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Irka and Utek Biran,
Manus Goldenberg
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Irka arrived in the Land in 1944 with the Tehran Children, the children and young people who arrived here from Russia via Persia according to an agreement with the Soviet authorities. When she arrived in the Land after a two-year wait in Tehran, as all the rest did, Irka's sister and brother-in-law, Tanya and Munya Shtern, took her in.
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Utek, whom she had met earlier in the Soviet Union, arrived in the Land at the same time with General Anders' army. After a short time, they were married and settled in Haifa. Their only daughter, Ilana, moved to Tel Aviv after her marriage, where she still lives.
When she began her life in the Land, Irka worked as a seamstress, and later she was manager of the ladies' garment section of the in Hamashbir Latsarkhan department store in Haifa, a job at which she excelled.
In summer 1973, while Irka and Utek were on a trip to Rumania, 59-year-old Utek died suddenly. This calamity sabotaged Irka's health; she fell ill, and soon it was understood that her illness was fatal. She held on to life for three years, overcoming her agony through sheer will and love of life. She continued to work and even took a few trips abroad. Irka was hospitalized for the last four months of her life, and she passed away in December 1976 after great suffering.
Irka and Utek left a daughter and three grandchildren.
Like any Kremenets emigrant, when I mention the name Miron Gindes, I cannot help describing and talking about him: there he is, in my mind's eye, manly and erect, full of energy and humor. He was even-tempered, but any attempt by anti-Semites to affront his dignity or, even more so, to affront any Jew's dignity or do bodily harm to a Jew would anger him, and he would let the perpetrator feel the force of his hand. We all still remember the great brawl that erupted in the Vidomka after the soccer game between the Jews and the Poles, in which I, too, was embroiled. Even now when our townspeople meet, they still talk with amazement about the Miron's heroic deeds and bravery then.
Miron, with his muscles and creative hands, the excellent electrician who managed Shmuel Gorenshteyn's, of blessed memory, first electric station in Kremenets with talent and devotion (and there were other Jews there like him), stands out as the complete opposite of the image of the “poor” Diaspora Jew shown to our young people in certain chapters in books read in our schools throughout the years.
Yehoshue and Shabtay
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Dora Ayzenshteyn, of blessed memory, a native of Shumsk, is the daughter of the famous Dr. Yakobson of Shumsk[8]. She was brought up and educated in Kremenets, first at the Aleksina High School and then at the Lyceum. Then she studied at and graduated from the Warsaw School of Economics. During the war years, she lived in Russia, and afterward, she worked in an orphanage for Jewish children who had survived the Holocaust in Gishtshe-Poste, a small town in lower Silesia. At the beginning of January 1946, I visited that shelter and saw the devotion and motherly love with which Dorka took care of the children, who had been miraculously saved from the Nazi talons by nuns in convents or by simple, compassionate farmers and were put into Dorka's good hands by members of the Escape Movement and the Joint.
At the beginning of 1948, the children were moved from Poland to Austria, from there to Italy, and then to the Land. Here, Dorka studied Hebrew in the Borokhov ulpan[9]. After that, she got a job at the Jewish Agency, where she worked until her retirement. Dorka's link with the children she had cared for was never broken. Today, they have their own families, and most of them serve in the army. At a 1972 convention of those “children” in the Land, they had Dorka's name inscribed in the National Fund's Golden Book. After her retirement, she worked as a volunteer to help new immigrants from Russia. She was full of energy and always ready to help others.
She was killed in a traffic accident at the age of 67. She left a married daughter, a sister and brother-in-law, a grandson, and a granddaughter – may they have long lives.
Anyone who had any contact with her was impressed by her charming personality and loved, honored, and admired her.
The secret of that admiration is the perfection that glowed from within. Her beauty, her modesty and discretion, her quiet intelligence, her good taste, and the balance of ideals and self-control expressed in her movements and speech were a perfect match for her inner beauty: purity of soul, nobility of character, and love for her fellow, truth, and beauty. And she had a deep aversion to anything that was depraved and despicable. Such integrity could not abide any space between spoken words and deeds, not in others and not – and this is her significance – in herself.
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Her integrity was the key to all her deeds. Her life was straightforward after the Holocaust, and the most personal tragedy befell her: the loss of her husband, Chana Ayzenshteyn. She never married again, being unable to accept the idea of damaging the close tie with her beloved friend or the thought of bringing a stranger into her little daughter's life: a stepfather.
And out of the integrity came her blessed activity after she returned from the Soviet Union, where she lived during the war. She dedicated herself – body and soul – to orphaned children, refugees from the Holocaust. There was no limit to her devotion to children who had been beaten down by cruel fate. She knew no fatigue, no day or night; nothing could stop her from complete dedication to children. With them and with her sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Sara and Barukh Barak, she wandered from Poland, through Austria and Italy, to the Land of Israel, suffering inhuman, backbreaking, and nerve-wracking hardship. Even when the children came to the Land of Israel, she did not lose touch with them, and they repaid her generously: love and devotion for love and devotion. When she was settled in the Land and in a job at a Jewish Agency office, she continued on this path. Her work was a symbol and example of endless dedication and highest responsibility – all the fine characteristics that a citizen who deserves such a name should have.
Not for a moment did Dora-Dvora Ayzenshteyn veer from her path: even before she retired, she volunteered her time to help immigrants from the Soviet Union, and her devotion to and love for her people and nation continued until her final days.
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The passing of Frida Rubinfayn (on the eve of Independence Day, April 4, 1977) is not only a great loss to her family and friends. With her departure, another original, distinctive personality has disappeared. In her, culture in its classical sense blended with the lofty qualities of a Jewish and universal outlook, sensitivity to pure justice, and reverence for art, beauty, and harmony – all with an absolute readiness to make personal sacrifices for the good of everyone.
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Frida arrived in Kremenets in 1920 after she and her husband, parents, and other family members escaped empty-handed from the persecution of the Communist authorities, on one hand, and the “White” rioters, on the other (Frida's parents, Aharon and Bilha Shchopak, were very wealthy until the Communist revolution).
At the end of World War II, in which six million children of Israel were annihilated – Frida's entire family among them – Frida and her husband, Tsvi, and their only daughter, Dozya, settled in the small town of Lubevka, near the Czech border, where their home was a center for Zionist activities.
In 1948, after the declaration of the state of Israel, the Rubinfayn family and a group of young enlistees to the Israel Defense Forces boarded the ship Benovski to the Land. There they went through the hardships of acclimating, while Frida carried most of the burden: her husband decided to persuade the establishment of the importance of field crops (in the meantime not earning a living), and their daughter, Dozya, studied microbiology, which entailed expenses… Frida sold the rest of her jewelry and worked as a fruit picker. Later, she started a chicken coop to help the family make a living. Frida never gave in to difficult circumstances and wisely managed to extract herself from them.
About three years ago, a serious illness began to consume the beautiful Frida (among her acquaintances, she was well known for her beauty). She would not give up, and with her strong and unique character, she fought hard against her bitter fate. Throughout the wretched period, she kept all her fine habits; she was an excellent housekeeper and hostess. Even when bedridden for months, with pain wracking her body, she continued to read books and the newspapers. Only she and those closest to her knew of her grave condition; those who came to visit her did not realize that her days were numbered.
She remained wise and noble until her last breath.
Manus Goldenberg
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On May 17 of this year, 29 Sivan 5737, Zalman Pesis died in Kremenets. He was the son of Hersh Pesis, of blessed memory. He was 63. The sad news came to his sister in Israel in a letter from Zalman's wife.
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Shortly after the Russians came to Kremenets, Zalman was mobilized. After the Germans attacked Russia, he was sent to the front. He got through the war safely. When he was demobilized in 1945, he settled in destroyed Kremenets, where he was accepted as a comrade in a tailor's cooperative. He found none of his relatives in Kremenets. Many had been killed along with all of Kremenets' Jews, while some, he learned by chance, had escaped and were to be found in middle Asia.
In time, he married Heda Makagan, who had a son from her first marriage. Together they had another son. When the sons were grown, they, like others of their age, left the city.
The Pesises continued to live in their spacious home on the Dubno Road, which they had obtained legally. In his letters to relatives in Israel, Zalman had never expressed any needs, but occasionally they sent him a parcel. A few times he visited his cousin, Rivkele Pesis, in Warsaw. In his last visit to her, shortly before his death, he telegraphed his sister Masha in Ramat Aviv. Rivkele also visited Zalman and his wife in Kremenets. After one such visit in July 1966, Rivkele sent from Warsaw to the editors of our journal a beautiful but very sad article in which she gave a detailed description of the city's appearance during her visit. The article was published in the first issue of Kol Yotsei Kremenets,” p. 25, with the headline, “Let all their wickedness come before You; and do unto them as You have done to me” [Lamentations 1:22].
It is sad to hear when one of our landsmen departs eternally, either here or abroad, but it is even worse when it happens in Kremenets, where soon there will be no Jews at all!!
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Zalman is survived by his wife, his two sons, and grandchildren in Russia, and two sisters and a younger brother in Israel.
May his memory be a blessing!
We are also letting you know that two days before Zalman's death, one A. Katz, a butcher, died in Kremenets. We are waiting to hear about him so we can write properly about him.
Sh. Taytelman
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In 1935, Bina was a student in the Kremenets Gymnasium, and then she went to the Land of Israel to continue her studies at the agricultural school in Nahalal. In 1940, she married Tsvi Ben-Hari. In 1956, they joined Tsvi's brother in America, and they returned to the Land in 1913 [sic].
From 1936 to 1940, she worked hard at various jobs. After suffering from a heart ailment, she had successful open-heart surgery and felt well for years. A few months ago, she had surgery again, but this time it was unsuccessful. She passed away on July 10 at the Beilinson Hospital.
Bina was always aware of the needs of her fellow people; she was goodhearted and always ready to help. Her attitude toward people was reflected in the number who attended her funeral. She was 64 years old at the time of her death.
We will remember her always.
Yehoshue Golberg
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He was born in Kremenets. He studied at the Technion in Petersburg, but when the Bolshevik revolution began, he returned home. He and his mother, Gitel Gokhberg, managed the Nobel brothers' agency for oil and gasoline distribution in Kremenets and vicinity. From 1939 on, after the Russians conquered western Ukraine, he worked in Lvov as an engineer paving the road connecting Lvov to Kiev. During the war, he and his wife lived in Russia, and when it was over, they returned to Poland and lived in the town of Valdenburg. There he was active in the Zionist organization called Union. In 1951, he immigrated to the Land, where he worked for the Organization for the Care of Handicapped Immigrants[10] until his retirement. He died at the age of 74, leaving a wife.
He was known in our town as a proud Jew. During the 1930s, there was a famous anti-Semite in Kremenets, a rowdy drunkard named Bochek. Once, while Yonye Hokhberg was taking a walk on the sidewalk near the Bristol Hotel, Bochek, who was leaning on the electric pole, apparently drunk, saw Yonye approaching and began spouting anti-Semitic slogans. Lionya did not hesitate: he turned around and gave him a loud slap on the face. This event was the talk of Kremenets for a long time.
The “hero” Bochek was shocked and went away.
M. Goldenberg
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Tsvi Bar-Tana, husband of Tsipora Litvak of our town, passed away suddenly at the age of 68. His life since childhood was bound up with various periods in the life of our nation, some of which many of us are not aware.
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Tsvi was born to a traditional family in a small town in Lithuania. He was six years old when World War I began. The great defeats suffered by the Russian army along the German front brought on the czarist authorities' edict that Jews who lived near the front were be deported en masse deep into Russia to prevent them from joining the enemy.
Tens of thousands Jews were hastily loaded into cattle cars. In a journey that lasted for days, they were transported deep into the interior under horrible conditions.
Tsvi's father died there in a typhus epidemic that took many of the deportees. His mother was left a widow with four young children. Eight-year-old Tsvi was forced to work in a factory to help support the family. When the family returned to their town after the war, they found it demolished. With much labor and with help from Jewish institutions in America, the town's residents rebuilt it, and life slowly returned to normal. Tsvi became active in the Zionist youth group, and after being discharged from service in the Lithuanian army, he went to pioneer training in the harbor town of Memel[11].
In 1935, he immigrated to the Land. When the harbor was built in Tel Aviv after the 1936 riots, Tsvi was among the first workers there.
He devoted much of his time and energy to Haganah activities, and when institutions in the Land called on citizens to join the British army, he was one of the first volunteers. Along with other Israelis, he fought against Rommel's German army in the harsh conditions of the great desert. Each time he received a furlough, he brought bits of ammunition to the Haganah, and there was someone who made sure that his furloughs were frequent…
When the war was over, Tsvi began working at the Jewish Agency, and he worked there until his retirement three years ago. All his years in the Land were full of various public activities. After he and Tsipora were married in 1947, they participated in most of our organization's events, and he never skipped even one memorial to our martyrs. Some of us even thought he was a Kremenetser.
Tsvi left his wife, Tsipora, his only son from his first marriage, three children, and his young brother and his wife.
His sudden death took him four days before his firstborn grandson's bar mitzvah.
May his memory be blessed!
Collected by Y. Rokhel
In Memory of Pesach Litev, of Blessed Memory
On the second anniversary of Pesach Litev's death, a memorial service was held in Tel Aviv, and scholarships from the Jewish Colonization Association (JCA)[12] were presented. This was the organization in which Litev had been active for a long time, particularly in establishing and helping to develop agricultural settlements in the south of the Land. The scholarship fund that carries his name was established according to his will, and today it has about I£70,000 from three sources: the bequest of the departed, a sum donated by the JCA, and a sum donated by a branch of Bank Leumi, which had connections to Litev.
Glowing words were said in his memory by Mr. Paran, the manager of the JCA; Mrs. Zushya Kempler, his former secretary; and his son.
At the end of the memorial, three scholarships of I£3,000 each were given to first-year students at Tel Aviv University, and one of the recipients thanked the fund on behalf of the other two.
Manus Goldenberg Is 75
During our November 1976 board meeting, Manus's wife, Chana, and daughter, Lola, showed up with refreshments in honor of our dear friend's 75th birthday. That was when the secret was revealed. The surprised board members gave Manus their praise and appreciation for his basic good natures and showered him and his family with blessings and wishes of health, long life, and lively activity as the spiritual father of the Kremenets organization.
Tsvi Berenshteyn Returns from Argentina
Our board member, Tsvi Berenshteyn, and his wife, who had been in Argentina for nearly two years, returned at the end of April 1977.
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While there, he was active in the Landsmanschaft of Kremenets Emigrants and did much to revitalize the organization, which had been in bad shape, and worked on encouraging Kremenetsers to immigrate to the Land. On July 21, 1977, we held a reception for him in our club at the college with friends and associates. In the Argentina section of this booklet, there is an article by member Berenshteyn about the Kremenets organization in Argentina.
Memorial to the Martyrs of Kremenets
The annual memorial was held August 14, 1976, in the Kibbutzim College plaza in Tel Aviv. Nearly 200 Kremenets emigrants from all over the Land attended. Manus led the ceremony, and Yitschak Portnoy of Haifa eulogized our townspeople who perished in the Holocaust. Manus and Yehoshue eulogized our townspeople in the Land who passed away this year. David Rapoport of New York gave a talk about our organization's productive activities in the Land and about Kremenetsers in the United States. Manus spoke of the need to continue publishing Voice of Kremenets Emigrants. Dvora Feldman of Hadera gave a warm and moving speech about our organization's activities, the booklet's rich contents, and its graphic design.
Former mayor of Kremenets Jan Beaupré, Kremenets' former mayor, who today resides in London, England, sends his blessings for the new year of 1977 to Kremenets emigrants.
London, December 1, 1977
(Translated from Polish)
Dear Mr. Golberg,
I thank you and I appreciate very much the fact that, after so many years, the emigrants from our town still remember me. Permit me to wish you and all our townspeople in Israel best wishes and success in 1977.
I beg your forgiveness for my delayed good wishes, but because of my age (92), I don't manage to do everything at the proper time. Though in spite of the years, I feel well. Regards from my wife and our daughter, Irena, who lives with us.
Jan Beaupré (former mayor)
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Reception for Mr. Fayvel Barats and his wife, of Canada
Yehoshue Golberg
On April 26, 1977, in our club, we hosted Mr. Fayvel Barats and his wife, who came as tourists from Canada. At Fayvel's request, we invited all the former townspeople from the Dubna suburb in the Land to the party. As is usual at such gatherings, people reminisced and brought up memories interwoven with the humor that enlivened the daily lives of people from the Dubna suburb.
Manus reminisced about the time he went to the Dubna suburb to empty the National Fund's blue boxes and praised the warm reception he received from the Barshap, Barats, Bialer, Troshinski, Zalts, and other families. People recounted how Kremenetsers met in distant Russia during the war and the trials and tribulations they suffered until they arrived in the Land.
Yehoshue spoke about the warmth of the Lyceum's curator, Yuliush Poniatovski, toward the Barats family, which ran a lumber warehouse for from the Lyceum's sawmill in Smiga[13].
The party for our dear fellow townspeople from Canada ended with hearty handshakes.
The Flowering of the Hebrew Newspaper, 1691-1856
Dr. Menucha Gilboa has finished editing the first part of her book, which is dedicated to research on the Hebrew newspaper during the Enlightenment period. The book contains 120 pages in a quarta format and, in spite of its serious contents, it is an easy and worthwhile read for any educated person. The Organization of Kremenets Emigrants scholarship fund for research papers on Enlightenment literature facilitated the book's publication, thanks to a two-year grant. Dr. Gilboa continues to research the period after 1856, and we wish her progress in finishing her research.
The publisher of the book is the Katz Institute for Research in Hebrew Literature at Tel Aviv University.
To Gedalyahu and Shulya Kindzior on the birth of their granddaughter to Dina and her husband, Chayim Lanchotski, in Hadera.
To Betsalel and Irena Golberg on the birth of their grandson, Yonatan, to Ilana and Mordekhay Grushko, in Haifa.
To Yehudit Shtern-Rozental on the birth of her granddaughter, Maya, to her son, Lev, and his wife, Lana, in Jerusalem.
To Leya Tsur (Liftman) of Kibbutz Givat Hashlosha on the birth of her great-granddaughter, Lihi, to her grandson, Omer, and his wife, Osnat, in Givat Hashlosha.
To Avraham and Etya Chasid of Moshav Herut on the birth of their 10th grandson, Yair Yosef, to their son, Nechemya, and his wife, Sara, in Herut.
To Yosef and Miryam Zalts of Kiryat Bialik on the birth of their granddaughter, Kineret, to Rachel and Yosef Gruber in Kiryat Bialik.
May they all be blessed, and may there be many sources of joy among us.
Simcha Berger, of blessed memory, passed away in Haifa this year, leaving behind his wife as well as sisters in Givat Brener and Yagur. Simcha was a loyal and devoted member of our organization and was very strict when it came to members' financial obligation to the organization. Because of his failing health, he stopped attending the annual memorials about two or three years ago.
In the Condolences section of booklet 11, we lamented the loss of Mikhael, his sister Atara's son, who fell in the Yom Kippur War. We told about the Eliezer Berger family's open home in Kremenets, whose daily life and holidays were devoted to helping all facets of the Zionist movement.
Victor Tsimels, of blessed memory, Malka Tsimels-Kaganovits's husband, passed away this year. He left a wife, a son, a daughter, and grandchildren.
Barukh Shteynberg, of blessed memory, Tsirel Shteynberg-Gintsberg's husband, passed away this year. He left a wife, two daughters, and a grandson.
Shalom Shafer, Malka Troshinski's husband, who came from a small town near Pinsk, passed away two years ago. He left his wife, a daughter, two sons, and grandchildren.
Koltun, of Blessed Memory
This time, our townspeople who persevere in attending our annual memorials will not find Koltun, who always arrived first at the college for the memorial, even before the organizers. His wife passed away about a year and a half before him, and he died alone in his home in Holon.
Hilel Avrekh, of blessed memory, Sosya Avrekh-Berger's firstborn son, was killed in a road accident at Kibbutz Yagur. Hilel left a wife and three children.
Some time ago, Hilel's father died in a work-related accident in the kibbutz fields.
Greetings
The board, the women's committee, and all the landsmen of Kremenets and vicinity bid a hearty farewell to our dear guests Tsvi and Lize Berenshteyn, who have been here almost two years, accompanying their dear, beloved son Hertsel Enbar, the advisor to the Israeli ambassador to Argentina. We say to them: “Go in peace” to their permanent home in Israel. We value their acquaintance and thank them for their active participation in our Kremenets Landsmen's Union in Buenos Aires. We wish you many healthy, creative years working for the benefit of the Kremenets Landsmen's Union in Israel and for the general welfare. Travel well and send us soon the good news: “Peace for Israel and for the state of Israel.”
Ch. Ts. Berenshteyn
For a long while, I have wanted to visit Buenos Aires again. First, to visit the premiere institution of Buenos Aires, the Central Bialik School, as all Israeli guests are compelled to do, because of the modern, national, educational preparation. As a board member for 25 years until my immigration to Israel, I aided in its development as it gained a reputation beyond the borders of Argentina, even in Israel. Second, to meet with my Kremenets landsmen, with whom for many years I held the position of secretary and shaped our union with the organization in Israel. Finally, the moment came when my desire became a reality, thanks to my son, who took on the position of secretary in our embassy in Argentina.
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Also, we had to attend the bar mitzvah of my grandson in Puerto Rico. During my absence, Buenos Aires modernized, though it is politically and economically unstable. After joining my son, family, friends, and acquaintances, my wife and I visited the Bialik School, where we were warmly received by the administration and teachers. But sadly the school was not as I had expected it to be. Because of political and economic exigencies, the school had to be included under the oversight of government inspection. But when I visited the school a second time, for the celebration of Israel Independence Day, it seemed as if I were back in Israel, because of the rich contents and fluent Hebrew. My strenuous work for the good of the school brought, and continues to bring, good results. Soon after my arrival, I got in touch with member Mordekhay Katz and his wife Tsipe at the union's address. It was determined that when we returned from the bar mitzvah, we would get together to strengthen the union's activities, which had been flagging badly.
In September 1975, I was again in Argentina. Immediately a meeting of the Kremenets Union's board was organized, where my wife and I were warmly received. I told them about the realities of Israel and about the activities of our organization in Israel. I proposed making a greater effort to strengthen the union's activities and create a significant fund for the benefit of the organization in Israel. Almost all attendees participated in the debate. Finally it was decided to dedicate this huge project, the 50-year anniversary of the Kremenets Union in Argentina, with an appropriate program, and issue a special bulletin with an invitation to create a significant fund to benefit the organization in Israel and simultaneously strengthen our union's activities.
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All attendees took on various jobs. A fund was created, to which everyone contributed, to make possible this grandiose undertaking, which was described in the Yiddish newspaper Di Presse, the only daily newspaper in Yiddish in Argentina. Unfortunately, because of circumstances, this undertaking could not be realized.
After the vacation period, which in Argentina lasts about three months, in August the annual memorial service was held, with the participation of a significant number of Kremenetsers. After “God, Full of Compassion,” I spoke about the great misfortune and destruction of our people in general, and particularly about Jewish Kremenets and the great merit our generation had received of seeing the establishment of the state of Israel. I commended all those who helped put out Kol Yotsei Kremenets and strengthen our union's activities. Also there was member Leon Mengin (from Pochayev). In a time of great inflation, booklet 13 appeared. Many were pessimistic about the possibility of distributing the booklets and raising a certain sum among our landsmen. I made a list of many Kremenets families, and in the collection we called for, everyone who was asked contributed, and I repeated to them our activities and editors' financial hardships and intense labor in producing the booklets. I also said that the minimum price of the booklets should be 50,000 pesos, which then equaled $2. Then booklet 13 was distributed, and everyone who was there contributed. Tsipe Katz, Fani Garber, Chayim Fayer, Kiperman, and Shpak took it upon themselves to visit all subscribing families. This action was taken without regard for inflation and raised the sum of $100, which amounted to about 2,450,000 pesos. I must emphasize that every family I visited with member Fayer received us in a friendly manner and complimented the booklet. This activity encouraged us to think about broader activities to benefit the organization in Israel.
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A couple of years ago, Mr. Apter's wife passed away, a Kremenetser from the Tshudnovski family. I decided to arrange for him to memorialize his wife in the memorial album of the Kremenets organization in Israel. He asked me to come to his home, where member Katz and I visited him and were warmly received. After I described the activities of our organization in Israel, the Kol Yotsei Kremenets booklets, and the memorial album[1] that existed to commemorate our martyrs and those who had passed away–I suggested that he should list his wife in the album. Mr. Katz spoke about the activities of the Kremenets Union in Argentina, in which his wife was so active. Mr. Apter happily received our suggestion and pledged a certain sum, part of which he gave then, and he promised the remainder at his next visit to Israel in July 1977. This prompted us to begin an activity among the landsmen to list their deceased loved ones. Mrs. Tsipe Katz received the suggestion well and promised to help in this activity. A couple of days before Passover, my wife and I had to leave Buenos Aires for Puerto Rico, where our daughter and her family live.
Although the time was brief, with only one free day, Chayim Fayer and his wife invited the union board members to their home for a celebratory evening that was royally prepared to say farewell to us. Mordekhay Katz warmly wished us a good journey. In his talk he mentioned Mr. Apter's deed on behalf of his deceased wife, may she rest in peace, and said that Argentine landsmen should follow his example and memorialize their deceased in the Kremenets memorial album in Israel. Mr. Fayer said that the greatest honor for the Berenshteyns on their departure would be a contribution from everyone present for the benefit of the organization in Israel. Everyone contributed, and the result was a great sum of money (with the understanding that this was according to the problems of inflation).
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A number of members also listed their martyrs and those who had passed away in the memorial in Israel and donated money to it. The warm atmosphere that dominated there greatly affected us. My wife and heartily thanked them and invited them to visit Israel, where our home would be their home. Before our departure for Puerto Rico, I received a letter from Mr. Goldenberg where, among other things, he wrote that booklet 14 of Kol Yotsei Kremenets would appear in an enlarged format in connection with the booklet's 10th year of publication. I immediately went to Tsipe and Mordekhay Katz and to Chayim Fayer to say that they should tell members in Argentina to join in the booklet's publication and pay for the forthcoming issue so that they could receive it without further charge. I also reminded them that when they visited the members to this end, they should also remind them about listing family members in the memorial album in Israel.
I believe this activity will be crowned with success, and it will more closely bind our Argentine members with our landsmen in Israel. We will always remember our trip and our warm meetings with our landsmen.
Translation editor's note:
The following is a list of those who contributed for the benefit of the Organization of Kremenetsers in Israel at the farewell party on member Chayim Tsvi Berenshteyn and his wife's departure from Argentina, hosted by the Fayer family in their home.
| Yechezkel, Fani Reznik-Garber | 500 pesos |
| Avraham Yergis | 300 |
| Yitschak Shpak | 300 |
| Velvel Oks | 200 |
| Nuta Kiperman | 200 |
| Mordekhay Katz | 100 |
| Almenat Fishman | 100 |
| Barukh, Moni Kamensheyn-Dorfman | 100 |
| Chayim Tsvi Berenshteyn | 100 |
| Total: | 1,900 pesos |
| The sum of 1,900 pesos in dollars | 61 dollars |
| Moshe Libman | 20 |
| Chayim Fayer | 20 |
| Tsvi (Enrique) Fayer | 10 |
| Mikhael (Manuele) Fayer | 10 |
| Velvel Oks, to inscribe his parents in the book | 30 on account |
| Almenat Fishman, to inscribe her husband in the book | 20 on account |
| Total: | 171 dollars |
Rive Tshudnovski Apter, May She Rest in Peace
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17 Cheshvan marks the fourth anniversary of the death of our fellow citizen Rive Tshudnovski, may she rest in peace. All Kremenets landsmen lamented her early death from the illness that bore her away from us. Kremenetsers probably remember her father Berel Tshudnovski from the Vishnevets Station, with its open house on Miodowa Street, where Jews from Vishnevets, Pochayev, Lanovtsy, Belozirka, and so on would come. Rive was one of his six daughters (and two sons). In 1934 Rive came to Argentina with her mother, Brayndel. In 1936 she married the manufacturer Mr. Shimon Apter, for whom she had worked. She brought three children into the world. They were educated in the Jewish national spirit in the Sholem Aleichem and Bialik Schools. Rive was a generous supporter of the Kremenets Landsmen's Union in Buenos Aires. She and her prominent husband, Mr. Sh. Apter, regularly joined us on the High Holidays and at our memorial services. They were among the first generous donors to the yizkor book.[1]
[Page 66]
Rive never flaunted her wealth. On the contrary, she was quiet and modest. She had a charitable heart that was apparent in her warm glance. For many years, her husband, Mr. Shimon Apter, was an active national leader. In 1948, he was president of the Revisionist Party in Buenos Aires. They visited Israel 12 times. Soon Mr. Apter will go again. We understand that Rive Tshudnovski Apter will be memorialized in the memorial album of Kremenetsers. Secretary Mordekhay Katz and Tsvi Berenshteyn (former secretary), who stayed in Buenos Aires, visited Mr. Apter, who agreed and immediately gave a nice sum to memorialize his beloved wife Rive Tshudnovski Apter.
May her memory be blessed.
Translation editor's note:
Ester Roytberg Dabrish, May She Rest in Peace
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July 25, 1977, marks a year since the death of Ester Roytberg, may she rest in peace, whom we remember today with love and esteem. She was active in the community and a faithful, generous landsman.
She never missed our High Holidays and memorials. Her friend Iser Kaminski wrote the following the of Argentina Kremenetsers' yizkor book: “At the Shikhmans we met a faithful fellow citizen, Esterke, as we all still call her. She is the sister of our important activist Tsipe Katz. Thanks to Esterke, we came to know her sister and her brother-in-law, Mordekhay Katz, the current secretary of the union, who rescued us from destruction.” She leaves behind in deep sorrow her husband, her son and daughter, and two grandchildren.
[Page 67]
Yasha Fishman, May He Rest in Peace
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February 1977 marks two years since the former vice-president of our Landsmen's Union went to his eternal rest. Yasha Fishman, may he rest in peace, was for many years an active and faithful co-worker.
In particular, he worked on the creation of the yizkor book. He left behind his wife Manye and many comrades and good friends who remember him with love.
He will be memorialized in the memorial album in Israel by the Kremenets Landsmen's Union.
Honor to his memory.
Brokhe (Parata) Yergis Vekhetilne
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August 5, 1977, marks the first anniversary of the death of the dear and beloved daughter of our active members Avraham and Freyde Yergis. She left behind her mournful husband and son, a brother and a sister, and the whole community of Kremenets landsmen. Parata–as people lovingly called her–was 42 years old and had been enthusiastically preparing for a trip to Israel with her husband. At the last minute, when they were ready, with suitcases packed, she fell ill, and an unmerciful illness tormented her for two years, finally killing her.
[Page 68]
I write this obituary with a sad heart, because I have the fate of being the rabbi for her surviving son and preparing him for his bar mitzvah, and I have seen the joy of his parents, and especially of Parata, that lively woman, with a childlike smile on her lips as she fussed over the bar mitzvah so that it would follow the highest Jewish traditions.
Honor to her memory.
Idel Kotkovnik, May He Rest in Peace
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On August 8, 1977, our beloved friend and landsmen Idel Kotkovnik was ripped from us by a long and bitter illness. He was one of the founders of the Kremenets Landsmen's Union.
He was a former vice-president and one of the people responsible for publishing the Kremenets yizkor book.
An eager activist who worked with understanding and responsibility, above all he was a mensch, and all our landsmen mourn his untimely death.
He left behind in sorrow his faithful wife Gitel Rozenberg, an active member of the women's committee of the Landsmen's Union, two daughters, sons-in-law, and grandchildren.
Honor to his memory.
Yehoshue Golberg
| For Voice of Kremenets Emigrants | ||
| 8/15/76 | Rapoport David, America | $10 |
| 10/29/76 | Morris Melder, America | 25 |
| 12/6/76 | Fred Byk, America | 100 |
| 12/19/76 | From our fellow townspeople in Argentina – via Tsvi Epshteyn | 100 |
| 1/25/77 | Yitschak Vakman, America | 100 |
| 4/5/77 | From our fellow townspeople in Argentina – via Tsvi Epshteyn | 100 |
| 4/7/77 | Norman Desser, America | 25 |
| 5/24/77 | Vulf Shnayder, Detroit | 50 |
| 7/8/77 | Norman Desser, America | 25 |
| Total | $535 | |
| For the Organization of Kremenets Emigrants | ||
| 5/15/77 | Max Desser, Winnipeg | 20 |
| For aid to members in need, maot chitin | ||
| 4/7/77 | Yitschak Vakman, New York | 100 |
| 6/15/77 | Targeted donations To list the names of the departed among our fellow townspeople in Argentina in the Memorial Book (through Tsvi Berenshteyn | 150 |
| Total in dollars | 805 | |
| For the benefit of the Organization of Kremenets Emigrants in Israel | ||
| 12/9/76 | Max Shpinke, Canada | I£1,000 |
| 5/26/77 | Fayvel Barats, Canada | 2,000 |
| 3/6/77 | Fellow townspeople in Argentina, from the sale of recordings by Mordekhay Katz | 210 |
| Total in Israel pounds | I£3,210 | |
[Page 70]
Yehoshue Golberg
| Vishniov Hertsel, Kibbutz Sarid, in memory of his son Yair, of blessed memory, who died while fulfilling his duty | I£ 150.00 |
| Mrs. Sara Rabinovits of Tel Aviv in memory of her husband, Yisrael Rabinovits, of blessed memory | 250.00 |
| Mrs. Dozya Federman in memory of her mother, Frida Rubinfayn, of blessed memory, wife of Tsvi Ben-Efraim (Rubinfayn) of Pardes Katz | 500.00 |
| Mrs. Ilana Elkin in memory of her mother, Irka Biran (née Gindes), of blessed memory, of Haifa | 500.00 |
| Mrs. Masha Pesis, Ramat Aviv, in memory of her brother, Zalman, of blessed memory, who passed away in Kremenets in May 1977 | 200.00 |
| Total | I£1,600.00 |
(Continued from booklet 13, page 48)
| Ester Krivin, Haifa | I£ 50 |
| Kremenechka Shila, Jerusalem | 90 |
| Litvak-Bar-Chana Tsipora | 100 |
| Toren-Feldman Dvora | 100 |
| Golberg Betsalel | 100 |
| Tsvi Ben-Efraim (Rubinfayn) | 100 |
| Yitschak Charash | 100 |
| Mrs. Kerler Ana | 100 |
| Tsvi Horovits | 100 |
| Pesach Gorinshteyn, Paris | 150 |
| Moshe Leviten | 65 |
| From the sale of booklets to Kiosk Vaynberg, Jerusalem | 67 |
| Golcher Meir | 50 |
| Basis Atara | 50 |
| Berger Simcha | 50 |
| Bodeker | 50 |
| Arye Leviten (Lionya) | 50 |
| Amdurski Mendel | 50 |
| Mrs. Egozi Bela | 50 |
| Berenshteyn Aleksander (Shalom) | 50 |
| Biher Mrs. Nechama | 50 |
| Aharon Gintsburg | 50 |
| Nachman Shnitser | 40 |
| Avraham Chasid | 40 |
| Shmuel Manusovits | 50 |
| Total | I£1, 752 |
[Page 71]
Y. Rokhel
| 1975 | 1976 | |
| Balance at the beginning of the year | 593 | 1,511 |
| Bank Hapoalim | 99 | 44 |
| Post Office Bank | 692 | 1,555 |
| Income | ||
| Membership paid during the annual memorial service | 2,082 | 1,725 |
| Membership paid during the year | 555 | 204 |
| Voice of Kremenets Emigrants booklets | 2,175 | 4,325 |
| Voice of Kremenets Emigrants obituaries | 200 | -- |
| Voice of Kremenets Emigrants, from abroad | -- | 1,000 |
| RYB”L statue – from an anonymous member | 850 | -- |
| RYB”L statue – from various members | 695 | -- |
| Various activities for the organization abroad | 277 | 300 |
| Repayment of loans | -- | 1,500 |
| Welfare, from abroad | -- | 970 |
| Bank Hapoalim interest | 10 | 12 |
| Exchange of dollars (1975 – 2,100; 1976 – 555) | 12,859 | 4,486 |
| Special funds | -- | 3,000 |
| Total | 21,115 | 19,077 |
| Expenses | ||
| Voice of Kremenets Emigrants | 5,335 | 9,544 |
| RYB”L Library | 2,661 | 2,735 |
| RYB”L statue | 4,500 | -- |
| Memorial service for the martyrs of Kremenets | 781 | 945 |
| Financial help to members | 1,300 | 1,400 |
| Scroll fund, in memory of Zev Chasid, of blessed memory | 1,800 | -- |
| Scroll fund, in memory of Shoham Efrati, of blessed memory | 1,200 | -- |
| Receptions for guests from abroad and board meetings | 347 | 487 |
| Telephone | 303 | 296 |
| Postage | 119 | 186 |
| Travel | 278 | 397 |
| Office supplies | 107 | 116 |
| Paid accounting | 400 | -- |
| Picture frame for the Kremenets Corner | 100 | -- |
| Obituary printing | 171 | -- |
| Bank Hapoalim service charge | 158 | 100 |
| Support for two Christian women in Poland who helped Kremenets Jews | -- | 314 |
| Total | 19,560 | 16,520 |
| Year-end balance | ||
| Bank Hapoalim | 1,511 | 2,380 |
| Post Office Bank | 44 | 177 |
| Total | 1,555 | 2,557 |
[Page 72]
1975
| Balance at the beginning of the year | $1,097 | |||
| Income | 576 | |||
| Voice of Kremenets Emigrants | 100 | |||
| RYB”L Library and RYB”L statue | 335 | |||
| Various organization projects | ||||
| Zev Chasid's will | ||||
| Voice of Kremenets Emigrants | 1,000 | |||
| RYB”L Library and RYB”L statue | 1,500 | |||
| Various projects of the organization | 3,000 | 500 | ||
| Interest | 70 | $4,081 | ||
| Total | $5,178 | |||
| Expense – conversion to I£ | 2,100 | |||
| Year-end balance | $3,078 |
| Balance at the beginning of the year | $3,078 | ||
| Income | |||
| Voice of Kremenets Emigrants | 345 | ||
| RYB”L Library | 300 | ||
| Various projects of the organization | 70 | ||
| Interest | 181 | $896 | |
| Total | $3,974 | ||
| Expense – conversion to I£ | 555 | ||
| Year-end balance | $3,419 |
Editor's Notes:
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