[Page 137]

[Page 138]

Leadership of the religious school ‘Bais Yaakov’ in Sokal

With the growth of the Zionist influence on the Jewish street in Sokal, when it became more difficult to restrain the Yeshiva boys of the Bet HaMedrash and even those from the Kloyz, indicating to them that they should not read Hebrew and worldly literature – the more active orthodox leaders began to search for means to strengthen the religious position and to fortify the genuine orthodox center in Jewish Sokal.

The orthodox circle understood that, just like other idealistic directions, they must create an organizational area, that would take in all persuasions of religious youth in the city, and particularly to prevent the youth in the Bet HaMedrash and Kloyz from joining the Zionist ranks.

It was for this purpose that an ‘Agudat Israel’ organization was created in Sokal, to which a number of orthodox Jews belonged, who apart from the study of Torah were also active in a variety of areas in Jewish community life, mostly in concerning themselves faithfully with community needs.

What helped greatly in the development of the Agudat Israel organization was the fact that its spiritual leader in the first rank, was the son of the Sokal Rebbe R' Abraham Rokeach ז”ל and the Sage and follower of Israel R' Menachem Nahum Fogelman ז”ל. and the prominent member of the balebatim, and generous donor and activist Israel Rapoport ז”ל. The total commitment of these active members of society of these Agudah leaders, created the “Agudat Israel” organization with full popularity by the Jewish populace in the city. For this reason, the Agudah adherent R' Bezalel Szmutzer ז”ל was head of the community in Sokal for many years. R' Bezalel Szmutzer was also a very generous donor, who spent monies on all the Jewish philanthropic organizations in the city. Among other things, he purchased a home on the Baron Hirsch Gasse to be used as a night lodging for poor Jews.

Among the active and loyal Agudah leaders in Sokal, the commitment and all-sided social and party activity of the well-known and important balebatim of the city, brothers Moshe and Simcha Rapoport, stood out.

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Thanks to the initiative of R' Nahum Fogelman, the religious “Bais Yaakov” school was founded in Sokal with the goal of educating Jewish youth in the religious spirit. R' Nahum Fogelman ז”ל also occupied an honored position and the presidium elected him to represent them to conduct the second conference of the “Agudat Israel” organization for Eastern Galicia, that took place on 22 Tevet 5691 (11 January 1931) in Lemberg (Lvov).

The loyal and decent sage, R' Menachem Mendl Fogelman had the privilege to die a natural death in 1943 during the Nazi occupation in the Sokal ghetto, where he was interred in a Jewish grave.

The “Bund” first began its activity in Galicia after World War I, when a unification conference between the Jewish Socialist Party, the so-called J. P .S. (Polish), and the general Jewish Labor Party in Congress-Poland, took place in Galicia.

We do not have sufficiently precise knowledge about the existence of the J. P. S. Organization in Sokal prior to World War I, however – as the Jews of Sokal tell us, there were a certain number of working-class Jews before World War I, who were active on the cultural front, who held themselves to be Socialists, despite being quite far-distanced from a Marxist solution and did not have their own organization. It was first in the initial years after the First Conflagration, when Jewish society life in Sokal has strengthened, and the Jewish national currents began to cover wide circles of the Jewish populace in the city, that a local group of the “Bund” was established that took a modest place in the Jewish social society in Sokal.

A small portion of Jewish workers merchants and tenants belonged to this Bundist organization, and apart from professional pursuits, this Bundist society was also active in a certain measure in spreading Jewish culture.

Without a local branch, there was an active Jewish library and thereby, a performing drama circle was also run. Popular presentations and evening courses were held there.

In the year 1925 the ranks of the Bund organization produced the “Jugend-Bund,” and “Zukunft,” which encompassed young Jewish workers.

Politically, the Bundist organization in Sokal did not play a large part. San'eh Holtz, the head of the Bundist organization until the Holocaust, made a great deal of money available to the development of the Bundist organization in Sokal. He came from an orthodox family, and was once a Yeshiva student. He was a sage among Jews, and was also an accomplished speaker, and his public appearances were always well received by the audience.

After the outbreak of the World War II, when the Soviet Union took over Sokal, as a Bundist he was compelled to leave the city and traveled to Przemyslany, where he was subsequently tortured by the German murderers.

He served the Bundist ideal with loyalty and commitment of the soul. His wife and daughter were exterminated during the last murder-aktion in Sokal in 1943.

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