 |
|
|
[Pages 199-202]
By Dov Kirshen, Haifa
“Ha-Noar Ha-Tsioni” was one of the Zionist and pioneer organizations that played the biggest role in shaping the image of the young Jewish generation in Rohatyn.
The movement began to organize in 1928, through the initiative of a group of students in the Polish gymnasium. In those days, most Jewish children studied in this gymnasium, because there were no other possibilities for Jewish boys and girls in the city. There were no professional schools, or any other kind, and most occupations were also closed off to the Jewish youth. Without any other choices, they were forced to attend this particular school.
But the State directorship of the gymnasium sought the “Polonization” of all city dwellers, especially the school children, through the imposition of many restrictions on the students. For instance, it was forbidden to speak Yiddish in the street, forbidden to participate in Jewish communal life, strictly forbidden to participate in any Zionist youth activities, and so forth. In response to this situation, the Jewish students sought adequate strongholds for themselves, illegal in the eyes of the gymnasium administration, where they could live Jewish lives, read Jewish books, hear news from the land of Israel, sing Hebrew songs, give expression to their Jewish and Zionist sentiments, and all this for several hours a week.
A group of twenty young people was organized, which met for “discussions” beside the well on the road to Parnuvke. On winter days, most often on Saturdays, they rented a room in a secret place, where they held their activities.
Similar groups organized at the same time in other cities. Soon these various groups banded together into a new youth movement, consisting mostly of high-school students, with its headquarters in Lvov. Its ideology was general Zionism, without additional leftist, rightist, or religious identification. This movement offered a place to young men and women, who saw a future as pioneers in the land of Israel, and also to those who then thought they would remain as activists for the Zionist cause in the cities of the exile.
The Rohatyn branch grew significantly after news arrived of the events in Israel in 1928: the slaughters in Hebron and Safed, and the activities of the Hagana in Jerusalem, Cholda, and other places. A great Zionist fervor grabbed hold of every sphere of Jewish youth in the city. Most of them signed up for immediate immigration to Israel, in order to participate in the defense of the settlement, and masses of them became members of pioneer youth movements. And so Ha-Noar Ha-Tsioni brought together large numbers of boys and girls of different ages, who organized into groups and troops, the older ones beginning preparation for aliyah.
We were as busy as ants in our chapter. We held meetings, discussions, lectures, games, holiday parties, excursions to the surrounding forests, and summer encampments. We learned Hebrew, Jewish history, and about the various strands of the Zionist movement. We worked on behalf of the Jewish National Fund. All of these activities had the educational purpose of preparing us for our future lives in the land of Israel. Members of the movement found in the “nest” (as we called the hall were we gathered) everything they lacked or could not find in the school or in their parents' houses. It was always happy there. They sang their beloved national songs, danced the Hora with great enthusiasm, built bonfires, heard lectures from their leaders on the state of the world, especially the Jewish world, and received answers to all of the questions that troubled them, and even to personal problems.
It is hard to describe the great dedication of he leaders of Ha-Noar Ha-Tsioni. They devoted every free movement to the movement's activities, in order to win the souls of the Jewish children, and to provide a Jewish, Zionist, and scouting corrective to their general education. The results were excellent. Most of the members of Ha-Noar Ha-Tsioni eventually immigrated to Israel, where they can now be found in every city and settlement in the land.
But the members of Ha-Noar Ha-Tsioni in Rohatyn were not restricted to the confines of the “nest.” Over time, the sphere of their activities widened. Emissaries went out from Rohatyn to all the cities and villages in the area, and brought the movement's ideology to the Jewish youth, thereby founding new branches in Brzezany, Pzemeszani, Pudhice, Burstein, Bukachovce, Weinelow, and other places. Thus, the “nest” in Rohatyn was transformed into a regional center for the movement, and its members became leaders in the regional branches.
Rohatyn members often also served as leaders in far away cities, lecturers at summer encampments, and heads of training centers. One member served a long time as the movement's national director in Galicia.
The older members of Ha-Noar Ha-Tsioni were actually involved in all kinds of communal activities in the city, and exerted an important influence on every matter that had to do with Zionism. In various elections, they devoted all of their energy to the campaign of the Zionist candidates. They were especially active in the elections for the Polish parliament and the Zionist congresses. As a centrist Zionist movement, standing between the rightist and leftist factions, Ha-Noar Ha-Tsioni served as bridge-builders in the city, between “enemy” camps so to speak. We should also recall the activities of the “Histadrut Ha-Keren Kayemet Li-Noar,” which was founded in Rohatyn for the most part by members of Ha-Noar Ha-Tsioni, who generally occupied the leadership role over a leftist and rightist membership drawn from every Jewish youth organization in the city.
|
|
|
|
“Histadrut Ha-Keren Kayemet Li-Noar” was a special Rohatyn creation. In no other place was such an association established. It had three objectives: 1) to carry out all of the activities of the Jewish National Fund in Rohatyn, including emptying the donation boxes, collecting money, organizing “flower days,” and so forth; 2) to gather new donations from every Jewish young man or woman in the city; 3) to attract the attention of all city-dwellers to the Zionist ideology, through lectures, discussions, and publicity events.
|
|
There were also the public farewell-evenings, which were held for members of “Ha-Noar Ha-Tsioni” on the eve of their departure for Israel. These were organized in the great hall of the communal board, or in the halls of the Ukrainian gymnasium. These parties always drew a big crowd of people, who made use of the opportunity to express their respect for those who had done so much for the Jewish community of Rohatyn, and who stood as an example to all the youth in the city. Israeli singing and dancing went on until the wee hours, and in the morning “the entire city” accompanied the emigrant to the train station.
These were the activities of Ha-Noar Ha-Tsioni in Rohatyn. It was a seething cauldron of youth, full of lofty aspirations and strong enough to achieve the goals of its ideology. It is hard to make oneself believe that all of this is no more.
Yitschak Bomze
Translated by Binyamin Weiner
The “Chaluts” (“Pioneers”) branch in our city was founded as a division of the national association of Galicia. The founders were Bulke Kupferman, who was also a member of the training and immigration boards, and myself, the writer of these lines.
We began our activities by organizing training squads and Hebrew classes, and our members sought out occupational training. A friend and I worked in Shabbatai Fishman's locksmith shop.
Our first major training activities took place in 1924, when we worked in Alter Faust's field. Over the course of three weeks, over twenty members participated.
In 1924, we founded a daughter organization, called “Ha-Chalutz Ha-Tsayir” (“The Young Pioneer,”) a general youth pioneer movement, led by Shaul Bader and Max Hochberg.
In 1925, I was privileged to receive the first certificate issued to our branch, and immigrated to Israel as the first official “Chalutz” from our city.
|
The “Stam-Chalutz” (“General Pioneers”) association was organized in Galicia as a sister movement to “Ha-Shomer Ha-Tsayir,” and even established its kibbutz in Israel under the auspices of “Ha-Kibbutz Ha-Artsi.” Even Rohatyn was not without this association.
Y.P.S.
Translated by Binyamin Weiner
“Gordonia” was the last youth movement founded in our city. Among its founders were Avrum Hersh, Tsvi Brod-Ber, Yitschak Levanon, Yaakov Geller, and others. When it was first organized , the chapter was supported by “Hitachdut” (“Unity”), a sister organization.
Among the remnants of “Gordonia” privileged to fulfill their goals through immigration to Israel were Yitschak Levanon (who know lives in Mishmar Ha-Sharon,) and Yosef Yozef, who continues his printing trade in Pardes-Chana.
“Hitachdut” was worthy enough to see its members play a prominent role on the local Zionist board. Among its most important achievements was the establishment of the Israel Library Union, a cultural meeting place for all the Zionists in Rohatyn. Those active in “Hitachdut” included Tsvi Halpern, Yitschak Holtz, Shaul Bader, and others. The founders of the library included Chuna Wachman, Pinchas Spiegel, Meir Lewenter, and others.
|
|
|
|
|
|
JewishGen, Inc. makes no representations regarding the accuracy of
the translation. The reader may wish to refer to the original material
for verification.
JewishGen is not responsible for inaccuracies or omissions in the original work and cannot rewrite or edit the text to correct inaccuracies and/or omissions.
Our mission is to produce a translation of the original work and we cannot verify the accuracy of statements or alter facts cited.
Rogatin (Rohatyn), Ukraine
Yizkor Book Project
JewishGen Home Page
Copyright © 1999-2025 by JewishGen, Inc.
Updated 6 Mar 2025 by LA
