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There are those among us who awake in the nights from the enfolding sleep, and we will turn from side to side. Our eyes are heavy, and our thoughts take us to different stations of our past life, the distant past. Before our eyes, scenes pass by whose impact left within us the ineradicable mark, and we live with them.

Out of this dark cloud images rise before us, clear images and blurry ones, they disappear, and come back, and appear yet again.

At times like these, my shtetl looms before my eyes, in which I first saw the light of the sun. I also hear the voices . Those that filled the space of the shtetl, its streets and houses. And a feeling arises in me, is it possible that these voices no longer exist, and with the disappearance of the shtetl, these voices were silenced and disappeared?

In this dream state, with eyes shut tight I move over my being to the tiny dot, to the shtetl of my birth, and I see myself there, alive, and wandering around as if everything still exists there. I try to recover what my eyes are seeing, and to raise from the depths the oblivion, those precious images that are so with us, and no longer exist…

From the south, a stone-paved road, pitted and full of pits from the autumn rains brings you to the shtetl. On both of its sides there are drainage canals to take away the rain waters, where here and there are strewn tree branches that lead to the yards of the gentiles. There are the houses of farmers, and surrounding them are fencing and gardens. Sharp odors of manure the barking of dogs reach your visage, and a row of trees lead you to a crossroad. You still have to pass the church built of red brick with its plantings with care, and the row of fragrant bushes and in its extension, a fruit orchard that reaches up to the home of the Jews. Before you is the shtetl.

This poorly kept road continues to the center of the shtetl, on the outside, and turns to go towards the nearby shtetl to the north, on the left side, a dug-out drainage channel is there, and from the left these are spread out and connected by oak boards that serve as passage during the rainy season. And here is a row of houses one story high, built of wood and finished in plaster. He houses to your left seem a bit higher because they stand on a small hill and look like they are facing the ‘market.’ These houses did not only serve as residences only, because in their middle was a place of business for the sale of marketplace products, flour and salt, salted fish in barrels, and barrels of oil and shoe polish, a linen store, and a leather and haberdashery store.

And there is a display sign on all the houses under the molding that tells what the business is, and who the owner is, in accordance with the permissions granted. And the entrance to these houses

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involved going up a number of stairs and before entering the layout there is to be found in almost all of the houses of the town a place, in order to clean the mud off of one's feet, and to wait if there is a sudden rainfall, and only to sit on it on the Sabbath or summer evenings a gathering place to converse with neighbors. Here, the well-to-do of the city live, and the respected people, among them the Rabbi, the Ritual Slaughterer, and their families. This is the place of the ‘thriving’ businesses, grain and lumber merchants, and ordinary well-connected families that were the envy of the town. This row of houses continues in a gently curved arc, until you come to the train station. This part of the principal street of the town, called ‘The Third of May.’

If you return in the same direction as you came, and to your right you will see residential houses and various stores for iron and vessels for the home, and a store for cigarettes and tobacco whose franchise was granted to a widow burdened with caring for her daughters and one son. In continuing on the street, a rundown inn testifies the signs of wealth when the street was relatively new can still be recognized, and when it lost its prominence, and with the closing of an abandoned house, it instilled a fear among the children of the vicinity. Further on there is a bakery that serves a somewhat small part of the citizenry with bread and related foodstuffs, which most of the local people don't have the means to buy even bread, and they would bake their own challahs on Friday to last them all week.

At this point, the road fans out to side streets, that in the autumn months bear the extra burden of danger from drowning in muddy streets. Further on there is a stone house that was renovated and opened as a clothes store, and this was a big innovation in a small town. And it was here that the ‘market’ spread out before you. It was a large parcel surrounded on rectangular four sides by houses close to each other. This was the center point of commerce of the town, and a place to stop and leave wagons that were bringing their merchandise for sale. This was the place that ‘fairs’ were held, and circuses performed, with carousels from time-to-time, and to this day, it constitutes an attraction that draws most of the town and the gentiles of the vicinity.

In the center of the market, literally beside the sidewalk, there are arrangements of trees in the form of quadrilaterals with slating roofs, that served as a place for the sale of candies, and soda water, it is here that young people who are so motivated, sell ‘tickets’ to the Zionist congresses, and follow the ways of Weizmann and Jabotinsky with regard to the labor movement in The Land. It is in this place that the British conquerors are ‘driven out’ from the Chosen Land and found in its place a Jewish country.

There were stalls standing in a straight line in the direction of the synagogue, continuing a line of houses very little different from the others. Here was a prosperous inn for guests, a house blessed by being steeped with good fortune in its premises. And further on there were houses populated by large families scattered to the wide world. Here and there, the poverty peeks out from every corner, and an abandoned dwelling, cracked walls, burst out widely, and yards that are empty. Hear you can hear the lowing of cows, the bleating of hungry goats, and the crowing of abandoned chickens.

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Close to the Bet HaMedrash, turn again to the right, since we have not yet closed the four-sided ‘market,’ but takes us to a row of old and worn houses, some of which have been repaired and freshly painted. Here, a new porch has been added with stained glass windows, there they will have installed a new door, and a window will have been installed. And from the nearby house they took down the rotten wooden tiles and exchanged them for sparkling tin in the light of the sun. and across from these houses, the Great Synagogue, the bathhouse, and additional units for dwelling that were added. Further on were the cooperative butcher shops that sold Kosher meat. All around them, hungry dogs would prowl without owners, these dogs were not dangerous, and there was no reason to fear them, including the children from the Heder. Quite the opposite, they would give into any pushing and react with vocal yelping at every stone thrown and hitting them, and then flee.

It has been some time since a stone memorial was placed here, and around it were steps that served as a sitting place for the elderly and idlers, and it was here that children played the game of hidden ‘stones.’ At the top of the memorial, at one time a tribute flag was flown to the Austrian Kaiser, and with his defeat, the head was taken down, and it rolled around for many years in the yards of the Jewish people and served as apiece in the game ‘kings’ to the children of the area, until, from the heavens, they took pity on him and it vanished.

During the summer, on a daily basis, the farmers of the area would bring products from their fields and fruit from their trees – cherries, apples, pears and plums. Here. The children would gather and converse with the gentile, while others stealthily took stuff out of the sack, full of the produce of sweet fruit, without payment, and disappear amid the shouts of the simple gentile.

During the cold winter days, the farmers would bring wagon loads of wood to sell for heating the impoverished homes of the Jews.

You now pass over a jumping spot between two houses is too narrow to be traversed by an ordinary walk, and a wagon would pass with only great difficulty. This is the second largest neighborhood. Here live the grain merchants, craftsmen, elementary school teachers, and ordinary Jews who make their living – by traveling to the villages and buying everything that came to hand.

In one of these houses, Rabbi Yitzhak the Dairyman ran his business, while his wife was engaged in the making of butter and cheese for the residents of the city. This butter was different from all butters in its special taste. The butter was weighted out and packaged in very smooth paper that was transparent. The couple was childless, but they loved children. A child who came to purchase something would get his portion with a friendly or a loving pinch in the cheek. R' Yitzhak was appreciative of the Cantorial art and cast his eyes toward Zion. In his house hung a large picture of Jerusalem, the Holy City, and the surrounding hillside, and the location of the Temple was identified in Hebrew Letters.

There were two water wells in the neighborhood. The one to the north was the oldest and preferred. It was very deep, and its waters were cold. The water was transported by means of a pure vessel that was hung on an old pillar that would creak when a load full of water was drawn.

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A second well was dug not far away, and was not deep, found at the side of the road in the neighborhood. Water could be drawn without difficulty, even by just pulling on a rope. This well had one special feature, on Rosh Hashana, most of the congregation would come here for ‘Tashlich’ services, led by its dignitaries, a parade of many participants, mostly women and children. Beside the well, the elderly Rabbi would lean, and his voice resonated and filled the neighborhood. ‘Who is like unto thee O Lord, forgiver of sin, overlooking transgressions to the remnants of his legacy, not holding on to his anger forever, because he is One of Generosity^[1],’

After the prayers, the mood of the onlookers improved. And the group bursts into song for the entire length of the road leading back to the synagogue. This singing already has an augury of the impending arrival of the Sukkot Festival that is imminently arriving.

There is a corner before you which is a wood working shop. A Jewish man or gentile, who was planning to marry off a son or daughter, would come here to order his furniture or the rest of his wooden things. The carpenter is doing manual labor, and he gets up at a very early hour. There are workers here, and a residue of Jews and gentiles. And he had already raised a generation of carpenters competing for this meager income. His sons are already looking to the big city, and they will not practice this trade.

Now continue to the western neighborhood, there you will find the Jewish builders, who put up the skeletons of houses for the Jewish people and gentiles of the shtetl. There is no one in the town or the vicinity that knows how to do this work like them. If a man is looking to build a house, he will buy logs in the forest, have them stripped and taken to the workplace. The rest of the work will be done by the craftsmen for many generations now. The families of the guards are known through the entire area. They will count and evaluate the wood to identify if they should be used for walls or pillars to hold up the roof. A building will rise in a matter of weeks, without an architectural plan. They orient themselves to be in line with existing structures, and they make the decisions. But their best luck comes when they can build a house in one operation. A Jewish man who decides to build a house not in one year, will build it, but not in two years. Over the years, he will buy cut wood trimmings when the opportunity presents itself, and they will be put here exposed to the sun, the autumn rains, and snow. During the summer, they will serve as playthings for Heder children and as soon as they begin to build the foundation, again, it will be left for some time, ‘to breathe in the air,’ and after some time, they will continue with their work. For this reason and lack of work, the builders spend the better part of their time in the surrounding villages, putting up houses for the gentiles and the ‘Nobility.’ During the week, their meals consisted of dried bread and plants, because they were God-fearing men who kept Kosher, and avoided contact with forbidden food. On Saturday nights, when they would come to the synagogue for prayers, they would sit tired over their open prayer books and fall asleep.

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There are other neighborhoods to be found in the town that border of the houses of gentiles, and parts of their fields on the east side, and to the east you will find the residences of the wagon drivers. These are the ones who go to the big city every Sunday to bring goods and produce for the merchants in the town, returning on Thursday or Friday and come back at night. There are times when they will be late on Friday because the roads are not passable, and they were ashamed to come to synagogue and after the Sabbath, they will go to the Rabbi to justify themselves and with a bent head, and a feeling of a heavy guilt, they would discuss this with him and promised that this will not occur gain. These men were trustworthy, and of a straight heart. There work was hard, and their pay was limited, their children, naked and without shoes, their houses cold in the winter. Also for free, and without taking money, they would take packages of food to residents of the town who were to be paid in the Big City, and bringing back lively regards to their families – they would also bring a bundle of white goods for washing, deep shoes that were torn and to be fixed that had been damaged in use, and a letter of longing for the mother of the house.

There is an old house on one of the side neighborhoods. Young people, and seekers of Torah knowledge are drawn there. Studies there are in Hebrew with an Ashkenazic accent, as well as secular studies, such as mathematics and geography. Not every young person is privileged to be accepted into this group, because it is out of respect for the individual rather than any ulterior motive. Almost everyone studies together. This is not a school with a curriculum that is set by fixed hours. If you finished your studies at this school, did all the lessons, learned the syllabus with a Melamed, then you can go there. The participants are local people, sometimes regular students. An example involves an interesting story involving a meeting with [Chaim Nachman] Bialik, and exchange of correspondence with Schneur and Tchernikhovsky, and his friend and comrade AZ”R. He also conveys critiques on the literature of the times. It happens that he sometimes falls asleep in the middle of a class out of exhaustion, and the students sit quietly, and wait patiently.

In the attic of his house, he has a small room, and he stays alone there and writes until his students get together. There, the walls are covered in bookcases. And the students are not allowed to enter without permission. It is only in the winter months that this room is heated, and classes are conducted there. In a stifling heat, but pleasant, the students sit and fix their eyes on the forest of books that surround them. And the books are in German and Russian, and books in the Holy Tongue published by ‘The Society for the Promulgation of the Hebrew Language in Odessa.’ Here, the students first meet to sing the love songs of the young composer My”khL who died in his youth and with the monthly ‘HaShakhar’ of Smolenskin.

There are also two books whose origins are lost, written in hand – pearls of the written word with notes and geometric figures (using a kamatz instead of a cross). These books are by someone who could not get them published for lack of funds.

And the oldest is a man in his eighties. His beard is wide and combed out, his dress is modest, and he wears glasses in a golden frame. He speaks gently, and are listened to intently, and every word,

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and pearl, is etched into memory and guarded there. Out of respect, the pupils there do not know how to address him other than as ‘Rebbe’ or ‘My Teacher.’ When he fell sick towards the end of a summer, and was taken to the big city for an operation from which he did not return, nothing is known about the fate and disposition of his books.

Nevertheless, with his passing, his teachings did not vanish, and spread to areas outside of the With the passage of time, his students published the fruits of his poetry published in memory of ‘The Talented Teacher’ R' Tzvi Elimelech Falk ז”ל.

In one of those days an ardent Drama Club was formed, with the objective of presenting the plays of Goldfadn, Gordon, and others. I do not know from where or whom this idea came. Young men and women, most still in school, would get together in the evenings in a small house in the center of 5the city for rehearsals. The set date for the play finally arrives, and the overwhelming success augured a promising future for all the participants…

Among the actors, you encounter Zippora with dimples. Her lips full of a radiant smile, and Penina, the serious one with the sharp mind, and Hen'chi the tall one with captivating emotion even during ordinary talking. And pale Chay'chi so dear, whose soft voice could be heard only with difficulty during the plays. And the young men with red forelocks like fire, with a powerful and gentle voice, and Itzi and Azriel and Baruch and others, and about them Meir circles around, he is not prepared to accept a part, but his hand is in everything. He is the living soul of the endeavor, from the time of the secret appearances without the knowledge of his parents. And I do not know when this group disbanded…

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On one day, a young girl came to our shtetl, lean and short, but full of life, her two braids were tied to her sides. She speaks rapidly, and exhibits a sharp speech, always laughing. This was

A group of the youth in Stoyanov beside the house of Sh. L. Distenfeld – 1937 Sitting from right to left: Moshe Waldman, Shimon Katz, Israel Gabler, Yitzhak Schneider, Meir Distenfeld, Baruch, the Head of the Group, Yitzhak Loytun, Itzi Wolf Shtimfeld, the farmer Baram, A. D. Varband Standing behind them: Lipa Kriegshaber

And the beloved teacher succeeded greatly, even among the members of the ‘committee.’ Everyone tried to win over her heart, and she, the teacher could not withstand refusal among the attention and kisses among those who didn't see.

Days go by, and the Hebrew language is heard in the streets of the shtetl. The songs of The Land are sung in a choir, and plays are put on for children in Hebrew, and if she encountered a boy or girl along the road, or naturally, she would address them in the Hebrew language…

Hesitantly and with trepidation I approached the writing of these words about my beloved city. It was only in the cause of writing, was it proven to me how great was the mission and how limited were my energies regarding the memories of the past, the experiences of those times, the events and precious personalities. I saw this from the point of view of putting back flesh and blood on the dried-out bones in the Valley of Sorrow….The writers and poets of the shtetl, which had the power to eternalize it with the pen, accurate stories, were exterminated together, and now no trace remains.

I said to myself, perhaps a day will come when there will be found among the descendants of the surviving remnant that are in The Land, a person with the power of articulation, and at least from a second source will be able to provide a further description of our beloved shtetl.

1. A quote from the prayers said at the ‘Tashlich’ ceremony Return

Students and teachers at the local secular school in Stoyanov in 1935

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Before the First World War, the Shtetl of Stoyanov belonged to Austria, but after the creation of the [new] Polish régime, it was added ultimately to this country. It was on the border of the part of Poland called ‘Wolhyn’ not far from Sokal. The county seat of Stoyanov was Radzhikhov, and the valley city was the city of Tarnopol.

There were approximately 5,000 people in the Shtetl, of which 800 were Jews, most of whom made their living from merchandising and retailing. There were also craftsmen among the Jews of the Shtetl, and also jobbers.

We had three places of worship: one synagogue and two Batei Medrashim. The synagogue was constructed from large wooden walls, from top to bottom without plaster. There, prayers were said only on the Sabbath and Festivals. There was a large Bima there, also constructed of wood. Around the Bima there were benches and between the shtender where the leader of services stood before the Ark, on the south and north sides stood two boxes full of sand, and that is where candles were placed to light the synagogue. In addition to the four large copper candelabras were hung in the four corners of the synagogue with iron chain, and in each candelabra, there were six holders, and it was in them that the Shammes R' Hersh Brutman, called Hersh of the side locks, would put a candle into each holder and light them, because at that time there was no electricity in Stoyanov.

The Gabbai of the synagogue was Leib'chi Kandel. He was a special personality, who was born to be a community activist, and from childbirth on, he was first of all head of the Hevra Kadisha, and a member of the community committee. He was a straight and honest man.

It was a special experience to pray in the synagogue during the High Holy Days, when those who led services in front of the Ark were the Rabbi R' Yitzhak Sztumfeller, and the Ritual Slaughterer R' Sholom Shtricker. The entire congregation, from the smallest to full-grown men and women prayed intensely and with ardor. And the village Jews who lived in locations where there was no proper minyan, would come to the Shtetl on the High Holy Days to pray.

During regular weekdays, the entire congregation would pray at the large Bet HaMedrash, whether it was summer or winter. There were minyans there from the dawn to midday. At the first minyan, those who prayed were those who needed to travel to fairs. All the prominent people of the Shtetl, Hasidim and working men prayed in the large Bet HaMedrash.

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A group of the members of ‘Torah VaAvodah’ in Stoyanov in 1930 in the center is the guest from the Land of Israel, Yeshayahu Bernstein

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‘Brit Trumpeldor’ in Stoyanov in the year 1932

After evening prayers, the knowledgeable balebatim would take seats, each with his own Gemara, and they studied until a late hour of the night. Even the young men studied alone, or a few young men together. Those that did not know how to study, sat themselves near the warm stove, and would tell each other all manner of stories, of incidents and stories of what happened to them during The First World War.

Jewish men who returned from the fairs would come to the Bet HaMedrash to warm up and to dissipate the cold that had penetrated to their bones because of being out of doors all day, and to tell anecdotes about how and what they did at the fair.

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There were very interesting Jewish men there such as Yitzhak Elfant, the dairyman, my Melamed R' Chaim Shlomo Tzigman, who would loiter about all day, he and his wife in a village in one of the houses of the farmers and would sell them all manner of goods in trade; They would provide the farmers with linen in exchange for grain, eggs or chickens. R' Chaim Shlomo would return to the homes of the farmers only before noon, during the time when we, the students were studying in the secular school, and at that time he would study by himself. In order to refresh himself and rest, after study, or in the middle of study between chapters, he would stop. We would seat ourselves and did a sort of ‘celebration of a Tzaddik.’ A bit of whiskey was brought in order to drink a ‘L'Chaim,’ and after a light drink, we would tell tales about the Tzaddikim . It was a pleasure to hear, as if from the other world, how R' Shlomo would elaborate on these stories genially, how he would analyze and take apart these stories, and how he would stroke his white beard, and the Ark and all those around it would cock their ears, in order, God forbid, not to lose so much as a word from one who dispensed verbal pearls, he was that intelligent.

There was another interesting Jewish man there: R' Mordechai'li Parnes was his name, and this man was crowned with remaining Jewish learning because he knew how to learn a great deal, he was an excellent Torah reader who knew the entire Torah by heart along with the proper cantillation notes. How did R' Mordechai'leh make a living? He had a small store, but the core of his earning came from bringing yeast from Lemberg and would sell them wholesale to storekeepers. He was also a Melamed, and he would teach the boys who already knew the Gemara with Tosafot commentaries. During High Holy Days, he would lead services before the Ark in the small Bet HaMedrash.

I will try to put down in writing a few other personalities of our Shtetl: there was a Jewish man named Yossl Walechker. This man Yossl was an expert when it came to wood and forests. He was employed by a lumber merchant mostly in the Carpathian [mountains]. There were many forests there, and the merchants would by the wood from the ‘nobility,’ the owners of the forests, and they

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would uproot the trees count them, and send them to sawmills to be cut into walls and boards , and for such work Yossl was the appointed overseer, and he was never at home most of the year except for the holidays, when he came home. He was a cheerful Jewish man, and loved to tell stories, in which of all these stories he would exaggerate a bit. Because of this he was already known for this in the town, that before holidays, what time Yossl Walechker would come home, and he came back loaded with a load of stories and deeds done.

I am reminded of a unique experience that made a very strong impression on me, when after the Mincha service on Rosh Hashana, almost the entire group went to perform Tashlich, apart from a cordon of Hasidim from Ruzhin, whose custom was to go to Tashlich on the day of the thirteen attributes in Selichot before Yom Kippur. The river as far from the city, outside the boundary, and therefore they did not go to the river, but rather to the edge of the well. The prayer houses were on the east side of the city, in a large open parcel, and the well, in a small square beside the house of Itzik Warnber, the carpenter. I pass this picture before my eyes, how many hundreds of worshipers from the young to the old pass through the streets of the city in music and singing, which had the Rabbi and the Ritual Slaughterer, and alongside was Uri Shtricker, who had a strong baritone voice and was among the lead singers. He too, was a special person in our time. He has a flaw in his feet, and had hands were deep, but despite this he was the Secretary of the community committee, and it was interesting to see how he wrote with these deep hands.

Yaakov Shtizl was a help in their singing, having a pleasant voice, he was very poor because he was lax in his work; he was a shoemaker that was because he was nor very successful at it. Nevertheless, he continued and persevered in his work, deriving his living in order to support his large family. But he was better at returning to entrances.

After this procession walked along quite briskly, in melody and song to the side of Abraham Gabler's house, which stood at the east end of the principal street, Pisudski Street, and then cross the main road beside the house of the Shtricker family, and one traverses the alley between the two houses of the Shtricker family and that of Rachel Hochman, the wife of Ziskind Hochman and reach the well, at that point the Rabbi begins to recite the lines of the thirteen elevated qualities, line by line in order that the group following him can repeat after the Rabbi word for word. With the completion of this prayer, the pockets are shaken empty, and their contents are thrown away in lieu of sins. And then they return to their houses of worship, in melody and song, and feeling good-hearted, to recite the Maariv prayers.

After The First World War, and after the Balfour Declaration of 1917, the adherents of national Zionism grew among the Jewish youth, increasing in number, and the numbers of those wishing to realize the Zionist dream grew. To make aliyah as a Halutz came up against the opposition of the will of parents, those young people left their homes in order to join the branch of Halutzim and went out for training, and to get used to living under degraded circumstances, and to become accustomed to do hard labor.

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At the outset, this group of youth worked for the Keren Kayemet L'Israel, and participated in every project tied to the Land of Israel. For example, among other things was the sale of Etrogim from Israel. Our Halutzim undertook an effort that Jews had to and were responsible to buy Etrogim only from the Land of Israel, as opposed to the very religious among the Gabbaim of the synagogue, who promoted the Etrog from Corfu as equivalent, if not better than the Israeli Etrog.

I remember one year, it seems to me, that it was the year 5684 [193x], on the first day of the Sukkot holiday (as was usual, the Etrog was found at the residence of the Rabbi), a large part of the congregation, after ablutions in the mikva, was in the habit of going to the Rabbi, in order to recite the Lulav blessing in his sukkah. But no everyone did this, and those that did not go to the

A Training Kibbutz of ‘HeHalutz HaMizrahi’ in Stoyanov

The Stoyanov Hebrew School in the year 1937

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Rabbi, recited the blessing over the four kinds of fruit in the Bet HaMedrash during prayer, standing in a line and whenever it was someone's turn, they would recite the blessing over the Lulav.

Suddenly! Surely from the heavens… an accident occurred. The tip of the Etrog was broken off, and there are witnesses that saw Abraham Grossman that broke off the tip, and the congregation was let without an Etrog [fit for ritual use].

Police came and arrested Abraham Grossman, who awaited a pending aliyah to The Land. I think I saw a trial and he was declared innocent, and afterwards made aliyah to The Land of Israel, and was among the first who settled in– today [called] Sdey Yaakov and he resides there to this day.

With the completion of the Yizkor Book for the communities of Sokal and its vicinity, in a sudden move, one of the Jewish survivors of Stoyanov was seized away from us, R' Moshe Segal ז”ל, an honest and straightforward man, who enjoyed his manual labor, and was content with his lot.

One's hand trembles out of disbelief, that this is the manifestation of our great pain, and R' Moshe is no longer with us, and he still was in the good years of his life.

It is difficult to describe in these few numbered lines what his way of life was, his integrity, his modesty that aligned itself with modest people the way precious R' Moshe that always had a smile pasted to his lips, interesting himself in issues pf a communal nature, such as his questions about personalities, who ran to perform a mitzvah, valued and respected Rabbis, set time aside for Torah study and prayer, was suffused with a love of Zion and the Land of Israel without bounds, and overall was one who practiced being just, and spoke the truth from his heart.

Close to twenty years after I was privileged to make aliyah out of the Valley of Death, I had the privilege to meet up closely with the deceased ז”ל, through family connections and through correspondence which we carried on while I was in the Diaspora. I saw in him a model of a pious international Jew, in the full sense of those words, he was modest, and of delicate spirit, by the way he wrote about himself, his town and birthplace, Stoyanov, using this type of expression:

‘As I approached the task of writing down something about the Shtetl of Stoyanov and its vicinity, I asked myself, Who am I and what am I that I should suddenly become an author in Israel? But from the outset, I saw in this a sacred duty and the time was ripe and this was the last opportunity to record something in writing to that very Shtetl and to those honest and straight people that were murdered by the cursèd Nazi troops, and their accomplices the Ukrainians and Poles ימ”ש. And I am but a supplication to The Name May He Be Blessed to give me the strength and clarity of thought to suffice in describing the lives of the people in the Shtetl as it really was, without any personal biases.’

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Who is the one who sees but is fortunate to see – so said our Sages of Old. In words of the final opportunity, an a prayer to Hashem May Be Blessed to give me the strength and intellect, so did the deceased ז”ל react when he knew his time was short in this earth, and with a broken heart he describes our Shtetl and the annihilation of his dear ones and pleads for heaven's mercy, and finishes with, but we need a great deal of mercy. The mercy of heaven, help you people and bless their legacy.

I have neither the physical nor emotional strength to even give a short excerpt from his unique way of life, from the time he made aliyah to The Land years before The Second World War, as a wondrously pious Halutz in order to build up the Land of Israel in the spirit of the Torah, but we have no choice but to take solace and learn from his ways, and to realize to the extent possible, his desires to erect a repaired group, whose honesty and justice will be a role model, and with this we will provide emotional comfort to his holy soul in the World of Truth.

A group of halutzim in Stoyanov in the year 1934 (In the first row, from the right): Baruch Ch”rg, Aryeh Farbaner, Israel Galber (Second row, right): Shimon Katz, Abraham Rav Ravnr, Alter Brickenstein, Yehoshua Havel (Third row from the right): Havel (The younger brother), Meir Distenfeld, Mordechai Katz

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I was young went I left Stoyanov, and it is my desire to raise some of the flickering from the great light that we left there. At the end of the year 1939 I left my parents, brother and sister, my grandfather and grandmother – well-branched out families and their descendants, and all friends, male and female, at the same time that the tread of The Scourge ימ”ש. This because – I feared that I will not get to see The Land, and the goal was to get there by all means.

A group of halutzim from Stoyanov, 1938

As was the case in all towns, in our Shtetl we had a large synagogue built of wood, with large windows, and two locations each serving as a Bet HaMedrash, a place for community institutions and a public bath.

I remember my youth when there was activity and alertness to everything going on in The Land. All were united in one central desire to make aliyah to The Land and build it up. This, and the fact that most others in the land were closed to them.

My father, Gershon ז”ל, was a very pious Jewel committed to tradition, yet a Zionist in heart and soul. For his entire life his desire was to go to Zion. He belonged to the ‘Mizrahi’ group.

In the house we breathed Zionist air. I recall the nights of Tisha B'Av when my father ז”ל used to recite ‘Lamentations.’ At that hour we all felt the destruction of The Temple, over which my father cried and in truth mourned for real. In my ear, the words of [Isaiah] echo: ‘Comfort ye, comfort ye my people…’ that I will never forget.

I remember a scion of our Shtetl named Rabbi Alter. He was a poverty-stricken man, broken under the yoke of caring for children, all his interest lay in Zion. Each and every day, he would come into our house, glance at the newspapers and took an interest in every item pertaining to The Land of Israel. No other subject interested him, and even the concern about making a living did not distract him.

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From the time that the Tel-Aviv harbor opened, and he learned that the first one taking off his back at the harbor will have his picture in the paper, his joy was boundless. With tears running from his eyes, he said: all I wanted to do was be a porter in our harbor, the harbor of Tel-Aviv, and sustain myself by eating one orange a day, apart from being in The Land. But he did not achieve this, and his fate was like the fate of the rest of the resident population, that were annihilated by The Scourge ימ”ש.

A group of young women from Stoyanov on the occasion of the aliyah of their friend Szifra in 1937. Hedva Waldman, Nissya Holtzman, Dvora Flavner, Nechama Schrager, Cira Leotun, Chana Shomer

I thought a lot about these words, and how a thin line of a few had the privilege to be on the heels of the aliyah of the first to extend help to the nation – truly the saving of the nation.

Our brother Abraham Dov Warbner was born in the month of Sivan 1910 in Stoyanov. When he was fourteen years old, he had already to write poetry and stories, plays that he prepared were dedicated to the subject of ‘Hibat -Tzion,’ in which there are the heart of rhymes, and the melodies were written by himself

At this age, he published stories, and songs, in the papers and bulletins of the Halutz movement. To continue his studies, he moved to Lvov, where he studied at an intermediate-level school. After this he continue his studies in the Jewish Teachers Seminary, headed by Prof. Netaneli-Rotman

At the beginning of the thirties, he would publish in the daily papers of ‘Der Morgen’ ‘Khvalleh’ and ‘Heint’ and the weekly leading publications of the ‘Hitakhdut,’ ‘Dos Nyeh Vort.’ ‘Volk und Land’ and in a like manner he participated in writing articles for them.

In a like manner, he published his writing and poems in the literary newspaper ‘HaSoleil,’ that appeared in Lvov under the editorship of Prof. Netaneli-Rotman. The products of his pen could also be found in many other papers.

During this period the published a novel, in parts, in the paper ‘Der Morgen,’ called ‘The Year 1933 of 1934?’ It was a story that described the preparations being made by the German Nazis in preparation for the future war.

In 1934 he published in Lvov a folio of poems called ‘Horrors.’ Most of the poems represented a warning to the world about the Holocaust that was drawing ever near.

Like most of his friends, he studied in school under very difficult and hard circumstances, but he never once lacked for food. This influenced his spirit, and especially his health. His fragile health influenced the course of his spirit, and in this poetry is where he took the order of the world to task.

Most of the poems he wrote between 1934-1938 are suffused with sadness and despair.

In the period between 1934-1938 he published in the teacher's newspaper ‘Tenuateynu’ that appeared in Lvov.

Dov was suffused with a pioneering spirit and longing for the Land of Israel, which he expressed in his poetry and plays. His connection to The Land were also expressed in stories and poetry that he sent to ‘The Land,’ ‘Davar LiYeladim,’ and others. These appeared in the newspapers: ‘Turim,’ ‘Davar’ ‘Davar LiYeladim’ and others.

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Up till the year 1938, the year he made aliyah to The Land, he was engaged in teaching at Hebrew school during the week. In the year 1938 he made aliyah to The Land and signed up for the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. These we days of unstable events in The Land. His parents, who had come at an earlier time, found a very hard and difficult condition, and very difficult to become acclimated.

His poem “Your Father Is Not Dead” is dedicated to the victims of the 5796-5799 [Hebron] riots:

“Your father is not dead,
Your father is alive
In the root of the tree, and in the shadow of the branch
In Degania A' and Degania B'
Your father is not dead…”

In a like manner, he writes a poetic prayer to the son, who goes out to work amid danger, and it is his father's prayer that accompanies him on his way:

“Protect the paths of Zion, Almighty One!
For the sake of the father who awaits his son
On this night, indeed, this night
Amen…”

In that same year, he returns to the Diaspora for purpose of bring his wife back.

It took several days before he received the required consents to proceed to The Land, closed by the malfeasance of The Scourge.

For the entire time of the war, we had no news in hand. During the Russian capture he was still in touch with us. With the entrance of the German Army to promote slaughter in Galicia, this contact stopped.

One of those who was saved from the Holocaust, Eliezer Unger, wrote about him in his book ‘Zakhor’ which was published in The Land in 1945. In this book there are a few details about the life of Dov during wartime.

In a conversation with him, Unger told us that Dov had several serious works in prose and poetry that he dreamt of publishing, however for lack of the means, he was unable to do so. We know nothing of these details and do not know what happened to him; all trace of him was lost.

Even before we had gathered here to unite with the memory of our martyrs and sanctified ones that were annihilated inn the Holocaust, it was imposed upon us that we make sure to unite with the memory of one of the finest people of our city, Yaakov ben Joseph, may his memory be for a blessing.

It was only yesterday, before sunset, that the heavens wept for our loss, and he was brought to his final resting place and the grave was dug in the form of Sdeh Yaakov in the valley of Jezereel. In a grove among a stand of pine trees of the Keren Kayemet. Which, in his day he personally planted, and worked over them – that is where he was laid to rest.

Yaakov's character needs to serve as a model for us in making do with the least, and of commitment to the community. A scion of our city, in eulogizing him yesterday beside his grave said, ‘the greatest of the mitzvot are the ones that involve one person doing something for another.’ And in this respect Yaakov rose high in his commitment and concern for impaired and the suffering.

His path in life was hard, and his life was one long chain of troubles and suffering, however, he did not complain, and quietly accepted his pains, and was content with his lot.

They remained as three orphan brothers in their youth when their parents were killed in the First World War. Their grandmother raised and educated them, they were forged in want and poverty. While still in their youth, the began to work to support themselves, and to everyone's surprise, grew to be intelligent people who were seekers of knowledge. The studied and completed this work on their own. One of the brothers, Yehuda ז”ל was involved with teaching for many years in Tartakov and Sokal, until he was exterminated in the Holocaust. His brother Abraham, separated for long life, was a man of the fields and he lived in Sdeh Yaakov. Yaakov was a beloved friend to all. He had a wondrous memory and was like a fountain growing in vigor. In the late years, he was involved in the study of the Tanakh, and in reading books. He was a living encyclopedia regarding people and events. He remembered the people and events of our town as if by a miracle. And if there was ever a question on some event, they would go to him and ask for his answer.

He made aliyah in the year 1925 but was compelled to return for family reasons. For all the years until his second aliyah, he was involved in the affairs of ‘HeHalutz’, and we were the ones who were his trainees and pupils.

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When he arrived for the second time in 1936, all the well-known burdens of acclimatization were heaped on him: illness, unemployment, and an inability to sustain himself. During the periods of unrest, he volunteered himself as a guard and was even wounded in this regard.

After a difficult struggle, it looked like he had finally come to a legacy of peace, and a sudden death took him.

It was only a year ago that he moved to Haifa, he built a new house but had not even dedicated it – and he bowed and fell. He will be missed greatly. He will be missed by all those who relied on him in troubled times

May his memory by for a blessing.

1. Things said at the second annual memorial meeting of the Émigrés of Sokal, Tartakov, Varenzh and Stoyanov on December 30, 1963, in the Zion House in America. Return

The first day, June 22, 1941, – at 4AM in the morning. The thunder of explosions reached my ears, but in my sleep, I did not understand what they meant. I did not know that this would be my last night I which there would be tranquility: Noise emanating from Hitler drilled holes in my back from second to second, and I did not know that this was the last night that the terrifying night would descend, one that would last for four years. When I aroused myself from my sleep, I found the entire family, standing beside my bed with frightened eyes, as if the question floated about their mouths: What does this mean? My father-in-law ז”ל, Abraham Galber, attempted to soothe the spirits by saying that this was merely a military exercise, by I and others understood that this explanation stood alone: it is a war, and one that caused something terrifying and compelling for the fate of every Jewish person. We ran to the street, to be among Jews, and to become informed. There, we found the others who were gathering and coming together, with the same look of fright in their eyes and the same question on their lips. There were those who attempted to comfort and calm, or perhaps believed in this as the end of Hitler, that Russia would break his bones that with it, will be the end of the troubles for the Jews. But most of the Jews did not believe this, And I don't know why, they believed in Russian power, and though of the Russians as ‘dummies on wooden legs.’ The gunshot continued to become more intense, the sound of the explosions drew more and more close, on the firmament of the sky a fire went up, and in the areas, a huge smoke cloud floated. (The Russian-German border was only twenty kilometers from Stoyanov). Suddenly a horde of fleeing people appeared, each running for their lives (these were the Russians that worked on building the railroad tracks, and their families). At 10 o'clock the voice of Molotov carried over the environs of the city, that informed us that the enemy secretly had invaded our homeland. It was then that the reason for the e gunfire and flames , the smoke and fleeing people became clear. The movement of the fleeing from the border became more and more clear, and the speed of the fleeing became faster and faster, taking on the appearance of a run of panic, a fleeing from death. In the city itself there were many Russian families that had been designated to guard the rail tracks and other things. In short order,

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it became evident that these people were quickly packing up their belongings, putting them on freight trucks, and joining their fleeing fellow countrymen in their flight. My brother-in-law, Israel, worked for an officer of such a unit, for whom a freight truck stood by, and he decided to ride on it himself. Israel burst into the house on the run, with the observation that, but opposite to the gaze of my worried mother, a look full of worry and love, but more on his disposition. He came into the house several times, waiting for some sign of agreement, but the desired signal was not given. Four of his friends answered the call, joined the Russians, and remained alive.

Only these four left the town. The Jews stood and looked at the fleeing Russians, some in vehicles, some in wagons, some on foot, and they stood there like stones and did not move from their places. True, it was practically impossible to flee – there were no vehicles, and it was not possible to get far away on foot, the front was too close, and the Germans were moving too fast, but there was not even an attempt to move. The reasons for this are different: there was no faith in the Russians and their power, they did not believe they could stand the conflict against the Germans. Letters that had come from the environs of Siberia instilled terror and fear of a possible joining and connection with the Russians. At the time that my brother-in-law was indecisive – to travel or to remain? An intelligent and understanding Jew, named Yehoshua Faber entered the house and said: ‘I will not leave my house, in order to turn and wander into Russia. If I must die – better to do so in my home.’ There was an added reason – Jews that fought with the Germans in The First World War, Jews who were familiar with the German culture that had been lost, and the image of a person that came from Hitler and his colleagues, and just plain Jews, could not conceive or imagine for themselves what the Germans were planning to do to them by day, in the eyes of the entire world of the twentieth century. They hear different things, read the newspapers, but a descent to such a [low] level was beyond their grasp, and as a result they could not believe what they heard, and because of this remained behind.

The fleeing stopped at about 12 o'clock. The gunfire ceased as well. In the town itself, one did not see any Russians or Germans. A lack of presence and the island of stillness grew from hour to hour. There was a feeling that this was a calm before a storm, which people felt in their gut and hearts. Those Jews that came from the gentile areas told of a substantial happiness there, and that the gentiles were making ready to confront something. In our house, we began to search about to see if there might be anything that is suspicious or would cast suspicion. First, we burned all the books and newspapers. This was due to ensure that the Germans would not find an excuse that they had found communist literature. And so, in this way we burned all the books and newspapers. It was particularly hard for my wife to burn the jubilee book of ‘Heint,’ that she had received as a prize. My father-in-law buried a number of whiskey bottles that were in the house, out of a fear that they would get drunk and shoot in their drunkenness. They his things of value, because they suspected plunder. But, to hide things in an atmosphere of fright is not easy. Wherever you put something – it is not secure, and for these reasons items were carried from place to place. The burning of books was the most difficult of the decisions to make. Books were burned slowly and with difficulty, because if one hurried you add smoke from the pile, and someone is bound to think this is something belonging to the enemy. After this, came an assessment of life? If among the gentiles there is any discussion about money, or some other basis, was this now not an opportunity to potentially exact vengeance? The truth of the matter was that we feared the local gentiles more than we feared the Germans. We knew

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that they were enemies to the soul and were only waiting for an opportunity to even the score. My father-in-law had one such enemy, that on top of everything else was strong, a thief who spent a number of years in jail, and this only magnified the terror. When this very gentile would pass by the house, the fear grew boundless. And this is how the night fell. The Jews sat in darkened dwellings (they were afraid to light a candle), and when from time-to-time a Jew went to inquire of his neighbor: what's new, and what is going to happen?

On the morning of June 23, 1941 as I stood by the window, I could detect the presence of Russian tanks moving from the direction of Radzhikhov. These were five new Russian tanks. They went through the town alongside our house, in the direction of the railroad station. A spark of hope leapt up among us, that perhaps the Russians had overcome the Germans. But after a while, the tanks returned the way they came, and not far from our house in front of them appeared German tanks from the direction of Sokal: And these began to fire towards the Russian tanks. In the house, a panic ensued. We grabbed everything that came to hand, and we fled the house. This battle finished quickly, and we returned to the house. Later, not far from the town, we uncovered the five Russian tanks as being burned, and their crews were all killed.

Immediately with the end of the battle, the town was flooded with a wave of German soldiers. The first came on bicycles, after them tanks and freight trucks loaded with soldiers. Like a powerful stream of water, the German Army poured through the town, vehicle after vehicle, vehicles in the tracks of prior vehicles, to tens, hundreds and thousands after them, trod the Germans on foot. The came as a horde with deafening sounds of insane victory, as if a cloud had passed over – that is how they descended on the town. Young, robust, stand straight, armed from head to foot – that is the way they walked. In a like manner, they entered Jewish houses to bathe and shave. In their pride and a sense of personal confidence, their arrival made the impression that they were not going out to do battle, but to hunt or attend a party. After some time, they were ordered not to enter Jewish houses because their residents were dirty unkempt and dangerous. After the length of the main street only Jews lived, and so the Germans stood beside their vehicles, and the Jews brought water out to them to wash outside. The German Army that went through our town using a countless number of vehicles. People and supplies, mechanical and medical were organized in a wondrous way, and it canceled out the hopes and expectations leaving only the loss of hope, resignation, and a deep aggravation too heavy to bear.

In the town, in a short period of time, a Ukrainian rule appeared, with Ukrainian police. The Ukrainian populace met the German Army with flowers and applause. Very quickly a victory gate was erected, decorated with Ukrainian and German flags. As a side note, about a year and a half before this, they erected a tower decorated with different flags, when the Soviet Army entered. This is the way the German Army marched, the strongest of armies in the world, the Germans sang the ‘Horst Wessel’ song that tells of ‘Jewish blood spilled by a dagger…’ and the Ukrainian populace preceded them with an ecstasy of liberation, and a sea of flowers.

The Jews sat in closed-up houses that were locked with bitter souls; all their possessions were treated as worthless. And so began the ‘hut’ for Jews and their assets. The drafted the sons of all those of all ages, mature men, women, to do labor. The Ukrainian army and police during one interval. The

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army took the Jews out to work on the roads, and the Ukrainians to different hard labor in the town. The drafting to do work was done with no plan, as if one hand doesn't know what the other is doing, and in an invasive and degrading manner. Jews were forced to clean the lavatories, etc.

When completing one job, a person would frequently be grabbed on his way home, tired and hungry, he was immediately sent to another job. The Ukrainians erected offices to direct them, and the Jews gave all their assets and furniture and all other necessities. Jewish girls were ordered to wash windows, clean the floors, under a hail of imprecations, mockery and beating.

The third day, June 24, 1941 , early in the morning two German soldiers entered our house. Shouting: ‘Juden – Raus!’ (They did not speak to any Jews, the special look on their face was the equivalent of a shout) ‘Take all your work tools and get out!’ By ‘work tools’ they referred to implements used for digging. Without such an implement, a Je was not permitted to be found in the street. The shovel was a sign and symbol of his going to work or returning from it. We went out into the street, there, all the Jews of the town were already gathered, among them the Rabbi and the Shokhet. All of us were taken to the place of work, which was the road on the way to Sokal. Our mission was to repair this road and make it usable for vehicular transport (this road was all dust). The tanks and loaded freight trucks made deep pits, and we were ordered to fill these pits with dirt, so that the moving army that did not stop would be able to continue to move without disruption. We took the dirt out of the channels on both sides of the road, and we were ordered to make those channels as straight as a ruler, and since the pits were more than deep, we went to the nearby forest, we cut branches, we put them into the pits and covered them with dirt. If a vehicle became stuck in a pit of this type, we had to quickly come out of the channels and free the vehicle, and all this at maximum speed in order that the remaining vehicles would be able to move ahead, and not be stuck there. To the sound of a shouted order of the soldiers that stood guard, we jumped out of the channel, we grabbed the vehicle on all sides and tried to get it out of the pit. When we did not succeed in this, the vehicle drivers tied ropes and we Jews took hold of the ropes on both sides, under the shouts of: ‘Hurry up, you cursèd Jews!’ The vehicle is freed, and immediately there were leaps back into the channel to do the work of hauling out dirt, until the next vehicle got stuck. The first day of work went by without anything. We worked diligently it was hard, but our strength still held up. The Ukrainians worked as well, but they worked in a group separated from us. The recesses and guard changes of the Germans also were opportunities for us to rest; they ate their lunch at 11:30AM. We sat three Jews to a group, guarded by an older German soldier, he was looking around at his surroundings, and quickly put down a loaf of bread near us, and disappeared. The truth of the matter is we were not hungry. At 15:30PM we were let go from work with the Ukrainians, and sent to our homes, but on our way back to our homes, may were grabbed by Ukrainian police and sent to do further work. This is the way we went back and for to work each day. We worked but we were fortunate in working outside of the city, because the work in the city was much worse. The fear there was much greater. There was no set time for doing work. From time-to-time, a German soldier or a Ukrainian policeman would take out the remaining Jews left in the city to do and did it in a way that he accompanied it with pushing and beating. When they returned from one workplace, it was possible for another soldier to that individual to other work, again being taken under the cover of insults and beating.

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Black Friday

Friday June 27, 1941, almost all the grown-up Jewish men of the city were taken out for work outside of town. At the beginning, the work began as usual as on every day. At about 10 o'clock we took note that the soldiers guarding us had armed themselves with staves, and immediately afterwards an ‘aktion’ began. We stood in the channels and dug out dirt; when a loaded freight truck stopped and the guards began to shout: ‘Hurry, outside.’ ‘We came out of the channels, and they began to beat us with the staves, to quicken the pace of unloading the truck.’

We surrounded the auto, and attempted to free it, while they shouted ‘Hurry!’ and they beat us. When the vehicle was freed, and went on its way, a shout came: ‘quick, back to work’ and we returned to the channels amidst being beaten. In the fear and confusion that was created, it was hard to find the specific working tools, and the evidence that they were not found intensified the beating of the Germans. The work began only when a second vehicle appeared and there was a repetition of coming out of the channels accompanied by cruel beatings. Here, beside the vehicle, the pushing started. Everyone wanted to be as close to the body of the vehicle and thereby be at a distance from the beating Germans. About eighty men surrounded one auto, and it was the last who received the most intense portion of the beating. For extra heavy vehicles, ropes and cables were attached and part of us pulled on them, while others pushed the vehicle from the sides. And the soldiers kept beating and shouting: ‘schnell, lus Jude.’ It was their habit, out of maliciously and we were compelled to free the stuck heavy vehicle by ourselves. A rope was torn, the Germans would argue that we tore it, and they intensified their beatings. A rain started to fall. The ground turned to mud. The heavy and sticky earth stuck to our shoes, to our hands and intensified our efforts until our strength gave out. The Germans intensified their beatings and shouted that this was our last day, and we will no longer return to our homes. We walked and grew weak. There were those among us who became injured as a result of their weakened state, while we were trying to free the vehicles. By contrast with previous days, we remained to work until a late hour in the night, and we got nothing to eat or drink. At about 9PM, when movement along the road was halted, we were ordered to sit down on the wet ground, and they went to take counsel as to what they will do with us. They told us that we would no longer see our homes or families. We were certain they would fulfill this. As we sat, this is what we quietly said to one another. Together with the Rabbi, we recited a ‘Vidui.’ After about an hour, the officer appeared called to the Rabbi that he is responsible if we all do not return tomorrow to the same place. When I returned home, late at night, I found all the members of my family sitting beaten. When I hadn't returned from work at my usual hour, they thought something terrible had happened to us, and we would no longer return to see the. On top of all this my wife and sister Jocheved had a difficult day. At first, they worked together with the other Jewish women, in the train station loading and unloading heavy stones, and after that, until a late hour at night, they worked at the school that had been transformed to a military hospital, in the washing of military uniforms soaked in blood from other hard labor.

On the Sabbath, I rose early an after a night of difficult soul searching and suffering, I decided not to return to this same work. It was forbidden to stay home. Accordingly, I walked to a different workplace – on the road to Radekhiv. And we had all decided to do this, even not having spoken to

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one another, and decided as if with one mind. Groups were created, and each group worked in a different place but as far as possible from our original workplace. I worked with a group of Jews far from the city. At 8 o'clock two Ukrainian police approached us on bicycles. They ordered us to return to the city as quickly as possible. When we returned to the city, we saw other groups being brought there. Solitary individuals succeeded to flee through the grain fields.

When we reached the city, the soldiers from yesterday were already waiting for us. They arranged us in groups of three and brought us to our previous place of work. The placed the agéd Rabbi, Yitzhak Sztumfeller ז”ל at the head. As we left the city, the order was given ‘To run!’ quickly, and from time to time ‘more quickly!’ Whoever could not run – was beaten. The worst of them was a soldier on who , and when someone of us was ordered to return it, and had a Red Cross scarf over his neck, when he broke his stave across our backs be began to wield his steel helmet. The Rabbi who ran first weakened and asked a young fellow that was running after him a bit of water from his canteen. The German detected this. He took the canteen, hit the young man with a stave, and pointed for him to hit the Rabbi in order to make him move faster, this did not happen. This was the way we ran for the entire distance. To our luck, the Germans were forced to run, and when they grew tired, and sluggish, we were convinced that we were running to our death. However, when we reached the workplace, the soldiers and guards received ab order to commence work. In their place cam other soldiers, and work began as usual.

A few days afterwards four Jews were arrested: Mordechai Eliphant, Benjamin Beryl, Kleinman, and David Segal. We found them afterwards shot on our way to work in the grain fields, in an open pit not far from the city. With a great deal of effort, we received permission to give them a Jewish burial. There was a rumor that the local head Ukrainian priest together with the Germans, conducted a secret trial. And sentenced them to death, for the crime of doing work with the Soviets. This was the way the Germans behaved in every city they reached.

The front moved quickly away, and the Germans decided to run the town by German rules. A Judenrat was created, that consisted of five people. The head was Yehoshua Faber, an intelligent ardent Zionist, and as became clearer much later, a very honest Jewish person. The remaining members were: Hona Segal, Sholom Shtricker, Ephraim Gerstner, and Katriel Holzmann. All were honest Jewish men and possessed good will. The Judenrat of Stoyanov was subordinate to that of Radzhikhov, the county seat, that was also the county Judenrat. A Jewish police force was also created whose purpose was to support the Judenrat, in carrying out its orders. The Judenrat, in a limited fashion, attempted to align itself in assisting Jews in need, to the range of its possibilities and ability; and on occasion was able to postpone pogroms or other assaults. And because of the Judenrat, the Jews initially felt a measure of lightening of their plight.

When a German saw an elderly Jew, he would literally lose his composure. It is not possible to describe the murderous sadism in which they ‘dealt’ with the elderly Jew. First, they laughed and mocked him, afterwards they grabbed him and cut him with a knife. There were instances where they

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would set a beard on fire. As you can understand, the Jews began to tell their elderly people about this. There was also a demand by the Judenrat that in order to escape torture, the Jews should reveal their old people, and anyone who regardless refused to do so, was put in solitary confinement, did not show himself in the street, and it was bad and bitter for the Jew who did this, if seized by a German in is house when his old man shaved his beard. The Jews went out into the street with shortened beards, looked at one another and burst into tears of embarrassment and sorrow.

The prohibition to leave one's house – The Germans issued an order in which the Jews were forbidden to leave their homes, and to come in contact with the Christian populace. The Jews remained in the town, and it was forbidden for them to visit a village. And how were they to live? And from where will they get food?

A German soldier suddenly appeared in the town (the army having left the town for some time)who set himself a goal of playing with and entertaining the Ukrainian populace using means of torture and abuse of Jews. Woe unto any Jew who fell into his hands. My father-in-law – a Jew at his full strength, who was a junior officer in the Austrian army in The First World War, among those who were not prepared to live under Soviet rule and wait for change – was one of his victims. One day, on his return from work, he was seized by this soldier. When my father-in-law returned home it was hard to recognize him. He told that immediately after being seized by this soldier, tend of Ukrainians gathered around him (this was on a Sunday). First, he subjected him to military discipline. He ordered him to run and fall, to return, and run and fall again. And because this was after a rainfall, and there were puddles of water, and he was ordered to fall into the water, and all of this to the laughter and enjoyment of the Ukrainians that came to see these games of fooling around. Afterwards, he directed him to walk on all fours like a cow, and in the end to pasture like a cow, to eat grass, thorny grass, and other sadistic tortures.

Approximately four weeks after the entry of the Germans, and order was given that every Jew aged ten and above must wear a white armband with a Star of David. According to this order, the band had to be cut from white linen about 15 centimeters wide. A Star of David was to be sewn in the middle using blue thread. In its center was to be a personal number of each and every Jew. A Jew would be seized without this recognizable sign in the center would be sentenced to death – the order said. The women and girls sat a whole night sewing these bands. On the next morning, all the Jews were wearing this sign. It was possible to identify a Jew from quite a distance. And this was the objective of the Germans.

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Sending Jews to the Work Camp at Kuzaki

At the beginning of December 1941, the Stoyanov Judenrat was asked by the Judenrat of Radzhikhov under order of the Germans to send thirty-two young Jewish men to the Kukazki work camp (Kuzaki was a place beside Zloczow, about 70 kilometers from Stoyanov). It was additionally said that the implementation of this order would be assisted by the Ukrainian police, and that is when the confusion and running about began: who shall be sent? It was understood that those who would be sent are not likely to come back.

The Judenrat came into the picture in order to help decide the question and offer advice. Additional Jews were added to the sitting group that were not members of the Judenrat. They joined, but we4re unable to help decide the question. They did not have much time. Whenever the Germans demanded anything from the Jews, it was to be done on the spot immediately. In this case the matter lasted into the morning of the next day. If they arrive at n decision, the Germans will take whom they want and as many as they want. In the meantime, the matter became known in the city. Mothers began to run to the place of the meeting crying and screaming. They argued that when it came to a mother, it did not matter which of her sons they took. All children were seen to be unique. The members of the Judenrat were cast into a great quandary. At the end, the decision was taken to take unmarried men from families that had more than one unmarried son. But every finger cut off leads to the same pain. Even members of the Judenrat had unmarried men and boys. Here it important to say something both to absolve and praise Yehoshua Faber, that kept his patience and included both his brother and brother-in-law in the sent group. Thirty-two young men were selected, who were healthy. Children of poor families who had nothing of their own or Judenrat supplies with boots warm clothing and food. They were promised that food would be sent along in time, and they will be relieved by others. And as a result, as long as this went on, they were sent food by wagons and even changed some of them out. Hona Segal – a member of the Judenrat – accompanied the wagons whenever food was sent, and a number were switched.

At the end of December 1941 an order was issued for the Jews to turn over all the clothing they possessed. (Gold, silver, and valuables had been plundered previously in a similar manner). This clothing consisted of adult jackets for men and women made from fur, linings of fur and fur scarves. The Judenrat, as usual was held responsible for carrying this order out exactly. and Yehoshua Faber, the Rabbi my father-in-law and two addition Jews were taken as hostages and brought to the German police in Radikhczow, The Judenrat, as usual was held responsible for carrying this order out exactly. Jews were approached while at work and it is understood implicitly that the Jews turned all this over to the Germans. On the morrow, it was possible to see Jews dressed in Jackets with no linings and without scarves.

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The Mood Amidst the Jews

The Jews were locked up in their houses. They were denied the ability to exit for any purpose. After niner o'clock no Jew was to be seen in the streets, by order. Jews encountered one another at work, and at night, a Jew would sneak into a neighbor's house for conversation. The Jews wished each other well, and asked: When will the liberation come? When will his (e.g. Hitler's) downfall come? What did the Jews discuss?

In the half-darkened but not sealed off houses, as they lend an ear to hear of there is a knock, and they are not coming to take anyone to work or to plunder and even to kill, or perhaps someone from the Judenrat is coming and he has bad news. They conveyed what they know about what was going on at the front, what they read in the Ukrainian newspapers (Jews did not receive newspapers), and all news from the front or information between parties which they wanted to spread with a spark of hope, as a basis for his eventual downfall. There was a great thirst to take vengeance. There were those who were willing to give it all to see his [Hitler's] downfall. Not one among the Jews, and my father-in-law among them said that they were prepared to sacrifice themselves in order to do battle with the Germans, but what about the others: The collective responsibility that the Germans introduced in their form of punishment, reached to any uprising and vengeance. Religious Jews sought for signs of the Messiah in everything. They began to believe in all manner of portents and prophecies. One young man stood on the street and took note of a couple of birds that were fighting. He immediately designated one as Hitler and the other as Stalin, and the result of this conflict was that ‘Stalin’ had prevailed, and the entire city knew about this in a very short period of time. The trouble and beatings that were made harder and more intense fell on the Jews one after another. Life was replete with suffering of hunger and fear. Food on which to live was obtained from Gentiles by trading away house items, clothing for a small amount of potatoes. Potatoes were the most essential form of food, and on rare occasions accompanied by a small amount of bread and oil. The women became experts at preparing potato dishes. The gentiles would come in and demanded that we give them valuables that were most dear to us, not only because of their financial worth, but also because of their religious and emotional value, such as Saturday clothing, of a family artifact that had been passed down from generation to generation, their argument being: ‘in any event you won't need these anymore!’ There were those gentiles that refused to stand on Jewish property complaining that it was unclean and sinful. In the middle of the winter, news reached us from Lvov that a ghetto had been constructed, and that ghettoes were erected in other places as well, or that they moved Jews from a town to such a ghetto. This news caused additional troubles to sprout. What is to be done with the few valuables that had been guarded for generations, up to the time of the assaults and after plundering? To hide these things, that is, to bury them in the ground – they would have to clean out the entire house and this would be done with maximum speed, so there would be no time to remove these valuables. If they don't hide these things, then the transgressors will come, Ukrainians or Germans and steal them. The Jews were in the habit of praying, but only individually. The synagogue and Bet HaMedrash had been destroyed by the Germans immediately after they entered the town. They took out the Torah scrolls, tore them, spread them out on the floor and violated the sanctity of this sacredness. When a Jew prayed, there had to be a guard to watch for any German that might approach. On Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, the Jews prayed in secretly concealed houses. There

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was always a Jew who stood watch outside to warn of impending danger, if it should come. The Shofar was blown into an enclosed container, in order that its sound not be heard outside.

As Purim of 1942 began to draw near, they began to talk of aktionen, that the Germans were carrying out in cities and towns. Everyone already knew the implication of these aktionen. Five days before Passover 1942, the Judenrat of Radzhikhov arranged for a joint meeting with the Judenrat of the nearby towns, including Stoyanov to be held in secret. At this meeting, it was made clear that the Germans were planning an aktion in this vicinity in the coming days; when the Gestapo made it known, that if the Jews would make an effort and turn over a set sum of gold, they would only take those Jews whose names were written down in lists that the Judenrat would prepare for this purpose, and maybe a slightly larger number. If the Judenrat would not engage in such an activity. They will take whoever they please and how many they please, and the first in that line would be the members of the Judenrat and the Jewish police. This meeting took place in the house of the head of the Radzhikhov Judenrat: Adolph Krantz. Apart from the members of the Judenrat who participated were the dignitaries of the city and important people. The discussions were penetrating and painful, and they would argue: who are we to take the sentence of death on ourselves of other Jews. And perhaps even on our fathers and mothers?

Others argued: if fate wills it this way, we have no choice. It is forbidden to think of ourselves only. We have to be concerned with the future of the Jewish people, that might remain to act as witnesses, to advocate for the essentials, and take vengeance. And so, they decided to prepare a list of the oldest, the maimed, and in this way to save the young and the strong for the purposes just mentioned. Here, a wave of questions took place: who are the elderly and the maimed? Lo, these are our fathers and mothers, and the answer was: and if they take the sons together with their parents, will the situation be better? Or maybe they should take the sons, and leave the parents behind, is this what you want? The discussion went on until the morning, and they did not reach a conclusion. The Germans, for their own reasons, did not carry out he aktion, but this was just a delaying tactic.

The aktion was implemented two days after Rosh Hashana 1942. The writer of these lines was not in the town at the time. He was with his wife staying with his mother, Chaya, in the town of Barilov, and they hid themselves there. Immediately after the destruction, the day following, we came to Stoyanov. The town was empty of Jews. Only a few individual scattered families remained. Those who were left were only traces of families. There were almost no completely intact families. Children wandered about without their parents or parents who had lost their children. The first one we encountered was Brunya, the daughter of the Shokhet, who was fourteen years old. She wandered about aloe beside her empty house. She was the only one left of her entire family like a ‘chick under the wings of the Shechinah.’ As to my wife's family, her mother was left who was sick and could not stand on her legs, and her sister, Esther. They succeeded in hiding themselves in a nearby shop. The rest of the family was seized during the aktion: the father, Abraham Gabler, my wife's sister, Rachel, and her husband Yaakov Podhoretz and their year-and-a-half old son – Mordechai, the brother Israel and his wife, Leah, and their son Dov, also a year and a half old.

In the town at that time were: Yaakov Ramler and part of his family, Shaul Zuckerkandel who was the sole survivor of a large well-branched out family, Khona Segal and Ephraim Gerstner –

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members of the Judenrat, Mattl Warbner, an intelligent girl and an ardent worker all of whose spiritual energy was dedicated to the Land of Israel, and the members of that family who were lucky enough to get to the magical land of choice(she remained alone in the Diaspora because of a sorrowful incident) she tried to save herself, but did not succeed, as was the case with s number of additional families.

The survivors told us that immediately in the morning of the aktion, and even during the night before this day, the town was surrounded by German and Ukrainian police. In the morning, they fell upon the Jewish houses and took all the Jews to the street and put them all in one place, all of them – the young, and old, women and infants, sick and healthy, mothers with babies in their arms. Jews who attempted to flee into the field or forest were seized by the gentiles, returned to the town, and handed over to the police. Jews that attempted to hide with gentiles whom they knew as friends and neighbors in the past, were thrown outside on their hands at the critical moment. My sister-in-law Rachel hid herself with her baby in her arms in the premises of a gentile who knew her, whose daughter was a friend of hers or quite some time already having gone to school together. They took her in and promised that she would find shelter by being with them until the aktion was over. When the aktion unfolded in its full scope, she was thrown out – with her baby in arms – into the street, to the devouring animals, to death. When all of the Jews were so gathered, they took them to Radzhikow to the trains, where they were loaded onto freight cars headed for Belzec. Whoever could not walk was shot on the spot. They told us that the German police wanted to retain the head of the Judenrat, Yehoshua Faber. He refused and answered that he will go with his family and members of his community. The Jews walked on the road, while gentiles stood on both sides of the road, yesterday's neighbors, that laughed at them and mocked them. Afterwards, they turned on the Jewish houses that were left unoccupied to plunder and abuse them.

Two weeks after this, they brought those Jews that remained to the ghetto at Radzhikow. The only ones left were: Yaakov Ramler with a son and daughter, Ben Zion Ramler, Moshe Waldman, Mordechai Wiliczka, Khona Segal as experts in the branch of gynecology. Doctor Lancziner as the only doctor in the town, Mr. Schleib Shargel and his family, Itzik Gabler. Bracha Brash and her husband – these were the rich Jews. They believed that their existence would be forgotten, and in this way succeed in hiding. All of these mentioned were exterminated after the extermination of the Radzhikow ghetto.

A few days after the remnants of the Stoyanov community were taken over to Radzhikow my wife and I came from Radzhikow to Stoyanov. We wanted to get cyanide from Doctor Lancziner. Initially, he promised to provide it, but took that promise back later. His argument was: as long as a person is alive, he should not lose hope. In passing the Jewish houses, we heard powerful knocking. This was the report of the ‘work’ of the gentiles who broke the wall, uprooted posts from the floor, dug into the earth to look for hidden Jewish treasure. When you entered a Jewish home, everything had been plundered, books rolled around on the floor, sacred Jewish texts, phylacteries and prayer shawls, and pictures – there was no end to the pictures, pictures of old Jews, women and children pictures of weddings, a forest of pictures trampled on by the feet of this human nobility, devouring animals, devouring animals with the appearance of being human.

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