Skierniewice, Poland

The Book of Skierniewice
(Skierniewice, Poland)
51°58' / 20°09'

Translation of
Sefer Skierniewice: le-zeykher der fartilikter kehileh kdosheh

Edited by : Itzhak Perlow

Published in Tel Aviv 1955

Note: The original book can be seen online at the NY Public Library site: Skierniewice

Acknowledgments

This is a translation from: Sefer Skierniewice: le-zeykher der fartilikter kehileh kdosheh
The book of Skierniewice,
Editors: Itzhak Perlow, Former Residents of Skierniewice in Israel, Tel Aviv 1955 (Y, 722 pages)

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TOC translated by Yocheved Klausner

Foreword The Editors 9

Foreword Yitzhak Perlov 13

Map of the Town

- 1 -
Our Town

Monograph Aryeh Tsidkuni (Leybl Tsudkovitsh) 21

- 2 -
Under Czarist Rule and German Occupation

The Czar and his suite Zalman Holz 161

Yente “the caught one” Perl Rosenbaum 165

The “Progress” Society Zalman Holz 172

The 1914 deportation from Skierniewice Zalman Holz 179

The “Lech-Lecha” [Go out] Torah Portion Simcha Spiegel 184

Founding the first Zionist Organization Aharon Rosenbaum 193

Learners and sharp minds Alter Teiblum 218

My father is charged with espionage Moshe Russak 221

How my brother was saved Rivka Holz-Lieberman 224

Sent from Heaven David Holz 228

- 3 -
Stchipiorne

Stchipiorne prisoners camp Elimelech Rosenblum-Vardi 233

Poems from Stchipiorne Yechiel Weinact / Moshe Vogel 241

How I survived David Holz 244

- 4 -
The writings of Manele Levkowitz

The Heder years 249

Godel Schenker 251

The Hatzefira newspaper 252

The Cholera epidemic 253

The cantor and slaughterer 254

Achdut [“Unity” ] and the “Sabbath Observers” 255

Yidel Dondik 258

Beggars 260

Shloimele the butcher and his wife, a “woman of worth” 260

“Metricals” [records] and Yahrzeits [memorial days] 262

Zionism in the year 1896 263

The Prophet Eliyahu [Elijah] ?... 264

Doctors and barber-surgeons 264

266

- 5 -
Cultural-Social, Political, Religious and Philantropic Activity

There once was a town with Jews [poem] Aharon Rosenbaum 271

The Ahavat Zion [love of Zion] little synagogue Anshel Abramowitch 274

The Tif'eret Zion [splendor of Zion] Association Tuvia Leibush Reichenbach 276

Agudat Israel Chaim Shlomo Gottesgenade 279

Beloved Figures Chaim Shlomo Gottesgenade 287

The Hechalutz movement in the attic... Shmuel Liebfeld 293

The “Union” Yosef Landa and Leibel Rosenfeld 295

“Herzliya” Moshe Landa 298

The youth league “Zukunft” [future] Avraham Moshe Levkowitz 305

The “unbelievers” from the Mizrachi movement Zev Zeide 312

Kosher food for Jewish soldiers Yeshayahu Blatt 316

Charity deeds Yakov Levkowitz 319

“The meaning of a flag” Eliezer Herz 329

From a letter Pinkus Zimmering 331

The last Committees A list 335

- 6 -
Figures, Types and Episodes

Our street Ahuva Tzidkoni (Borenstein) 343

Our courtyard Azriel Kotchinski 353

The nice balebatim [lit. home-owners] Israel Heller 356

The Rabbi R'Simcha Reuven Pinchevski 359

R'Efraim Lieberman Ch. Eisenberg 364

Visiting my home Reuven Gottlieb 367

From my private gallery Zalman Holz

      Moshe Bombel 371

      The rabbi Shiye 371

      R'Leibel Lieberman 373

      Hinde wife of Shimon-Yosef 375

      R'Arie Asher 376

      R'Sholem Shochet [slaughterer] 377

      Fanie Deitcher 377

      R'Avraham Itzik Leib's 379

      “The sale of Yosef” 380

Zliche is riding a horse and Dvoire is fainting Tuvia Leibush Reichenbach 383

The characters in the “sale of Yosef” play List of performers 385

Two episodes S. Kalikstein 386

The Shotkovske Alley Simcha Spiegel 388

- 7 -
Skierniewice Heroes
Fallen in Israel's War of Independence

Dovid'l Anshel Abramovitch 393

With Dudek in Italy Shimon Inovlotzki 397

This was David Yitzhak Goldberg 399

Nathan's route from Kotzk to the Haganah Meir Bornstein-Scharfhartz 400

My friend Nathan Arie Tzidkoni (Leibel Tzudkowitz) 404

Binyamin the poet, artist and fighter David Geltzer-Etzioni 406

My grandson Shalom Yezhora Nathan Itzkowitz 409

Efraim (“Piske” ) and Chana Zvi Firstenberg 412

Chaim Tuvia Leibush Reibenbach 417

Menachem Tuvia Leibush Reibenbach 420

Yoel, in the dark August-night Simca Spichler 423

My friend Yoel Elyam 427

- 8 -
The Years of Pain, Destruction and death
The stories of our survivors

The struggle for life Mirele Erster-Leslau 431

“Joseph Podstolski” Meir Rosenthal 453

I risked my life for the Skierniewice rabbi Devora Kutchinska 465

In the Skierniewice forests Meir Bender 474

In the slaughter-towns Shimon Inovlotzki 488

“Out of the depths I have cried to You” [Psalms 130:1] Avraham Yakov Kolski 514

The last communal workers of Skierniewice and their self-sacrifice Azriel Kutchinski 528

In the labor-camps and in the death-camps Ite Weissman-Lindon 624

The history of the Jewish population in Skierniewice during the German occupation Zenon Djiewietzki 634

Our liberation Yosl Neuchowitz 644

The heroic captain Ch. L. Fuchs 650

In our ruined home town Chaim Frenkel 652

Our handful of survivors Niche Krippel 666

Kadish for the martyrs 670

- 9 -
Skierniewicer in the World

Skierniewice Jews in America The New-York Committee 673

Skierniewice-Raver Landsmanshaft Society in England S. Elstein 687

Australia, Argentina and France Yosef Landau 693

In our own country Meir Sharfharz-Borenstein 700

- 10 -
Our Dear Ones, Never Forgotten

Necrology 723

- 11 -
Greetings and Acknowledgments

From Landsleit and from Landsmanshaft Organizations, on the occasion of the publication of this book 759

- 12 -
Miscellaneous

From the Editorial Board 767

Table of Contents 769

Bibliography Yitzhak Perlov 773

Yizkor Book Director, Lance Ackerfeld
Emerita Yizkor Book Project Manager, Joyce Field z”l
This web page created by Lance Ackerfeld

Foreword	The Editors	9
Foreword	Yitzhak Perlov	13
Map of the Town

- 1 - Our Town

Monograph	Aryeh Tsidkuni (Leybl Tsudkovitsh)	21

- 2 - Under Czarist Rule and German Occupation

The Czar and his suite	Zalman Holz	161
Yente “the caught one”	Perl Rosenbaum	165
The “Progress” Society	Zalman Holz	172
The 1914 deportation from Skierniewice	Zalman Holz	179
The “Lech-Lecha” [Go out] Torah Portion	Simcha Spiegel	184
Founding the first Zionist Organization	Aharon Rosenbaum	193
Learners and sharp minds	Alter Teiblum	218
My father is charged with espionage	Moshe Russak	221
How my brother was saved	Rivka Holz-Lieberman	224
Sent from Heaven	David Holz	228

- 3 - Stchipiorne

Stchipiorne prisoners camp	Elimelech Rosenblum-Vardi	233
Poems from Stchipiorne	Yechiel Weinact / Moshe Vogel	241
How I survived	David Holz	244

- 4 - The writings of Manele Levkowitz

The Heder years		249
Godel Schenker		251
The Hatzefira newspaper		252
The Cholera epidemic		253
The cantor and slaughterer		254
Achdut [“Unity” ] and the “Sabbath Observers”		255
Yidel Dondik		258
Beggars		260
Shloimele the butcher and his wife, a “woman of worth”		260
“Metricals” [records] and Yahrzeits [memorial days]		262
Zionism in the year 1896		263
The Prophet Eliyahu [Elijah] ?...		264
Doctors and barber-surgeons		264
		266

- 5 - Cultural-Social, Political, Religious and Philantropic Activity

There once was a town with Jews [poem]	Aharon Rosenbaum	271
The Ahavat Zion [love of Zion] little synagogue	Anshel Abramowitch	274
The Tif'eret Zion [splendor of Zion] Association	Tuvia Leibush Reichenbach	276
Agudat Israel	Chaim Shlomo Gottesgenade	279
Beloved Figures	Chaim Shlomo Gottesgenade	287
The Hechalutz movement in the attic...	Shmuel Liebfeld	293
The “Union”	Yosef Landa and Leibel Rosenfeld	295
“Herzliya”	Moshe Landa	298
The youth league “Zukunft” [future]	Avraham Moshe Levkowitz	305
The “unbelievers” from the Mizrachi movement	Zev Zeide	312
Kosher food for Jewish soldiers	Yeshayahu Blatt	316
Charity deeds	Yakov Levkowitz	319
“The meaning of a flag”	Eliezer Herz	329
From a letter	Pinkus Zimmering	331
The last Committees	A list	335

- 6 - Figures, Types and Episodes

Our street	Ahuva Tzidkoni (Borenstein)	343
Our courtyard	Azriel Kotchinski	353
The nice balebatim [lit. home-owners]	Israel Heller	356
The Rabbi R'Simcha	Reuven Pinchevski	359
R'Efraim Lieberman	Ch. Eisenberg	364
Visiting my home	Reuven Gottlieb	367
From my private gallery	Zalman Holz
Moshe Bombel		371
The rabbi Shiye		371
R'Leibel Lieberman		373
Hinde wife of Shimon-Yosef		375
R'Arie Asher		376
R'Sholem Shochet [slaughterer]		377
Fanie Deitcher		377
R'Avraham Itzik Leib's		379
“The sale of Yosef”		380
Zliche is riding a horse and Dvoire is fainting	Tuvia Leibush Reichenbach	383
The characters in the “sale of Yosef” play	List of performers	385
Two episodes	S. Kalikstein	386
The Shotkovske Alley	Simcha Spiegel	388

- 7 - Skierniewice Heroes Fallen in Israel's War of Independence

Dovid'l	Anshel Abramovitch	393
With Dudek in Italy	Shimon Inovlotzki	397
This was David	Yitzhak Goldberg	399
Nathan's route from Kotzk to the Haganah	Meir Bornstein-Scharfhartz	400
My friend Nathan	Arie Tzidkoni (Leibel Tzudkowitz)	404
Binyamin the poet, artist and fighter	David Geltzer-Etzioni	406
My grandson Shalom Yezhora	Nathan Itzkowitz	409
Efraim (“Piske” ) and Chana	Zvi Firstenberg	412
Chaim	Tuvia Leibush Reibenbach	417
Menachem	Tuvia Leibush Reibenbach	420
Yoel, in the dark August-night	Simca Spichler	423
My friend Yoel	Elyam	427


- 8 - The Years of Pain, Destruction and death The stories of our survivors

The struggle for life	Mirele Erster-Leslau	431
“Joseph Podstolski”	Meir Rosenthal	453
I risked my life for the Skierniewice rabbi	Devora Kutchinska	465
In the Skierniewice forests	Meir Bender	474
In the slaughter-towns	Shimon Inovlotzki	488
“Out of the depths I have cried to You” [Psalms 130:1]	Avraham Yakov Kolski	514
The last communal workers of Skierniewice and their self-sacrifice	Azriel Kutchinski	528
In the labor-camps and in the death-camps	Ite Weissman-Lindon	624
The history of the Jewish population in Skierniewice during the German occupation	Zenon Djiewietzki	634
Our liberation	Yosl Neuchowitz	644
The heroic captain	Ch. L. Fuchs	650
In our ruined home town	Chaim Frenkel	652
Our handful of survivors	Niche Krippel	666
Kadish for the martyrs		670

- 9 - Skierniewicer in the World

Skierniewice Jews in America	The New-York Committee	673
Skierniewice-Raver Landsmanshaft Society in England	S. Elstein	687
Australia, Argentina and France	Yosef Landau	693
In our own country	Meir Sharfharz-Borenstein	700

- 10 - Our Dear Ones, Never Forgotten

Necrology		723

- 11 - Greetings and Acknowledgments

From Landsleit and from Landsmanshaft Organizations, on the occasion of the publication of this book		759

- 12 - Miscellaneous

From the Editorial Board		767
Table of Contents		769
Bibliography	Yitzhak Perlov	773