Rogatin (Rohatyn), Ukraine

The Community of Rohatyn and Environs
(Rogatin, Ukraine)

49°25' / 24°37'

Translation of Kehilat Rohatyn v'hasviva

Editor and Publisher: M. Amihai

Yiddish editing: David Stockfish

English editing: Shmuel Bari

Published in Israel in 1962 by Rohatyn Association of Israel

Acknowledgments

Project Coordinators

Michael J. Bohnen and Donia Gold Shwarzstein

Our sincere appreciation to: Fischel Kirschen, Chairman, Rohatyn Association of Israel,
for permission to put this material on the JewishGen web site.

Many thanks to Fay and Julian Bussgang for their help in editing the text.

We would also like to thank David G. Roskies for permission to use his translation
of the poem “Es brennt”, “Fire.”

This is a translation from: Kehilat Rohatyn ve-ha-seviva (Rohatyn; the history of a Jewish community),
Editors: M. Amihai, David Stockfish, Shmuel Bari, Tel Aviv, Former Residents of Rohatyn in Israel, 1962
(H, Y, E, 439 pages).

This material is made available by JewishGen, Inc. and the Yizkor Book Project for the purpose of
fulfilling our mission of disseminating information about the Holocaust and destroyed Jewish communities.
This material may not be copied, sold or bartered without JewishGen, Inc.'s permission. Rights may be reserved by the copyright holder.

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.

Background on Rohatyn
Other resources
Acknowledgements and Notes to the English Translation of the Rohatyn Yizkor Book

TOC translated by Michael Bohnen

Hebrew and Yiddish Section

Yehoshua Spiegel Introduction 5

Mordechai Gebirtig Fire! (poem) 7

Mordechai Amitai From the Publisher 8

Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Nurok And Their Blood Will I Never Cleanse… 9

History of a Town

Dr. N. M. Gelber A History of the Jews of Rohatyn 10

        A. Historical Background
        B. The Beginning of the Jewish Community
        C. Economic Conditions
        D. The Sabbatians and the Frankists in Rohatyn
        E. The Rabbis – The Census of 1765
        F. Under Austrian Domination
        G. 1848 – 1914
        Surrounding Towns

Addenda
Charter of the Jews of Rohatyn (Latin)

68

Decision of the Sejmik of Sadowa Wisznia after the Dispute of the Jews with the Frankists in Lvov in 1759 70

Yeshoshua Spiegel Collected Sources on Rohatyn from the Time of the Sabbatean Dispute 72

S. Y. Agnon Rebbe Yudel's Daughter Gets Married In Rohatyn 75

Yehoshua Spiegel The Hasidut of Stretyn 78

The Life of the City

Yitzchak Weissblum Rohatyn 84

Dr. Yitzchak Lewenter The Rohatyn Way 86

Yehoshua Spiegel Our City Rohatyn 101

Chuna Jonas Inside Rohatyn 113

Marcus Tsin A Bundle of Memories 118

Dr. Nathan Spiegel Sounds of Home 121

Leibush Zuckerkandle A City of Torah 124

Uri Mishor The City and its Images 125

Dr. Nathan Melzer Community Life in Rohatyn 128

Joseph Green In Memory of Moshe Lewenter 129

Leah Zuch Cherished Images 130

Chaya Weissberg (Weinreich) My Home That Is No More 131

Within the City

Yehoshua Spiegel The Rohaytn Fair 132

The Wagon Drivers 133

The Bathhouses 137

The Military 138

The Jewish Orchestra 140

The Butchers 141

The Slaughter House 142

The Melamdim of our City 143

Avraham Cohen The Image that I Loved 144

Daily Life

Anschel Milstein Buisnesses and Craftsmen after World War I 146

Yosef Jozef The Printing Industry in Our Town 152

David and Esther Blaustein Jewish Merchants among the Gentiles 153

Grina Shtertzer The Professions 158

Zeev Baraban Dramatic Experiments 159

The Personalities of our Town

Naftali Schein Rabbi Yaakov “Kavi” Schein 162

Rabbi Alter Meir Rabbi Abraham David Spiegel 164

Ben Avraham-David “The Young Dayan” 166

Two Letters of Rabbi Shpiegel 170

Y.B.A. Rabbi Mordechai Lipa Teumim 172

A Selection from the Letters of Rabbi Teumim 176

Y.P.S. In Memory of Yosef Hakohen Laks 177

Rabbi Yosef Yehuda Sofer 178

Yerachmiel Schwartz 179

Yaakov Leiter and his Wife Sarah 180

“Tall Moshe” 182

Some of the Town's Personalities 183

Mathilda Soferman Raphael Soferman 185

Looking to Zion

Leah Ring (Teichman) Memories of Hashomer Hatsa'ir 191

Yehoshua Spiegel The Hashomer Hatsa'ir Club 196

Dov Kirschen “Zionist Youth” 199

Yitzchak Bomze The “Hehalutz” Organization 202

Y.P.S. “Gordonia” in Rohatyn 203

David Kartin The Betar Club 204

Tzvi Skolnik TheYouth of the Town 207

How the City Has Been Destroyed

Rachel and Moshe Nasshoffer The Community of Rohatyn and its Destruction 213

Anna Shweller Kornblei Some Stories of Those Days 216

Y. P. S. Pepka Kleinwachs 221

Aryeh and Cyla Blech Rohatyn in the Occupation Years 222

Rosa Halperin (Faust) A Diary of the Rohatyn Ghetto (in English Section) 229

Tzvi Wohl The Destruction of Rohatyn 234

S. L. A Jewish Girl's Road to Hell 239

Rivka Hader From Hiding Place to Hiding Place 250

Dr. Avraham Shtertzer In the Rohatyn Ghetto 277

Y.P.S. A Story of a Bunker 321

The Surrounding Towns

Yosef Milner Jewish Centers Around Rohatyn 325

Yehoshua Pinchas Klarent Burstyn 327

Chedva Weissman Bukaczowce 336

Leon Gewandter Bukaczowce 337

Leon Schreier Zurow, Bukaczowce 339

Aryeh Rebisch Knihynicze 342

Tzvi Fenster (Felker) Life in the Village – Podkamien 347

Yaakov Palgi The Jews of Czesniki 351

Yisrael Chetzroni Lipica-Gorna 355

Yaakov Galili Jews in Lipica-Gorna 360

The Rohatyn Association

Tzvi Skolnik About the Organization 363

Yizkor List of Victims 369

English Section

Dr. Jack Faust Rohatyn: A World That is Gone with the Wind 7

Dr. Golda Fischer A World that Was 18

Morris Grant (Granoviter) In Memoriam 25

Rosa Halperin (Faust) A Diary of the Rohatyn Ghetto 27

S.L. The Death of Chaimke 32

Dr. Abraham Shtertzer How Rohatyn Died 40

Index of Names from the Rohatyn Yizkor book
The English spelling of names that appear in the book in Hebrew are an
approximation, so the reader is advised to look for alternative spellings.

Yizkor Book Project JewishGen Home Page Rohatyn, at Kehilalinks

Yizkor Book Director, Lance Ackerfeld
Emerita Yizkor Book Project Manager, Joyce Field z”l
Contact person for this translation Michael J. Bohnen and Donia Gold Shwarzstein
This web page created by Lance Ackerfeld

Yehoshua Spiegel	Introduction	5
Mordechai Gebirtig	Fire! (poem)	7
Mordechai Amitai	From the Publisher	8
Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Nurok	And Their Blood Will I Never Cleanse…	9

History of a Town

Dr. N. M. Gelber	A History of the Jews of Rohatyn	10
	A. Historical Background B. The Beginning of the Jewish Community C. Economic Conditions D. The Sabbatians and the Frankists in Rohatyn E. The Rabbis – The Census of 1765 F. Under Austrian Domination G. 1848 – 1914 Surrounding Towns

	Addenda Charter of the Jews of Rohatyn (Latin)	68
	Decision of the Sejmik of Sadowa Wisznia after the Dispute of the Jews with the Frankists in Lvov in 1759	70
Yeshoshua Spiegel	Collected Sources on Rohatyn from the Time of the Sabbatean Dispute	72
S. Y. Agnon	Rebbe Yudel's Daughter Gets Married In Rohatyn	75
Yehoshua Spiegel	The Hasidut of Stretyn	78

The Life of the City

Yitzchak Weissblum	Rohatyn	84
Dr. Yitzchak Lewenter	The Rohatyn Way	86
Yehoshua Spiegel	Our City Rohatyn	101
Chuna Jonas	Inside Rohatyn	113
Marcus Tsin	A Bundle of Memories	118
Dr. Nathan Spiegel	Sounds of Home	121
Leibush Zuckerkandle	A City of Torah	124
Uri Mishor	The City and its Images	125
Dr. Nathan Melzer	Community Life in Rohatyn	128
Joseph Green	In Memory of Moshe Lewenter	129
Leah Zuch	Cherished Images	130
Chaya Weissberg (Weinreich)	My Home That Is No More	131

Within the City

Yehoshua Spiegel	The Rohaytn Fair	132
	The Wagon Drivers	133
	The Bathhouses	137
	The Military	138
	The Jewish Orchestra	140
	The Butchers	141
	The Slaughter House	142
	The Melamdim of our City	143
Avraham Cohen	The Image that I Loved	144

Daily Life

Anschel Milstein	Buisnesses and Craftsmen after World War I	146
Yosef Jozef	The Printing Industry in Our Town	152
David and Esther Blaustein	Jewish Merchants among the Gentiles	153
Grina Shtertzer	The Professions	158
Zeev Baraban	Dramatic Experiments	159

The Personalities of our Town

Naftali Schein	Rabbi Yaakov “Kavi” Schein	162
Rabbi Alter Meir	Rabbi Abraham David Spiegel	164
Ben Avraham-David	“The Young Dayan”	166
	Two Letters of Rabbi Shpiegel	170
Y.B.A.	Rabbi Mordechai Lipa Teumim	172
	A Selection from the Letters of Rabbi Teumim	176
Y.P.S.	In Memory of Yosef Hakohen Laks	177
	Rabbi Yosef Yehuda Sofer	178
	Yerachmiel Schwartz	179
	Yaakov Leiter and his Wife Sarah	180
	“Tall Moshe”	182
	Some of the Town's Personalities	183
Mathilda Soferman	Raphael Soferman	185

Looking to Zion

Leah Ring (Teichman)	Memories of Hashomer Hatsa'ir	191
Yehoshua Spiegel	The Hashomer Hatsa'ir Club	196
Dov Kirschen	“Zionist Youth”	199
Yitzchak Bomze	The “Hehalutz” Organization	202
Y.P.S.	“Gordonia” in Rohatyn	203
David Kartin	The Betar Club	204
Tzvi Skolnik	TheYouth of the Town	207

How the City Has Been Destroyed

Rachel and Moshe Nasshoffer	The Community of Rohatyn and its Destruction	213
Anna Shweller Kornblei	Some Stories of Those Days	216
Y. P. S.	Pepka Kleinwachs	221
Aryeh and Cyla Blech	Rohatyn in the Occupation Years	222
Rosa Halperin (Faust)	A Diary of the Rohatyn Ghetto (in English Section)	229
Tzvi Wohl	The Destruction of Rohatyn	234
S. L.	A Jewish Girl's Road to Hell	239
Rivka Hader	From Hiding Place to Hiding Place	250
Dr. Avraham Shtertzer	In the Rohatyn Ghetto	277
Y.P.S.	A Story of a Bunker	321

The Surrounding Towns

Yosef Milner	Jewish Centers Around Rohatyn	325
Yehoshua Pinchas Klarent	Burstyn	327
Chedva Weissman	Bukaczowce	336
Leon Gewandter	Bukaczowce	337
Leon Schreier	Zurow, Bukaczowce	339
Aryeh Rebisch	Knihynicze	342
Tzvi Fenster (Felker)	Life in the Village – Podkamien	347
Yaakov Palgi	The Jews of Czesniki	351
Yisrael Chetzroni	Lipica-Gorna	355
Yaakov Galili	Jews in Lipica-Gorna	360

The Rohatyn Association

Tzvi Skolnik	About the Organization	363

	Yizkor List of Victims	369

English Section

Dr. Jack Faust	Rohatyn: A World That is Gone with the Wind	7
Dr. Golda Fischer	A World that Was	18
Morris Grant (Granoviter)	In Memoriam	25
Rosa Halperin (Faust)	A Diary of the Rohatyn Ghetto	27
S.L.	The Death of Chaimke	32
Dr. Abraham Shtertzer	How Rohatyn Died	40

Index of Names from the Rohatyn Yizkor book The English spelling of names that appear in the book in Hebrew are an approximation, so the reader is advised to look for alternative spellings.