[Pages 374-384]

Butchers

The four Fleer brothers stood out among the butchers of Sokoly: Pesach, Henech, Tzalke and Leibel. All of them were well-established homeowners. The Chevrat Shas (gemara study club) prayed regularly in Pesach's house. His butcher shop was always in order, and there were never any disputes with his customers. His daughter, Perel Gittel, was a pretty and intelligent girl. She married Berel Greenberg, who died of typhoid and left five orphans. One of their sons emigrated to America. Their daughter Bracha made aliya to the Land of Israel. His widow, Perel Gittel, was a good housekeeper. She and her other children were murdered in the Holocaust.

Henech the butcher led a nice, organized life. His sons were talented in everything. His son, Mendel Fleer, supplied meat to the Polish army. During the Soviet occupation, he was imprisoned and sent to Siberia, and was thereby saved from the Holocaust. He now lives in Israel. His wife Molly and his daughter were murdered in the Holocaust.

Felix Baran

Other butchers were Alter Baran and his sons, Zussel and Tovia. One of Alter's daughters emigrated to America. Tovia's children were excellent students at school. Of all Alter's grandchildren, only Feivel Baran survived the death camp.

Among the other butchers, Berel Sheikes and his son Avraham, as well as his son-in-law Fishel Munkach, should be mentioned. Berel's second son-in-law was Chaim Tovia Litvak, the blacksmith. Chaim Tovia's wife died young, leaving him with four children. They survived the Holocaust and remained alive after the War, but fate overtook them and the three sons of Chaim Tovia Litvak were murdered by Poles seven months after Poland was liberated by the Soviets, as has been told in the chapter regarding the last battle in the destruction of Sokoly. Of Berel Sheikes' family, Chaim Tovia and his daughter Sheina, Leibel Munkach and Sheika Nurzycz survived the War.

It is worth adding David Shlomo the Chasid and his son Avraham Zolty to the list of butchers. David Shlomo's butcher shop was in the long yard of his house. For many years, there was a quorum for prayers in his house. He hosted important Jews, rabbis and lecturers. There, in his house, they passed out leftovers and conducted weddings. His house always had a happy, festive air. His son, Avrahamel, was a cattle trader and businessman. He established a two-story house in Sokoly. One of his sons emigrated to America. The second son, Yaakov Meir, opened a confectionery store. David Shlomo's two other sons emigrated to America with their families. His son-in-law, Yudel Goldgrad, owned a grocery store, and had many customers, both Jews and Poles. He died young. His widow, Tova, with her son and daughter, fled to the forests when the Germans invaded, and later moved to the Bialystok Ghetto. Before they left for the Ghetto, their possessions, gold and dollars, which they had succeeded in keeping when they were in the forests, were stolen. They were murdered in the Bialystok Ghetto.

The dressmaker, Yossel Greenberg, did not practice his profession in recent years. He had a shop where he sold leather and shoemaker's accessories. His son Shlomo, a dressmaker by profession, travelled to Russia. His daughter, Chaya, was married for the second time in Wysokie Mazowieckie to Zalman Kochak. She had two children from her two marriages.

A dressmaker in prior times in Sokoly was Velvel Bernstein. He was married to Hinda, the daughter of Fishel, the teacher from Lapy. After their wedding, they emigrated to America.

Another dressmaker in Sokoly was Avraham Sorasky, who was called “Lealke der Shtaper.” He had a baby face with red cheeks. In his movements and with his smile, he gave the impression of a coquettish boy.

Years ago, Shmuelke Blaustein (Rabinek) dealt in dressmaking. Later, he was a hide trader. In the period before the War, the dressmakers in Sokoly were Areche Kaplansky, Alter Digoltz, Hilka Sokolovitz, and Tzilka Kameler.

Areche Kaplansky the dressmaker was a religious man, with a long beard. He was familiar with the religious texts. His young son Zelig was regarded as a genius in his studies. Near the outbreak of the War, Areche and his family moved to Bialystok. He explained this by saying that he did it to obtain a good education for his children.

Beside dressmaking Alter Digoltz also sold boots. He married Tova Goldberg, the daughter of Yisrael the blacksmith. Alter Digoltz, his wife and their daughter, were murdered in the Holocaust.

Hilka Sokolovitz the barber, was a Gerrer Chasid. He was interested in politics and always was seen reading newspapers. He was a Chassidic scholar. He was not well-established, even though he owned a house. He had four sons and two daughters. His son Avrahamel married a woman from Wysokie Mazowieckie, where he bought a bakery. He was involved in community affairs and one of the opinion-makers there. Hilka's mother, Feiga, was the only woman in Sokoly who wore a talit katan.

Tzilka Kamiler was one of the best dressmakers in town. He married the daughter of Ephraim Heistus, a poor widower. Tzilka's wife helped him in his work and learned the profession very well. She even managed the business and since Tzilka was physically weak, she would travel to buy leather.

Standing, right to left: Yosef Okune, Lapkovsky, Zalman Goldberg, Zeev (Velvel) Malun; Sitting: Toiba Digholtz (Goldberg)

The oldest of the shoemakers in Sokoly was Shmuel Yitzchak Greenberg, who owned a long, old, brown house. Half of the house belonged to Yaakov Leib Perlowitz. Shmuel Yitzchak's oldest son, Yossel, was a dressmaker in his youth. His daughter Rachel married Shalom Kozlowitz, who opened a shoe store in Sokoly.

Shmuel Yitzchak Greenberg was a religious Jew. His seat in the bet medrash was next to the holy ark. When Shmuel Yitzchak saw someone talking during prayers, or during the reading of the Torah, he rebuked him.

The shoemakers included Shalom Rozenowitz and his son Itze, who was known in Sokoly as “the sharp head.” The shoemaker Chaim Sorasky, the son of Moshe Isaac the blacksmith, was one of the opinion-makers in the town, and he was in contact with the heads of the community, Felek Goldstein and Moshe Lipa Shulmeister. Chaim Sorasky's two daughters made aliya to the Land of Israel; one of his sons emigrated to Argentina, and his second son and another daughter emigrated to America.

Other shoemakers in town were Elia the chazan and his son Zeidel, Yaakov Spirowitz, Yukel Hoczer, Yisrael Kapitovsky, Smirna the shoemaker, and Yossel Yopack.

The shoemaker Zalman Digoltz had a daughter who emigrated to the United States before the War broke out. Zalman loved to tell jokes. During his later years, he was accustomed to sit in the old bet medrash behind the stove and read Psalms, many chapters of which he had memorized. A few years before the War, he tripped in the street on his way out of the bet medrash, fell down and died.

The young shoemaker Feivel Wisotzky emigrated to Uruguay. David'l Wisotzky, the son of Avigdor the waggonner, was an excellent shoemaker. In his youth, Avigdor was the blacksmith's apprentice. His son David'l was praised in his childhood as being a genius. In the cheder and the school, he was one of the best students. His parents were poor and were unable to develop his talents, and so he was apprenticed to Yukel the shoemaker. David'l became an excellent shoemaker. When he was 16 years old, he fell in love with Chaim Lev's 15-year-old daughter, who was pretty and graceful. They were married in 1940.

First on the list of tailors in Sokoly, we will place the brothers Zalman Leibel and Yossel Beidnovitz. They had a very respectable income and were homeowners. Over time, Yossel and his family emigrated to America.

And again brothers were tailors, this time, Yaakov Hershel and Avraham Yitzchak and his son Chaim Gerkowitz. They bought a large house from Sheinke on Church Street, next to Meir Halpern's house. Sheinke and her husband Shlomo Yosef were once among the “nobility” of Sokoly. Sheinke was the sister of the well-known writer at that time, Abba Rakovsky, one of Nachum Sokolov's friends. Abba was a professional detective and a lawyer who was fluent in eight languages.

Sitting, left to right: Zvi Tikochinsky, Yehuda Shkok (husband of Liba Ettel), Yosef Lapchinsky with his wife, Abba Lapchinsky Standing, left to right: Moshe Charny, Liba Lapchinsky, Eliezer Gurkewitz Middle, left to right: Liba Ettel Lipchinsky, Sasha Lapchinsky-Cherno

Other brothers who were tailors were Yudel and Berel Zeibak. Yudel owned a house on Mountain Street. He was the father of a Torah scholar, a yeshiva student, who later emigrated to America. Berel owned a brown house next to the tailor's bet medrash. His only son, Eliya, was a dental technician.

Apparently it was decreed that the tailors of Sokoly would be brothers. Another nice pair of tailors who were brothers were Shmuel Moshe and Yaakov Rudnik. Shmuel Moshe had a house on Gonsveska Street. He himself, and his son Zeidel, were Torah scholars. Yankel learned at one time in the Lomza Yeshiva.

Another tailor, who was of good character, was Itzel Kalina.

One of the superior tailors in Sokoly was Zusele Charney, who owned a house on Tiktiner Street. His two sons, Moshe and Meir, were recognized public speakers.

Among the other tailors were Shlomo Kravetzwitz (Maas), Zeidel Berliner and Nachum Bialystotzky. The very last of the tailors was Shmuelke Kaplan, a supporter of the “Bund,” enlightened in public affairs, and always ready to convince everyone that he was right. Shmuelke Kaplan gave his children a religious education, for the purpose of making them more acceptable to the people of Sokoly.

Sara Malka was a well-known seamstress of underwear. Her husband spent many long years in America. Her son, Asher Katzirowitz, was educated and learned in a yeshiva. Her son Yekutiel was a good tailor. After a time, he emigrated to America. His brother Asher married a woman in Lithuania. He and his family were murdered in the Holocaust.

Other seamstresses in Sokoly were Bracha Zlatka and her daughter-in-law Chava; Mirche Bialodvorska, who later emigrated to America; Rachel, the daughter of the blacksmith Leib Goldberg. She was famous for her speed at her work. Her first husband was killed in World War I. Rachel was left a widow with three children. She emigrated to Australia, where she married a man named Marcus, and then sent for her children. She was a good-hearted woman and was ready to help others.

Two women in Sokoly made wigs. They were Beila, the daughter of Shmuel Marchibura, and Peshe, the wife of Alter Goldberg the blacksmith. At a later date, the Goldberg family emigrated to America. In Sokoly there were women who did various types of handwork, such as Gusha Okune, who knitted; Malech Okune, who made corsets, Sarache Tabak, who made woven house slippers, and more.

Itze Koschovsky was the hatter in Sokoly. He had four sons and one daughter. His oldest son emigrated to Argentina before the War. Itze, his wife and his daughter were murdered. His three sons, David, Hershel and Gershon, went through Hitler's hell. David was murdered after the War by a Polish gang in 1945. His two remaining brothers emigrated to America.

There was also a female hatter in Sokoly. Her name was Toiba Dvora Shveiznik. She managed her workshop with the help of her daughters. One of her sons, Hershel, was a butcher, and the other, David Yudel, was a carpenter. Toiva Dvora's father-in-law was a hatter. He was killed 50 years ago in a traffic accident, when a train collided with a wagon in which he was travelling. Yankel Sokolowitz and Shlomo Olsha, who were travelling with him, were injured in that accident and received compensation. The heirs of the man who was killed bought a two-story house with the compensation money they received from the train company.

Standing, left to right: Zvi (Hershel), Feivel, Feige Rivka, David, Gershon Sitting: Yitzchak and his wife Sara Rachel

In prior years, there was an old painter in Sokoly named Katriel, who was known as “Katriel the Shadchan” because he had dealt in matchmaking for a time. Katriel's son-in-law Berke Zolty had been a Soltis in one of the villages before World War I.

Another painter in Sokoly was Shlomo Zalman Dachovitz. In his middle age, Shlomo Zalman visited America. One of his sons was the famous American Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Dachovitz, of blessed memory. Shlomo Zalman Dachovitz' other two sons, Aharon and Sender, and his daughter, are also in America.

Years ago, there was also a painter in Sokoly named Shepsel, a cheerful, happy Jew. At every celebration or happy event in the bet medrash or synagogue, Shepsel would entertain the people. He had a regular custom of going up on the bima and calling out to the children in a loud voice: “Holy Sheep!” and the children would happily answer, “Maaaaa!”

Shlomo Vitriol and his son Eliya also worked as painters in recent years. Between the two World Wars, I remember a painter in Sokoly named Zeidke Kaplan, from a priestly family (Kohanim). He was the son of Berel Leibel. After his father passed away, Berel Leibel inherited his house. On the day the Jews were expelled from Sokoly by the Germans, Berel Leibel became ill. He and his family were the first victims of the expulsion.

I remember two other painters during the last period in Sokoly. They were Shmuelke Weinstein and Yerachmiel Weinkrantz, the son of the shochet Barish.

A third painter in Sokoly was Berele Seines. His two sons and two daughters emigrated to America. One son, Moshe Hershel Seines, remained in Sokoly with his family. Berele Seines' brother was the well-known Sokoly comedian “Yankel Mordechai.”

The family of Yankel Malun were well-known wood carvers. Yankel and his sons, Yossel and Mottkele, made wonderful works out of wood. Yossel also tiled roofs and loved to assist voluntarily in the bathhouse on Fridays. His brother Mottkele also tiled roofs along with practicing his carving. He loved to raise goats.

I know of only one tanner in Sokoly during my time who processed hides. He was Chaim Gurnosteinsky, who owned a nice house and was a learned man. After World War I, Chaim built a large, two-storied house in Sokoly on Mountain Street, and he filled a position in the life of the community. About ten years before World War II broke out, Gurnosteinsky, and his entire family made aliya to the Land of Israel

Chaim and Chana Gornostiensky

Moshe Yankel Gurwitz was a barber and violin player. His father, who was deaf and dumb, took care to pray three times a day in public, in the large bet medrash. Moshe Yankel's sister was also deaf and dumb. She shaved the heads of elderly Jewish women. Her husband, Chaim Pampuch, was a waggoner. Her daughter was a skillful hairdresser. She married Shabtai Krasnovorsky and taught him the barbering profession, in which he worked all his life. The brother of Moshe Yankel the barber was Shimonke, who was known in Sokoly. One of his sons was a tailor and worked in Warsaw. Shimonke's daughter was an excellent student. She married a boy who was a barber by profession, and the couple emigrated to Uruguay.

Another barber in Sokoly was Simcha Ushinsky, who married Raiske, the daughter of Tuvia Gonshevsky, the shoemaker. Simcha Ushinsky's brother was a well-known butcher in Bialystok. Over time, Simcha the barber and his family moved to Bialystok, where he opened a barbershop. Just before the War, another barber, whose name was Meir Gozbanda, came to Sokoly.

The veteran glaziers in Sokoly were Yosef Leib (the elderly Rabbi of Sokoly, Rabbi Menachem Yonah Guttman, of blessed memory, lived in his house) and his son Itze, and the three Gamzhinsky families.

During the last years, Chaya Zelda and her brother David Shklarovitz, as well as Benyamin Ratzlav, worked as glaziers.

In his youth, Benyamin Ratzlav was active in the communist underground in Sokoly. He believed, like many others of his generation at that time, that redemption for the workers would come from Moscow and that the Jews would find their redemption only within the framework of the world communist revolution. This was the “I believe” of Ratzlav, and he dedicated all his energy and resources to the fulfillment of this idea.

In September of 1939, Ratzlav merited to see with his own eyes the fulfillment of his vision when the Red Army ruled over Eastern Poland. As the possessor of a past rich in underground activities, he joined the service of the new regime, doing his work with great dedication and enthusiasm. His period of brilliance did not last very long. On June 22, 1941, Hitler's armies invaded Russia, and they quickly conquered Sokoly.

Ratzlav succeeded in joining the partisans who operated in the forests around Bialystok. He fought in the group led by Dr. Dettner and Chaim Shimon Lapchinsky, of our town.

In 1944, Sokoly was freed from the Nazis, and a new job awaited Ratzlav. During this period, gangs of Polish nationalists were formed. One of their purposes was to eliminate the remainder of the Jews who had survived the camps and the forests. We then find Benjamin Ratzlav among the fighters of these gangs. But he was quickly forced to flee from Poland, because they regarded him as their enemy and threatened his life.

Meanwhile, drastic changes occurred in his political outlook. A letter from him was recently received by Moshe Maik, my son, and here are some passages from Benjamin's confession:

Already at the end of 1939, I began to have doubts regarding the Communist idea. I encountered reality and I saw the contradiction between the rule and the deed. During the period in the forest, my doubts grew. There, I met with young Russian partisans who were educated under Soviet rule. I was close to them and found out that they were filled with the spirit of their fathers, who rioted against the Jews. It clearly appears to me that 20 years of the Soviet regime have not succeeded in educating a new generation to be better than its predecessors.

Now, toward the end of my life, as a person who has learned from hardships and experience, I wish my confession to be used as a moral lesson to the young people. Do not follow blindly after high ideals of equality and freedom, such as the Communist creed.

I am the man who dedicated the best years of my life to the Communist idea, and I encountered bitter disappointment. Because of all this, my sympathy for others was taken away from me, and I was persecuted by G-d and man.

There was only one barrel maker in Sokoly, whose name was Aharon Wondolowitz. He had children from both his first and second wives. Of his entire family, only two sons and a daughter remain alive: Isser, Yankel and Esther Chana.

Isser hid in a bunker in the forests. His first wife, the daughter of Shaike, and their children, were all killed. After the liberation, Isser remarried and emigrated to the Land of Israel. Today he is the father of three children.

Yankel was a soldier in the Soviet Army. On the basis of the repatriation, he returned to Poland, and from there he emigrated to the Land of Israel, where he married.

Esther Chana, the daughter of Aharon the barrel maker, survived the Bialystok ghetto. She was a very beautiful girl. In the first operation of the Germans in banishing the Jews from Bialystok, Esther Chana was among the 10,000 who were driven out. One of the Germans who accompanied the transport of the Jews was amazed at her beauty and asked her how old she was. She answered, “I am 18 years old.” “What a pity,” answered the German, “for such beauty to go to waste…I am sorry I cannot help you, because I am fulfilling the Feuhrer's orders.”

Esther Chana was in a number of German concentration camps, and remained alive. After the liberation, she returned to Bialystok. She married and travelled to France.

From the time that the locksmith and tinker Alter Pines moved to live in Bialystok, the only locksmiths remaining in Sokoly were Avraham Sarnewitz and his two sons, Alter and Yisrael Aharon.

Yisrael Aharon Sarnewitz remained in his parents' house and worked with his father. He had a large inventory of metal materials and bicycles. He married, and his economic situation was stable. A daughter was born to the couple.

Alter Sarnewitz worked independently as a locksmith. He lived in Argentina for a number of years, and returned from there. His economic situation was not good. He had two lovely daughters. The younger one, Tzipke, succeeded in escaping to the Soviet Union before the Germans invaded Sokoly, against her parents' wishes, who mourned for her for years, thinking that she was lost. Of the entire family, Tzipke was the only one who remained alive.

Tzipke Sarnewitz married a man in the Soviet Union. The couple had a daughter. After the War, the family made aliya to the Land of Israel.

Among the best shoemakers in Sokoly were Yeshaya Langleib and his sons Shmuel, Mendel and Eliya. The young men obtained an education. Shmuel and Mendel emigrated to Argentina. Eliya married the daughter of Bezalel Fleer and independently managed a shoemaking workshop. Yeshaya Langleib also had a daughter. The entire family was murdered in the Holocaust. Only the sons who had emigrated to Argentina remained alive.

Yisrael Chaim Roseman made belts and travelled to the cities of Poland and the Pale of Settlement in Russia to sell them there. In his old age, he was supported by his sons, who regularly sent him money from America. Yisrael Chaim was the father of six sons: Hershel, Yoel, Reuven, Zelig, Yudel and Itze, and an only daughter, Rikel. Four of his sons emigrated

Yisrael Chaim Roseman, of blessed memory		Zvi and Mattel Roseman, who passed away in New York

Yoel Dov Roseman and his family

The wagonner Yisrael Kashevitz was a simple, honest Jew, and the father of three sons and two daughters. In their youth, the sons helped their father build wagons. Over time, one of the sons, Shaya, learned bookkeeping and he found work in Warsaw. He also learned to make baking powder, and distributed it in several cities. One day, Shaya appeared in his parents' house as a guest. He was elegantly dressed, and it was hard to recognize him. After that, Shaya opened a factory for his products in Bialystok, and he taught the profession to his sister. The sister managed the business there, and Shaya travelled as before, distributing his products. Matchmakers came to him with many proposals, and he accepted one of them.

The father Yisrael Kashevitz gave his eldest daughter an acceptable dowry. His son Mendel emigrated to America after World War I. The youngest son, Chena, worked steadily with his father.

Another wheelwright in Sokoly was Hershel Krawcewitz, the son of the waggoner Darneger. Darneger would travel a number of times a day to the train station in Raczibor. He built a house on Tiktiner Street. His son, Hershel the wheelwright, received a nice dowry and bought an inventory of materials for his workshop. Hershel showed a talent for dancing, and even opened a dancing school in Sokoly.

Hershel's sister Nechama, a pleasant girl, joined a local amateur theater choir, and appeared in a number of plays. During the War, Nechama married Avraham Fleer. After the Jews were expelled from Sokoly, the couple hid in one of the villages at the home of a Christian, and there their son was born. Tragically, their hiding place was revealed and they all were murdered.

A third wheelwright in Sokoly was Yankel Somowitz, the son of the baker Yechielke Somowitz.

The fourth in the line of wheelwrights in Sokoly was Naftali Plut. He actually had an additional profession: a blacksmith. He was the father of nine sons and a daughter. His son Berele was a locksmith; his son Zundel was a baker by profession; another son learned in a yeshiva, and two of his sons helped their father build wagons.

Of Naftali Plut's ten children, after the War only four sons survived: Zundel, Yisasschar, Yankel and Zelig. They were in German concentration camps. Yisasschar died two weeks after the liberation, in Austria. Zelig emigrated to the U.S. Zundel and Yankel reached Bialystok. After a short time, Zundel died, weak and sick after being in the camps. Yankel is in Israel. He married and is the father of a son and a daughter.

Rachel Plut and her daughter Sheina-Chinka		Chaim Plut, may G-d avenge his blood

Before World War I, there were two builders in Sokoly: Mottel Burstein and Meir Gedalia Bialystotzky. During the Polish regime, their sons, Yankel Burstein and Moshe Balystotzky, continued to work as builders.

Yankel knew how to learn, and he obtained a good, basic education for his children. Later, Yankel Burstein moved with his family to Bialystok.

The builder Moshe remained in Sokoly until the Jews were driven out by the Germans. He lived a house that belonged to his father, Meir Gedalia, who owned a number of houses. After their father passed away, his sons inherited the houses.

The blacksmiths in Sokoly were Leibel Goldberg and his three sons: Yisrael, Tuvia and Shlomo, and Leibel's brother Zalman, and his three sons: Chaim Velvel, Alter and Gedalia; Chaim Shimon Lapchinsky and his two sons, Leibel and Nissel; Aharon Elia and his sons shlomo, Berche and Moshe; Nechemia and his sons; Moshe Isaac Sorosky and his sons; Berche Kaplansky and his brother Kalman “Hop”. They all made a respectable living from the blacksmith profession. They managed nice, orderly family homes.

Tuvia Goldberg and his wife Rachel Standing, right to left: Malka, Elimelech, Rashka and Sarah

Shlomo Golberg, of blessed memory

Work Area of the Brothers Nissel and Aryeh Lapchinsky Next to the horse: Yaakov Sorasky

Aharon Eliyahu Seines with his family Sitting: Aharon Eliyahu and his wife Standing (right to left): Dov, Chana, Sara, Shlomo, Naftali Pluf and his wife Rachel, Chana, Chaya and Moshe

The carpenters in Sokoly were Eliyahu Burak, his two sons and his son-in-law Hershel Shadlinsky. Hershel was an artist at his job. He bought half a house from his neighbor Leizer Sokolovitz and expanded his workshop.

Hershel had an only son, Baruchke. When the Jews were driven out of Sokoly, Baruchke was shot to death by Konofka, the Polish guard, who saw him fleeing in the direction of the village Wypychy.

Itzke Braun (Zusters) built beds, tables, closets and chests, mostly for the people of the nearby villages, and he had additional income from his milk business. With all his business dealings, the lifestyle of his family was proletarian and modest in comparison to the other carpenters, such as Hershel Shadlinsky.

One of the best carpenters was Daniel Eyen. He built beautiful furniture and his work was wonderfully precise. He worked slowly, with the help of his three sons. One of his sons served in the Polish army until the War broke out, and was taken prisoner by the Germans.

Daniel's 14-year-old daughter was raped by the Germans when they entered Sokoly. Of his entire family, the only one who remained alive was his youngest son, Isserke, who was in a concentration camp and was saved by a miracle.

A veteran scaffold builder was “Reuven the tafsan” (scaffold builder). All the landowners in the vicinity knew him as doing excellent work, and they consulted him regarding their building plans for houses and farm buildings. Reuven the tafsan made calculations for efficient, worthwhile projects to the satisfaction of his many customers, who really appreciated him.

When they were building the courthouse in Sokoly, the construction manager, Manikowsky, hired Reuven to oversee the work and the team of workers, even though he was old and weak.

There were two other scaffold builders in Sokoly: Mordechai Kachova and Nathan, Mordechai Shlomo Blustein's son-in-law. They worked steadily and made a respectable living. In recent times, there are no longer scaffold builders in Sokoly.

To the kind of people who have a talent for expression, tellers of jokes and witticisms and stories of 1,000 nights, belonged Barish the shochet and his son, Yerachmiel Weinkrantz; Henich, the son of Avraham Yitzchak the shochet; Moshe Lipa Shulmeister; Chaim Somowitz; Eliya Langleib; Tzalka Rachelsky, Fishel Rachelsky and Hershel Brill.

In past years, a comedian and fine speaker who was famous in Sokoly was Eliezer Bialostotsky (Paltis). I remember one witticism from Eliezer Paltis. He had then just returned from the United States, where he had spent a short time. The members of the synagogue crowded around him, asking him to tell about his adventures in America. Eliezer opened his mouth and said:

I saw, and was convinced, that I have no success in Sokoly, and that I fail even before I begin to do anything. Simply, I was unfortunate. As Ibn Ezra said, 'If I had begun to trade in candles, certainly the sun would never set. If I would trade in shrouds, most certainly no one would ever die.” … I think and think, how can I overcome my misfortune?!...Our wise men, of blessed memory, specifically said, “He who changes his location, changes his luck.” So I listened to their advice. .. I said it, and I did it! In order to rid myself forever of my bad luck, I quietly snuck out of my house at night, without telling a soul or mentioning it to my wife, knowing that women have no secrets and Heaven forbid if the matter would become known to an enemy – my bad luck…

The night was cold and dark, and the holy ones of Sokoly turned over in their beds in the early hours of the morning when I left my house and fled to a new world – to America. I had but arrived at the Statue of Liberty, and who do you think came to meet me with hugs?!.. .Yes, you guessed right! My previous bad luck got there before I did. He followed me like a shadow. There, in the land of gold.

I do not know whether his bad luck followed Eliezer Paltis to America this time as well. Here in Israel, I heard that many years ago Eliezer came to Jerusalem, and that he passed away at a ripe old age. May his soul be bound up in eternal life.

  Sokoly, Poland     Yizkor Book Project     JewishGen Home Page

Copyright © 1999-2024 by JewishGen, Inc.
Updated 28 Apr 2022 by LA