Introduction to the book

Prologue

Translated from Yiddish by Oskar Delatycki

Pinkas Novogrudok is a link in a long chain of similar books, which describe the lives of Jewish communities over hundreds of years. They are the chronicles of the few moments of happiness and the many years of anguish in the lives of the communities. It was a vessel filled with blood and tears but also with noble deeds and kidush hashem. The compilers of the Pinkas books have described many deeds over the generations. Our Pinkas gives an account of the end of our town. It is the last Pinkas of Novogrudok. The book was not written by many or by hired hands. It was the work of the few survivors, the last remaining members of our community.

A rich and multicoloured community, hundreds of years old, was wiped out. Thousands of Jews young and old, hundreds of children are buried in the four deserted mass graves. Only few survived by super human bravery and ingenuity. They dwelled in the forests and they took revenge for the spilled innocent blood. After the war, the survivors remained for years in refugee camps. Later they were dispersed to all corners of the earth. Some came to the welcoming shores of Israel.

The survivors together with others who had left their native town a long time ago, but had never forgotten their roots, have decided to initiate a project to perpetuate the memory of their dear fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters and their innocent children who were exterminated in a most barbaric manner. Thus the idea of compiling of a Yizkor [memorial] book had arisen. Such a book would also serve to describe briefly the past of the famed, ancient town and the personalities who lived in there over the epochs.

We were dreaming and striving but we had doubts whether we would be ever able to fulfil our aims. We did not know if any of the documents accumulated over many centuries, which we would require for our work, had been saved. We had doubts regarding the availability of the necessary financial resources. We did not know if we could find people who would be willing and able to write the book. Each year we would meet to commemorate the fallen on the anniversary of the first slaughter (8/12/41) and each year we would restate our desire to publish but we took it no further. Three years ago [1960] we finally decided to commence working on the project. We selected an editorial committee consisting of Dovid Cohen, Jakob Kivelevich, Shlomo Kaminiecki (Kamin), the former director of the Tarbut school Moshe Steinberg-Sarig, Yehoshua Yaffe, Dr A. Mirski, Menashe Rabina, and a member of the Novogrudok committee Jakov Rudnicki and gave them the task of collecting manuscripts for publication. The committee of the Novogrudok Landsmanshaft [compatriots] in Israel got in touch with the Novogrudok Landsmanshaft in USA. It was decided to set up a parallel editorial committee in the States, which consisted of Edna Kagan, who left Novogrudok many years ago but had never forgotten her birthplace, our friend Chaim Leibovich, a survivor of the Holocaust, and our old and devoted friend Maslov. They all helped with their deeds and words in the work of the editorial staff. Many survivors and other fellow countrymen were of great help. They told and have written down their tragic stories. They also related the tales of the better times before the war. Thus we collected the rich material. We are grateful to all contributors.

The editorial committee had nominated as the technical editor, our fellow townsman, a teacher and writer Dr Eliezer Yerushalmi. He suggested the name of the book, Pinkas Novogudok.

The book contains four chapters:

Chapter 1: The story of Novogrudok and the Jewish community from its foundation till the first world war.
Chapter 2: The town and the Jewish community between the two world wars, the economic and cultural existence. A sub-chapter on Personalities and Images.
Chapter 3. Novogrudok as portrayed in the literature.
Chapter 4. Novogrudok during the slaughters under the rule of the evil beings and their helpers

At the end is a section “Yohrzeit Candles”

With much hesitation and uncertainty we are putting this volume into the hands of the readers in Israel and in all lands were our townsmen are now living. Our prayer is that the Pinkas should exist in our and our children's hearts and it should remind us of our holy martyrs.

V'iscadal and hiscadash.

We finish the prologue to this volume with the names of two of our dear collaborators, who passed on: Edna Kagan, the dear and devoted lady who dedicated the last years of her life to collect material for the Pinkas and was a shining example to us all, Dr Eliezer Yerushalmi, who spent his youth in Novogrudok and who drew his inspiration from his memories of the town. He did his editorial work tirelessly. Both have not lived to see the Pinkas finished and in the hands of the readers. Let their names and our memories of them be ever parts of our existence.

The editorial committee.

[The task of translating of Pinkas Novogrudok turned out to be much more complex than could be imagined when the task has began. It would have been impossible to get anywhere without dedicated help from many quarters. Let me mention just a few:

A great deal of immaculate work was put in by Freda Salter. I could not thank her enough.
Aviva Kamil translated all Hebrew articles and did more besides. Many thanks, Aviva.
My wife Jeanette read and helped to correct every word in every article. She is best at finding the right word when all dictionaries failed. I will be forever grateful.
Minia Lipkes helped a lot, particularly with articles on religious themes.
My brother Jack was of much help. He remembers the past much clearer than most people I know.
Jack Charney, who remembers every man and every house of Novogrudok between the wars, was an inspiration.

O.D.]

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