Brest Lit(owsk) , Belarus [pages 628-630]

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The Landsmanschafts and the Story of the United Brisker Relief (cont.)

The Pogrom In Brest

We received the news that there had been a pogrom in Brest from the press. The secretary, J. Finkelstein immediately called the Relief officials and it was decided to call a mass meeting of all the Brest organizations. The Jewish press gave it a lot of coverage and wrote extensively about the pogrom that had occurred on the 13^th May 1937. The conference was held with almost all the Brest organizations represented and also private individuals.

The Relief committee reorganized itself and the following were elected:

Chairman – J. Finkelstein.
Finance secretaries: Gewirtzman, A. Labris, Weiss and H. Frieluk.
Secretary – M. Bernstein. Treasurer – D. Zaidman.
Trustees - H. Fein, H. Letchinsky and Brodski.
Press committee – Y. Rosenberg, L.Kossofski, B. Rubin, Y. Leizerovitch, and J. Finkelstein.

The Relief called an assembly in the Brisker Shul “Tiferet Israel”. On the 20^th June 1937 a large protest meeting against the pogrom that was carried out by the Poles in Brest was held. The participants were representatives of all organizations and movements. The Jewish press, Jewish congress, Jewish People's Committee, the N.Y. City Hall employees, rabbis, Menachem Berisha, Pesach Novick, and others.

The following resolution was sent to President Roosevelt and the Congress, the Polish ambassador and the Polish government:

“The world was shaken to hear about this terrible pogrom that took place on the 13^th May 1937 in Brest. The peaceful Jewish residents were attacked by Polish facist hooligans, who for twelve continuous hours in the presence of the Polish police, murderously beat Jews, and robbed and looted Jewish shops and homes. They destroyed property, both homes and work places. The murderers viciously attacked the townspeople of Brest – a city that has not fully recovered from the wounds of W.W.1. They damaged hundreds of houses and shops and over 5,000 people were affected.
These acts of pogroms against the Jewish communities of Poland is in full contradiction to what the Polish government and it's leadership guaranteed it's minorities at Versailles, when Poland gained independent government.
Instead of adhering to this agreement and defending it's citizens lives and possessions, the Jews of Brest have been attacked through pogroms and economic boycotts in order to exclude them from their existence in Brest.
The United Brest Relief, which represents 7 organizations in N.Y. with 1000s of members in the U.S., expresses the utmost and strongest protest against the destruction that the pogrom hooligans carried out on the peaceful community of Brest. The beating and maiming of 60 people – 3 of whom were murdered. We demand of the Polish government that they compensate the victims for the great economic damage suffered as a result. We also demand that they punish those responsible with the heaviest penalties and release those that took part in the self defence against the facist hooligans.”
Signed: Chairman J. Finkelstein, Secretary H. Freiluk.
The United Brisker Relief, 20^th June 1937.

The work of the Relief was drastically reorganized. In addition to New York, there were branches in Cleveland, Chicago, Detroit and Newark New Jersey. In order to awaken our Brest compatriots and to continue with the fundraising work our landsman R. Zaltzman gave a report of the operations of the institutions in Brest and their desperate financial situations. They needed assistance in order to continue their work. The whole country (Poland) was in economic crisis. At this meeting Yakov Pat also spoke of the general situation and stressed the terrible economic conditions that the reactionary Polish government had caused.

Two branches of the Brest societies cooperated in publishing a mutual journal called ”Unser Wort” (our word). Writers who participated in this publication were: Menachem Berisha, Betzalel Freidman, P. Novick, Y. Laizerovitch, R. Saltzman, J. Finkelstein, Y. Rosenberg, B. Rubin, Y. Heftman, S. Asherovitch, L. Weiner, M. Rattner, M. Berenstein, B. Katalanski and others.

The Writer Menachem Berisha

In addition to it's welfare and assistance activites, the Brest Relief participated in the Jewish social and community life in the U.S.

1939 Conference of the Brest Organizations of New York and Newark

Brest in W.W.2

In 1939 Brest was assigned to the Soviet Union. It became obvious that no assistance could be requested from us or sent by us, as all the institutions were then under the control of the Soviet Government, and that there would be no further need for the Brest Relief. It was decided to hand over our funds ($1600) to the United Jewish Appeal and continue working with them. As soon as Hitler invaded Russia in 1941, the Relief renewed its efforts.

We joined the Council of Jewish Organizations and the Jewish Council for the Russian War Relief. We participated in various anti-Nazi activities and collected a fund for the people of Brest that would be necessary after the war. None of us dreamt that Hitler would create such carnage and murder all the Jews of Brest.

We read in the press that the Jews had all been concentrated into ghettos and death camps. That same fate befell Brest. The Relief did general work to help the war effort, sold war bonds, and took part in national conferences of the Jewish World Congress, the Joint, and demonstrations against Fascism and Nazism.

Many sons of Briskers fell in the battlefields of war. Amongst them was the only son of our long serving member and official Leon Kossovski.

On the 24^th Jan 1943 there was a mourning and protest service at the Brisker Shul (Tiferet Israel), in memory of the thousands of sacred victims that had been murdered in Brest. The chairman of this meeting was Leon Kossovski, and the resolutions were sent to President Roosevelt, the Senate and Congress. A mass meeting was called at the Hotel Commodore to intensify the activity. A. Labris chaired this meeting and it was also attended by Rabbi Israel Chaim Kaplan, Rabbi Kalmanovitch, Rabbi Gorelik, Leon Kossovski, and J. Finkelstein.

American Jewish Soldiers that originated from Brest who died in Europe during W.W.2

R-L: Sol Tenenbaum – Died 11^th Oct 1944
Israel B. Margolis - Died 12^th March 1945
Irving Marland – Died 13^th March 1945

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