Amdur (now Indura, in Belarus) lay in the heart of the Grodno Gubernia. Jews had lived there since the sixteenth century. It had three main streets, and the houses were made of wood, covered with straw. The town had “a Great Synagogue [Groise Shul], three “Houses of Learning” [Batei Midrash] and a Hassidic synagogue. After the great fire in 1882, the Great synagogue was rebuilt. It was a very beautiful building, tall and spacious, constructed according to the architecture of religious buildings of that time.

Yedidya Efron (1878-1951) was born in Amdur. The family emigrated from Amdur to Argentina in 1895 when he was 17.

The book begins with an account of his life and work. “Yedidya Efron was a man of perfection, and he had a rare memory … (by Yitzchak Kaplan).

This extraordinary memoir, published in 1973, paints a vivid picture of the life and culture of the community in the 1890's. With a remarkable memory for detail, he recreates the community through its colorful residents. Fascinating portraits of dozens of individuals from all social strata come to life, from rabbis and cantors to craftsmen and local drunkards, all presented with empathy and humor. Through them we can actually feel the fabric of a vital traditional Jewish community, its institutions and its proud history, as well as its relations with the gentile minority in the town.

In 1942, virtually all the Jews of Amdur were deported to Treblinka where they were killed. We will always mourn their horrific deaths. But they would have wanted us to celebrate the vibrant life of their community before the Holocaust.

Indura [Rus, Bel, Pol], Amdur [Yid], Amdor, Amdura