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I began to study in the modern cheder in Bobruisk at the beginning of 1901, in the first years of its establishment. This modern cheder belonged to a group of six teachers, of whom I remember Mr. Shapiro who taught grade 1, Mr. Luria who taught grade 2, Mr. Friedland who taught grade 4, Mr. Sverdlov who taught grade 5, and Mr. Margolin who taught the highest class, grade 6^[1].

Pri-Tushiyah A collection of selected essays By the students of the modern cheder “Tushiyah” in Bobruisk

The school year was divided into “semesters” and tuition fees were paid per semester. School hours were from 8am in the summer, and 9am in the winter, until 4pm or 5pm in the afternoon. Each lesson lasted less than an hour, followed by a short break, and at 12pm there was a longer break of about half an hour during which we ate lunch. We could also play and unwind from the stress of our studies. The school year extended from after the High Holy Days until the end of the month of Av, approximately, with a summer holiday for a month, or month and a half. In the first class, we learnt the alphabet, and the first chapters of the Bible – from the book of Genesis. We continued learning the Chumash in the second and third classes. From this class onwards, we studied the Prophets, until we completed our study of the Bible in the sixth class. In this class, we also began to study a little Gemara. As far as I can remember, at times the program changed if the teacher or the students were ill, and changes were also made according to the students' achievements. The class teacher taught all the subjects. I remember that Mr. Friedland, the teacher, would sometimes come to our class (year 5), to teach us history, and Rabbi Margolin taught us Bible. Sometimes, if a teacher was ill for an extended period, other teachers took his place.

In addition to Bible studies, we also learned the Hebrew language from the book by Tivyov or of another author. We learned grammar from various verb tables and the teacher would give us homework analyzing the roots of words and the different conjugations. We also learnt penmanship. Beginning from the fourth grade, we learnt the history of the Hebrew language from the book by Eliezer Ben Yehuda and continued in the fifth and sixth grades. In the fifth grade we learnt the geography of the Land of Israel from the book by Y. Garzovsky, and time was also provided to acquire general knowledge on this subject. If I am not mistaken, in the fifth grade, the teacher Mr. Sverdlov taught us Russian. At the end of the school year, examinations were held in the presence of the parents, and we received our marks on a small piece of cardboard with details of the five or six subjects that we studied during the year.

All the lessons were conducted purely in Hebrew. In the lower classes, the teacher would assist with explanations in Yiddish, but in the higher classes, the teachers spoke to us only in Hebrew. However, if we were studying Bible with Rashi's commentaries, the teacher would explain simply, and base it on the grammatical meaning. We were, therefore, proficient in Bible, and learned a few chapters by heart. During language lessons, in a special book, we would write down the songs of Yehuda Ha'Levi, the Hebrew poet Michah Yosef Cohen Lebenzon, and Y. L. Gordon, and others, and we learnt them by heart.

The relationship between the teachers and the students was a normal one, and there was no physical punishment. Once in a while, a naughty student would receive a light rap from the teacher. I remember one incident, when one of the students received a hard slap on the cheek from the teacher,

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after he drove him crazy. Since the students were from levels of society that were more progressive and more educated, we would discuss current affairs, that were quite important, like the Russian-Japanese war, the revolutionary movement etc. When issues arose, we would sometimes go to the teacher, who of course, evaded giving us a clear answer.

We would read Hebrew literature, and the newspaper “Olam Katan” [Small World]. I remember Shalom Aleichem's visit to the “cheder” while he was in Bobruisk. The government inspector for education also visited us in Bobruisk, and the teacher Mr. Sverdlov, explained the content of the program to him, in Russian.

As far as I can remember, the teachers Shapiro and Margolin stood out from among the staff. I cannot explain why, probably because of their talent in the education of children, or because of their expertise in Jewish Studies.

It is worth mentioning that in addition to the disagreements between our teachers and the other teachers in the town, there were also clashes between us, and between the students of the neighboring “cheders”. On more than one occasion, the students of the higher grades were forced to get involved to protect their friends who were students in the lower grades and who were attacked by the students of the other “cheders” when they were returning home. The mutual attacks were sometimes fierce, until intervention was sought from passers-by.

Our knowledge of Hebrew and the Bible was basic. We could read a Hebrew newspaper and a Hebrew book unaided, and of course, we were able to speak Hebrew (with an Ashkenazi accent). The basic study of literature, Jewish history, the geography of the Land of Israel, developed the mind of the young student and instilled in him, a feeling of national sentiment. The school day began with the students praying together with the teacher, and on Fridays, we went over the weekly Torah portion and the Haftara with cantillation.

In the higher grades, classes were quite interesting, because in addition to explaining the words, the teacher would sometimes provide general information both about that period of time, and about the prophet and his work. At times, we would link the prophet's visions to the aims of the Zionist movement that we had begun to hear about.

Footnote

1. According to additional evidence, the name of the sixth-grade teacher was, Tamkin (the editorial staff). return

The Lazarivah school for Jewish girls was one of the first of its kind in the town. Anna Lazarov, the founder of the school, knew how to set up the school on a very high educational level. During the time that I studied there, Lazarivah did not engage in teaching, but she was well acquainted with all her students for their talents and their successes in their studies – and in contrast, also with their failings. She maintained strict supervision over the behavior of her students, together with a system of punishment - standing in a corner, remaining in class after the lessons ended etc. We had special uniforms: a brown dress and a black pinafore, and at a festive time in the school, a white pinafore.

We thought of our principal as a wicked person but over time, we learned to appreciate her. The graduates at the school excelled, had a thorough knowledge of all the subjects that they studied, and were regarded among the good students in the high schools where they continued their education. In my time, there were four classes in the school – four years of study - and bore the title of pre-gymnasia. After that, more classes were added, and in the end, the Lazarivah school changed to a gymnasia.

In those days, the graduates of the school in Bobruisk would go and study in high schools for girls, in the towns of Ukraine, because the possibilities of studying in their own town were limited due to lack of space. Most went to study in high schools in Romania, Priluki, Piryaslav in the region of Pultava^[1], and other towns.

Lazarivah ruled her school with an iron hand. She engaged and dismissed the teachers (most were Jewish), as she saw fit. She chose the teacher of Russian from among the teachers of the government gymnasia for boys. The teacher for religious studies was Mr. Zingul, a graduate of the Jewish government school for teachers, in Vilna, who was the principal of the government school for boys, in the town.

What was typical of Lazarivah was, that at the time that she was within the school walls, she was tough and severe

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but when in the company of her family, she behaved gently. She was a devoted daughter, and very concerned about her old mother. She educated her only son with love, who, with the passage of time, married one of the teachers at the school, and was even appointed as one of the teachers.

With the establishment of Soviet rule in Bobruisk, the school was nationalized, but the new authorities recognized the value of Lazarivah as a teacher and educator and she received remuneration. The school building was later expropriated and became a military hospital. The school was moved to the building of the government High school for girls, where learning took place in the afternoon.

Teachers and students of the Lazarivah school

Entry to the Government High School was extremely difficult, particularly for Jewish children. Those who were accepted were happy and saw it as a great achievement. In order to gain entry, it was necessary to pass exams in three subjects: Russian, Grammar and Arithmetic. In addition, in all the government high schools in those days, there was a quota of 10% for Jewish students, of the total number of students.

Many young Jewish boys who did not think that they had a chance of overcoming these two obstacles, would despair and turn to the Guditzki-Tzvirko private high school. I was one of the group of boys who sat the exams in the government high school, and successfully passed almost all of them – with “Chamishiyut” (the highest mark). The examinations were set for the preparatory class and the examiners insisted on posing difficult questions, mainly for the Jewish applicants. Success in the examinations did not guarantee entry into high school. The fate of the Jewish student was determined by chance, as well as the great care taken by parents

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to lobby the director and the inspector of the high school. It was said that gifts in suitable places could also be an advantage … but the number of places were limited, and as soon as Jewish boys who received the highest scores were rejected, Christian boys whose scores in all the examinations only reached “three” (“sufficient”), were accepted into the school.

I succeeded in gaining a place. In my house there was no end to the happiness, and I was immediately taken to buy the school hat with its badge that depicted the initials of the name of the school set between two leaves. In addition, it was necessary to order clothing, a kind of military uniform for classes – long pants (it was forbidden to wear boots over them), a black military shirt with shiny nickel buttons, and a military coat with shiny epaulets and buttons. There was also a belt with the school buckle that was a compulsory part of the uniform. The buttons always had to be polished and shining. A military officer (of the district) who would organize training exercises with the senior students of the gymnasia, was permitted to examine the uniform of the student, the tension of the belt, the cleanliness of the shoes etc. It was forbidden for students below the third grade to be seen in the streets after 7 in the evening.

The first school day arrived, and with it, the first emotional shock for a Jewish student in a Tsarist high school. All the students entered the huge hall of the gymnasia for prayers, class by class, with us the “novices”, and the little ones (10-year-olds) in front.

The priest of the gymnasia stood opposite us, dressed in all his splendor, with his two assistants (“Deacons”), alongside him, and they too, in their shining garments embroidered with gold and silver. The Christian students knew the prayers but we the Jews, stood bewildered. We were not prepared for this: we only knew that that we were not compelled to kneel during prayers. When all our co-students kneeled, we remained standing, but the priest sang, and with the small brush in his hand, he sprinkled holy waters of the Jordan River over them all, without differentiating between race and religion. The drops of water that fell on us, seared our hearts, our emotions, and our Jewish consciousness. However, we knew that this was a Tsarist gymnasia, and we had to bear it.

Our second emotional shock was when we frightened children, “the novices” at the school, were on our way to the classroom. Before the bell rang, while we were still in the corridor, we walked past a few Christian boys, and one of them called out: “New Jews!”.

When the teacher entered the classroom (Klasni Nastavnik), we stood at attention, and he spoke for about ten minutes about

The Government High School

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compulsory studies, the importance of acquiring knowledge, behavior during breaks, and he ended with good wishes for success. We the Jewish students, chose to sit together, however, the Gentile students asked us openly, that a Jew should sit next to each Gentile, because they wanted help in their studies from a Jew. There were some among them, from social levels lower than middle class, whose parents did their best, despite their difficult circumstances, to instill learning in their children.

In the first days, I already noticed that the Jewish students always tried to congregate together. The intention became clear to me after a few days when we walked home, when the Gentile students taunted the Jews, threw stones at them, and tried to harm them. The matter manifested itself in the winter months with the throwing of snowballs. There were small numbers of Jews in each class so a few students from each class would gather and walk home together. Quite often, these provocations led to actual fights when we responded to the attackers.

The director of the gymnasia, Inusov, was a moderate Gentile, solid, reserved, an educated man, and a teacher of history. He was an upright man and also knew how to evaluate the aptitude of the Jewish students. In contrast, the teacher of geography (I do not remember his name) had an attitude of contempt towards Jews and was often sarcastic.

A Group of Students of the Government Gymnasia in 1907 On the benches: Hillel Aleksandrov, unknown, Ya'akov Rabinovicz, Eliezer Esterin, Baruch Lifshitz, Reuven Katzenenlson, Y'akov Luzinsky On the floor: Temtchin, Nissan Katzenelson, Izyyeh Esterin

The mathematics teacher at the gymnasia, Boborikin, was an endearing character, a man of the people, who loved people, was prepared to help everyone who was suffering, very popular, an ordinary man, with a deep, refined soul. He supported the Revolution, and during the conquest of Poland he openly assisted prisoners of the Red Army. During the spread of epidemics in the town, he was active in bringing aid and providing necessities. He also became known for some of his books that he published.

The regime in the school was strict. Every student in the seventh or eighth grade could stop a student in a lower grade and comment on his clothing that was not in order, or if he found him in the street after seven in the evening. A nod to the teacher was obligatory, as was attendance during Christian prayers. Among the subjects taught, there was also religious teaching - (Zakun Buzshi) a Jewish teacher came to teach the main principles of the Jewish religion. He was dressed, like all the teachers, in a special gown, and his position was that of a state appointed official Rabbi (“Kozyuni Rabin”), and Jewish students from two or three classes attended each of his lessons.

The gymnasia was situated in Gugulivskaya Street, in a two-storied, bright blue wooden building, surrounded by a huge courtyard. The preparatory class was outside, with a hall in its midst. A full-sized picture, of Tsar NiKolai 2, hung in the staffroom, on a gypsum surface. The concerts of the gymnasia were quite well organized, and they made a great impression on us. The students from the “Ilinskaya gymnasia”, for girls, were invited. The wind orchestra and the string orchestra of the gymnasia played at these concerts.

During the Revolution, the students joined demonstrations, and even organized their own demonstrations, and after that, it was acceptable to tear off the epaulets of the officers, and for the students to tear off the epaulets from each other's military coat.

In one of the demonstrations, the students burst into the staffroom, threw the picture of the Tsar from the second-floor window onto the sidewalk below, and smashed it to shreds.

During this period, the gymnasia went up in flames.

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I studied in Tzvirko's gymnasia from 1908 t0 1915. A government gymnasia existed in Bobruisk but entry for Jewish students was limited, according to the law of “percentage quota” (10% i.e., 3- 4 students per class). A very large number of young people wanted to study and many studied “externally” and prepared themselves for external examinations, however the examiners were mostly Jew-haters and were predisposed to failing Jewish applicants.

In 1907, a Russian man from the Tsarist bureaucracy, appeared in Bobruisk, a member of the notorious antisemitic reactionary organization “The Alliance of the Russian People”, and as will later become clear, he himself, was a rabid anti-Semite. This man, “an acting state advisor”, Iban Rumueldovitsh Guditzki-Tzvirko, started four classes of a gymnasia for boys in Bobruisk. He relied financially on the wealthy Zusman Rozovsky, whose son Reuven studied at the gymnasia. Very soon another four classes were opened at the gymnasia, and the number of classes reached eight, and additional parallel classes were opened. A preparatory class was also added. At its peak, 500 students studied in Tzvirko's gymnasia, most of them Jews. Our eldest son leased a trade school to the gymnasia. The gymnasia had privileges. Every second calendar year, government examiners visited on behalf of the Vilna school district, to examine the students' level of knowledge, commencing with the fourth class.

Among the Jewish students, were many who came from the small towns close to Bobruisk, and even from other distant towns. The teacher of Jewish religion (“Zakon Buzshi”) was the principal of a trade school, and he, Rubin, sometimes used his lessons to secretly discuss Zionism with his students.

In addition to the generous support from the wealthy Rozovsky, Tzvirko knew how to exploit inordinately, the rest of the parents whose children attended his school. In addition, the tuition fees, increased every year. (When I entered the school in 1908, I paid – 150 Rubel per year, and in my final year – in 1915 – the payments increased to 500 Rubel). There were various other charges for every item, big or small, like entrance fees, compensation for damaged furniture, for using equipment, for repairs, etc. etc.

In all the time that it existed, until the establishment of the Soviet regime in the town, the gymnasia managed to educate 300 – 400 graduates. When the Revolution gained control, Tzvirko escaped to Latvia.

If the Jews of Bobruisk cry about the restrictions placed on the number of Jewish children permitted in the private Gymnasia in the town, I will hear their shouting and see their tears, but I will not shed a tear for them.

Everyone knew that in that private school for boys, 80 out of a hundred students were Jewish. And there, in that same school, or Gymnasia, there was a teacher who expressed abominations about Jews and their Torah, their customs and their religion, and furthermore, she incited the children to convert, and with “signs and wonders” she proved to the Jewish children that their ancestors were bloodthirsty, and used the blood of Gentile children for religious purposes - everything was “commonly known”.

And she performed these deeds and preached publicly at the students 'assemblies, and she incited the community and individuals to turn their backs on their people and their religion.

A vile person is one who does this to the Jewish people!

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A vile person, of course, is not only the teacher who incites the Jewish children to deny their people and their God: there is a reason that she is a Jew- hater. While she is despicable from the point of view of the Jews, it is the fathers of the students, the leaders of the town, and their “cohort”, who engage in the elections for Rabbis, who organize slander about the election and other affairs of the community – it is they who react to the incitement with apathy, the apathy that incites their children to convert - they are the ones who are indeed the villains.

In spite of this, they will keep quiet, and the issue will not touch their hearts. But even before the rumor had reached their ears, that the school was considering limiting the numbers of Jewish children, there were gatherings, shouting, lobbying, complaints, and advocacy.

All the above resulted in both the fathers and the sons, bursting into tears.

Will I be moved by them? Will I share in their grief?

(“Ha'Olam” 1911, edition no.43)

Yehuda-Leib Dubrov was from Bobruisk, intelligent, noble, pure and humble, kind and meticulous, with morals of the highest order. In his presence, a troubled soul would find peace and those in conversation with him would find no flattery or deceit. His home was open to the needy: workers, those without professions, those abandoned, Jewish train porters, were all among those who visited to his house.

He was a teacher with a deep knowledge of Hebrew and the Bible, and was well-versed in mathematics. He drew his initial fields of study was from ancient books, and he continued to study in this way, with devotion.

He was an ardent Zionist and the central person in the small society “Pioneers of Zion” that was organized in Bobruisk during the first Zionist Congress. Its members, aside from Dubrov, were Shimon Ginzburg, Yechiel Dovidson, and Avraham Pruzshinin.

It was his custom to make friends with people younger than himself, including teenagers, with whom he engaged individually. He was drawn to them, rather than to people of his own age and his relationship with them was mostly not about business or speeches, rather a personal touch, from heart to heart.

In his youth, Berel Katzenelson admired his teacher and Rabbi, Dubrov, and when he completed his studies in the “cheder”, he studied Hebrew with him privately.

Years later, the youth movements “Zionist Youth” and “Hechalutz” were founded in Bobruisk. Despite the fact that Dubnov was much older than them, this did not prevent him from finding a hidden path into the hearts of the youth. Even though he did not officially belong to the new movement, he was with it, heart and soul. He devoted himself, as was his way, with guidance, and by expressing his opinion on material that was discussed in the youth groups. Like a brother to his friend Dr. A. Pruzshinin, on the concept of Zionist fundamentals, without boasting, and by virtue of his moral authority, and his personality, Dubrov knew how to do his share modestly, to guide the youth of the new generation in his town, who were seeking direction. These young people were committed to Zion, so that they could distance themselves from involvement in the vocal activities of divisive parties, and devote their energies specifically to the work of “Hechalutz” (the words of H. Frumkin, Sh. Ginzburg, Yisroel Fishman, and D. Shimoni, of blessed memory.

Dubnov wrote letters to Berel Katzenelson in Bobruisk after the years of the siege of war, in the month of Iyar 5680 (1920). These letters were sent to the first group of pioneers, who left their town for the Land of Israel. He wrote: “Peace to you, my beloved Berel, we have suffered a lot here, and you have suffered a lot there. - - we were beaten, and you are not free of pain.; but what is the big difference: you are the children of the world to come, of the future, the generation of builders. And what are we? the generation of the desert of the year 5641 (1911), to this day. I have a lot to complain about on the eve of the Sabbath as it darkens, and together with the poet, say: a cup of grief slowly sipped, lets time pass”.

All his life, Dubnov yearned to go to the Land of Israel, and even after his son Yechezkiel settled in Ben-Shemen, it did not help matters. He died in Moscow in 5696 (1936).

Leib Levovicz, a man of Bobruisk, an honorable man, an idealistic vegetarian, a man of the people.

His friends were simple folk, working Bundists. Yozshe the tanner, a handsome Bundist, a Russian-folk teacher –

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these were his friends. Sometimes, when he passed-by a workshop, and saw a worker toiling at his work, he would approach him and work alongside him.

His thoughts were in the spiritual world. He clung to literature – whether in Yiddish, Hebrew or Russian. At times, he passionately followed the magic of literary expression – he was totally thrilled and excited by it.

He was a creative teacher. Despite all his love for Yiddish, his method of teaching Hebrew, was by immersion. So, he implemented a method of illustration and dramatization, to avoid a translation: for example, in a Bible lesson, when his student read something that said, “and the man and his wife hid themselves etc.”, he would hide behind a piece of furniture in the room, and when he heard the students say ”where are you?”, he would reveal himself unexpectedly – and the students understood the meaning of the Hebrew word. He charged a fee for his private lessons, not according to the fixed rate, but according to his meagre needs. He was honest, just, and spoke truthfully.

(The letters of B. Katzenelson, Tel Aviv, 1961.
page 270, 346 347)

Leib Levovicz

One of the people who greatly influenced the youth in Bobruisk and its environs, was Shmuel-Benny Katzenelson.

Sh. B. Katzenelson was born in the village of Brahin (in the Minsk region) in 1881, and there he acquired his initial education in a cheder and in the synagogue. After that he devoted himself to secular studies as an “extern”^[1] and in approximately 1898 he came to Bobruisk, taught in schools and in high schools in the town, and even gave private lessons in Bobruisk and the small towns in the vicinity.

Z. Shazar met Sh. B. Katzenelson when the latter came to his town in Stolpce in 1906 “to teach mathematics, the natural sciences, Latin, and history, to the externs of the town”. Shazar described him as “a broad-minded man, handsome, and greatly respected by the young ‘intelligentsia’. He grew an unusually large beard that adorned his pale face, a deep blond beard that reminded one of the handsome beard of Garshin.^[2] There was something about his beard that was reminiscent of Tolstoy in his youth, and there was also something monastic about the purity of his life and the stringent demands he made of his students as he guided the youth of the revolutionary movement, of those days. From the time he came to our small town, Tal-Talpiyot, in the Galil, it became the place for students to attain a matric certificate in the Galil. It was said that there was no one like him with the expertise of solving complicated issues in all the theories enumerated in the program. It was also said that there was no one like him who could explain a complex issue and teach it with such understanding. And they said: anyone who spent one year studying mathematics with Shmuel-Benny, was guaranteed that no anti-Semitic examiner would be able to compromise his ability” (“Or Ishim”).

In Bobruisk, Sh. B. Katzenelson was involved in the lives of the youth and influenced them with his moral personality, his honest thoughts,

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and his pure heart. He belonged to a group of ‘intelligentsia’ at whose centre stood Leib Dubrov and Leib Levovicz, and among the youth who were close to him, were Berel Katzenelson and Dovid Shimonovicz.

Afterwards Sh. B. Katzenelson studied in the faculties of philological-history and mathematics at Petersburg university. He attended lectures by the noted historians Zilinsky, and Karyev.

When he returned to Bobruisk, he was able to obtain a license to open a private high school, that he headed for two years. After the Revolution he was the chairperson of the Department of Culture of the community and participated as district representative for Bobruisk on the committee of teachers of Russian in Petrograd. After his Gymnasia was closed by the authorities, Sh. B. Katzenelson taught at the government Gymnasia in the town, gave private lessons, and also lectured to teams of medical workers in the many military hospitals in Bobruisk. In 5686 (1924), Sh. B. Katzenelson immigrated to the Land of Israel and taught at the “Herzlia” High School, and in the evenings taught the working youth. worker's children in Tel-Aviv. From 1928 he was a teacher and educator at an educational facility for the children of working parents in Tel-Aviv and was among the loyal activists for education in the spirit of the Labor movement. He died at age 72, on the 18^th Kislev (25.11.1953).

Footnotes

1. Extern – not engaged internally. return
2. Garshin – Vsevolod Garshin (1855- 1888), a Russian writer. return

When I first met Shmuel-Benny, I was only 12 years old, or even less than that. If I remember correctly, this person immediately caught my attention. How? with his blue Russian shirt, with a threaded sash of the same color that was longer than usual, to the extent that it almost reached to his knees. A Russian shirt was certainly, a common item to us, and I also had such a garment, but usually this type of shirt reached one or two handbreadths below the waist, but the shirt of this unknown man, was much longer. I found out, that this type of Russian shirt was known as “tolstovka”, meaning, that the Graf Tolstoy used to wear shirts like these, longer than was customary in Bobruisk, but after a while, when I had already seen a few photographs of Tolstoy, I realized that the shirt of Shmuel-Benny was even longer than the that of the Graf. Over decades, I became acquainted with Shmuel-Benny, but I did not manage to ask him if the style of his shirt was his own design, or the fruit of the imagination of the designer, or the original taste of the seamstress. Because of my fascination with his wonderful shirt, I also took a good look at the face of the nameless man, and I was attracted to him. This was a young handsome face, well-shaped, and although from my childhood I loved beauty in all its manifestations, I have to admit, that this time, my eyes were not drawn to the beauty of the face, not to the large, luminous, dreamy eyes, but to the dark chestnut beard that adorned them. For Jews, and also for the youth, people with beards were not an uncommon phenomenon, but this combination of a substantial beard and a Russian shirt, was something unexpected for me.

He was not a team player because of his critical mind. A member of a political party usually spars with the opposition, but not with his own party, since he identifies with his party in every way and does not veer from the party-line. There is simply no place for controversy: in the by-laws of the party, this is clearly understood. But Shmuel-Benny was self-critical, and as a man deep in thought, he would judge himself strictly and expected explicit explanations from himself. Even regarding matters that were dear to him, also holy to him, he was not in the habit of accepting everything, without severe criticism. One of our mutual friends told me about a small, but typical incident. On the evening of the Passover seder, Shmuel-Benny sat in the company of close family and read the Haggadah with warmth, and spiritually uplifted, but when he reached “pour out your wrath”, he became silent … “pour out your wrath on the Gentiles”, that was not in line with his moral consciousness.

Sh. B. Katzenelson had a comprehensive and thorough knowledge

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Shmuel-Benny Katzenelson

This highly educated man, with a strong sense of logic – was dear to me as a man of vision and imagination. Logic and imagination, mathematics and dreams, the wisdom of old age, and the happiness of childhood, blend together and portray this interesting and beloved phenomenon, known as Shmuel-Benny. There is no doubt that he felt a little strange in his daily, secular existence, perhaps also a little detached from this existence, and therefore, happy with any closeness to reality, any link to the material, to stability. With his sensitive perceptions, he certainly understood that various practical persons, sharp and sophisticated, suspected that he was a somewhat of an idler, and perhaps he also thought of himself in that way, and tried to overcome the ethereal in him and his superfluous spirituality, his intellectuality that was bursting from his entire being. And here Shmuel-Benny, this sensitive man, becomes an athlete, a sportsman, a swimmer, and he bathed in the sea all year round, when the sea was calm and when it was stormy. Often, he was the only person in the turbulent, desolate sea, at a time when people who were younger and healthier than him, would not dare to attempt to engage with the angry, uncontrollable force of nature.

And here is Shmuel Benny the philosopher, immersed in figuring out his own world, begins to learn carpentry and produces fine furniture, and there is no limit to the pleasure and pride that he receives from his work. He also spread his knowledge of carpentry to his students, those he loved and those who loved him, but his greatest and firmest attachment to reality, was derived from his work in education that fully and completely merged with the revival of his work in the Land of Israel.

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My memories of Shmuel- Benny are interwoven with the memories of a variety of different acquaintances and friends. – How is it possible to talk about Shmuel-Benny without mentioning his close friend and colleague, Leib Levovicz, the Hebrew teacher who loved Hebrew with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might? Together with this, he was also close to the “Bund”, very enthusiastic about the establishment of ‘Yiddishkeit’, and all of this, despite his tall stature, he remained a boy who was always immersed in delusions and dreams. Or how is it possible, in a story about Shmuel-Benny, to ignore his beloved friend Reb Leib Dubrov, who also taught Hebrew, as well as mathematics, but in particular, he had a great and noble soul, that was deep and pure? Or how can TZICHULSKY not be mentioned, the Russian folk teacher, young, decent, seeking a way of life that was dignified and pure, that despite being secular by nature, actually became attached to a group of Jewish idealists, who were close to him, a closeness of aspirations and desires? Incidentally, is it by chance that I mention these names specifically? Is it not, that all of them, despite their differences in age (from 20 to 50 and more), had something in common, something fundamental? Was this not the same innocence of childhood, that added a special charm, a charm of vitality and purity to Tzichulsky in his twenties, to Levovicz in his thirties, and Dubrov in his fifties?

All these who are mentioned, and also a few others that are not mentioned here, excelled in one other quality: tolerance. “and a Bundist and an ‘Iskari’^[1], and a Zionist worker and an s.s. became friends, and a Zionist and a non-partisan s.r together”. Is this not a paraphrase of a famous verse from the vision of the End of Days? Yes, a paraphrase but not a parody … This was a small group, but it did exist once upon a time. However, to our regret, this small group became smaller, and from time to time, friends dropped out, and the political side increased beyond that of the human side, if one is permitted to say that. But a loyal, steadfast nucleus remained that had a similar mental outlook, a true humanistic view of a pure human love, of faith in the eternity of man…. Dubrov, Levovicz, Tzichulsky and Shmuel-Benny remained, and very few others….

Footnotes

1. Iskar is the name of a town in Bulgaria. An ‘Iskari’ is probably a person from that town. return

After a few years of hopeless wandering with the Russian army in the vicinity of Grodno, far from home, and after a few months of study at the university in Odessa, I returned to Bobruisk at the beginning of the summer of 1919. The Bolsheviks were in control of the town. I entered as a teacher of Jewish Studies at the Gymnasia of Sh. B. Katzenelson. After some time, I was appointed by the student Rozental of municipal department of education, as principal of the Talmud Torah in the town. Rozental was a calm person, and pleasant. Although in the other schools in the town, it was forbidden to teach Hebrew, I was allowed to continue my teaching at the Talmud Torah.

After a few months, the Poles entered the town. Like many other residents of the town, I was subjected to days of abuse, beatings, abduction for forced labor etc. The building that housed the Talmud Torah was commissioned for the needs of the army. After some time, I was invited by the leaders of the community (led by Yoel Luzinsky and Yitzchak Izik Esterin) to resume my position as head of the Talmud Torah, but as the building was occupied by the Poles, we moved temporarily to a special wing of Lazarivah's Pro-gymnasia for girls. The children were from poor families. The lessons were conducted in Yiddish, but many hours were devoted to the study of Hebrew language and the Bible. Russian was taught as a foreign language. Sverdlov, one of the teachers in the “modern cheder”, taught Jewish studies and two sisters and a young student also taught at the school. Of the old teachers

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in the Talmud Torah, Svirsky remained, and continued to teach in the old system that was used before the Revolution. Children in the Talmud Torah were provided with lunch that was brought from a central kitchen in the town and was distributed in their classrooms. It is worth noting that Mrs. Lazarivah continued to lead her institution in another wing of the building. She was very sympathetic towards us, and motherly to the children – our students.

After some time had passed, the committee of the community rented large, spacious premises in the courtyard of a Polish man, west of the town. The landlord treated us very kindly. In the summer of 1920, when pioneering groups in the town began to immigrate to the Land of Israel, I joined the second group of immigrants. I took leave of the Talmud Torah and its teachers, and I headed the group to Warsaw, and on the 10^th Elul 5680 (August 1920), I reached the Land of Israel.

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