|
[Pages 175-183]
Translated by Marta Wassertzug The Zionist idea in our village drew its inspiration from pre-political Zionism; its roots were nourished by the currents of Hovevey Zion that flooded the far and near regions. To my regret, I don't have detailed information on the Zionist philosophy of that time, its different expressions and the extent of its activities. However, judging by what was relayed about its principal actors of the previous generations, the extent of the Zionist activity then was expressed by its fund raising efforts for the benefit of the different national funds, distribution of shekels, etc.
|
|
Members of the branch committee of the Zionist movement |
The Balfour Declaration, in November 1917, gave a big thrust to the Zionist enterprise. The Zionist federation in our village, headed by Yaakov Bielawski, knew how to take advantage of the spirit of sympathy to Israel and the great enthusiasm for the Zionist idea that overtook the streets of the Jewish masses in Poland in general, and in Zloczew, in particular.
The idea of the return to Zion found a sympathetic ear and a warm reception even within those circles, which, in the past, had refused to hear about Zionism, which they had regarded as something impure (treif), a heresy, an apostasy and everything negative.
In view of this new situation, a new organization had to be created quickly in order to adapt the modus operandi of the movement to the spirit of the new era, and to take advantage of all the possibilities that arose in order to strengthen the Zionist activity. And the local branch was not ready for this.
The lack of adaptation of the local branch to the new conditions could be attributed to the fact that the majority of its activists came from the ranks of the old generation - local people whose worldview was shaped by the romanticism of the old formula of the Hibat Zion movement. And the sum of their activities, as we said before, dealt with fundraising to benefit the Jewish National Fund, selling of shekels, and inviting Zionist preachers every now and then.
|
|
A group of Zloczew recruits to the Polish army |
To my regret, I don't have any information on the extent of the Hechalutz activities then, but I do know that, in one of the farms that belonged to a Jew in our village, the pioneers established a hachshara (learning farm) and that two of its members: David Yosef Dawidowicz (Yosef Bar-Natan) and Shmuel Kampinsky, emigrated to Israel in 1921, and were one of the first olim, after Chaim Zemel - who emigrated in 1913, and who merited the title of first immigrant from Zloczew.
The movement and its activities grew very rapidly: a library of books in Yiddish and Hebrew was opened, evening lectures on literature and politics were organized, there were public debates, artistic shows, dances and concerts by an orchestra formed by members of the local chapter under the direction of Binyamin (Bank) Friedman and Yechiel Werushewski.
In this realm of cultural and artistic activities, which contributed much to the enthusiasm of the rank and file, the choir (under the direction of Binyamin (Bank) Friedman and Aharon Laupert) held a prominent spot. The choir participated in all the events organized by the branch, and entertained the public with a beautiful variety of Israeli songs. Bank, a graduate of the Warsaw conservatory, had a remarkable acute musical sense, whereas Laupert was endowed with a well-developed ear, and would correct the minutest mistake immediately and decisively.
At the head of this increased activity of those days stood some very prominent figures: Yaakov Bielawski (chairman,) Shlomo Karo, Moshe Lefkowitz, Leibush Weinberger, Esther Schmidt, Chaim Markowitz, and the writer of these lines, as a representative of the young generation.
At the same time, kudos is due to the establishment, for the first time, of the central and most important enterprise: the youth movement Hechalutz Hamerkazi, which included the best and strongest Zionist aware youth. Belonging to its ranks were also those who hadn't found an outlet to their beliefs in the then Socialist-Zionist parties.
After a few years, Zloczew's Zionist federation managed to include a great portion of the town's inhabitants, those who were moved by patriotic fervor as well as the eldest of the youth, who came from Chasidic and traditional homes. This youth came to the movement's ranks because of the socio-political pressure in Poland, and began to work in trades that were more productive than in the past. Thanks to the cultural and propaganda activities of our federation, its influence was also felt in the social and professional life of our village.
The tight cooperation between the branch of our Zionist federation and the Chalutz Hamerkazi, and also the total and unshakable commitment, loyalty and belief of its members to the idea of national renewal, were responsible for the continuous growth and fast development of the Zloczew Zionist federation.
One of the main problems discussed was the question of kibbutzim, that is, the establishment of some kind of agricultural training farms in different places so that the future immigrants to Israel could practice the skills that would be needed later.
|
|
Tzeirei-Zion-Poalei-Zion (on the right) in the training farm |
Three of these farms were established after that discussion. They were situated in the areas of Zloczew-Bastalcze (Mozigovsky), Niechmirow (Glischenshteyn) and Zapola (Domgovsky). Dozens of youth received their agricultural training on these farms. It wouldn't be an exaggeration on my part to say that, during that period, the federation grew in such unprecedented proportion that it became the center of the social life of Zloczew's Jews.
The activity in the branch continued to develop peacefully, and it was based on its members close adherence to the movement's life outlook and their total spiritual identification with its general goals on one hand, and with the ways to achieve the daily goals, on the other. For these reasons, the movement fulfilled the social, spiritual and cultural needs of every individual. This fact came to concrete expression in the existence of group discussions, lectures, meetings, informational activities, fundraising for the national funds, and public debates, etc. Both Yaakov Bielawski and Binyamin (Beinush) Perkal appeared frequently at these meetings.
Yaakov Freund also had an historic privilege, decisive and central in the life of the Zionist federation of Zloczew. Despite his involvement in one of the main undertakings of the Zionist enterprise, he was ordered (by the decision of the central committee of the Zionist federation) to return to Zloczew from the neighboring town of Lutotow where he had been sent to teach Hebrew in the Tarbut school, in order to stop the influence of the leftist movements (Bund, P.Z. Left) over the Jewish youth, and to establish a Zionist youth movement, whose direction and aspiration was simply Zion, without external ideologies.
He devoted himself to this enterprise heartily, and thanks to his well-designed programs, energy and perseverance, (in addition to his organizational talent) he succeeded in creating the first branch of the Hashomer Hatzair, and lead it for four years, until his own immigration to Israel (see also the article by Y. Freund entitled: Hashomer Hatzair, in this publication.)
There are some people who make such a lasting impression that, despite the passage of years and despite the cruel fate that can separate human beings forever; you can still see them as though they were alive before you: that was the case with Yaakov Bielawski.
|
|
Yaakov Bielawski with a group of friends From right to left: Landau, Braude, Drachwolf |
More than 30 years passed since I last saw him, but I still remember the wonderful combination of spiritual qualities that complemented his Jewish soul. Yaakov and his family were transported by the immense impulse of the movement of national rebirth, House of Yaakov: let us rise and go (identical to the dreams of the Biluim). They were immersed in Torah and in deeds for the sake of their Zionist ideals, and steeped in a Jewish-Zionist life. Yaakov Bielawski was a sage, a great scholar, an educated and learned man, an expert on the Talmud treatises and an arbiter on Halachic matters, as well as knowledgeable in many general subjects. The home of the Bielawski family was a gathering place for religious sages as well as a gathering center for those whose Zionist awareness elevated the renaissance of radical Zionism in their hearts, and identified with it with all their hearts.
This idea was basically sanctioned by the policies of the Zionist movement and was strengthened by the outlining of the programmatic line of action instituted by the great Zionist leader Yitzchak Greenbaum (z'l) - who passed away in Israel on the year of the publication of this book - and who had a great influence among Polish Jews in general and on the Zionist movement in particular.
Greenbaum was against the utopian view that assumed that the Zionist problem would be solved by one grand, miraculous action. He believed that the solution would have to be a long and difficult struggle coming to fruition in unusual ways, which no other people in the world had yet experienced. In his visionary outlook and with unusual intuition, Greenbaum had understood many years earlier that the Jewish people, uprooted from its soil, needs to return and ingather back in it and put down a wide network of deep roots so that it will achieve a sizable number and favorable international conditions, or that it needs to start a war of liberation, knowing in advance that it cannot fail and that such a war will save from destruction the population that managed to survive. Then, they would achieve independence and open the road to development and growth at an ever-increasing speed. This means that the way to our goal will be long and difficult: in the meantime, the situation demands that we care to protect the interest of the Diaspora in its different places, to begin the struggle not only for equal citizenship, but also to recognize the Jews as one people in the entire world, one people with common and special cultural, economic and social needs, wherever they may be.
|
|
Frieda Reuven and Hela, on the day of their immigration to Israel |
In truth, the visionary of the State of Israel, Benjamin Zeev Herzl, stumbled on this problem at the beginning of his enterprise and he exhorted the Zionists: go and conquer the communities, a translation of which was: the Zionists need to be the people's representatives, and possess the right to speak on its behalf... (From Yitzchak Greenbaum: Speeches in the Polish Sejm (Polish Parliament), published by M. Neumann.)
|
JewishGen, Inc. makes no representations regarding the accuracy of
the translation. The reader may wish to refer to the original material
for verification.
JewishGen is not responsible for inaccuracies or omissions in the original work and cannot rewrite or edit the text to correct inaccuracies and/or omissions.
Our mission is to produce a translation of the original work and we cannot verify the accuracy of statements or alter facts cited.
Zloczew, Poland Yizkor Book Project JewishGen Home Page
Copyright © 1999-2024 by JewishGen, Inc.
Updated 14 July 2006 by MGH