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In a few days, the 10^th issue of Voice of Kremenets Emigrants will appear: a symbolic continuation of the weekly paper Kremenitser Shtime [Kremenets Voice] in Kremenets. That paper appeared for a relatively short time, just a few years, but it quickly assumed a prominent place in the city's life. Early every Friday morning the paper was delivered to many homes, where people waited for it. It played its part in the enjoyment of the Sabbath.

Each notice, announcement, article, feuilleton, and story had a broad following among readers. Also the Polish government censors and the city council paid attention to everything that was written. More than once, an editorial or an article caused an uproar in the city and brought about reform in the community's institutions, even in government organizations.

The editorial team's young members bore a heavy and extraordinary burden–Yisrael Otiker, of blessed memory, Nuta Shtern, of blessed memory, and I, your humble servant. Central to our efforts was the secretary, Itke Rozental-Shtern. The editorial office was in her parents' house.

The work of writing, gathering news, correcting, interviewing, and distributing was done by volunteers. Our only payment and satisfaction came from the thanks and friendship of the people with whom we came into close contact either in our office or in their homes and workplaces, thanks to the paper.

In hindsight, Kol Yotsei Kremenets is a continuation of that homegrown tradition: the editorial staff is a small group of landsmen who do all the work on a volunteer basis. So, too, their only payment and satisfaction are the thanks and friendship of our landsmen in Israel and the Diaspora. Now through our journal in Israel, we come, as before, into contact with Kremenetsers who are no longer alive but who live in our hearts. They, and their heritage, their troubles and joys, are experienced in our journal, if not physically, then spiritually. And they will be with us as long as we live.

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This journal will require much of our time and energy. Every issue comes from great exertion and effort and a certain amount of grief when we get material that comprises a new chapter of horror and the awful ending.

The first issue of Kol Yotsei Kremenets lies before me. Our first child, born amid great pain–a bold step after many doubts. And near that first child, eight more. I look and hardly believe my own eyes at almost 500 pages, a whole book that is the collective work of the editors and many landsmen, wherever they are–a work that mirrors the wide history of Kremenets and how it affects its survivors now.

I do not think I am guilty of exaggeration when I say that this work, this collective creation, with its many artistic illustrations and pictures published over the past five years, has no equal among the hundreds of current landsmanshafts. Thanks to these booklets, which reach almost all Kremenetsers in the Diaspora and our many correspondents who care about it, we have made a close brotherly association for ourselves. Perhaps it is boasting when we cite excerpts from their letters, as well as letters from local members who praise the booklets and tell us what they mean to them. Suffice it to say that this is a great encouragement to us and a driving force for us to take on this burden.

It is not news that the 10th issue of Voice of Kremenets Emigrants marks an important stage for us in our striving to maintain the existence of the Kremenets remnant in the frame of the Kremenets we see so strongly in our imaginations, binding us all together as a single large family. In this important work, dear landsmen, we hope to benefit from your moral and material support.–The Editors

Because of the expanded contents of this anniversary booklet, much more than usual, and because of transport and publication difficulties, the price of this book is higher–5 Israeli lirot in Israel and $1.50 abroad.

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It seems like all past events, images, and experiences that remain in people's memories for scores of years lie in a dark corner of the mind until the moment when an emotional experience shakes them loose. The “shock” flashes in the mind. Those almost forgotten events appear as if on film.

But that is not my topic. I only want to establish that I encountered such a case when reading Duvid Tsukerman's tragic memories in the last world war in Kol Yotsei Kremenets no. 7. The name Tsukerman brought me that shock, thanks to which the cells of my brain were stimulated. All at once I remembered that Velvel Tsukerman, peace be upon him, and his son Duvid (may he live long) sang in the Great Synagogue choir in Kremenets. Velvel Tsukerman was also the Great Synagogue's treasurer and secretary for many years. (Before him, it was Leyb Rozental, peace be upon him.) As I left for Argentina, Velvel Tsukerman gave me a letter of thanks for my 10 years of service in the Great Synagogue choir, signed by then-president Yukel Tsvik. Suddenly I recalled the Great Synagogue, which at that time played such an important role in Kremenets Jewish life. The Great Synagogue was, as you know, the center of Kremenets religious, political, and social life. Through the broad iron entrance doors, with green grassy pathways near the sidewalk that led to the broad synagogue courtyard, up to the synagogue's anteroom, where there were smaller little synagogues. From the anteroom to the broad stone steps that led downward (“From the depths I call to you, O Lord” [Psalms 118:5] to the spacious synagogue's inner section. Famous world personalities passed this way when they visited Kremenets: Polish field marshal Pilsudski, when he visited, Vladimir Jabotinsky, when he came to the synagogue, and so on.

Henekh Hokhgelernter (Leybel Shochet's son), peace be upon him, says in the Kremenets yizkor book^[1] that “when the revolution of the 1905 broke out, the Zionists, led by Dr. Meir Litvak, held the first people's assembly in the Great Synagogue, the “Kozianer Rabbi,” B. Kunin, would speak of “peace for the government at all official ceremonies during the reign of Czar Nicholas II.”

[Page 30]

Before my time, Rabbi Rapaport would do so for the Poles–and after his death, his son-in-law Rabbi Mendiuk, of blessed memory, did so. The fence around the synagogue separated it from the surrounding houses and the Sheroka and Levinzon Street (formerly Kladkova) up to the west side–to Gorna Street. The iron fence frequently served as a protective belt for the Jews who gathered at the synagogue for important meetings after Moshe “Hipsh” [significant]–the living radio of the city–had loudly announced through the streets: “Jews, come tonight to the significant synagogue, where people will say significant things about significant matters!”

It's no great discovery to say that such a sacred spot had good cantors, brought in from larger cities like Dubno, Rovno, Lutsk, Lviv, Vilna, and others. The cantors were accompanied for the whole year by a well-trained choir led by good conductors.

Great Synagogue choir with Cantor Yakov Koussevitsky and then-conductor Duvid Koussevitsky Seated, right to left: Mordekhay Katz, Nachum Rozenfeld, Shmuel Pundik, Cantor Yakov Koussevitsky, Conductor Duvid Koussevitsky, Velvel Tsukerman, and Ikhel Katsav (personnel director) Standing, first row, right to left: Yenkele Shteynboym, Velvel Lapidus, Fishel Teper, Avraham Segal, Manus Desser, Chayim Rozental Second row, right to left: Berel Shtern, Munye Shtern, two unidentified, Shika Kutsher, Maks Desser, Yekutiel Maler's son, two unidentified

[Page 31]

Before I arrived as a singer in the choir, I remember the cantors: Taykhtel, Katsman, Froyke Shliopok, who later on became world famous in America. I remember well Cantor Sherman and conductor Reyf from Dubno, who created a great furor over several years. The famous conductor and composer Barukh Kunstler, who was already over 70 years old, directed the choir with a firm hand. I remember him with a patriarchal white beard, dressed in a high cylindrical hat. His Chanukah concerts, with cantor, choir, and band, were at a high musical level and amazed everyone. The Great Synagogue was jammed with Jews from the city, Dubno, and nearby small villages. Even today, Barukh's compositions and recitatives are sung throughout the world.

Over the course of the 10 years when I sang in the choir, the following cantors were in Kremenets: Yakov Koussevitsky, peace be upon him, from Vilna. His brother, Duvid Koussevitsky, now a famous cantor in New York, was then the conductor. I had the good fortune to be one of his underlings (manager, that is) in 1956, and I traveled with him in South and Central America, where he had great success.

Later, after Duvid Koussevitsky, Cantor Shraga, from Lviv, arrived. One of the last cantors in my time was Cantor Peker from Lutsk. I have interesting memories of him. We went with him to a Chanukah concert in Lutsk. When Peker came to Kremenets with his wife and children, he chose me as his assistant. When we went to Lutsk, he put me in charge of making arrangements. I was happy to do so and even happier when he thanked me and said: “You are a real mentsh.” I value those words even after 35 years.

Ikhele Katsav, the “oddball” of the choir, was truly an original. Never in my singing career did I ever find a person with such an altruistic love of singing. He sang with his whole being, as the verse says, “All of my bones speak out” [Psalms 35:10]. He held that it was a sin and disgrace to take money for singing. When someone offered money–that is to say, if someone was moved by a performance, he would get angry. With his dramatic, heroic tenor voice, he would not have been embarrassed in any choir in the world. He lacked study and discipline. He never paid attention to the conductor's hands. He never even looked at him. When the choir sang the Kedusha, for example, and came to a brief pause, just at that moment, when there was dead silence in the synagogue, Ikhele rang out with a “solo,” calling forth the comment, “Be prepared!”

[Page 32]

People laughed, because they were accustomed to such occasions.

But with Ikhele, things were fun. I remember his original pranks, but so as not to prolong things, I will describe only two. On our first day in a new town, Ikhele would take the little singers–“the kids,” as he called them–to a barber to have their hair cut and have them “perfumed.” Then he would send the bill to the cantor. Then he would take these singers through the streets and sing “Maoz Tsur” with them. But you have to realize that at night, everyone left their homes and the synagogue was packed. When it came time to sleep, Ikhele would find a spot under the oven on his little pack. There were big jugs of milk there, covered with a coarse skin. With the help of hard straw, Ikhele pierced the skin and slowly slurped the tasty milk. Then with a small knife, he poked a little hole in the bottom of the jug so people would think the milk had leaked out. The owner would not blame him, because it looked like the skin had remained whole.

Ikhele and Velvel Tsukerman were the permanent tenors in the choir. With me in the bass section were Nachum Rozenfeld and Shmuel Pundik. For a couple of years Hershel Geker and someone whose family name was Bas also sang. Later, Nachum Rozenfeld's brother Itsik joined us. The altos and sopranos consisted of 15 children.

Velvel Tsukerman and Ikhele died in the Kremenets ghetto. Shmuel Pundik went as a pioneer to Israel before the war. He lives in Kibbutz Yagur. Fate sent me to distant Argentina, and Nachum Rozenfeld shared the tragic fate of the 14,000 martyrs of Kremenets' surroundings. Nachum Rozenfeld went to Warsaw in 1936. There he was a singer in the choir of the famous Tłomackie Synagogue, where Moshe Koussevitsky, peace be upon him, prayed. This was a bold move for a provincial boy. When I was with my wife in Warsaw on our way to Argentina, we met with him. At that time I was jealous of the progress he had made. I do not know whether he died in Warsaw or Kremenets.

The conductors in my time were Duvid Koussevitsky and Shlome Motshan, who had himself earlier been a singer in the Great Synagogue choir. Shlome Motshan was a typical small-town intellectual. His son, Duvid, lives in Buenos Aires and works in a Jewish newspaper office. Shlome's daughter, Rivke, is in Israel.

[Page 33]

To make a living for his wife and children, Shlome Motshan had a small shop near Yoel Gutman's fashion shop on Sheroka Street. There he and his wife, Chantse, would sell fattened geese to the wealthy. As Shlome took the geese to the ritual slaughterer, he went over his new compositions and beat out the measures. The geese listened quietly and shook their heads. The Kremenets wits made it a joke: “Shlome Motshan's geese are the best, because they pray all day.” Shlome Motshan's character was that of a simple man who had the attribute of patience. He had a pure soul and a childlike light in his eyes. All day he was in the store, and at night he went over things with the choir in the synagogue, and on Sabbath and holiday evenings he played chess with Blufshteyn, the photographer. In a word, he was a “dweller in tents,” as the verse says, “Isaac, a simple man, a dweller in tents” [Genesis 25:27]. The worst thing was when Shlome had to ask for money from the president, Yukel Tsvik. First of all, it was out of character for him, and secondly, Yukel would ask him, “Why do you need money, Shlome? You yourself are a treasure.” Yukel Tsvik, who was short and fat, with lively, clever eyes, dressed in a suspect fur coat with shiny boots and wore a round black cap that lay there like a kugel. He was the kind of person who, when he says, “Take,” takes, and he says “Give”–he says …. Therefore Shlome always sent his wife, Chantse, who knew how to speak to him. The next day, Yukel would say to Shlome, “If you want money, come yourself. Don't send Chantse.”

I do not know when Shlome stopped as conductor or who followed him. My experiences only lasted from 1926 to 1936. Someone else must tell what happened earlier or later.

I intended to give life to a chapter from Kremenets Jewish life of more than 35 years ago, which the greatest enemy of Israel, may his name be blotted out, destroyed physically, but not spiritually, as we can see that it is engraved in our memories as a living thing forever.

In the hall of the Union of Landsmen in Buenos Aires hangs a large, artistic picture, painted by the Kremenets artist Lubkin (famous in South America as the painter of the president's portrait). The picture depicts “Kremenets before the Holocaust.” It is very emotional and interesting how the artist characterized the city before the destruction: a clear sky over the mountainous earth without a sign of life, as if before a great storm.

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Directly in front stands the Great Synagogue in its full magnificence. This is to say that the physical Kremenets, symbolized by the vast mountainous earth, like fresh graves, is destroyed. But the spiritual Kremenets, symbolized by the synagogue, remains whole and alive, like the heavens. Over that, the enemy had no power. It does not matter that the stones have been taken from there. The iron, wood, cement, and stones are dead matter that any person can change, but the sacred spirit of our grandfathers' and great-grandfathers' prayers, the air that gave breath to our grandmothers' and great-grandmothers' pleading sighs and tears–no enemy can destroy those.

The Great Synagogue in Kremenets

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Jewish Kremenets is no more than a tiny dot on a map, but it is important because all those tiny dots represent the communal history of our Jewish people in Exile. Every landsman should preserve that dot deep in his heart.

Here is a true historical document: [What follows is the handwritten letter from Velvel Tsukerman that the author mentioned earlier. The letter thanks him for his ten years of service to the synagogue and wishes him success in Argentina.]

Translation editor's note:

1. This yizkor book is Kremenits, Vyshgorodek, un Potshayuv yizkor bukh, https://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/kremenets3/kremenets3.html Return

[Page 36]

In Booklet 9 of Kol Yotsei Kremenets, we discussed the library's move to Tel Aviv University and its causes. The transfer of the books took place over a year ago based on a preliminary agreement. Negotiations lasted several months, and on March 8, 1972, the formal, detailed agreement was signed by representatives of the university (Rector Sh. Simonson, administrator, A. Doron, and legal advisor Dr. N. Yishay) and representatives of our organization (Y. Rokhel, Goldenberg, P. Litev, A. Argaman).

The text of the agreement is given in full in this notebook, so we will not repeat its contents. P. Litev played an active role in formulating the agreement.

The books were brought to a special room in the Diaspora Center building of the Institute for the Study of Hebrew Literature. But it has not yet been decided whether this will be the books' permanent home or whether they will be moved to another acceptable room in the same building.

In order to transfer the books, it was necessary to undertake special labors, such as registration, cataloguing, rebinding where necessary, removing them from the library–shelving them by number, etc. These organizational labors were conducted by Diaspora Center personnel under supervision, so that they could finish shortly after the beginning of the 5731 school year. For all practical purposes, however, the work will last for several months.

Speaking about the agreement, it establishes a joint committee with the following people: from the university, Professor M. Alkoshi, leader of the Enlightenment literature section (chair); Professor Y. Levin, leader of the Hebrew literature group; and Professor D. Karp, dean of the faculty for humanistic studies. From the Organization of Kremenets Emigrants: A. Argaman, P. Litev, and Y. Rokhel. The most active of the university representatives appears to be Prof. Alkoshi. And on the technical-organizational side is Mr. B. Arbel, the Diaspora Center's head librarian. Prof. Alkoshi's assistant, Mr. Bar-Tana, has the job of informing students and researchers who need the library and giving them appropriate instructions.

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Since the RYB”L Library was given to the university, 75 new books have arrived (39 purchased and 34 as gifts from institution and friends). The books have been collected according to Prof. Alkoshi's instructions. Some of them are relatively rare and will raise the library's status.

We have donated almost 1,000 Israeli lirot to buy books, and we are prepared to make further contributions if we find other worthy publications. In this connection it is worth mentioning that a reserve fund has been created to this end. In recent years–that is, before the library's transfer–we have spent very little of this fund.

The joint committee has also taken the first steps to create stipends for researchers of Enlightenment literature. The committee has established a stipend of 1,250 Israeli lirot, donated by our member Zev Shnayder from Detroit, in memory of his father, Shmuel Shnayder, of blessed memory.

The stipend was given to Mr. Bar-Tana for his seminar work on his second scholarly work on the subject “The Hebrew Novel in the Time of the Enlightenment: Gordon and Brandshtater [Yehuda Leyb Gordon and Yehoshua Brandshtater].” This research project is 120 pages long.

In short, a decision will be made about a permanent room for the library, and then our member Argaman will undertake to redecorate the room in order to memorialize the Jewish city of Kremenets in an appropriate and worthy manner.

The Organization is the sole owner of the library, which is dedicated to Hebrew literature of the Enlightenment and will be called the RYB”L Library.

The Organization is interested in having the library used properly, so that it is developed and serves everyone, helping researchers and their assistants, teachers, and students in their scholarly work. To this end, the university is interested in having the library under its authority.

Therefore the two sides confirm and undertake the following:

1. The Organization transfers the books to the university without cost. The books become the university's property and will be located in the Institute for Research in Hebrew Literature in the name of Ben-Tsion Katz. The list of books will be included as an organic part of the agreement.

2. The library will be known as “The Library of Enlightenment Literature of RYB”L –To the Martyrs of Kremenets in Volhynia. Founded by the Landsmen of Kremenets in Israel and in the Diaspora.” The shortened name for official use will be “The RYB”L Library.”
3. The library will be a division of the Institute's general library.
1. It will have its own policies.
2. Every book in the RYB”L Library, as well as every book to be acquired in the future, will have a special ex libris.
3. At a particular place in the library, in accordance with its policies, an appropriate sign, whose size and appearance will be approved by both sides, will be hung. Near the sign will be a picture of B. Levinzon and his house, and also of the city of Kremenets.
   All the signs and identifying material in the library, whether in the university or in the Diaspora Center, should remain there forever.
4. As was stated in the introduction to this document, the library should not remain in a static condition, but it should be expanded by the acquisition of additional books through purchase or as gifts.
5. The Organization says it will dedicate funds from time to time for stipends and awards for people to work on subjects connected to the Enlightenment era. These will be certified by the university.
6. Both parties will work toward increasing the library's functions by organizing additional cultural events, such as reading evenings, information, and presentations to pupils and/or students on the subject of the Holocaust, etc.
7. Book acquisitions will be in the hands of an administrative body consisting of representatives from the Institute and the Organization in equal numbers. The Chair of the body will alternate between the two parties.
8. On the evenings of the annual memorial service for the Kremenets martyrs, the university will put a room (with all its furnishings, such as a buffet) at the Organizations' disposal. From time to time the university will also host meetings of the Organization board in the library. The Organization is interested in bringing in guests, landsmen from abroad, at times to show them and clarify the relationship with the university.
   The necessary terms and conditions of these events will be agreed on at least 15 days in advance. The official reception of guests will take place in a particular part of the university in the library.

To all of this the parties sign:

Tel Aviv, March 7, 1972

S. Simonson	Y. Rokhel	P. Litev
A. Doron	M. Goldenberg	A. Argaman
For the university	For the organization

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The Organization of Kremenets Emigrants board sent her an official invitation, in which the board undertook to cover the cost of the journey from Poland to Israel and back, about $500. The money will be sent in care of the Polish State Bank in Wroclaw with a notice that it is to cover the cost of Mrs. Tseytag's journey from Poland to Israel and back. In case she does not receive permission, the bank should return the money.

Along with the official invitation, the board added a request to the Polish government that they should permit Mrs. Aleksandra Tseytag, who risked her own life and her family's lives by hiding and rescuing eight Jews in Kremenets from the German killers, to meet in Israel with the people she rescued. This request to the Polish government was signed by one of our Kremenetsers who fought in the ranks of the Polish military against the German enemy–for Poland's independence.

Several Kremenets families in Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Rehovot have already shown their goodwill by inviting Mrs. Tseytag to their homes at no expense, as well as offering excursions so that she can see our country. We believe that others will follow their example.

The board is in touch with Yad Vashem in Jerusalem (regarding Righteous Gentiles). When she arrives, there will be a special reception, and she will receive a commendation.

Now we can only hope that the Polish government will understand our humanistic impulse and allow Mrs. Tseytag to visit her landsmen in Israel.

Finally: Members are requested to forward donations to this cause. Five hundred dollars, as stated–over 2,000 Israeli lirot, and that will still not be enough. Our reserves are limited, so we ask our members to send in their contributions.

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We take this opportunity to thank the lawyer Mikhael Solfeter of Tel Aviv for his contribution by arranging the necessary documents for Mrs. Tseytag-Tarasova at no charge.

This year–we are proud to say–the Organization of Kremenets Emigrants has the right to note this most important accomplishment in its history. I refer to the strengthening of the library, whose founding and development took much effort over nearly 10 years.

The library, as is well known, has been transferred to Tel Aviv University, and there it will not only enrich that institution of higher learning's collection, but it will serve as an important cultural and educational took that will aid students and scholars in their research on Hebrew literature of the Enlightenment.

It should be stressed that the university specialists with whom we made the agreement could not stop praising the collection as a valuable treasure.

And now the Organization is prepared to take a step to continue the library's creation and transfer to the university and will be–I believe–our activities' crowning achievement. I refer to the establishment of the scholarship fund for researchers and students in the field of Enlightenment literature to help them in their scholarly labors.

The plan was the idea of our member Volf Shnayder from the city of Detroit in the United States. He also contributed the necessary funds for this project.

In our conversation with university representatives, this initiative was eagerly and gratefully received.

The scholarship fund intends to memorialize the city of Kremenets and its martyrs, as well as those near and dear to our members, relatives who have passed on or were cut off during the Holocaust.

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It must be understood that the fund depends on the sums that Kremenets emigrants in Israel and abroad will donate. We must have a fund that justifies its name and can take an honored place among the university's funds. From its inception (the fund will be deposited with the university) we should be able to satisfy the requirements we have established. We have set the goal of collecting about 60,000 Israeli lirot (including our foreign members' contributions). We realize this is not a small sum, but we hope and believe that our members will approach this task generously, as it is our last, and make the necessary effort so that it will be–as we said–the crowning achievement in our organization's life.

Let us not forget, members, that our generation is the last in which the memory of our city, Kremenets, and its holy martyrs lives and is close to our hearts. This is perhaps the last hour and opportunity to establish an appropriate memorial to the Kremenets community and its martyrs.

Members! Let us do our best–and even more–to make the memory of our dear ones, of the city and of its martyrs, eternal by doing a deed that will remind generations that follow us of the glorious and simultaneously shocking past.

This will not belong to a single “house” or club. This is a project in which our whole generation can take pride.

I will not go into details. They are many, and they are important. They will be explained in correspondence and personal appeals to members. The university has a system and technical means to make this project possible. There are, for example, special brochures that will be distributed annually, open methods of distributing the stipends, certificates for donors, etc.

If only I could find the right words to appeal to you, to our members' feelings, so you will take them to heart and do your best to make this project a reality

With united strength, let us make the necessary effort and conclude this project with success.

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During a visit to Russia, I received as a gift from my sister's children a little book of allegories that mirror reality….

The book's author is a Kremenetser, P. Krivin. (Ten stories from a Half of a Story)

“Why aren't you wearing glasses?” people asked the ant. “What can I tell you?” answered the ant. “I have to see the sun, the sky, the road that leads no one knows where. I have to see the smiles of my friends. Trifles don't interest me….”

Barely had the little bird appeared to peck its way out of the egg when it received a sharp reproof for breaking the egg. “My God! Where did he get such manners? He must have inherited them.”

“One has to be simple, accessible”–so the rattle taught the violin. “For example, people always hear me with pleasure. Even children–they too, understand me.”

The picture reflects living nature: “Everything–with pleasure–the background, perspective. But one has to put it in the right frame.”

Among flowers–a dispute about beauty: a thorn says, “I can in no way approve of the rose's creative method–sharpness, that is! Sticking deep–that I understand! But to show all those colors as the rose does?!!”

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6. The Strength of Conviction

Profound: “The institution should be open,” says the doorknob, “when the door is opened.” “The institution should be closed,” the handle rules philosophically, “when the door is closed.” The institution of the doorknob depends on who writes on it.

“You work from morn til night,” cried out the healthy tooth, “and no one thanks you. But the decayed tooth–thanks a lot! That one gets gold. Why? You ask. What are you working for???”

It is soft, warm, yielding. It conforms to the hands of those who know how to use it. It is not disgusted even by filling in dark cracks. But hardly has it filled the crack, crawled inside it, become solid and comfortable, then it shows its true nature: cold, dry, and stonily set in its way.

The weak flame is both little and unremarkable, but everyone pays attention to it. Even the mighty steel lock often seeks its protection. And this is totally understandable: the flame has no strings, but it binds things together!

Sitting on the forehead of a short man, a pimple looked jealously at the forehead of a taller man and thought, “Oh, if only I were so exalted!!!”

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This year's memorial service fell on the 30^th anniversary of our martyrs' death and was the 26^th service we have held in Israel. This time, as always, a crowd of 200 Krementsers from all parts of the country gathered in the seminar and courtyard.

An observer would have seen with great curiosity and amazement the moving scenes of brotherly encounters among relatives, friends, and familiar landsmen, encounters unequaled in their heartiness and joy. Remarkably, this outburst of feelings is repeated every year. And let us hope it endures until the last of us has forever left the stage.

Leading the service this time was our devoted landsman Yosef Zalts, a longtime manager of the workers' school in Akko. He eulogized our martyrs in a well-constructed, impressive speech.

Also eulogized by Yitschak (Izye) Portnoy were our members whom death took from us during the year. Each name he mentioned was greeted with sorrow and tears by the audience. Cantor Shapira sang “God, Full of Compassion,” and said Kaddish, along with a chapter of Psalms.

The last part of the service was devoted to organizational matters. Landsman Pesach Litev (Litvak) set forth our memorial project with Tel Aviv University. Details about the project are in this booklet.

Abrasha Argaman moved to form an oversight committee. This was described by Y. Portnoy and P. Litev as a five-member committee. Argaman also proposed to the landsmen that they help the small core of active members who take the heavy burden of our many tasks on themselves. This was seconded by Leye Vilderman-Barshap and Fishel Teper. Let us hope others will respond.

Long after the service, several members who did not rush to their cars or trains held friendly conversations, as religious Jews do after the concluding prayer in the synagogue on Yom Kippur.

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No one cries any longer No one laments… And no cry is prolonged When now again I say: Graves on the roads, homes, and ruins, Whoever would forget you–will find no rest The best encore should remain in his throat, Stones on his heart, on his whiskers–salt. The bloodied martyrs should surround him Because the grass shines, because the stars whoosh, Because the children grow And to the gun's mechanism Stubbornly steals Once again, death. Bombs sneak in to tear open the world With a bleak hope; our memory is outdated. Never forget! Never forget! Remember the past, as a barrel is full. Are the wounds healed already? It continues, the horror continues. It has not disappeared! Wake up, brothers! Wake up!

[Page 46]

Several months ago we met with three important landsmen, guests from America and their wives. They arrived one after the other over two to three weeks.

First came Nachman Desser, Yoel Desser's son, a chemical engineer, and his wife, Miryam, who is from Rovno. Even today he is influenced by old Kremenets. His visit to Israel and his meetings with landsmen strengthened this feeling. During his visit to the Levinzon Library, he wept quietly…. Nachman Desser had taken it upon himself to lead the “drive” in America and Canada for Levinzon Library stipend funds (see the article printed earlier), and according to his frequent letters, he was quite active. He hopes for positive results.

The second to come was Zev Chasid, Mordekhay Chasid's son. He went to the Land of Israel from Kremenets in 1912, two years before World War I. He studied agriculture there. He was a volunteer in the Jewish Legion's battle to free Israel from the Turks. For 50 years he has lived in America, where he is a professor in the famous University of California, Berkeley. The American press often publicizes his academic achievements and discoveries in the biological chemistry field. Kremenetsers in America and elsewhere are exalted by their important landsman.

And remarkably, it is indisputable that after a 60-year absence from Kremenets and being steeped in his academic work, the image of his old home lives on in his memory. As if he had only just left, it is close to his heart.

He reads our Kol Yotsei Kremenets booklets with great interest. He knows parts of our yizkor book almost by heart, he maintains contact with us, and he supports our organization.

And finally, Shmuel (Milek) Fuks with his wife Frida. A longtime engineer, a Kremenetser through and through. He and his wife never miss the meetings of Krementsers in New York, which are held every month.

With Milek's appearance, a Kremenets atmosphere ruled everyone. Everyone was young again. Everyone was singing and reminiscing. It was difficult to sing when the time of slaughter was recalled.

[Page 47]

Mordekhay Katz is the energetic secretary of the Kremenetsers in Buenos Aires. We did not know each other in Kremenets, even though we are about the same age. We first met and became friends in the New World–through letters and through our collaboration, first on the memorial to our martyred city, the great Kremenets yizkor book, and then in the Kol Yotsei Kremenets booklets, which are published in Tel Aviv.

From Berish the Teacher's cheder by the Potik and from Kretshmer Primary School, I left Kremenets as a 15-year-old and came to New York over 50 years ago. Mordekhay Katz, in his later youth, exhibited much eagerness and talent in the Kremenets community's cultural and artistic activities. He left Kremenets for Argentina with his dear wife, Tsipe, just before World War II.

Unknown to each other, separated by over 1,000 kilometers, Kremenets bound us together in a brotherly friendship that has lasted for 30 years. A passionate letter writer, his letters to me and mine to him knitted us together through nostalgia for Kremenets and deep friendship.

Returning from sunny, warm Israel, from a cherished Jewish atmosphere and landscape, surrounded by so many wonderful people from my city and dear friends from Kibbutz Ma'anit, where I spent a large part of my time in Israel, to the gray big-city jungle of New York, I had the great surprise of receiving a telephone call from Mordekhay Katz, who was in New York. We quickly made plans to meet. With a trembling heart, I spent two hours on the subway from the Bronx to Brooklyn, where he was staying. I brought him home with me, and for three days and half the night we talked, reminisced, and shared impressions, memories, and opinions about people, things, and events. We walked in the crowded streets among New York's skyscrapers, 40 or 50 stories of grass and concrete. We visited the exclusive, imposing home of the United Nations, which displayed artwork and furnishings from all the countries of the world as well as sculptures made from Jerusalem marble. I showed him the city panoramas.

Mordekhay Katz is a mentsh, a “personage,” slender, with a head of dark hair. His brown eyes look out with love; his stature, clothing, and understanding are those of an aristocrat, an artist. A dynamic, active person.

[Page 48]

Aside from his profession as a cantor in one of the biggest synagogues in Buenos Aires, radio and television singer, and producer of records and tapes on which he sings liturgical, classical, and folk songs in Yiddish, Hebrew, and Spanish–many are his own compositions–he is also active in community life.

He is secretary of the cantor's union, secretary of the music division of YIVO, and active in other institutions. He is an artist who loves people, and among his friends are world-famous singers, cantors, and artists, as well as ordinary people. He is a driving force among Kremenetsers in Buenos Aires. He brings them together and collects funds for Israel and local causes. Pesye^[1] works with him, but he has not amassed money for himself. He uses it for community purposes.

The magic of his personality made a deep impression.–May 1972, New York

The train station 3 kilometers from town. Children used to love walking here. This was the only gateway to the wider world. It was also the last stop for the 14,000 Kremenets Jews who were shot in the nearby graves.

[Page 49]

In May 1972, in Kibbutz Na'an, after much suffering, our prominent landsman Yisrael Otiker passed away at age 61, leaving behind his faithful life partner Lotke, a son, his brother Shalom, and huge kibbutz family from Na'an.

Yisrael's life was rich with intense activities from his earliest youth until his last minutes.

Many were the causes to which Yisrael devoted years of dedication, always with a young man's passion and faith. He served his kibbutz movement with the greatest dedication, always ready to fulfill every obligation he undertook. People saw him at hard labor as a porter in the port of Tel Aviv, carrying heavy loads in the Atlit salt enterprise, and late in the evenings deeply involved in the heavy burden of various administrative and cultural jobs, first for his own kibbutz and later for the kibbutz movement organization, United Kibbutz.

When the last cannon of World War II was silenced and the flood of refugees headed to western Europe, Yisrael was sent by his movement on a dangerous mission to Italy. There he worked with the UN Refugee Agency, dressed in its officer's uniform, and brought aid to the Jewish refugees in the camps. He also organized illegal immigration to Israel.

Some years after returning from Italy, Yisrael devoted himself to a broader humanistic role in United Kibbutz. He became a humanities lecturer in the so-called High School for Teenage Members of United Kibbutz, APEL. He was also an administrator. In 1962-1964, Yisrael went on another mission, this time to Argentina, where he stayed with his wife, Lotke. There he came in contact with Kremenets landsmen, among whom he still had many friends from the old country.

[Page 50]

After this mission, Yisrael felt an urge to study in university. He entered the history department. There he engaged his intellectual abilities to the fullest. He won awards of distinction and began doctoral research. Then a terrible illness took over and with great suffering destroyed a creative life, a life of love for his people and humanity, the life of a loyal man and father.

Although so greatly occupied, he never wavered from his commitment to the Organization of Kremenets Emigrants. He took part in all its activities. We recall especially well his ventures with board members to Teachers Seminary students at the annual Holocaust Memorial Day activities dedicated to Kremenets. There he combined his talent as a speaker with his love and nostalgia for our old home. He made a deep impression.

Shortly after his death, our editors received a sincere letter from Itke Shtern-Rozental, who, along with her husband, Nuta Shtern, peace be upon him, was Yisrael's close friend. With him and with myself, we took part in putting out Kremenitser Shtime, which for several years reflected the life of Jewish Kremenets. In this letter we see young Yisrael in the context of his family and city. Here is the letter:

“Dear Friends,

It hurts when a good friend departs after great suffering, but it hurts even more when it happens to one whose great dreams have been realized.

I was a witness to his dreams, far from his city of birth, which was illuminated by memories of his youth.

For the observance of 30 days after his death at the cemetery in his kibbutz, where his relatives and kibbutz friends assembled, a solemn silence reigned. And that recalled the silence of his home on Gorna Street, not far from the Great Synagogue–his parents' silence (I do not recall ever hearing their voices). I have seen his beautiful sister, Rachel, and his brother-in-law, Leybtshik, that spiritual man who was imbued with Torah, his little brother (who did not appear young).

[Page 51]

And we regret that over 12 years, we could not find a few free hours to meet and discuss the past and future.

With great sorrow, Itke.”

And we want to add that in Yisrael Otiker we lost one of the pillars on which the edifice of spiritual Kremenets rested.

It is a pity for those who are gone and no longer to be found! [Sanhedrin 111a]

Sad News We express our deepest sorrow and grief at the untimely death of our loved one Yisrael Otiker, of Blessed Memory (Leyb Studinker's grandson) who dedicated his life to the ideals of working for the Land of Israel, his kibbutz, Yiddish and Hebrew culture, and the building of the state of Israel. We send our deepest sympathy to his beloved wife, Lotke, and son, Yosef, to his brother, Shalom, and his wife, Shoshana, and their children, grandchildren, and other relatives. Be consoled by the good reputation he left behind. May his memory be honored! Moshe and Rachel Metsler, Tucson, Arizona

[Page 52]

Yisrael Mandel of Blessed Memory

Leye Vilderman-Barshap

Yisrael Mandel, son of Simche the Brushmaker, got married in Zagaytsy, a village not far from the Russian border.

He is well-to-do, with a roof tile factory, among other things. He is a generous man, prepared to help anyone who comes his way.

In World War II, he and his sons fled to Russia, after which his wife and daughter were killed in Kremenets along with all the Kremenets martyrs.

After the war, Mandel returned to Kremenets with his second wife and went into business. Few Jews returned, so they all seemed like a family, and Yisrael became their leader and guide.

In 1958, when he was 60, the small Jewish Kremenets community celebrated his birthday. At the celebration, Yisrael Mandel said that he had no peace and could not rest because the martyrs' bones were homeless, and their common grave was neglected. He made a vow to do whatever he could to set up and maintain a monument on the grave. But it was not so simple to receive permission for this project. In the meantime, he served 5 years of a 25-year sentence, after which he approached the government and received permission to set up the monument and create a park around the communal gravesite.

He received material support from Krementsers in New York and Israel. People quite properly called him “the father of the graves” of Kremenets' martyrs.

In the spring of 1972, Yisrael Mandel died in Kremenets, 76 years old. He left behind a wife, two sons, and grandchildren.

May his memory be for a blessing!

M.G.

Several months ago in the Malben Old-Age Home in Rishon Lezion, Chaye Pak, the wife of our prominent fellow citizen, Yosef Pak, of blessed memory, passed away.

Chaye, Yosef Pak's second wife, was very close to her husband. With him, she experienced the difficult World War II years in Russia. Soon after their arrival in Israel, both of them went to Malben.

[Page 53]

She, like her husband Yosef, was active in collecting funds for the Chabad Yeshiva in Rishon Lezion and in other community matters.

After her husband's death, Chaye fell into a deep depression.

She clung to the council of Kremenetsers as to a family, and she corresponded with me. In the last letter before her death, she bade farewell to Kremenetsers, the board, and Vakman in America, just as her husband, Yosef, of blessed memory, had done before his death.

May her memory be a blessing!

In February of this year, Dr. Yehuda Tsvi Fisherman, 64 years old, passed away in Givatayim.

Dr. Fisherman, son of Avraham, of blessed memory, and may she live long, Frida Fisherman, former silk factory owners in Kremenets and now in Israel, immigrated in 1925. Shortly thereafter he went to France and studied bacteriology, chemistry, biology, and pharmacology. After finishing his studies, he opened a laboratory in Paris that he led successfully for 10 years.

In 1937, Dr. Fisherman returned to Israel. First, he worked at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot and in the pharmaceutical industry. For the past 24 years, until his early death, he had his own pharmacy in Givatayim.

Dr. Fisherman was a conscientious pharmacist who was regarded as a role model. He was beloved by his clients. He paid close attention to their complaints and was always ready to help with a cure or advice. He also gave secret gifts when they were needed, either money or medicine. His heart was open to everyone.

Dr. Fisherman left behind his wife, his mother, and two sisters.

May his memory be a blessing!

[Page 54]

Dr. Yasha Landesberg, of Blessed Memory

Yehoshua (Shika) Golberg

The broad, many-branched tree of the Landesberg family has its deepest roots in Kremenets soil for over 150 years. The city's founder was R' Lazel Landesberg. His son Itsi had five sons (Lazel, Hersh, Moshe, Berish, and Yisrael) and one daughter, Chane (my grandmother, the wife of my grandfather Moshe Golberg, peace be upon him). Itsi Landesberg was the founder of a large wine and brandy business that employed 14 “clerks” in addition to the five sons. He was a first-guild merchant and held the concession to sell wine in the entire Kremenets district.

The Landesberg business was the main supplier of wine and delicatessen for the Seminary, the Pochayev Lavra, and the Kremenets area's noble courts. Itsi Landesberg was also simultaneously a great scholar and a prosperous Jew. He gave his children a Jewish and a secular education. He was also a personal friend of the well-known Baron Gintsburg from Radzivilov. When the baron returned from his travels in deep Russia, he would betake himself to Kremenets, to Itsi Landesberg, for a glass of aquavit and a conversation.

Yasha's grandfather, Lazel Landesberg, dearly loved his only grandson, Yashke. When he was young, he would sit Yasha at his side and tell him about their family's magnificent past and about various meetings between his father Itsi and Baron Gintsburg.

Yashke graduated from the Kremenets Lyceum and studied medicine in Nancy (France). There he contracted tuberculosis and had a serious lung operation. At that moment, Yasha decided to devote his life to medicine, particularly to pulmonary diseases.

Shortly before the outbreak of World War II, Yasha returned to Kremenets and began to practice medicine in the Jewish and Pavratova hospitals. He won admiration and acknowledgment from his Jewish and Christian patients.

[Page 55]

With the outbreak of the war, Dr. Yasha Landesberg and his father Dr. Yosef Landesberg were mobilized and sent to the front. As an army doctor, Yasha showed self-sacrifice at the front and in various battles. Under heavy German fire, he performed complicated operations in the field on wounded soldiers, saving the lives of hundreds of Red Army soldiers.

In one of the battles, his hand was injured. After the war, Yasha returned to Kremenets and was the chief doctor in the Kremenets hospital. He suffered much from the Holocaust in Kremenets, and with Dr. Elke Lerer and Yisrael Mandel, of blessed memory, sought permission to create a large monument for the Kremenets martyrs. They also created the first park around the mass grave, opposite the train station. The Ukrainians destroyed the park, and later Mandel built a park with iron and concrete around the monument, which still stands today.

As a doctor, Yasha always helped everyone, day and night. And when any of his patients brought him butter or honey in gratitude, Yasha would tell his wife they should not take it. He was incorruptible and devoted his life to medicine.

Twice I had the honor to welcome Yasha into my home with my family. The first time was in 1953. Yasha then told me with tears in his eyes what he and Elke Lerer had experienced when people in Kremenets tried to force them to testify publicly against the “killers in white lab coats in Moscow” during the Doctors' Trial in Moscow. They refused. They suffered greatly for that. The second time, he was with us in Warsaw in 1956, before we immigrated to Israel. I showed him the Kremenets yizkor book^[1] that I had received in Poland from Israel, and translated several articles from Hebrew and Yiddish into Polish. He held the yizkor book as a religious man holds a Torah scroll, and he trembled.

May my words serve as a monument for this idealistic and noble man, Dr. Yasha Landesberg, and may his name not be forgotten among us Kremenets landsmen.

He left behind two sons in Leningrad, Edik and Volodya.

May his memory be a blessing!

[Page 56]

Ester Dugim, of blessed memory

I. Shtern-Rozental

She suffered greatly in her last years, but her death was unexpected and shocked everyone, her family and friends whom she treasured and for whom she was like a ray of light that has been extinguished.

She leaves behind her husband, Avraham, a son, a daughter, and grandchildren, her brothers Shmuel and Yitschak Bezpoyasnik, and a sister, Tove Vindelberg.

Her memory will always dwell with her family and friends.

Manus

Matus was the husband of my younger sister, Shprintse. News of his death was brought to us by his friend Dr. Kurland of Hamei Tverya. This brought the various rumors about Matus's location to an end.

Last summer, Pesach Gorinshteyn, who spent some time there with his family, assured me that Matus had settled in Soviet Russia. So, too, thought his closest relatives.

Matus studied in Paris and practiced medicine there. Shprintse was there with him. Until the Germans occupied France, we received letters from them written in beautiful Hebrew. Both were graduates of the Hebrew Teachers Seminary in Vilna.

The Germans interned Matus in a concentration camp in France. He worked as a doctor there. Shprintse lived near the camp. My brother Liove, peace be upon him, sent a woman with money to smuggle them both to Switzerland, but Matus categorically refused to flee the camp, citing his duty as a doctor.

[Page 57]

Shprintse, who was waiting for him, was deported to Auschwitz, where she was killed. Matus, however, remained alive but out of contact with relatives and friends. Nevertheless, my brother Liove regularly sent him food parcels from America. When Liove was sent by the American government on an important mission to Paris for several years, he invited Matus, who did not respond. He reacted similarly in summer 1949 when Liove wrote that my daughter and I were visiting. Soon all traces of him vanished.

And now Dr. Kurland has solved the mystery. He explained that Matus had married a Frenchwoman, a Christian with two daughters, and that they had more daughters together. He lived in the aforementioned town.

By way of explanation to relatives and friends, Dr. Kurland wrote of Matus's strong feelings of guilt about Shprintse and about distancing himself from Jews and Judaism. “He found himself in a jumble from which he could not extract himself,” writes Dr. Kurland. Who knows what he felt? Who can judge or understand what went on in the depths of his soul, he who had lived through such a hell?

Just as this notebook was closing, we received the sad news that our generous, welcoming, and true member Fanya Gindes Bangold, passed away after a serious illness. Fanya leaves behind her husband and two daughters. Details will follow.

Our deepest sympathy to her whole family.

May her memory be a blessing!

Translation editor's note:

1. This yizkor book is probably Pinkas Kremenits: Sefer zikaron, https://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/kremenets/kremenets.html Return

[Page 58]

With the transfer of the RYB”L Library to Tel Aviv University (see the article by Y. Rokhel), some changes have come about. The Kremenetsers' club remains in the Kibbutzim College hall, where the library used to be. Under the leadership of member Argaman (who is an artist and painter), the room's decor has been altered and the pictures rearranged so as not to disturb the Kremenets atmosphere.

Also, the book closet has not remained empty. Only the books have changed. Replacing the books on the Enlightenment era are books about destroyed Volhynian communities.

Some of these books were purchased, and some were gifts.

All Kremenetser meetings and assemblies take place in the club, and all our townsmen who visit the club feel at home there.

B'nai B'rith in Tel Aviv celebrated the 75th birthday of our member Pesach Litev (Litvak), who is a longstanding B'nai B'rith member.

Two hundred people gathered at beautifully decorated table, and the master of ceremonies gave a detailed life history of member Litev and his part in the development of various institutions in the country, such as Malben, the Sholem Aleichem House, and the Jewish Colonization Association, which organized the placement of immigrants in agricultural positions. He also described his personality and his accomplishments as a friend of higher culture, a man beloved by his friends, fellow townsmen, and acquaintances.

There followed an artistic presentation that left everyone in an elevated mood.

P. Litev (Litvak) is a longtime member of the Organization of Kremenets Emigrants. Over the past two years he has been active in considering the organization's problems, including the question of the stipend fund for Tel Aviv University students.

We congratulate member Litev on his birthday and wish him and his family health, long years, and nachas from his children.

[Page 59]

We believe that his years-long involvement in community labor will be useful to the Organization of Kremenets Emigrants. Perhaps our organization can take this opportunity to learn from B'nai B'rith and also mark our older members' birthdays and take pleasure in getting together, thus strengthening our ties.

Member Leye works in a factory and is a mother. And thus she has found it necessary to work on the board.

In this booklet, member Barshap has an obituary of Yisrael Mandel, of blessed memory, who was her uncle.

Two of our members in Tel Aviv have been active in receiving new immigrants from Russia, each in his own way: Yehuda Kaufman and his wife, and Yehoshue (Shika) Golberg. The Kaufman family is active in a community fashion: they greet immigrants at the Lod airport, meet them, and invite them home. Their home is known for being friendly and generous to guests. They strive to create a circle of acquaintances in order to facilitate absorption.

Yehoshue Golberg has taken on the duty of focusing on two immigrant families until they get apartments, have jobs, and enroll their children in appropriate schools or jobs. He helps the immigrants with the formalities of various organizations, like the health fund, the absorption ministry, etc.

We congratulate our members on their community spirit toward immigrants, and we believe that other members aid immigrants without our knowing about it.

On the third anniversary of the death of our prominent fellow citizen Lt. Col. Mordekhay (Motke) Barmor, there was a memorial service at the military cemetery in Kiryat-Shaul. This time, as in the past, his fellow officers, soldiers, relatives, and landsmen gathered by his grave.

[Page 60]

From the cemetery, everyone went to the military base where Mordekhay had been the commander for many years.

In the hall of the club there, the memorial service continued. The crowded hall listened with respect as the speakers described Mordekhay as a person, Jew, commander, and friend.

The writer of these lines specifically addressed Mordekhay's old home, picturesque Kremenets, which he so loved, and also its outstanding, many-branched Bishbeyn family. He also stressed the total harmony that ruled in Mordekhay's own person between his devotion to the past and his deep roots in Israel's soil.

As in all years, three prizes were distributed to three middle school students who excelled in their studies. The prizes come from the Mordekhay Barmor Fund, which was established for this purpose by his friends from the army.–M.G.

In this booklet, we publish an income and expense report for our organization in 1969-1970. The report for 1969 was compiled by member Taytelman, and for 1970, by Mr. Yakov Kandel, an accountant who is paid for his work. Member Rokhel prepared the reports for publication and arranged the budget. For several years, member Taytelman handled the bookkeeping, but lately, because of his health, we had to turn to a professional.

In the coming booklet, we will publish a report for 1971-1972.

Our financial operation is not large, but it requires an accurate accounting.

The organization's funds are in two accounts in Bank Hapoalim, one account in lirot and one in dollars at 6%. The bank operations produced a small profit. The organization also has funds in securities that produce a profit. The organization's funds come chiefly from Kremenetsers abroad. The funds from Israeli members are much smaller. One of the biggest expenses is Kol Yotsei Kremenets. The expense is not covered because many members are not prompt with their payment for the booklets.

[Page 61]

The Committee for the Stipend Fund.

Our agreement with the university contains an obligation, point 5, “to gather funds for stipends or prizes for research concerning Enlightenment literature.”

In further negotiations, both sides undertook to establish a stable stipend fund. The funds should be in the university's domain, with interest given as stipends to students and researchers whose work in the aforementioned field should be recognized. During the annual memorial, Mr. Litvak provided the details, and the idea was considered.

The board empowered the Levinzon Library Committee (Argaman, Litev, Rokhel) to finalize the plan. Later, Dr. Yisrael Rabinovits was included. The committee approached a number of wealthy members, and so far, several families have promised the fund 1,000 Israeli lirot each, in memory of someone or out of commitment. In the near future, the committee hopes to meet its goal with the help of Kremenetsers from abroad. So far, the committee has pledges from America totaling $3,600. The Society of Kremenetsers in New York has pledged a sum of four figures in dollars from its reserve fund. Members Duvid Rapaport and Nachman Desser are leading the committee in America and Canada. In Haifa, members Portnoy and Rayzman are active in the matter. A longer article about the fund by Pesach Litev appears in this booklet.

We wish my good friend Yakov Sheynis and his wife Zlate hearty congratulations on the marriage of their son.–Itke Shtern-Rozental and family, Kiryat-Yam

Hearty congratulations to our friend Shmuel Shapiro, husband of Fanye Kneler, of blessed memory, and his whole family on the marriage of their son Ilan to Eyde Abramovitsh–Chane and Manus Goldenberg.

[Page 62]

We have arranged that payment for the notebook can be made through Bank HaDoar to the organization's account.

It was decided at the last memorial service to form an auditing committee. Members Litev and Portnoy were appointed to the committee.

We include a copy of a letter we recently received from Polish Kremenetsers in London. The leader of their organization, Mrs. Czarnocka, is the widow of the former government official in Kremenets.

Board of Kremenets Emigrants
London, September 11, 1972
11 Leopold Road
London V5

To
Jewish Kremenets Emigrants in Israel
c/o Mr. Yehoshue Golberg
Tel Aviv, 67 La Guardia St.
Yad Eliyahu

Dear Kremenetsers,

Deeply shaken from the tragic murder in Munich, we send you, Jewish Kremenetsers, our heartfelt sympathy for your sorrow and our encouragement.

We understand the difficult situation of the Jewish people and are impressed by the heroism that accompanies them as they build and create a country in our era.

We have total trust in the eternal God's blessing that the state of Israel will be able to exist and develop in security and peace with its neighbors.

Our best wishes to you and your families.

For the Organization of Kremenets Emigrants

H. Czarnocka   A. Hermashevski
Chairwoman    Secretary

[Page 63]

5/3/72	Morris Medler	$20
7/17/72	Morris Medler	25
7/21/72	Tamara Zigelboym, Paris	10
8/13/72	William Kogan, New York	25	$80
For the benefit of the Levinzon Library
5/14/72	Prof. Zev Chasid, Berkeley, CA	50
10/1/72	Prof. Zev Chasid, Berkeley, CA	25	$75
For other organizational obligations
2/4/72	Pesach Gorinshteyn, Paris	10
2/22/72	Helen Vaynberg, New York	10
5/11/72	Shmuel (Mole) Fuks, New York	50
9/19/72	Norman Desser, New York	50
10/3/72	Velvel Ketsel, New York	20
10/72	Yitschak Vakman, New York	75
			$215
			$520

[Page 64]

We heartily congratulate our board members, Chane and Chayim Fayer, on the wedding of their beloved son, Enrique, to Miss Mary. We wish them much nachas and joy, and wish the young couple a happy future.

Chayim Mordish and family Idel Kotkovnik and family Mordekhay Katz and wife Chayim Nudel and family Velvel Oks and family Avraham Yergis and family Nuta Kiperman and family Pinye Burbel and family Yisrael Laybel and family Yasha Fishman and wife Yisrael Roykh and family Yitschak Shpak and family Moshe Peker and family Moshe Pak and family

Duvid Shvartsman and family Ukel Benderski and family Shaye Fishman and family Avraham Shpigel and family Alter Segal and wife Natalya Kiselevski and family Fayvel Katz and wife Yisrael Taker and family Bernardo Veretilne and family Aisik Feldman and family Berel Kiperman and wife Simon Kiperman Reyzel Sher and family Katye Tshudnovski

The directors of the Kremenetser Landsleit and the women's committee congratulate committee members Chayke and Nuta Kiperman on the marriage of their beloved youngest daughter Felisa to Mr. Carlos. We wish them much nachas and joy.

[Page 65]

Dear Fellow Landsmen of the Board and Editors of Kol Yotsei Kremenets:

We celebrate together with you this important event in the history of our landsmen's organization–the publication of the 10^th issue of Kol Yotsei Kremenets. In the tumultuous times of combat, surrounded by enemies, with minimal conditions and possibilities, but buttressed by obstinacy, nostalgia, strength, great determination, and stamina, you went on with your work. Dear landsmen, we treasure your labors. We send our deeply felt blessings and we say to you that together we shall sustain the memory of Kremenets and help distribute the booklets because this is the main bridge joining us together. May your hands be strengthened!

Board and Women's Committee of the Kremenetser Landsleit Union in Buenos Aires

To our dear, prestigious activist Bela Berenshteyn (nee Kudlatsh), we wish a complete recovery so that she may quickly resume her community activities.–Kremenetser Landsleit Union in Buenos Aires

We send our deepest sympathy to our ex-president Yisrael Roykh on the loss of his beloved wife, Rivke, an active member of the Women's Committee.

We wish him good health and hope he experiences no more sorrow.

Our deepest sympathy to committee members Yitschak and Ester Shpak on the double loss of their beloved son-in-law Binyamin and dear sister and sister-in-law Rivke Roykh. May your work in the community bring consolation. “It is a pity for those who are gone and no longer to be found” [Sanhedrin 111a].

Dear Landsmen in Argentina:

We share with you the joy and blessings of the fortunate parents and children as well as the sorrow for the losses you have suffered.–Organization of Kremenets Emigrants in Israel

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