The Community of Semyatitch
( Siemiatycze, Poland)

52°27' / 22°53'

Translation of
Kehilat Semiatycze

Editor: E. Tash

Published in Tel Aviv, 1965


 

Acknowledgments

Project Coordinator

Robert Cherniak

 

Our sincere appreciation to Yad Vashem
for the submission of the necrology for placement on the JewishGen web site.

 


This is a translation of: Kehilat Semiatycze (The community of Semyatitch),
Editor: E. Tash, Tel Aviv, Assoc. of Former Residents of Semiatich in Israel and the Diaspora, 1989 (H,Y,E, 449 pages)

Note: The original book can be seen online at the NY Public Library site: Siematycze


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Hebrew

Translated by Yocheved Klausner

 
Title page    
Memorial Volume Committee    
The Book The Editor 9
Memorial to the Siemiatycze Community Eliezer Tasch (Tur-Shalom) 11
From the Fire (poem) Chaim Gury 17
 
History
 
The past of the Siemiatycze Community Dr. M.N. Gelber 21
The History of 150 Years Arie Spialter 38
 
Siemiatycze as Reflected in the Press
 
The Great Fire in 1884 Mordechai Kapluschnik 57
In the Clutch of Wars Y.L. Goldberg (the Official Rabbi) 58
The Deportation to the Villages during World War I Avraham Mazor 60
Twenty-Four Hours of Jewish Rule in Siemiatycze Eliezer Tasch (Tur-Shalom) 62
 
The Spiritual Life
 
The Rabbis and the Religious Judges of Siemiatycze Collected by Moshe Tzinowitz 69
Rav Yakov son of R'Shmuel    
Rav Yehoshua Heshel   69
Judge Kalman Ginsburg    
Rav Moshe Ginsburg    
Rav Lifshitz   70
Rav Katznelenbogen    
Rav Heilpern   71
Rav Rubinstein    
Judge Smaltinski    
Rav Levin    
Rav Kushlewitz   72
Rav Yoselewitz   73
Rav Remigolski   74
Rav Gerstein   76
Rav Yosef David Shachor Zalman Zev Shachor 78
The Religious Life in the Siemiatycze Community Rav Titzhak Levi Schulsinger 80
A Community with Excellent Qualities Rav Shlomo Tenebitzki (Tene) 83
The Pursuers of Torah and Knowledge Tzvi Halpern 85
My Hometown and my Family Avraham Mazor 87
The Hebrew School “Kadima" Rikel Lev 89
The School and the Club Yitzhak Shkedi 92
Theater Activities in Our Town Yitzhak Kaplan 93
Youth and Aspirations Yehoshua Giv'oni 96
The Siemiatycze Youth and the Struggle for Education Dr. Shmuel Sukenik 107
 
The Way of Life and the People in Our Town
 
The Burden of Memories [a poem] Yitzhak Kaplan 113
Sights and Fragments of Life Pinchas Pachter 115
A collection of Memories Yeshaya Pundek 121
The Bank in Siemiatycze Alter Slochovski 123
The Tile Factory Yeshaya Deutsch 125
A Nightmare in the Synagogue Aharon Sokolski 126
Events, Experiences and Memories from Home and Family Dr. Shmuel Sukenik 127
Mr. Brill goes to America Arie Spialter 132
Memories Yechezkel Kotik 135
Siemiatycze in the Eyes of a Passer-by Moshe Weissman 136
Portraits Yosef Halpern 139
Episodes and Types Ben-Tzion Mazor 147
Moshe Winyar A"Sh 148
In the Yoke of Night [a poem] Moshe Winyar 148
Malka Weinstein; Bila Zablodovski; Hershl Chomski   149
Dr. Chaim Perelis   150
R'Berl Ribovski M. Richtsler 151
 
Movements and People
 
In the Company of a Great Teacher Yitzhak Giv'oni 155
Moshe Pundek and His Family Yeshaya Pundek 157
The Story of a Street Meir Kravitz 160
An Aliya that was Canceled Because of Grave Trouble Yitzhak Kaplan 162
My Father's Zionism Yehuda Albanay 164
Lights from My Father's Home Sara Magen-Tash 165
The “Hechalutz” and “Young Hechalutz” Movements in Siemiatycze Yehoshua Giv'oni 167
Memories from “Hechalutz" Lea Rog 173
My Brother, My Brother Heshy David Wiesenberg 173
The Training Kibbutz [Hachshara] “Shahariya” An Article in “Hatzefira" 174
The “Shahariya” Farm Yeshaya Pundek 175
Kibbutz “Tel-Chay” in Siemiatycze Yakov Krupnik 177
“Shahariya” Uri Marmur & Yosl Yablon 178
The “Hashomer Hatza'ir” movement and its Activity Among the Youth Yitzhak Kaplan 180
Our Brother Yakov Doliner Miriam & Simcha Doliner 186
The “Poalei Zion” Party and “Freiheit” Shmuel Goldstein 186
Moshe ben Peretz and Chana Pachter Yehudit Pachter 187
The “Freiheit” Organization Avraham Mazor 188
The League for “Eretz Yisrael Ha'ovedet” [the Working Eretz Yisrael] Chaim Roseman 189
The “Brit-Trumpeldor” Movement Arye Spialter 190
 
Our Community Destroyed
 
The Beginning of the Disaster Arye Kneppel 195
The Day-to-Day Life in the Ghetto Bat Sheva Ariel 199
The Last Days in the Ghetto Duba Marmur-Goldshtern 200
Siemiatycze's Path of Suffering Rachel Kalles Lisogurski 201
From the Bunker in the Ghetto to the Underground Life in the Forest Chaim Marmur 208
My Escape from the Death Train Kalman Goldwasser 213
A Letter from the “City of Slaughter" Y. Giv'oni 215
A Visit to Siemiatycze in 1957 Chava Markuse 218
These Are the Names of the Members of the Siemiatycze Community, which Was Totally Destroyed   220
 
In Eretz Yisrael
 
The Aliya along the Generations Yitzhak Kaplan 231
 
“The Fallen in the High Places”
 
Gedalyahu Rugatchevski From the “Yizkor” prayer 237
David Tur Shalom Yosef Margalit 238
Heroism and Vengeance in Judaism David Ta"sh (Tur Shalom) 239
Pinchas Ram From the “Yizkor” prayer 240
Ben Ami Pachter Mother 241
We Are Your Children [poems] Ben Ami Pachter 242
Amihay Schulsinger   243
Yakov Tuchman (Tomy) Ata"sh 244
Thoughts about the Group Yakov Tuchman 244
Menachem ben Tzila and Yeshaya Pundek   245
A Lament on the Death of Menachem [a poem] Chanan Shadmi 246
Kites [a poem] Menachem Pundek 247
 
Portraits of People
 
By the Merit of Grandfather, R'Eli David Schulsinger Mina Kaplan 248
The Descendants of Eli-David Schulsinger: a. Joy; b. the Rav Yitzhak Eliezer Tash 249
Menachem ben Puah and Moshe Pundek E. Tash 252
Simcha Sier Eliahu Porat 253
The Appointed Rabbi R'Yitzhak Eliezer Goldberg Beruria Erlichman 254
Shalom Pachter Pinchas Pachter 255
Meir Kravitz; Yosef Halpern; Lea Zablodovski The Editor 256
Yitzhak Minz From the Book on the Kapluschnik Family 258
Yosef Shoshan   258
R'Mordechay Kapluschnik, the Kadish Reader in our Community Arye Spialter 259
Yitzhak Kaplan a. Eliahu Porat; b. Arye Spialter 261
Our Union / General View Arie Spialter 263
Sealing the Book Yehoshua Giv'oni 268
 
Yiddish

Donated by Robert Cherniak

 
Explanation of the American Committee for The Book of Remembrance 273
The Time of Remembrance Isur Rabinovitch (Willy Rubin) 274
 
History and Legend
 
Semyatitch Until the First World War Dr. N. M. Gelber 277
Semyatitch Between the World Wars D. Fristar 293
Stories of the Semyatitch Synagogue Z. Averbukh 306
Reb Tsvi Hersh of Semyatitch Peysakh Markus 308
Episodes from the First World War Dovid Kimchi 309
The Expulsion During the First World War Avram Mazur 310
 
Culture and Life
 
The Religious Life Aryeh Shpyalter 315
Memoirs of Revolutionary Years Shmuel Pyeker 318
Semyatitch - A Zionistic Town Avram Mazur 320
The Zionist-Revisionist Movement Dovid Kimchi 322
The First Training Kibbutz “Shakharya” Mikhal Radzinsky 325
The “Drama Circle” Dovid Kimchi 328
Jewish Livelihoods Aryeh Shpyalter 332
Semyatitch Hooligans Are Punished Dovid Kimchi 335
 
Figures
 
Moyshe Vinyar A. Sh. 343
My Mother's Blood Screams Moyshe Vinyar 343
Semyatitch Types and Friends Yashe Halferin 344
The Jewish Doctor's Triumph (Dr. Goldberger) Moyshe Vaysman 347
Yankev Tikatski Aryeh Shpyalter 349
Reb Shamai Yudl Yablon Rabbi Yitskhok Shmidman 350
Sh. Y. Landinsky Helen Landinsky 351
Remembrance (Fragments) Sh. Y. Landinsky 354
Reb Elyahu Mazur Ben- Tsion Mazur 354
Grandma Malke Yankev Marmur 356
Reb Elkhonon Kimchi, May G-d Avenge His Blood Dovid Kimchi 359
Episodes and Types Ben- Tsion Mazur 360
Semyatitchers in the United States D. Fristar 365
 
The Holocaust
 
In the Woods Helen Shabat 375
Under the Soviet Occupation D. Fristar 376
From Semyatitch to Kazakstan Leah Byelitski 379
Under the Nazis Helen Kimchi 403
A Semyatitcher among the Partisans Dovid Kimchi 403
I Ask Yehuda Albonay 412
 
Remembrance   413
 
Section III
 
Siemiatych - Its Growth and Destruction   I-XIII


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