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Sitting from the right: Reuven Rabinovitch, Esther Lozovski, Tov Shomroni, Yechezkel Ravitz, Miriam Kleinshtov, Yosef Lozovski, Chaya Chaikin, Chaya Lubtzik
Standing from the right: Nachum Margolin, Moshe Korn
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[Page 195]
Translated by Jerrold Landau As we come to present an overview of the Organization of Natives of Maytchet and its Region in Israel, and its activities, it is appropriate to first describe the makeup of our organization in Israel, the people who belong to it, and how those people came to it. We can assume that in what was called the “Old settlement” [Yishuv Hayashan] in the Land, which included almost exclusively people whose prime goal was to fulfill the commandment of the settlement of the Land of Israel, there were some individuals during various periods who stemmed from the town of Maytchet. I can base this assumption on personal testimony from the elders of my family, who stated that one of the fathers of the family made aliya to the Land, died there, and is buried in the Mount of Olives Cemetery in Jerusalem.
To the extent that we all recall, and as is related in this book, the final two people who made aliya with the aims of the “Old Settlement,” that is for the purposes of fulfilling the commandment of the settlement of the Land of Israel [1], were Reb Yehoshua Aharon Lisovski of blessed memory, and Reb Yisrael Zalman Shlovski of blessed memory. The rest of the residents of Maytchet and its region who made aliya to the Land of Israel during the last fifty years came here for different reasons. Their main motivation for aliya to the Land was the idea of Chibat Zion [2]. Others made aliya under the rubric of the various Zionist pioneering movements, and still others came as tourists or students and remained in the Land. Holocaust refugees, who had gone through the various Zionist movements and preferred to set up their households in the Land of Israel rather than the Diaspora, arrived after the war.
The first founding meetings of natives of Maytchet and its region in Israel began in 1946, when the Holocaust survivors began to make aliya to the Land of Israel. I especially recall the first meeting that took place in the home of Shifra and Yosef Lozovski in Rishon Lezion, at which the first Holocaust survivors who began to arrive in the Land of Israel were present. Later, after the details of the Holocaust and the date of the final annihilation of our townsfolk became known, annual memorials for the Holocaust victim began to take place on Rosh Chodesh Av of every year. At first, various local memorials took place, for the most part in private houses of Maytchet natives, including Moshe Kleinshtov of blessed memory and his wife Miriam may she live, Shifra and Yosef Lozovski, Binyamin Stolovitzki, Nachum Rabinovitch and others. The members Miriam Kleinshtov and Chaya Chaikin were dedicated to the annual memorial. These two members also made sure to set up meetings between natives of Maytchet and its region in Israel with guests from the Diaspora. The first meeting of this nature took place at the beginning of the 1950s in the home of Miriam Kleinshtov in Tel Aviv. Mr. Ben-Zion Kobinski of Argentina was present.
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Sitting from the right: Reuven Rabinovitch, Esther Lozovski, Tov Shomroni, Yechezkel Ravitz, Miriam Kleinshtov, Yosef Lozovski, Chaya Chaikin, Chaya Lubtzik Standing from the right: Nachum Margolin, Moshe Korn |
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[Page 198]
On Rosh Chodesh Av 5722 (August 1, 1962), after the annual memorial that took place in the home of Miriam Kleinshtov, a general meeting of the natives of the town was held, at which it was decided to work toward publishing this book. In the wake of this decision, an expanded organizing committee was chosen, consisting of nine members: Chaya Chaikin, Chaya Lubtzik, Yosef Lozovski, Esther Lozovski, Nachum Margolin, Moshe Korn, Miriam Kleinshtov, Reuven Rabinovitch, and Tova Shomroni. This committee acted in all areas: it maintained communication with all the natives of Maytchet and its region, initiated meetings for various events, disseminated the idea for the publication of the book also among the natives of Maytchet and its region in the Diaspora, organized and conducted various welcome parties for all Maytchet natives in the Diaspora who visited Israel, and worked toward strengthening the social connections among the natives of the town in the land. The crowning achievement of the activities of this committee was the setting up of a memorial plaque for the martyrs of Maytchet and its region who perished in the Holocaust. This monument is engraved upon a marble tablet located in the Holocaust Cellar on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. The veil was removed from the memorial plaque on the eve of Rosh Chodesh Av 5722 (July 9, 1964). At that time, the annual memorial event took place in the presence of most of the natives of Maytchet and its region in Israel. The memorial took place at the memorial monument in Jerusalem the following year as well. Starting from Rosh Chodesh Av 5626 (1966), the annual memorial ceremony for the martyrs of our town took place in a special hall in Tel Aviv or its area.
Among the Maytchet natives of the Diaspora who visited Israel were Mr. and Mrs. Marim Spencer (Pintzinski) of blessed memory and Mr. and Mrs. Alter Albert Kodovich, who visited Israel in 1963. As on all similar occasions, a warm, enthusiastic reception was arranged for them in the home of Esther and Meir Lozovski, with the participation of members of the organization. On that occasion, the guests gave over a sum of money to the organization, as a gift from the Committee of Maytchet Natives of New York and several private individuals, for use toward the charitable fund for the needy from among the natives of Maytchet and its region in Israel.
After the annual memorial ceremony on Rosh Chodesh Av 5726 (July 18, 1966), a general meeting of all the participants was conducted. Given that the activities for advancing the publication of the book had become more urgent, it was decided to spread the committee out further by setting up four smaller committees in order to involve a larger number of members in the communal efforts. The following people were chosen to the organizational committee: Sara Ahronovski, Yosef Lozovski, Nachum Margolin, Moshe Korn, Miriam Kleinshtov, and Moshe Ravitz. The following people were chosen for the charitable fund committee: Chaya Chaikin, Yitzchak Lubelinski, Mina Levin, Yosef Lozovski, and Pesach Mlinikovski. The following perople were chosen for the book committee: Chaya Lubtzik, Esther Lozovski, Yosef Lozovski, Chana Machtiger, Nachum Margolin, Moshe Korn, and Tova Shomroni. The following three members were chosen for the audit committee: Yerachmiel Brunitzki, Binyamin Stolovitzki, and Reuven Rabinovitch. Indeed, most of the members of the committees acted in accordance with their tasks.
The Organization of Natives of Maytchet and its Region in Israel is not different from other similar organizations, and its activities do not deviate from those of other similar organizations. Throughout no small number of years, the organization acted to perpetuate the town and the Holocaust that fell upon its
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Jews during the Second World War. This objective reached its fulfillment with The Book of Maytchet in which these words are inscribed for memorial throughout the generations.
Finally, we should note the organizations of Maytchet natives throughout the world. They have a single purpose before their eyes: to form a common framework so that the natives of the city can meet together, to bring to the fore memories of the town and its dear ones, and to provide assistance and support for Maytchet natives throughout the world. The main point is to support any plan whose aim is to perpetuate the martyrs of our community with the honor due to them, and to conduct an annual memorial day for the martyrs.
In the first place, we must note the long-time Society in New York, which was founded at the beginning of the 20th century and maintains its own cemetery as is the custom with Landsmanschaften. The organization in Israel is in constant contact with them. A similar organization exists in Argentina, which also goes back a long time. We also maintain a constant connection with them. Aside from these, there are individuals and non-organized groups in Canada, Mexico and other countries. Maytchet natives in the Diaspora who visit Israel, or vice versa, enjoy an enthusiastic welcome party, which engenders mutual joy.
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