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[Page 300]
by Simcha Zworyn, Ramatayim, Israel
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| The Leadership of the Neustadt People's Library, Elected on July 20, 1933 |
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| The Leadership of the Neustadt Library Named for Dr. Shlomo Ettinger, Elected on June 7, 1934.[1] |
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over by “HaPoel.” This photo is from January 1, 1939, during a new year election. From right to left: Abraham Shoffel, Shayndl Kleiner, Berish Schatzkammer (?), Joseph Arkava. |
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(Elyeh Melekh's) in the Neustadt The first person on the right is Yossel Greenbaum (“Burmistzh”) from the activists in the professional area. Most of the young carpenters pictures were among the consumers of the Dr. Shlomo Ettinger Library.[1] |
In the year 1922, a group of young people came together from the Neustadt, and decided to become “independent,” at least from the standpoint of culture, from the haughty-bourgeois Altstadt.
The truth is, that young people from the Neustadt found it difficult to take advantage of the big, I. L. Peretz Library and reading room in the Altstadt. It was not only the distance that made it difficult. One couldn't simply go over to the city, just like that. One needed to “change clothing.” Get home from work, do a change, re-dress, and by that time it was late – there was no time left to take advantage of the spiritual pleasure, which the city residents had so close to them....
This “revolution,” was carried out by: M. K. Nirenberg (today in Israel); Yohanan Morgenstern (killed in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising); Gershon Zucker (killed by the Nazis), Nekheh Rak (today in Buenos Aires), Zissel Wagner (today in Israel), Yaakov Zimmerung, Shlomo Gruber.
At the first get-together, it was decided to open a library and a reading room. There was a model – the I. L. Peretz Library and reading room in the city.
The first work was assembly of books and subscribing members. A serial was released with “obligations” for specific amounts of money. A purchaser of such an obligation was essentially borrowing a sum of money, which later was deducted from the membership dues, and reading fees of the future library.
The workman's circle in New York was also approached, and from there, a donation of approximately $100-150 was sent.
From the assembled funds, we rented a 3-room house, in the center of the Neustadt. A meeting to establish the institution was called. At this meeting, there were approximately a hundred me, the first subscribing members. At this establishment meeting, the first leadership was elected, consisting of the following people: M. Kh. Nirenberg – Chairman; Shlomo Gruber – Secretary; Leadership Members: Yohanan Morgenstern, Gershon Zucker, Levi Rosenman, Zissel Wagner; Audit commission: Baruch Roisner and David Stern.
The establishment meeting decided that the library and reading room has to be a non-partisan cultural center for all elements of the Neustadt populace. It is indeed, because this decision on the part of the establishment meeting was taken, the library was protected from going under.
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The anti-Semitic Polish authorities did not only once look for “political” motives to have an excuse for shutting down this single general-purpose Jewish institution. Because we maintained this non-partisan posture we, indeed, managed to deflect an array of surprises.
Looking for a “non-partisan” name, the establishment meeting decided to name the library after Dr. Shlomo Ettinger. Incidentally – this was the only instance in which Zamoœæ had memorialized the name of its famous son.
The income of the library flowed in from purely cultural undertakings, such as speeches, debates, literary evenings. Not rarely, debaters would come to us from Warsaw, known personalities, whom we would describe through the means of the Warsaw Literary Society.
On the first Peretz evening, that we organized in the year 1922, the following took part: Jonah-Yehoshua Peretz, a brother of the writer, who spoke on the theme: “Peretz As A Thinker;” Mr. Shmuel Asheknazi, a childhood friend of the writer, who recorded his memories of the writer's youth, and Yerakhmiel Brandwein, who spoke on the theme, “Peretz As An Artist.” In the artistic portion of the evening, Peretz's “Three Seamstresses,” was performed.
When the library had been finally set on a firm foundation – it already had 3,500 books in Yiddish, Hebrew and Polish, we turned over the management to the younger generation.
Even if the management of the library had been turned over to the young people, the founders continued to participate in the activity and would participate in the leadership, would transact with the appointees, and provide a specific factor of perspective in the direction of the institution.
Apart from the founders previously mentioned, we must recall here, Yaakov Feigenbaum (today in Israel), later, Yehuda Wagner (Israel), Leibl Rosen (Secretary for a period), who greatly helped in the development and growth of the institution.
The reactionary Polish authorities, however, “kept an eye” on the institution. After all, it was located in the Neustadt, the “heart” of the Jewish laboring masses, so there must be “destabilizing elements” there, and on the evening of the First of May the police deemed it necessary for the “public peace and order,” to arrest the leadership of the Sh. Ettinger Library. They were detained until the “danger” passed – that is to say, until after May 1, and then release them.
In this manner, Mr. Nirenberg was once arrested, being the Chairman of the Library, on the even of May 1, as a “dangerous” element. After May 1, together with the other members of the leadership, he was released.
The library played an important and direction-giving role in the life of the Neustadt.
Translator's footnote:
by 'Sheva Fekher-Garfinkel & Moshe Garfinkel
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In the photograph are: from right to left seated: Yekl Mermelstein, Itcheh'leh Sobol, S. M. Lelelngant (the teacher), David Dorn, Berel Sobol; Standing: Shmuel Tatengreber, Moshe'leh Beckerman, Elieh Klieger |
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Right – from the year 1926; left – from the year 1927, performed in Hrubieszow. |
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The following captioning is brought forward from page 706 in the Pinkas: From right to left: Ben-Zieh Zeidner, Yankel Shpizeisen, Rachel Korngold, Moshe Freilich, Moshe Mittelpunkt, Y. M. Hertzberg, Meir Adler; Second Row, seated: M. Tupman, Y. Feldstein, Sheva Fekher, Nahum Korngold, Meir Graber; Lower Row: The two Cohn sisters, Moshe Garfinkel |
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Yiddish theater was performed in Zamość from early on. Our fellow scion, Berish Beckerman, one of the pioneering actors of the Yiddish theater in Poland (there is a special write up about him by Y. Gross – Ed.) was also among the first, who directed and involved himself with drama groups.
Among the first things that were performed under his direction, were, ‘Hertzeleh Meyukhem,’ and ‘Mireleh Efros.’ Taking part in the play, apart from Berish Beckerman, and his daughter Zissel'leh, were Moshe Sobol, Chana Presseisen, (daughter of Moshe Piusker), Mrs. Perlmutter (she worked in the municipal building), Sukhovolsky, Avreml'leh Forehs, and others.
However, this belongs to the period which is told about. What we remember, is before the First World War, before 1914.
Before the First World War, there was found in Zamość a group of Yiddish theater-lovers, who put on various productions. The ones whom we know are: ‘Die Shekhita,’ ‘Mirel Efros,’ and ‘Mein Veib's Shvester.’ Among those who participated in those productions, we remember the following:
Dentist Gruber, Khemek Scher, Tzipa Oder-Scher, Zin'keh Scher, David Evikeit and his wife, Hirsch Gebet, Brontsheh Peretz, Nahum Korngold, Leib'tcheh Brokh, and Voveh Schereh, as well as Lieber Morgenstern, Yakhneh Sand-Ackerman, etc.
The outbreak of the war in 1914 disrupted this activity. In 1917, when things eased up a bit, and community activity began to resume on other fronts, a newly constituted dramatic-artistic activity also made an appearance.
On 20 Tammuz (apparently in honor of the Yahrzeit of Dr. Herzl) Hirsch-Chaim Geliebter put on a literary-musical evening performance with Meir Adler's theater [group]. In the program, there was singing, oratory, and other presentations.
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Batsheva Fekher read Bialik's ‘M'sei Midbar;’ Malka Brandwein and Nahum Korngold sang a duet. The evening was received with acclaim. The city was entertained a bit. The income derived went to Keren Kayemet.
In the winter of that same year the first group of pioneers was put together. And so, they organized an artistic evening. The put on Goldfadn's, ‘Die Bobbeh mitn Aynikl.’ Hirsch Gebet played the part of the grandmother, and 'Sheva Fekher the grandchild. Abraham Hartz was the groom, and Joseph Sobol the marriage broker.
There was an unusually large box office receipt, which was allocated to various aliyah purposes. At that time, many friends were orienting themselves to make aliyah.
In the year 1918 a ‘Tze'irei Tzion’ organization was established in Zamość, and it established a drama circle together with the halutzim, which existed for 20 years and provided pleasure to the Zamość community.
The first production, which this group put on, was ‘Der Dorfsjung,’ (Yankel Boyleh). The Hebrew teacher, Joseph Tchessler, directed the play, and it was performed several times. The tickets were sold out in advance, even before the performances.
The second production was ‘Die Pusteh Kretchma,’ which was performed several times to great acclaim and generated a sizeable income.
The third production was Sh. Geliebeter's ‘Galus,’ which was printed in the Hebrew collection ‘HaTekufah.’ We translated this play by ourselves, and put it on several times. The subject of this play, the Cossack pogroms against the Jewish villages, stayed for a long time in the memory of our audiences.
Also, the Bund had a drama circle, which produced an array of presentations. I remember one – Peretz Hirshbein's ‘Die Nevayleh.’
There was no room for two separate drama circles. Chaim Shpizeisen ע”ה, and Nahum Korngold came forward with the proposal to merge. Thanks to Moshe Gafinkel and Ben-Zion Zeidner, the unification of both drama circles came to be, which afterwards played to even greater acclaim.
This drama circle continued to perform together for over ten years. The revenues generated went to support the Peretz School of the ‘Tz. Y. Sh. O.’ The largest part of the expenses of the school were covered by the income of the drama circle.
Chaim Shpizeisen was the ‘babysitter’ for my children when I had to go for rehearsals. Incidentally, he was also the treasurer and the ticket-seller.
This new Zamość drama circle put on the following plays:
We had also prepared ‘Yossi fun Yakrus,’ an historical drama, and ‘Miriam fun Migdal.’ But the town Elder did not give permission for these to be presented. It appears that he feared that we would touch [unfavorably] on the sanctity of Christianity.
Everything that we performed, stood on a high literary-artistic plane. We exerted ourselves to bring out the characters naturally, with no end of work.
As part of the recognition of our circle, let it be remembered that when Poland was established [sic: as an independent republic], we were approached by the city magistrate, requesting that we give a performance, and that the income be for the benefit of the Polish military. This was at the time when the sorrowfully-renown Hallerists inflicted all manner of barbarous troubles on the Jews, cutting beards, beatings, killings. It was impossible to refuse this request, and you can imagine what our mood was, that we had to perform for our persecutors, may their names be erased….
The members of the drama circle, those who remained alive, are sown and scattered over the entire world. They are found in the State of Israel, in the United States, Argentina, and Mexico. Let us, here, set down their names:
Joseph Tchessler, Hirsch Gebet, Nahum Korngold, Moshe Garfinkel, Nettel (Klieska) Yom-Tov, Ben-Zion Zeidner, Yekly Feldstein, Leib'tcheh Brokh, Gedalia Mandelbaum, Voveh Scherer (scenery director), Rachel Korngold, Gittel Cahan, 'Sheva Fekher-Garfinkel, Rikil Grossman, Baylah Wechsler, Sarah Aronovich (Malka Ha'Abasis), Golda Goldberg, Chava'tcheh Funt, Mirel Rapaport, Malka Brandwein. Also, two sisters performed, Baylah and Chaya Shtitz, orphans. They emigrated to America. Supplementary performers were: Lozer Nirenstein (Der Krumer), Itcheh-Maie Hertzberg, Hona Millstein. Stage assistants: Joshua Stein, Jekuthiel Zwillich (Kova), Moshe Mittelpunkt, and others.
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