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Translation of
Sefer zikaron le-kehilat Tomaszow Mazowiecki
Edited by: M. Wajsberg, Tomashow Organization in Israel
Published in Tel Aviv, 1969
Project Coordinator
Ada Holtzman zl
Our sincere appreciation to Benjamin Yaari zl, Tomaszow Mazowiecki organization
in Israel,
for permission to put this material on the JewishGen web site.
Note: The original book can be seen online at the NY Public Library site: Tomaszow-Mazowiecki (1969)
JewishGen, Inc. makes no representations regarding the accuracy of
the translation. The reader may wish to refer to the original material
for verification.
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Our mission is to produce a translation of the original work and we cannot verify the accuracy of statements or alter facts cited.
Translated by Yocheved Klausner
A Memorial Book for the destroyed Tomaszow-Mazowiecki Community | Moshe Weissberg | 9 |
With the Publication of the Book | Yakov Ullman | 12 |
How this Memeorial Book was created [Y] | Gedaliahu Kosherovski | 14 |
Foreword in English | Max Gershonowitz | 17 |
Foreword in French | Max Gershonowitz | |
Historical Overview of the Town | ||
Tomaszow-Mazowiecki in light of the distant past | YIVO Archives - presented by Pinchas Garfinkel | 20 |
Jews were not allowed to live in Walborosh | 21 | |
The first Jewish settlement in the Tomaszow region | 22 | |
Tomaszow-Mazowiecki during 1789-1914] | Moshe Weissberg | 24 |
Graf [Count] Anthony Ostrowski is building Tomaszow-Mazowiecki | Pinchas Garfinkel (YIVO Archives) | 31 |
The first Jewish Landowner in Poland | YIVO Archives | 32 |
Count Wladislaw Ostrowski in 1830 | Pinchas Garfinkel | 33 |
Tomaszow after the November uprising | YIVO Archives | 34 |
The first Jews in Tomaszow | A. Bogayewitz | 35 |
Founding the Tomaszow Jewish Community | P. Garfinkel | 37 |
On the history of the town | Excerpts from the book by Yakov Steinman | |
The Count Antonius Ostrowski | 39 | |
The first homeowners | 40 | |
R'Yakov Steinman, the 'industrialist | 40 | |
Traces of the Polish revolt in the cemetery | 41 | |
The Russian Czars visiting Tomaszow and surroundings | 41 | |
Political and national demonstrations | 44 | |
The First World War and the German occupation | Yakov Steinman | 46 |
The Enlightenment Movement in Tomaszow | A. Bonayewitz | 55 |
History of the Jews in Tomaszow | Moshe Feinkind | 57 |
Rabbis, Tzadikim, Hassidim | ||
The Rav and great scholar R'Eliahu Wilitchker | Yakov Steinman | 60 |
Rav Zvi Izraelewitz | Yakov Steinman | 61 |
Tzadikim [heads of Hassidic courts] | Yakov Steinman | 63 |
Tomaszow rabbis | YIVO Archives - presented by Pinchas Garfinkel | 64 |
A Rav without opponents | 65 | |
The Rav from Nieshawe | 66 | |
The old Rav zl, leader of the Shacharit Prayer [morning prayer] | 67 | |
The Dispute | A. Bogayewitz | 68 |
Rav Shmuel Halevi Bratt | A. Bogayewitz | 68 |
Rav Yerachmiel Moshe Rapaport | 70 | |
Hassidism in Tomaszow | A. Bogayewitz | 71 |
The 25th memorial day of the destruction of Tomaszow | Pinchas Garfinkel | 72 |
Religious life in Tomaszow-Mazowiecki | Shimon Ben-David Luft | 73 |
Jewish Life in Tomaszow | ||
A walk through the Jewish streets of my ruined hometown | Zalman Zehavi (Zholtowski) | 74 |
Life in my town | Leib Yanushewitz | 106 |
A Jewish home half a century ago | Yakov Leiner | 111 |
In the past [H] | Yakov Steinman | |
The wild railroad builders in our town [H] | 113 | |
Thieves and robbers [H] | 113 | |
Converts to Christianity [H] | 114 | |
The Chevra Kadisha [Burial Society] [H] | 115 | |
Moshe Dloshnowski (biographical notes) | Max Gershonowitz | 117 |
Tomaszow, my far and my near home-town | Moshe Dloshnowski | 118 |
A rare blessing | Moshe Dloshnowski | 131 |
Pawning the Chanuka Lamp | Moshe Dloshnowski | 137 |
Tomaszow in Moshe Dloshnowski's writings | S. D. Singer, New-York | 141 |
The Tomaszow Town Council | M. Weissberg | 142 |
The river Walburke | Bella Cohen | 144 |
The blue water-spring | Moshe Weissberg | 145 |
Tish'a Be'av (reflections) [H] | Yakov Ullman | 147 |
Excerpts from the book by I. Steinman | ||
The movement toward a better education [H] | 149 | |
Melamdim and teachers [H] | 150 | |
R'Moshe Hardomski [H] | 151 | |
R'Yitzhak Shkamowitz [H] | 152 | |
The Hebrew Gimnasia [High-School] [H] | Leon Marcowitz | 154 |
Jewish education in my times | Moshe Weissberg | 158 |
An attempt to establish a Jewish school during the German occupation | S. Meldung | 161 |
The Cultural Society HaZamir [The Nightingale] | Eva (Chava) Weinrot | 164 |
The Jewish Theater in Tomaszow-Mazowiecki | Zalman Zehavi (Zholtovski) | 165 |
The Jewish Press | ||
Local chronicles from Tomaszower Wochenblatt [Tomaszow Weekly] | ||
Photo-Montage | Yiddishe Presse [Jewish Press] | 167 |
The Talmid-Chacham [Torah Scholar] | 168 | |
Jubilee festivities | 168 | |
40th anniversary of Eyn-Ya'akov and Gemilut Hasadim Societies | 168 | |
Do not buy by Jews | 169 | |
Grandiose Gymnastics and Sports show | 169 | |
The income from a theater performance | 170 | |
Festive opening of a Library and Theater-Hall by right-wing Po'alei Zion | 170 | |
The 20th anniversary of the Jewish Legion | 171 | |
Tomaszow Jews make Aliya to Eretz Israel | 172 | |
Mr. Yakov Steinman's departure | 172 | |
Farewell banquet of Hashomer Hatza'ir movement | 173 | |
Farewell banquet of the Gordonia movement | 173 | |
Institutions | ||
Jewish life is blooming in Tomaszow | N. Goldkranz (editor of Tomaszower Wochenblatt) | 175 |
Ezrat Cholim [Helping the Sick] Society | Peretz Beitel | 185 |
The festive opening of The Home for the Aged | Tomaszower Wochenblatt [Tomaszow Weekly] | 186 |
Hillel Landsberg, founder of Bikur Cholim | 188 | |
100th anniversary of Hachnasat Orhim [Accommodation for guests] | Tomaszower Wochenblatt/ | 189 |
Sports | ||
The Jewish Gymnastics and Sports Association | Yewshek Spiewak | 191 |
The first Yahrzeit [memorial day] of Aharon Lichtenstein zl | S. Mordkowitz | 193 |
From dream to reality | S. Z. Mordkowitz | 194 |
Jewish sports in my home town | Meir Amsel | 197 |
The Sports-Club Hakoach | Moshe Steinman | 199 |
Excerpts from I. Steimnan's Book: | ||
Where and how the towns residents spent their free time | 201 | |
The weavers | 202 | |
Tailors: R'Moshe Feitel | 204 | |
R'Naftali Nissboim (Shmerge) | 204 | |
Cobblers: Nachman the big one - the uncle | 205 | |
Zalman Trapelowitz | 206 | |
The history of the Weaving Industry | Wladislaw Landsberg | 207 |
Twenty years of Tomaszow Industry (1907-1927) | Moshe Weissberg | 210 |
The Jewish craftsmen and their organizations | Israel Frenkel | 216 |
The Tomaszow merchants | Chaim Benglerowitz | 220 |
Parties | ||
Parties and Youth Movements | Moshe Weissberg | 222 |
The first Zionists [H] | Y. Steinman | 223 |
Ahavat Zion [Love of Zion] [H] | 223 | |
Hovevei Hasafa Ha'Ivrit [lovers of the Hebrew language] Society [H] | Yitzhak Gilon (Zhelinski) | 224 |
My Zionist activity in Tomaszow | Chaim Cohen (Kagan) | 225 |
Tze'irei Zion and Po'alei Zion in Tomaszow | (As told by a group of friends) | 227 |
The Po'alei Zion Left group [H] | Aharon Sheps | 232 |
The Hit'achdut and Gordonia parties in Tomaszow | Gedaliahu Kosherowski | 233 |
History of the Revisionist Movement in Tomaszow | Yakov Ullman | 239 |
The Labor-Party Bund | Y. Steinman | 242 |
Activists in the Bund | Binyamin Weissman | 244 |
With my shattered people (excerpts from a book) | Yakov Tzelemanski | 245 |
The Jewish-Labor section in the Tomaszow communist movement | Hersh-David Weissberg | 247 |
The left-wing professional unions | Yakov Steinback | 248 |
The Hechalutz Branch [H] | Aharon Sheps | 250 |
The struggle for Aliya | G. Kosherowski | 251 |
Youth Movements | ||
Scouting in our town [H] | Yitzhak Gilon (Zhelinski) | 256 |
Reminiscences from the Hashomer Hatza'ir branch [H] | Dov Granek | 257 |
Hashomer Hatza'ir in our town [H] | Aharon Scheps | 259 |
In memory of my friend in Hashomer Hatza'ir [H] | Moshe Weissberg | 263 |
The Gordonia movement in our town [H] | Eliahu Borowski | 269 |
The pioneering movement Benei Akiva [H] | Mordechai Tennenbaum | 271 |
Brit Trumpeldor (BEITAR) [H] | Leon Markowitz | 272 |
The Zionist youth movement Freiheit [Freedom] | Shlomo Bierenstock | 280 |
Youth Association Zukunft [Future] | Chana Lender-Kligerman | 282 |
Personalities | ||
The second generation of Jewish industrialists in Tomaszow | 284 | |
Moshe Aharon Steinman | 284 | |
Hillel Landsberg | 284 | |
Alexander Landsberg | 285 | |
R'Yitzhak Weiss | 287 | |
Baruch (Boleslav) Scheps | 287 | |
The agent Aharon Neufeld | 288 | |
Mordechai Slomonowitz | 288 | |
Famous Personalities | ||
R'Chaim Zelig Slonimski | 289 | |
Michel Halperin | 289 | |
Dr. Ian Rode | 290 | |
Dr. Yakov Glass | 291 | |
Asher-Moshe Issers | 292 | |
Our teacher Nachum Sokolov zl | 293 | |
Aharon Dreizin | 293 | |
Shlomo Wasserman | 294 | |
Yitzhak Meir Zheshewski | 295 | |
Smuel Steinman | 296 | |
Aharon Lichtenstein | 297 | |
Zelig'l | 298 | |
David Hoffman | 298 | |
Dr. Lea Pinsker | A. Bogayewitz | 299 |
Chaim Zelig Slonimski | M. Beirachowitz | 300 |
Boleslav Scheps | A. Bogayewitz | 301 |
Imanuel Borenstein | A. B. | 303 |
Dia | Max Gershonowitz | 305 |
Yehuda Toppel | Pearl Toppel | 308 |
Moshe Sagina | Moshe Amsel (Poland) | 309 |
Shimshon Kosherowski | Gedaliahu Kosherowski | 310 |
Menachem Lifschitz | G. Kosherowski | 311 |
My Father Chaim Benglerowitz zl | Yitzhak Benglerowitz | 312 |
David Yakobowita | G. Kosherowski | 313 |
Menachem Steinman | A. Bogayewitz | 314 |
Menachem Steinman unveiling of the memorial [H] | Y. Steinman | 315 |
Zev Parush | Tzila (Kibbutz Ganigar) | 316 |
R'Dov Berish Gewirtz | Jack Landau | 317 |
In memory of Lippman Weissberg [H] | Aharon Scheps | 318 |
My friend Shalom-Baruch Stchopak zl | Shalom | 318 |
Shalom Stchopak zl | Yosef Marcusfeld | 320 |
A tear for a friend who is gone [H] | Dov Granek | 320 |
Tomaszow Personalities and Types | ||
Yosef Marshelik | 322 | |
Sara-Lea the yeast | 323 | |
Moshe the Watercarrier | 325 | |
Zaken the teacher | 327 | |
David Novyzhentch | 329 | |
R'Zeinwel-Leib the tea maker | 330 | |
Shulik Klezmer | 332 | |
David the blacksmith | 334 | |
The Tomaszow Lamed Vav'nik [one of the 36 hidden Tzadikim] | A. Bogayewitz | 337 |
R'Shlomo Eliezer the Shofar Blower | A. S-N | 338 |
Heroes of the Chevra Kadisha [burial society] | A. S-N | 339 |
Remarkable types in Tomaszow-Mazowiecki | Elimelech Garfinkel | |
The Yellow Baruch | 341 | |
Itche Bik | 341 | |
Shiye the Mashiach [the Messiah] (Koplowitz) | 342 | |
R'David Drechsler | A. S-N | 342 |
Avraham Lichtenstein | A. S-N | 344 |
To take and to take away | Israel Frenkel | 346 |
Cover Page | Painted by Shlomo Kronheim | 349 |
El Male Rahamim [Memorial Prayer] | 351 | |
The Ghetto map | Moshe Weissberg | 352 |
I Accuse! | Moshe Weissberg | 353 |
The Germans are coming [H] | Moshe Weissberg | 356 |
The year 1939 | Leib Yanushewitz | 357 |
The decline of the Jewish community | Elimelech Garfinkel | 358 |
Deportation of the Jews of Tomaszow Mazowiecki in 1942 | M. Grossman | 364 |
The last Jews in Tomaszow | Michael Grossman | 379 |
Ghetto and ruin | S. Meldung | 381 |
The deportation | S. Meldung | 386 |
I shall never forget | Eliahu Skornitzki | 388 |
The death of my mother Sara, may she rest in peace | Yitzhak Hoppe | 389 |
My Mother | Yosef Perlstein | 393 |
The first Aktzia in Tomaszow-Mazowiecki | Avraham Killstein | 394 |
The Ghetto Doctor | Dr. Moshe Zlatolow | 397 |
The last Yom Kippur in the Tomaszow Ghetto | Dr. Moshe Zlatolow | 401 |
War episodes | Shmuel Tallman | 403 |
Testimony [H] | Wolf Goldberg | 408 |
One of the Holocaust survivors [H] | Rachel Zohar nee Bietel (Kibbutz Ramat Hashofet) | 413 |
Pages from a Diary [H] | Sara Rosenfeld-Kirschbaum | 414 |
One young boy's path of torment [H] | Yakov Silberstein | 418 |
How I escaped from Lizhin Camp [H] | Noah Grinspan | 427 |
After the destruction | Moshe Weissberg | 429 |
The first orders and ordeals | Chana Borenstein | 430 |
Crumbs of sad memories | Sonia Sonabend (Herzstein) | 434 |
Hard labor and hunger | Leibish Kligerman | 435 |
The Palestina Aktzia | Avraham Singer | 435 |
Blizshin concentration camp | Moshe Niemetz | 436 |
Memories of a child | Tova Grossman | 442 |
In the concentration camp | Shmuel Meldung | 442 |
Rosh Hashana [Jewish New Year] in Auschwitz | Wolf Garfinkel | 443 |
A Seder night [Passover night] in Landsberg Camp | Zev Barkat (Wolf Garfinkel) | 445 |
The terrible days | Chaim Machowanski | 446 |
The death-march from Buchenwald | Zalman Zehavi (Zholtowski) | 448 |
The animals are brought to justice | 455 | |
One of the murderers of the Tomaszow Jews | Tennenbaum-Romanowitch | 456 |
The German criminal Betich | 458 | |
Historical facts about the Jewish life in Tomaszow | 458 | |
Questionnaire No. 1 [H] | Moshe Niemetz | 459 |
Questionnaire No. 2 [H] | Rachel Salem (Zohar) | 460 |
The destruction of the Jewish cemetery in Pleshow | D. Laznowski | 461 |
Jewish children in the Blizshin camp | Chaim Rosenberg | 461 |
Yom Kippur 1944 in Auschwitz | W. Shayowitz | 463 |
David Goldman zl | Peretz Beitel | 464 |
Yosef Tennenbaum | L. Marcowitz | 466 |
Zestawienie [Polish] | Ch. Kantorowicz | 469 |
Pictures from the Holocaust | 470 | |
Tomaszow Anti-Nazi Fighters | ||
Tomaszow Anti-Nazi Fighters | Moshe Weissberg | 472 |
Courageous fighters | H. Bernstein | 474 |
Pictures of fighters | 475-483 | |
A trip in the wake of victory [H] | Avraham Savir | 484 |
Tomaszow Jews in Israel and in the World | ||
A cry on deaf ears | Bella Cohen | 487 |
Tomaszower after the war | Zev Garfinkel | 489 |
Upon the ruins of the old home | Shmuel Meldung | 491 |
Return | Sabina Wishlitzki | 491 |
After the liberation | Shmuel Meldung | 494 |
The German Exile [H] | Shmuel Meldung | 498 |
Finding the last Tomaszower | M. Weissberg | 498 |
We were two friends | A. M. Reiz | 501 |
Dov (Bernard) Kron | Moshe Weissberg | 504 |
Sketches of the Jewish life in Tomaszow | S. L. Schneiderman | 506 |
One of the survivors | Z Zehavi (Zholtowski) | 508 |
A baby is born in the camp [H] | A Savir (Srotor) | 510 |
After the liberation in Germany | Moshe Weissberg | 511 |
The organization of former Tomaszow residents in Israel [H] | Yakov Ullman | 514 |
Overview of activities 1942-1969 | Yakov Ullman | 519 |
Nizkor [We shall remember] | Yosef Marcusfeld | 525 |
A short history of the United Brothers of the Tomaszov Benevolent Association in New York [English] | Morris Korn | 526 |
The Relief Committee in New York | Leo Liess (Lisoprowski) | 528 |
Leo Liess (Leibish Lisoprowski) | G. Kosherowski | 530 |
The Tomaszow Society in Paterson (New Jersey) | Leo Liess (Lisoprowski) | 531 |
Tomashower Society Paterson NJ [English] | 532 | |
Tomaszow Jews in France | Max Gershonowitz | 533 |
The Tomaszow Landsleit in Toronto | Chaim Samelson | 540 |
With the Landsleit in Australia | Binyamin Weissman | 542 |
Memorial Album | 544-553 | |
The holy martyrs [H] | Yakov Ullman | 554 |
Necrology | 555-622 | |
The Memorial for the murdered in Treblinka | 623 | |
In memory of the Holocaust victims in my town [H] | Leib Yanoshewitz | 624 |
Partial list of the victims | 625-648 | |
Died in Israel (until 1969) | 649 |
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