[Page 75]

[Page 76]

This was about forty years ago…as a son-in-law of R' Israel Bard ז”ל, the prominent master of the house, who belonged to the visible faces of the Sokal, Tchortkow-Husiatyn Kloyz, I returned to Sokal, the town where I was born. There was something that made me feel not good in the rigorous Hasidic environs, in which I was looked at with suspicion, wondering that I had become a follower of Zionism while away, which, God forbid, can become spread among Sokal youth. Even my own father-in-law did not extend much trust to me… it appears he was already warned that I could become a great danger to his still-young children.

Therefore I needed to camouflage myself a bit, and in my speech and going out I had to be very careful. To my good fortune – my father-in-law was a Hasid of the Tchortkow-Husiatyn Kloyz, where fanatics from the Bet HaMedrash had no control. There were already young people in this Kloyz, among them my two dear brothers-in-law: David and Yehoshua ז”ל, who sensed immediately that I had something of a connection to the Zionist ideal and not only once did they implore me, that I should lead them into the secrets of the young Zionist movement … and I always accommodated them.

I understood, however, that I had to accommodate myself in the Kloyz to the Hasidic way of life of the older generation, from whom I almost immediately found geniality and trust…most of these were decent Jewish people, scholars with a strong sense for exerting effort in philanthropic help activities. The central figures in the Czortkow-Husiatyn Kloyz at that time, even before the First World War, were: My father-in-law R' Israel Bord ז”ל, R' Meir Pfeffer ז”ל, R' Israel Rehr ז”ל and R' Zanvil Krantz ז”ל – wealthy Jews and prominent merchants. Despite this, they did not segregate themselves from other balebatim … on the contrary – they were drawn to other Hasidim in the Kloyz as though to equal friends belonging to one and the same Hasidic group.

If one of them developed a need, they immediately helped him with money and performed other good mitzvot… if one of the Jews in the Kloyz was short money for a dowry for a daughter or for expenses to arrange a wedding – these charitable people worked out a loan for him at a bank at especially good terms, and often they personally signed the promissory note as being responsible. And further to honor the other partner's parents, and gladden the groom and bride, they also did not miss the opportunity to be among the guests at the wedding celebration. It was not only once that it occurred for them to buy up the promissory notes with their own money, that they had underwritten for poor Jews of the Kloyz. But this did not restrain them from a more broadly based willingness to help, and other good deeds.

A complete sense of unity among the Czortkow and Husiatyn Hasidim reigned in all general Hasidic matters. But what separated general activities from the two Hasidic sects, was yet another matter. At the time, the leaders of the Czortkow Hasidim R' Meir Pfeffer ז”ל and R' Israel Rehr ז”ל were very active in the community in the municipal council, the Husiatyn Hasidim distanced themselves from material honors… simply, ‘they hid among the pots and pans.’

[Page 77]

From the way of life in Jewish Sokal (Escorting a groom & bride to the wedding canopy)

The couple after the wedding ceremony

[Page 78]

The following decent sort of Jewish men that graced the Czortkow-Husiatyn Kloyz as devoted and loyal Hasidim: R' Shlomo'leh Kreminer ז”ל, his brother-in-law R' Issachar Ber Flam ז”ל, and my brother-in-law R' Abraham Bord ז”ל. They were the pillars of Torah in the Kloyz, who with unusual dedication studied Torah in the Kloyz, engaging in Torah study for its own sake, and in addition to this were strongly committed to the mitzvah of inviting guests.

Scholarly Jews from other places, who came to Sokal were provided by them with food and lodging, as well as a ‘gift’ of edibles for use during their further travels.

It was precious Jews of this kind that made up [the congregation] of the Czortkow-Husiatyn Kloyz.

It was a genuine pleasure to sit with these gentle Jewish men during a mitzvah feast. Or a wedding feast… or at a substantial celebration at the Tzaddik's or even an ordinary Melave-Malka on a wintry Sabbath night. An elevated environment… a literally mysterious atmosphere always was created above the heads of the speakers, when they began to tell the wondrous deeds about Tzadikkim and Hasidim… with bated breath, with a stressful attention, God forbid not to miss a word, one would sit in the Kloyz until late into the night. All those who listened were enveloped in a deep joy and a generous sense of spirit.

A highly beloved raconteur of this assembly was a man named: R' Pintchi Kellner ז”ל, a Jewish man, who despite the fact that he always lived in a state of want, he was happy and energetic. During tales offered by other speakers, you understand there were only those familiar with the Kabalah, R' Pintchi with his clear and understandable stories literally hypnotized the listeners.

In the Czortkow-Husiatyn Kloyz there were also Hasidim with a similar lifestyle. These were simple, serious, decent Jews, who came to the Kloyz on arising, recited the Psalms before prayers, and other prayers, and later, after completing their prayers with the first minyan, their ‘real work’ just started, which was collection of a few groschen from the worshipers for a bit of whiskey to ‘grab a bite.’ The happiness was quite great, when after the purchase of the whiskey, they had enough left over to buy a herring. Their imbibing with ‘L'Chaim,’ went on until the second minyan of Jews began to pray, and since it was not the custom of a Hasid to leave in the middle of prayer leaving [the prayers] ‘Bracha’ and ‘Kedusha’ – they remained among the worshipers of the second minyan, ended that prayer service, and then the same custom began of collecting groschen for whiskey, to grab a bite, and when possible for herring again.

An old story was told on the street in Sokal of an incident when one of this group once asked for a groschen in the Czortkow-Husiatyn Kloyz for a ‘snort’ from a ‘Mitnaged,’ that happened to pray in the Kloyz, and the latter replied with a lesson, stressing, that it was his understanding a Jew is supposed to love learning a chapter of the Mishna instead of drinking a ‘snort…’ the elderly man from the Kloyz was not bereft of an answer and answered in the following way: ‘after such a ‘dead’ worship as it takes place among you Mitnagdim, a prayer session without life and no ardor – one truly must study the Mishna, as is the case after someone dies, God forbid… but our praying is full of warmth and life and if one lives, it is also necessary to take part in the ‘poison’ of life.’

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The difficult survival during the First World War did not pass through without the influence on the spiritual and community condition of the Jewish populace…

The text of page 107 appears to be missing, and in its place is a copy of Page 97 taken out of order and not spotted by the editors. Page 97 has been translated in its proper place. We continue with page 108 which is now rendered in Hebrew rather than Yiddish.

– The translator, JSB

… their love of Israel and all those seated at the table cocked their ears like funnels, and paid attention full of praise and Hasidic attachment. The ‘Days of Festive Wedding Occasions’ served as a special indicator ana special experience. On the day of the wedding party, which was the day of the passing of the ‘Old’ ADMo”R, the celebrations and elevation of the soul reached its zenith.

At the dawn of the festival day, a ‘Feast’ took place that was complete for the time of day. At first, a L'Chaim was drunk The blessing being that Providence shall protect us) and after that fish was served, meat and kasha, with appropriate drink. The food was ‘dipped’ in Hasidic sayings and short stories about the Rebbe. After the final blessing at the end of the meal, they went out and did a stormy Hasidic dance, accompanied by loud singing, that ignited the spirit and soul. This was the way the ‘Days of Wedding Festival’ were conducted by the ‘Maggid’ of Mezyricz, the grandson of R' Israel Moazin, the founder of the dynasty and of the ‘older’ ADMo”R's of Husiatyn and Czortkow. Despite the fact that Hasidim who were followers of two different ADMo”Rs there was not a factional friction, and a true peace and neighborliness was imbedded among them.

This is an appropriate place to underscore the feast that took place at the beginning of the day the Shas was completed in study, and its redistribution among those who studied, which took place every year on Tu B'Shvat. In order to enjoy the fruit of the earth on this New Year of the Trees, before the main meal, everyone tasted a jam ground up from the Etrogim that had been bought for the previous Sukkot holiday.

The ‘connection’ to Hasidism manifested itself especially during festivals and the High Holy Days. In those days, it was the custom for those called to the Torah to be bless their ADMo”Rim with ‘MiSheberakh’, and R' Hirsch Yusha, the one who summoned people to the Torah reading, was the one who recited the ‘MiSheberakh’, for the ADMo”R of the person who came up for the Torah reading.

After I grew up from being a child in this Kloyz, and I got covered with the dust from the feet of the worshipers, it is my desire to raise the names of several of them from forgotten, the positions that they occupied in the Kloyz, and these represent an outline of their forms as they are recorded in my memory.

[Page 80]

R' Israel Rehr, of the elderly Hasidim of Czortkow, and was the ‘head spokesman’ and uncrowned ‘authority’ of the Kloyz. He would call out the shofar blasts by name on Rosh Hashana, and without his permission, they did not sound the long Tekia blast at the end of Yom Kippur. His minute space was in the southern corner of the Eastern Wall, and even if his place was modest – beside the oven – the large oven. People surrounded him there who listened with bated breath to his stories and experiences of 50-60 years ago which were readily at his lips.

His sons were ‘seized’ by the Enlightenment and were not Hasidim, with the exception of his son-in-law R' Shimon Zafrin הי”ד, who was a fiery Czortkow Hasid. R' Israel himself passed away during the time of the Russian conquest in 1940 or 1941.

R' Lejzor Brandwein הי”ד, a grandson from Stenyatin, and son-in-law of my grandfather R'Leib Gleicher ע”ה. He was a Melamed in an upper Heder class. From time-to-time, he would lecture in the Kloyz in matters of legend, and Hasidism into which he wove Hasidic stories, of which he had a rich and replete amount. He was the ‘starter’ on the High Holy Days.

Three sons of the Rebbe R' Sholom Rokeach זצ”ל; youngest daughter Sarah'leh

[Page 81]

R' Moshe Shapiro הי”ד, he was the second leader of Shacharit on the High Holy Days. Modest and honest, who would take advantage of every free minute to come and sit with a Gemara in the Kloyz. Of his 8 or 9 children, only his son, Israel, remained alive and is now in Australia.

R' Pintzi Kellner הי”ד, lived his entire life in sorrow and poverty, even according to the standards of the city at that time. He could not bear up under his sorrow and directed his words towards heaven and strongly ‘demanded’ bread and soup. This R' Pintzi, who would tell Hasidic tales, was like an endless river and a wellspring that grows stronger. He was a skilled storyteller, and his speech was pleasant and overflowing with the substance of life. I remember that on one ‘Nittl’ (Nittl is what Christmas Eve was called, and it was customary not to study Torah on that day). He sat for consecutive hours to tell wondrous tales that satisfied the thirst [of listeners] with the words he had to say, with grace and much good taste. This was a pleasure ‘from the World to Come.’ R' Pintzi also led the prayers on the premises with the knowledge of the Kloyz, elderly and regular (he never needed a prayer book), and he had a sweet voice. He had a ‘franchise’ on the prayers for dew and rain. He came from Husiatyn.

R' Nahum Fogelman הי”ד. The community activist who did the best he could, in order to help all who turned to him in distress. He was an officer of the ‘Agudat Yisrael’ Kloyz and a member of the community council. When the time came for elections to the community council, he would go out with a vengeance against those who would besmirch the ADMo”R of Husiatyn. He especially singled out his son-in-law, for their adherence to ‘Mizrahi.’ It may be correct that he swore to himself that he heard ‘from the mouth of The Holy One’ that is, the Rebbe, for his support in the Agudah.

R' Nahum זצ”ל would, for whatever reason, engage in Shacharit prayer until 11. He prayed alone, and the sound of his prayer resonated in the empty Kloyz as he was a man who was stretched for his entire length and breadth. On every Sabbath, he was the overseer of the Torah reading for that week in the synagogue of the tailors, and his speech that was ‘mixed’ with Ashkenazi words sometimes elicited laughter from the listeners. (His son, Rabbi Mordechai Fogelman שליט”א holds the pulpit in Kiryat Motzkin beside Haifa).

R' Chaim Ber הי”ד, the seasoned Gabbai. During the time the Torah was read, he stood on the Bima and whispered into the ear of R' Hirsch Yehoshua (previously mentioned) who should be honored by being called up to a reading of the Torah. This simple man knew no bounds for his affection for the ADMo”R of Husiatyn. On the Shavuot holiday, he would be disappointed if he did not have the means to travel to the Rebbe who directed his Hasidim in Galicia (as I mentioned previously), and he did not fulfill his duties and did not set specifically who would be called to the Torah. His motive was: ‘The body regardless is in Sokal, but the soul is in Husiatyn.’

I will also recall R' Chaim Kreminer הי”ד, the shofar blower (his son Baruch was saved, and lives in Canada). And also R' Israel Brat הי”ד and his son, Avrom'tzi הי”ד, the deputy Torah reader, and R' Falik Szpritz הי”ד, the ‘allocator.’

And to end, I raise up the memory of my father R' Zalman הי”ד, and my mother Rachel הי”ד, who spared no effort and energy and paid tuition to Melamdim for their five sons (and there was one daughter), and their entire interest was that their sons will be knowledgeable in Torah and uphold mitzvot. (From this entire family only the writer of these paragraphs survived). May the memory of all of them be a blessing.

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