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The Gaon Rabbi Y.L. Gordin had left Ostroveh and the question of choosing a new rabbi, one of stature and real influence, was once again on the agenda. It was a stormy period, as the Russo–Japanese War had broken out in the Far East. Thousands of families were dying of hunger as their breadwinners were sent as soldiers to the other side of the world to fight under extremely difficult conditions in a foreign war to which they had no real connection.

On the Jewish street new winds started blowing, fundamental changes were taking place. Many Jewish youth were caught up in revolutionary movements on whose flags were inscribed slogans of making war on everything that represented the past and the present. Such movements, which operated mostly underground, frequently developed quite deep and extensive roots in the Jewish community, including in Ostrow Mazowiecka.

There were some revolutionary movements whose entire aim was to uproot everything old, to put an end to the Jews' way of life over many generations, to change everything. This revolution in the Jewish community was viewed as being linked to the greater revolution to which they aspired directed against the bloody, rotten and corrupt government of the Russian tsar, a government of injustice, cruelty and hard heartedness, of exploitation and slavery.

Many Jewish youth were caught up in these ideological movements. They began to believe that a future full of complete goodness could be expected in the days following the great revolution. There would be equality for all people with no distinction as to nationality or race, happiness and prosperity for all. There would be a new world without poor and without rich and without chains. Man would be freed from every yoke and every type of subjugation. All the good of the world would be his.

These movements splintered into various and sundry streams and operated vigorously within the Jewish community. Among them were extremists who demanded implementing the revolution through blood. There were also those who advocated more moderate changes, a different life, but one that was improved. But they all fought against that which was old, the eternal tradition that had operated for generations in the Jewish community. It was a spirit of rebellion against the Torah and the Halacha [Jewish law], against the life of the Torah according to the Halacha, which threatened the status quo.

The old conflict between the Hassidim and Mitnagdim declined, pushed aside in the face of the new revolutionary force in the Jewish community. The Zionist movement, too, did its best, for its part, to advocate for its ideas and principles, including anti–religionism, fighting against the old ways and tradition. Whereas in the past Ostroveh, like other cities and towns in Poland, witnessed conflicts between Hassidim and Mitnagdim, now these two camps were up against new forces that quickly arose and that threatened to eliminate both the Hassidic movement and the Mitnagdic camp and to inherit their place. The abandoning of the obligations of the Torah and commandments became an all too widespread vision that caused the hearts of the religious people, be they Hassidim or Mitnagdim, to tremble. It was clear that a new era was coming and with it a fundamental change in the conduct of public life.

The older generation rejected these movements and, except for a few individuals, did not get swept up by them. But the younger generation was actually split. One group followed the religious people, continuing in the tradition of generations; while the other turned to these new movements, rebelling against their parents and teachers, and beginning to behave according to their own will and spirit. This new stream grew increasingly stronger and caused fear among the religious people, both Hassidim and Mitnagdim.

It was now clear that once again there was no room for conflict

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between Hassidim and Mitnagdim when it came to the selection of a new rabbi, and that it would be necessary to organize all the religious people against the new movements. The Hassidim were the first to organize themselves for the battle against the revolutionary movements. They were extremely fearful for the youth and stressed the danger that hovered over Jewish youth. The Mitnagdic camp was more moderate, but adhered in part to the position of the Hassidim.

The attempt of the revolutionary workers to overthrow the Russian tsar failed, drowned in the blood of masses of laborers. Great suffering also befell the Jews. After many Jewish youth had enthusiastically joined the revolutionaries, organizing demonstrations and fomenting unrest, many of them were arrested and exiled. Others hid and were pursued relentlessly. Not a few families were destroyed in the wake of these events. A vast chasm appeared between fathers and sons and between mothers and daughters. It became apparent to those who continued to observe the religion in Ostroveh that what they needed was not only a rabbi to represent them vis–à–vis the authorities and to wall himself in within the confines of the Halacha, but also a rabbi who had a charming and attractive personality who could halt the decline amongst the youth, or at least prevent the revolutionary movements from taking hold over the entirety of Jewish youth.

On the recommendation of the Amshinov Hassidim in Ostroveh, a delegation of prominent citizens left for Amshinov to meet with the son of the Hassidic rebbe of Amshinov, Rabbi Yosef, to assess his nature and substance and to determine whether he was able and worthy of serving in this position at such a serious time. The delegation returned from Amshinov full of praise about the charm and personality of this young candidate. The community of Ostroveh immediately sent him a letter of appointment.

The Hassidic rebbe Rabbi Yosef was born in the year 5637 [1877–1878] in Amshinovshov^[1]. His father was the rebbe Rabbi Menachem, son of the rebbe Rabbi Yaakov Dov of Amshinov, the oldest son of the rebbe Rabbi Yitzchak the elder of Warka [Vurka, Vorki]. He was educated and grew up in the court of his father. The Hassidim said that he closely resembled his grandfather, the rebbe Rabbi Yaakov Dov of Amshinov, and his great–grandfather, the elder rebbe of Warka.

This family of Tzadikim [pl., righteous men; Hassidic rebbes] had a special appeal and an incomparable charm about them. They were famous as great lovers of their fellow Jews like few others, as possessors of fine and generous character traits, being the very symbols of a refined heart and soul. Curly black hair was the identifying mark of this prominent family. Their aristocratic beauty shone from their faces, while a veritable sea of love for their fellow man and an unlimited compassion for every fellow creature of God was reflected in their large dark and gleaming eyes.

The elder rebbe from Warka, Rabbi Yisrael Yitzchak, was one of the leading students of the Hassidic rebbe Rabbi Simcha Bunim of Peshischa [Przysucha]. After the death of the rebbe of Peshischa his son, the Hassidic rebbe Rabbi Avraham Moshe, was chosen by the mass of Hassidim as the rebbe, who inevitably accepted this appointment. He settled in the town of Warka near Warsaw, from where he began to conduct the affairs of his community that in those days was both large and influential in Polish Jewry.

His Hassidim were renowned for their devotion to God. For many of them their whole world was wrapped up in Hassidism. The strict Peshischa method accepted no compromises and demanded the complete devotion of a person with no exceptions and no limitations. They saw in Rabbi Yitzchak an exalted holiness, as if he were one of the angels from above, filled as he was with the love of his fellow Jews in an exceptional manner. Many stories and legends circulated among the Hassidim about his generous character traits and his devotion to every human being, near or far, and about the wellsprings of mercy and righteousness that emanated from his every deed.

His father had been called Rabbi Shimon, the “Master of Mercy”, characterizations which also befit his rare traits even back then. His teacher and educator from his youth was Rabbi David of Lelovshov^[2], one of the giants and great lights of Hassidism, who in his own lifetime became a living legend of righteousness and love for one's fellow Jew without parallel. The elder rebbe of Warka followed in their footsteps.

Not only was Rabbi Yitzchak a rebbe and leader, teacher and rabbi to the masses of his Hassidim. He was also a man of stature who took responsibility for

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the Jewish people as a whole. There was no matter, no public issue in which he was not interested and did not touch his big heart. No effort or undertaking was too hard for him in his public activities. Even in the last years of his life, when he was weak and ill, he did not cease his holy work for even a day.

Almost every week he traveled to Warsaw, a distance of some 43 kilometers from Warka by wagon. Along with the Hassidic rebbe Rabbi Yitzchak Meir of Ger, author of Chidushei Harimshov^[3], he labored on behalf of the congregation and the community. Among these issues were the reform that the German Jewish community attempted to infuse into Polish Jewry, which the Russian tsarist government authorities favored; and the many decrees that were imposed upon religious Jews and their traditional religious way of life, the official declared aim of which was, “to change the face of the Jews, to take them out of their caves of darkness and to let some light into their tents.”

Edict followed edict. There was no limit to the pressure that was used to narrow the pathways of Jews loyal to the Torah and to the traditional way of life. It was forbidden for Jews to go outside in the streets of the cities dressed in traditional garb or to wear peyot [sidelocks]. Veteran traditional teachers of small children now had to obtain licenses, and so on.

The elder rebbe of Warka worked day and night on efforts against this wave of decrees, trying ceaselessly to guard the walls of religion and tradition of Polish Jewry jointly with Rabbi Yitzchak Meir of Ger. These battles succeeded after indescribable efforts. Traditional Jewry in Poland managed to retain its uniqueness, thanks in no small part to the devotion and self–sacrifice of the rebbes of Ger and Warka.

In the year 5608 [1848] the rebbe of Warka died. His great community of Hassidim splintered. One faction chose his oldest son, Hassidic rebbe Rabbi Yaakov David, who established his residence in the town of Amshinov, whence he launched the long line of rebbes of the House of Amshinov. The other faction chose the youngest son of the elder Rabbi Yitzchak, the Hassidic rebbe Rabbi Menachem Mendel, who remained in Warka near Warsaw.

The Hassidic rebbe Rabbi Yosef of Amshinov

Rabbi Yaakov David ran his sect for thirty years and worked for the public good. He died in the year 5638 [1878]. His place was taken by his son, Rabbi Menachem, who followed closely in the footsteps of his great father, both as a lover of his fellow Jews and as a public servant. His home and his heart were always open to everyone. His aristocratic appearance engendered unending respect and admiration. He captivated all who came into his presence.

It was in this manner that he raised his children. His oldest son, Rabbi Yosef, who resembled his father and his illustrious grandfather in every way, was married in his youth to the daughter of the Gaon Rabbi Chaim Elazar Wachs, chief of the rabbinical courts of Piotrkow and Kalish, author of Nefesh Chaya [The Living Soul], and one of the greatest rabbis and decisors of his generation, and the son–in–law of

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one of the greatest geonim [pl. of gaon] of Polish Jewry, Rabbi Yehoshuashov^[4], chief of the rabbinical court of Kutno. From the day of his marriage forward Rabbi Yosef spent day and night studying Torah and doing good works. He studied eighteen hours a day and lived entirely in a spiritual world, surrounded by admiration on all sides, as an offshoot and continuity of this great tradition.

When he was twenty–seven, the representatives of Ostroveh appeared and offered the position of rabbi in their city. At the behest of his father Rabbi Menachem, Rabbi Yosef accepted the invitation and moved to Ostroveh as chief of the rabbinical court and its rabbi. From his first appearance his wonderful image engendered an attitude of respect and admiration in the city. Both the Mitnagdic circles and the Hassidim, as well as plain Jews, were charmed by contact with the rabbi, by his relations with every person, and by the great love of fellow Jews that emanated from him.

It is told that thirty years before Rabbi Yosef became the rabbi of Ostroveh his grandfather, Hassidic rebbe Rabbi Yaakov David, happened to arrive in Ostroveh in order to collect money for the redemption of captives. The power of the Hassidim in Ostrow Mazowiecka was as yet small and weak, while the power of the Mitnagdim over Hassidism was very strong. The latter forcefully demanded of the Hassidic rebbe that he leave the city before the start of the Sabbath and that he not celebrate the Sabbath there. With great difficulty Rabbi Yaakov David succeeded in finding an inn on the outskirts of the city and spent the Sabbath there. Thirty years later all the people of Ostroveh prepared a tumultuous welcome for his grandson, Rabbi Yosef, who continued in his ways.

In a relatively brief time Rabbi Yosef succeeded in endearing himself to all the people of the community and in capturing all their hearts. Like the love of a father for his son such was his love for the people of his community, without distinction as to class or group, and they reciprocated his great love. His home was always open as a safe place for anyone who needed or asked for it. Every poor person and bitter soul found refuge with him, and he never refused to offer his full assistance to any person.

His conversation with or his discussion of the affairs of every person was full of sincere love for his fellow Jews, which emanated from the very depths of his heart. Even the residents who were more worldly and distant from religion could not deny the love that emanated from his open heart. No one dared to refuse the rabbi or deny his authority. The rabbi‘s house became the permanent address for anyone with a request or need, for any bitter soul. Whether during the daytime hours or the nighttime ones, the people of Ostroveh knew that it was always possible to turn to the rabbi at any time, and that he would never refuse to help, to offer advice, to do everything on behalf of the community.

The rabbi devoted every free moment to Torah and good works and to the strengthening of the study of the Torah. He invested much effort into the city. He vigilantly presided over the development of the city's Talmud Torah [religious elementary school], taking interest in every detail of that institution. He invested his efforts and time into the development of the local yeshiva [school of higher religious studies], and worked to establish societies for the regular study of the Torah. In all the Hassidic houses of worship and study the voices of those studying Torah grew louder. Numerous new classes were set up with the encouragement and at the initiative of the rabbi.

The thrust of his efforts was to attract the youth to the Torah and Hassidism. He brought every young person close to him and loved him as if he were his own son. These efforts bore fruit. Soon the benches of the old study house on the road to Komorowo, which had once been full of young men studying Torah, were once again no longer vacant. With the assistance of the heads of the Hassidim in the city who wholeheartedly supported the rabbi's actions, a turning point was reached in the character of the city. The revolutionary and anti–religious youth movements no longer threatened to capture the next generation. The process of disengaging from the life of the Torah and tradition was slowed, if not completely halted. The hopes of the religious people of Ostroveh for the future of the city were not proven false.

The rabbi did not concentrate his efforts on only one area. He initiated and established the Kosher Food Company for Jewish soldiers, an institution which functioned up until the outbreak of World War I. In Ostroveh two regiments of Russian infantry were stationed permanently, amounting to thousands of soldiers, located at a distance of just a kilometer from the city. In Komorowo military camps were set up, and half the Russian Sixth Division was encamped there. In the summer months the other half of the Sixth Division would also usually arrive in Komorowo, for the purpose of joint exercises and so on.

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Among the thousands of soldiers who encamped in this area there were always two to three hundred Jewish soldiers. The Russian Army did not provide kosher food for the Jewish soldiers, and usually pressured these soldiers to eat in the general treif [non–kosher] mess hall. These soldiers had no other alternative, as they had no means of obtaining kosher food.

At the initiative of Rabbi Yosef Kalish a Kosher Food Company was established in Ostroveh for the Jewish soldiers. Among its aims was to supply kosher food to Jewish soldiers. The rabbi invested a great deal of energy in the initial establishment and securing of this company. The residents of the city volunteered to pay a certain monthly sum towards the company. The students of the study hall undertook to collect the needed funds for this purpose on a regular basis.

Another source of funding for the company was the collection of money at every wedding that took place in the city and its environs. The young volunteers put on masks and special costumes that were stored in a special warehouse in the basement of the house of Reb Moshe Schwartz, one of the public figures of the city. These fund raisers, with their special masks, elicited laughter, brought joy to the crowd, and injected an air of gaiety into the weddings, along with raising substantial sums for the needs of the company.

The rabbi did not limit his efforts to obtaining food for the Jewish soldiers, however. Before every holiday or other special occasion he would work to obtain leave for the Jewish soldiers, so that the soldiers spend time in the company of and among Jews, free from the military yoke and the oppressive atmosphere of the Russian military camp. It was not easy for the rabbi to achieve his goal. He sometimes had to invest substantial sums of money in these efforts in the form of bribes to officers, hungry for pay–offs, so that they would not withhold leaves from the soldiers.

The soldiers who were granted leave from the army for the holidays were put up in the homes of Jews. Every self–respecting householder invited one or several soldiers to his table and provided him with every amenity. The Kosher Food Company, headed by the rabbi, saw to it that not a single soldier would be without a home in which to stay and eat. The rabbi especially liked to host Jewish soldiers in his own home, and did everything to make them happy and to draw them near. Jewish soldiers from great distances for many years remembered the rabbi who welcomed them with such love and took care of them with such true devotion.

Rabbi Yosef of Amshinov served for thirteen years as the chief of the rabbinical court of Ostroveh. About ten of those years were a period of relative calm, even though there was no lack of hardship, suffering or sadness for many. It was the fate of the rabbi that he took part in the problems of every individual and every resident of his community as if it were his own. But once World War I broke out in the year 5674 [1914],

The Teachers of the Talmud Torah and Its Students

a terrible period of period of unimaginable shock and suffering came upon the community of Ostroveh and on the whole of Polish Jewry.

With exemplary devotion the rabbi stood at his post even in this difficult period. Whether he was present in Ostroveh or elsewhere he never forgot about his city and its residents. He neither stinted nor tired from his work on behalf of the Jews of his city. Sometimes it seemed as if he saw himself responsible for their suffering.

At the end of World War I the Hassidic rebbe Rabbi Menachem of Amshinov died. The majority of the Amshinov Hassidim chose his son, Rabbi Yosef, as the successor to his great father. He moved to Amshinov, where he served as rebbe and chief of the rabbinical court until the day he died in the year 5697 [1935–1936].

Editor's notes:

1. Rabbi Yosef Kalish, the third Amshinover rebbe (b. Amshinov [Mszczonow], 1878, d. 1935 [other sources indicate 1936]). His brother, Rabbi Shimon Shalom Kalish, (b. 1882 [other sources indicate 1883], d. New York, August 18, 1954), was also considered the Amshinover rebbe, but headquartered in Otvotsk near Warsaw. During the war he fled to Lithuania, where he was instrumental in saving many yeshiva students and others by getting them permission to cross the Soviet Union to Japan, and thence to Shanghai, China, as did he. After the war he settled in Borough Park, Brooklyn, New York, where this editor's great uncle, Mendel [Wolf] Feinzeig, was a close friend and supporter. The two died within a day of each other. The leaders of the family/dynasty/sect, which still exists in Israel and the United States, bore the name of the town of Kalish (Kalisz) in western Poland where, for the first time, a Polish ruler, Boleslaw the Pious, Duke of Greater Poland (Wielpolska), issued a broad–based charter of rights for Jews, sometimes referred to as the Statute of Kalish, in 1264. He invited them to immigrate to Poland from German–speaking territories further to the west, a charter that was expanded and re–affirmed by Polish kings over the subsequent centuries. See Gary S. Schiff, In Search of Polin: Chasing Jewish Ghosts in Today's Poland, pp. 52–54. Return
2. Rabbi David Biderman (1746–1814), known as the Lelover rebbe. Return
3. See above, p. 21. Return
4. Rabbi Yisrael Yehoshua Trunk, 1820–1893. Return

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