objectives [to go on aliya] as their main goal, but unfortunately only a small number of them made it. It is painful that most of them were subject to a bitter, cruel fate, perishing with the other Kamenetz Jews in the Holocaust.
Translator's Footnotes
[Page 80]
Beitar and HaTzohar [Zionist Revisionist] Movement
in Kamenetz-Litowsk[1]
by Bunia Kotik
Translated by Allen Flusberg
These movements[2] had a large number of members. The most active members were: Lipa Horwitz z.l.[3], Binyamin Bogatin z.l., Yosef Kotik Ben Dov z.l., Alexander Kotik z.l; and the following who are still alive—may they live and be well—Dov Miletzki and myself—Bunia Kotik.
In the year 1930, members of Beitar appeared in the streets of the town in their uniforms for the first time, drawing the townspeople's attention. One of the ideas that we were emphasizing was that our Jewish youth was fit for a movement that supported the slogan “a healthy mind in a healthy body”. But clearly our main aspiration was to renew our national life in our eternal homeland.
Beitar educated its members to stand up tall and be courageous. The movement encouraged its members to fulfil the obligation of safeguarding the dignity of all people in general—and of the Jewish people in particular.
I recall the proud march of the Beitar group into the forest, accompanied by a Hebrew marching song and music played with pride by the local Beitar band. The Jews of Kamenetz walked along these marching boys and girls with fond looks, as if to say “How good looking our Beitar youth is!”
The blustery, stormy Beitar group of Kamenetz-Litowsk quickly turned into a center for some of the youth of our town. Members learned the history of the Jewish people and the geography of the Land of Israel. There were talks on ethical values and societal life. In another wing they were studying the Hebrew language and literature; every Beitar member was required to know Hebrew.
In the year 1932 we had a fundraising campaign to support acquiring a ship for the Jewish navy that was under the leadership of Jeremiah Halpern[4]. The Jews of Kamenetz contributed generously. This was what the Jewish public of Kamenetz-Litowsk was like.
In the year 1933 I left my brothers and sisters, my fellow members of the movement and my fellow townspeople, in order to immigrate to the Land of Israel.
When I reached the Homeland, I continued my membership in Beitar. I am still doing communal work for the movement from where I live, in Givatayim.
Translator's Footnotes
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