THE VOICE"WE WILL NEVER FORGET YOU MARTYRS OF PIOTRKOW"

OF PIOTRKOW SURVIVORS

2 Netanel Yechieli | Where is the Piotrków community today?

4 Netanel Yechieli | I am the Son / Daughter of a Holocaust Survivor, and this is My Story | An interview with Mary Schultz and Avi Birnzweig

10 Polish Students from Piotrków learning about the Jewish community | A special project initiated by School of Dialog and PTA

14 Dr. Sigmund Tennenbaum | A Taste of Piotrków One Century Ago

20 William Samelson tells | What was the song that Jews sang in Piotrkow’s Ghetto?

21 Jacek Bednarek | What one can find in the The State Archive of Piotrków?

24 Rabbi David Lau Grandson of the Rabbi of Piotrków Current Chief Rabbi of Israel

25 Shai Lavi | Two Ends of a Rainbow Jerusalem and Piotrkow

26 The Universal Significance of the Holocaust

27 Ofer Goldring | IDF Officers Poland Heritage Trip, Summer 2012

28 By Dr. Dina Feldman | My Grandma Huddes Bęczkowska (nee Malec)

32 Irving Gomolin | Piotrkow Trybunalski Association New York

34 Rachel Krakowsky | My grandfather’s Mission

36 Ben Helfgott | Tribute to Ruth Horowitz on her 80th Birthday, February 2009

37 Fella Rosenblum Z”L

37 Victor Frankel | The Power of Choice

37 71 Years to the Extermination of Piotrkow Jews

Irving Gomolin (Gomolinski)Piotrkow Trybunalski Association,New York, USAwww.piotrkow-jc.com/wpinfo@piotrkowassociation.com

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Some survivors who live among us were around when Piotrków was a thriving community. We are privileged to know people who have survived the horrors of the holocaust, and are willing to share their personal accounts of Piotrków before the community was destroyed in the war. After the holocaust, survivors of the Piotrków community dispersed; two large groups were formed in Israel and the United States, but Piotrków organizations have emerged in many other countries around the world. Over the years, as survivors aged and died, only the two central branches in New York and Israel remained active. The Israeli branch produced an annual magazine called “Hedim” – ‘Echoes,’ and Ben Giladi in the U.S. published a quarterly newsletter entitled “The

Voice.” Ben Giladi died 18 months ago, and this issue is the first joint, bilingual newsletter to be produced cooperatively by the Israeli and New York branches. Piotrków survivors and descendants now have a unified newsletter.

Ben Giladi is irreplaceable. The breadth of his knowledge of the history of the city, his connections with survivors and families, and his great love for anything related to Piotrków – are unparalleled. Ben felt it was his own personal mission to commemorate the community that was tragically cut down. It is up to us to continue this important work; we pass the mission of commemoration from Ben and other survivors to the next generations.

Where is the Piotrkówcommunity today?

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Our mission today is to provide an outlet for all descendants of Piotrków Jews. The next decades will determine how the story of the holocaust will be passed along to the following generations; what will the nature of the story be? How do our Polish roots affect us? How has the holocaust seeped into our identity? What interest do Jews today have regarding their ancestral communities and what happened to the previous generations in the Second World War?

The New York and Israel Piotrków Associations are committed to telling the story of their ancestors. The holocaust remains an open wound, seared in the skin of survivors and the souls of their children. Historically and philosophically, the holocaust remains an enigma: what is the significance of the holocaust? Can the examples of the horrors of the holocaust be used to encourage humane and moral behavior?

These questions will be raised in the following issues, in addition to the constant exploration for additional facts and stories about the community, the present relationship between the Jewish and Polish community in Piotrków, and issues pertaining to the second and third generation.

This issue includes an interview with Mary Schultz and Avi Birnzweig, both descendants of Piotrków survivors. In their interview they have shared their feelings about the memories and effects of the holocaust.

The issue also includes articles about the community and short essays on the significance of the holocaust. Several short pieces are dedicated to the memory of various deceased members of the community.

My grandfather, Avraham Yechieli (Kurnendz) was born in Piotrków in 1924. He endured the holocaust with his family and survived, and made Aliya after the war. My grandfather loved the city, and loved reminiscing about the people and events before the war. He used to tell us tales of Piotrków each Shabbat in his home in Tel Aviv. Saba was the editor of ‘Hedim’ newsletter, and organized the memorials and commemoration activity in Israel. He constantly accompanies my work in spirit. May God send him good health and happiness.

I thank the New York Piotrków Association, directed by Robert Dessau and Irvin Gomolin and all other PTA members, for all their help and support, and their investment of time, effort and funds for the commemoration of the community. The New York committee obtained the donation that assisted with the publication of this issue. I also thank Mrs. Marissa Scheinfeld of the claims Conference for all her assistance.

My gratitude to Dr. Dina Feldman for her support and assistance, and to Yishayahu and Tamar Yechieli for their help with the translation and editing of the articles.

We welcome responses and original pieces for publication in the next issue.

Please send submissions by mail or email:

Netanel YechieliGivat Hadagan, POB 72, Efrat 90435ny23456@gmail.comWishing the Piotrków communitya good and healthy winter,and a good year!

Netanel

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The ‘second generation’ issue is currently a common topic of discussion. What characterizes

second generation survivors? How does their life experience relate to the fact that they are the children of holocaust survivors? How do they experience the holocaust, and in what way does the memory affect their lives? Do they view commemoration as their duty? Is the torch of commemoration passed along to them as the generation of holocaust survivors grows older?

I met with Mary Schultz and Avi Birnzweig in Mary’s pleasant Ramat Hasharon home for a captivating discussion. Avi was born in Israel; Mary in Berlin. They both live in Israel, and both are descendants of holocaust survivors linked to the Piotrków community. Both are

I am the Son / Daughter of a Holocaust Survivor, and this is My Story

An interview with Mary Schultz and Avi BirnzweigWritten by Netanel Yechieli

in the process of personal quests relating to the family’s past. They have recently visited Piotrków. The reader might or might not identify with their positions, as documented below; either way their perspective was fascinating.

Tell me about your parents.Avi: My father was born in Sulejów in 1924,

and lived in the city until the war broke out. After the city was bombarded in the early days of the war, father escaped to Piotrków with his family, and spent the remainder of the war with the Piotrków Jews. Throughout the war, father worked in the Hortensja and Bugatti factories. My father was the only survivor in his family; he was extremely Zionistic, and after the war he organized Aliya groups for youth. In 1946,

Avi with his parents, David and Aliza Birnzweig

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at the age of 22, father made Aliya himself. He was an extremely social and optimistic man, the center of attention anywhere he went. He married my mother in Israel and had three children. Father died three years ago.

Was the holocaust a topic of conversation in your home?

Avi: Never. There was no way of knowing that anything was wrong, or that anything had happened in the past. On an emotional plane there was a lot of distance between us and our parents; there was no real connection – it was a type of emotional frost. The household was functional – they were concerned about us being good students, and living well. On the other hand there was no fretting: we could go on a field trip or to the army without any fuss.

How did you become exposed to the fact that you are a second generation survivor?

Avi: I was initially exposed to the holocaust through my children’s school projects that

researched family roots! The issue was virtually nonexistent before that. The children asked me about the holocaust, and asked me to speak with my father. When I spoke with my father I came across a blank wall; this was conspicuous because my father-in-law spoke about the holocaust all the time. I returned to my father and said there must be some story here; but he said he could not remember.

I wanted to be part of the story. I understood that there was something big here that was related to me; but my father distanced me. I sought something stronger and more tangible, something that could link me with the holocaust. My father went through the war and I wanted something to hold onto. To this day I feel there is a part of my life that belongs there, in the holocaust, and I want to understand that part of me.

Two years before father died he agreed to speak. I would nag him, and he would provide me with information, but the information was extremely confused. His stories were full of contradictions, and changed daily.

Avi outside the Hortensja factory on his visit to Piotrków, March 2013

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Only after father passed away, Yazek and Nathanial helped me create a fuller picture; but it’s still far from complete. The search has filled the void and quieted the urge; but I have had to lower my expectation for a full story, and accept the fact that I will probably never have one.

How does being a second generation survivor affect your life? Your soul?

Avi: I don’t feel connected with the State, or the land. I am an extremely focused person, but I don’t feel I belong. I constantly ask myself questions relating to identity and meaning, which perhaps relate to the second generation experience. I feel more connected to the world, in a cosmic sense, than to a specific place. In the past I was a cold, hard person; my children have made me warmer. I used to block out feelings altogether.

Mary: My mother was born in Piotrków in 1927. Her mother and sister were killed in Treblinka with their community. Mother worked in the place where the victim’s belongings were gathered after the community was banished for execution. She was in charge of shoes; she searched for her mother’s shoes, but could not find them.

Interestingly, there was a large room full of shoes in my childhood house in Berlin. It was unbelievable; three cupboards filled with shoes, to the height of the ceiling. To this day my mother owns multiple pairs of shoes. My mother links this with her work in Piotrków, and her search for shoes there. She was released in Tschenstochau in January 1945. She recently told me she had typhus, and once she was well she tended to other people who were sick. Hearing this made me emotional. Mother returned to Piotrków and understood there was nothing for her there. The Poles were harsh and unpleasant to say the least; this was a shock to the returning Jews. My grandfather sent my mother and her brother to Berlin; to

this day I am unsure why. My parents met in Berlin; my father was 19 and my mother 18 at the time. They were married, like two little children. They stayed in Berlin, and that is where I grew up.

Did you speak to your mother about the holocaust over the years?

Mary: Over the years I tried to speak to my mother, but it was difficult. My mother thought if I knew, that also meant I understood; but I know nothing and understand nothing of what happened there. My mother doesn’t get into the emotional details of the stories, a fact which initially drove me crazy.

Her story sounds chaotic; maybe she understands it, but I don’t. Today I am attempting to organize the story, in order to understand the bigger picture. I am the one who raises the difficult questions in the family; I am the trouble maker.

Second generation in BerlinMary: I was raised in Berlin, a second

Mary Schultz

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generation holocaust survivor. We lived as Jews, and I was open about my Jewish identity. I joined the Zionistic movement when I was 12, and at 15 I was leading a group. The Berlin community was comprised of mainly holocaust survivors, a difficult community. Everyone had been through the holocaust, and no one came from a real home. Everyone worked hard, and made a lot of money, and there was no feeling of home in Berlin either. I was raised by nannies, not parents. Life was about brand names and external appearances, and everything felt phony.

There was no Jewish school; I was the only Jew in my school. The holocaust was an unspoken topic in Germany. In higher grades I had to lecture about the holocaust in front of the class, and a sense of embarrassment surrounded the topic. I studied psychology in Berlin, but Freud was still off the curriculum. Jews were not returned to the curriculum until 1977.

In what way did you relate to the holocaust at the time?

Mary: I used to ask myself what my friends’ fathers were doing during the war, and whether a friend’s family was good or bad. Can I be her friend? It was a constant feeling of conflict. Girls my age were born after the war, and I could blame nothing on them. I lived with a sense of life divided between good and evil people.

From a young age it was clear to me that I belonged to the Jewish people; that I was closely linked to the nation, that they were all like family. I came to Israel with this naïve attitude, assuming all Jews were good and helped one another. This was the fantasy I had to create for myself as a girl growing up in Germany.

Did you read about the holocaust?Mary: Yes, mainly psychology; I read Hess

and Gabels and studied their psychological

profiles, but nothing personal. After coming to Israel I abandoned the topic completely.

When and why did you come to Israel?Mary: I immigrated to Israel when I was

28, with the Zionistic notion that I belong here.

I had many complaints about my parents’ choice to remain in Germany, and I received no answers from them. Only in our recent visit, when we saw the shocking film about the Warsaw Ghetto, did I begin to understand. Mother was shocked by the movie, and finally offered a partial answer: “I must have repressed all of this; otherwise I cannot explain why we stayed in Germany.” For one moment a window had opened, and mother said something deep and real. This statement was extremely significant to me.

What makes you a second generation survivor? How does this fact affect your lives? What does being a second generation survivor mean?

Mary: To me, the fact that I was raised in Germany made the holocaust a constant presence. Being second generation is being raised by two traumatized parents, who had experienced severe degradation and a mortal blow to their human dignity. The issue of belonging is problematic I feel there is an entire generation that suffers from this problem; I’m not sure whether the holocaust is the cause, or other cultural processes that began at that time. I feel it is my personal responsibility to create a link between the generations, I am a bridge. I recently started researching the lives of my grandparents; it’s like a black hole. In Berlin I attempted to connect Jews and Germans; today as a psychologist I attempt to connect other types of worlds. I feel I am trying to fill a void.

One other issue that might be related as well is my complete lack of confidence toward the past and the land. It’s like a dark pit. I live in

8 | THE VOICE

a pot or a suitcase that can be taken from place to place. The feeling is that we cannot trust the land; land is problematic. I am terrified of trains and metals and tracks, I have been since I was a child.

Avi: In recent years I find I am proud to say I am a second generation survivor. I belong to a significant event that occurred to our nation. I feel something is missing from my life that something was left behind in Poland. There is a big black hole in my life. I feel a strong pull toward the hole that has swallowed up my history. My father imported the hole, and it’s now a part of me. I have no solid ground upon which to stand; I have a strong unquenchable thirst. I want to hear stories and see an image with my own eyes. These are the things that make me second generation.

Questions of identity and attitude toward Judaism?

Mary: I have been dealing with questions of identity my whole life, since I was very young.

Avi: Me too. All the time.Mary: There is only one answer that is

obvious to me. If the people were killed for being Jews, that reinforces my commitment to the Jewish people, and I can never leave behind the Jewish issue. I have a commitment to this nation; this is my only certainty. I don’t believe in religion, but I do belong to the Jewish nation.

Avi: I don’t identify with that approach; in fact I object to it. There is no one and nothing that can gain my confidence. I am not connected to Judaism; I am linked to nothing. This feeling is clearly a result of this terrible event.

You are both in the process of researching your roots. How do you feel about the process?

Mary: Something that was frozen inside me is now beginning to thaw. The images

are coming to life, and I send pictures to family friends around the world. When people responded I felt genuine excitement, the warmth of meaning. Another significant experience was the last trip to Umschlagplatz in Piotrków. I felt that my mother was floating. I noticed this fact from the outset, but later recognized that I too was hovering; I understood that there was a dark cloud over us. When I saw the cloud over my mother I understood something about myself. I understood the effects of my mother’s experience on me throughout the years. It was a life changing moment.

Avi: The meetings with other descendants of Piotrków were good for me.1 I journeyed to Piotrków on my own, which was also a positive experience. I anticipated a group experience that stemmed from a shared fate, but I was disappointed. I yearned for a sense of belonging to something, but that did not

1. In 2013 a series of meetings was held between second generation survivors from Piotrków.

Mary repairing the grave of her great-grandfather

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happen. The meetings were positive and interesting, but inside I thirst for something from the past. I seek the love of mankind, and can’t really find that here.

Mary: The Piotrków group provided me with a framework to complete my search. It pains me that we have not learned enough from this experience; that things happen here, in Israel, which should never happen. I guess it is difficult to learn from experiences, even from a horrific event like the holocaust.

The attitude toward the Poles is a complex issue with second generation survivors. How do you feel about this issue?

Mary: My parents hated Poland. Strange as it sounds, they compartmentalized: Germany is good, Poland is bad. At home they never spoke Polish, only German and Yiddish. The anger is all directed toward the Poles, and I believe this is incorrect. My brother swore to my father that he would never visit Poland, and before his Sabbatical he had to annul his oath. Personally, I have no problem with the Poles, and I don’t feel my mother is distant and bitter either. A Piotrków Pole might intrigue me and interest me. When we visited there on my sabbatical and sang with the Poles in the Piotrków pub, I felt I was open to learning the language.

Avi: My first feeling upon my visit to Piotrków was that the Poles are unpleasant and unfriendly. But perhaps these were the simple people, and I have not had a chance to meet with the elite. Poles do not interest me at this time – but this might be a prejudice based on a lack of knowledge.

Do you value connecting with Polish residents of Piotrków? How do you feel about the commemoration of the community there? Do you feel a connection to the Polish city Piotrków?

Mary: I believe there is a value only if the

desire is to achieve a humanitarian objective. I only recently came to understand that the Polish people suffered a great deal during the holocaust. Our dealing with the past should not focus only on commemoration – but on changing the future; otherwise all we are doing is commemorating evil. In this case each side shuts down and hates the other; we have to create a way to open up the world to what has happened, in order to create sensitivity toward the ‘other.’

Avi: Mary and I both don’t take the holocaust to a Zionistic place, of reinforcing the country. Many second generation survivors feel very connected to the State because of what happened; I am not like that. Perhaps those who read the article won’t identify with what we write because of the link they have created between the holocaust and the State of Israel. On the other hand, the paper will be published worldwide; perhaps second generation children will understand us.

Avi by the Wailing Wall

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The school of dialogue program took place in March and April 2012 in Bolesław Chrobry High School.

During a series of four workshops led by two Forum’s educators – Stas Niemojewski and Kasia Pietrzak, students from the local high school learned the basics of Jewish history and culture, and incorporated Jewish heritage into their knowledge of the history of their town.

They were surprised to learn about the Jewish presence in their town and centuries-long coexistence and cooperation between Poles and Jews. The program’s final element,

Polish Studentsfrom Piotrkowlearning aboutthe Jewish communityA special project initiatedby School of Dialog and PTA

incorporating students’ research of the often-forgotten Jewish heritage of their town, is a walking tour of the Jewish sites of which regular visitors are not aware. The students prepared an unusual tour of their town attended by other students from their school and members of the town council. They were also invited to take part in a Shabbaton, - a meeting of descendants of Piotrkow’s Jews from all over the world.

“Let’s draw a map of your town as it is today and mark the places that its residents need,” said Stas. The students decided to draw

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a school, a shop, a church, a police station, and also a cemetery. When they decided that the map was ready, Kasia asked them, “How do you think your town looked before the war?” The students in Piotrkow Trybunalski had difficulty imagining this, so the Forum’s educators gave them photos featuring buildings and institutions typical for the interwar Jewish settlements in Poland.

For many students, looking over the materials was the first opportunity to see an actual synagogue, and with the educators’ help, they discovered major differences between a synagogue and a Catholic church. These materials also enabled students to learn about Jewish social and religious life in Poland. With this newly acquired knowledge, they decided to enrich their map by marking the synagogue, the mikvah, the Jewish cemetery, and

the cheder.During the exercise explaining the rules

of kashrut, students decided to mark a Jewish butcher on their map. The workshop ended

with a screening of an authentic documentary shot in Gabin, a small town in the Mazovian Province. The film, shot in 1937, helped students visualize life in a town like theirs where before the war Jews were the biggest minority.

Before presenting it to Stas and Kasia, the Forum’s educators, the students prepared the tour of Piotrkow on their own. They assigned and shared responsibilities, planned the route, the timing of the tour, and then collected information about specific locations. During the third workshop, students took Kasia and Stas, Forum’s educators, on a trial-run of the tour. In the course of the visit, the Forum’s educators supplemented the students’ knowledge and suggested places that could be added to the route. They also acted as visitors, asking questions that helped students mould their narrative into a clear and attractive form, since the tour would later be presented to members of the local community.

After the tour, students completed the so-

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called David exercise, which presents the story of a fictional Jewish teenager, David, who lived in Piotrkow before the war. Again, students are asked about the way his day could have looked like in 1935? What did they think happened to him? What would he be doing 15 years after the war? This is also the moment to talk about the destruction of Jewish community in Piotrkow. Within the framework of the SCHOOL OF DIALOGUE, students have the opportunity to talk about the Holocaust on the basis of a very local, individual story of someone their age.

The tour prepared by the students and addressed to the local community took place on June 11th, 2012. The students wanted to reach out to as many residents as possible. They invited representatives of local authorities, employees of the tourist office and other students. The group’s main goal was to spread knowledge about the Jews of Piotrkow and at the same time to talk about individual histories to present specific people.

The heroes of their project were among others: Irena Stanisława Sendlerowa and Ernestine Potowska-Rose, as well as some famous rabbis, doctors, musicians and writers,

who had once lived in the town. Another topic important for the students were the histories of Poles who saved Jews. During the workshops preceding the tour, while looking for Righteous Gentiles one student discovered that her grandparents had been granted this title.

A crucial point of the tour was the visit to the two Jewish cemeteries in Piotrkow. The visits to the former synagogues were an opportunity to outline the rules and beliefs of Judaism. When inside the small synagogue known for its beautifully preserved polychromes illustrating the Ten Commandments, the students shared a horrific story that during the war Nazis would place Jews under the Commandment that read “You shall not kill” and shoot them on the spot.

The tour was the first of the series prepared by the students. In the future they hope to invite more people to join their tour and to that purpose they

will post tour dates on the tourist offi ce’s calendar. Finally, the students prepared an album containing historical information about Piotrkow’s Jews and their tradition, culture

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and religion, as well as documenting the tour.On November 2nd, 2012, the students

gave a tour for Alan Silberstein, an American Jew, whose father had been born and raised in Piotrkow. However, before setting out to visit the town, the students could get to know their guest better during a workshop organized at the school. During this meeting, Alan Silberstein told many stories about his family

and prewar Piotrkow.After the meeting at school, the students

invited Mr Silberstein on a walking tour of sites associated with prewar Jewish community. The visit’s special moment was a stop in front of a building near the Czarnecki square, where Mr Silberstein’s father used to live. The meeting was very meaningful and educational for both the students and their guest.

The transports to Treblinka extermination camp wereduring 8 days:14-21 october 1942.

First Transport [14.10.42]:Streets - Stara-Warshavska (Yidden-Gas), Jerusalimska, Garcharska.Villages – Pshiglov, Mileyov

Second Transport [16.10.42]:Streets – Pereza, Zamakova, Plac Zamakova. Villages: Rozpsha, Kaminsk, Gorkovicha

Third Transport [19.10.42]:Pilsutskego, Leonarda, plac Charniechego, litevska, Vieska, Kriva

Forth Transport [21.10.42]:Plac Trybunalsky, Plac Neifudlglotsky, Shevska, Richarska, Sieredska, Grodska, Farna, Fierska, Liezna-Morka

Bunkers Jews [3.11.42]:Thousands of Jews that were hiding in the Bunkers, were catched, brought to the Synagogue and from there sent to Treblinka through Tomashov

Rakov Forset: A. 20.11.42- 160 JewsB. 20.12.42 - 542 Jews

We will never forget !

71 years to the exterminationof Piotrkow Jews

October 1942 – October 2013

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Judengasse – The Jewish StreetThe street was known as “The Jewish

Street,” despite the fact that the official name, Nowgorodzkaja, appears on the sign both in Polish and Russian. Later the street was named Staro-Warszawska. This was the Jewish street; nearly all residents were Jewish. The proprietors were non-Jews, as well as

A Taste of Piotrków One Century Ago

Dr. Sigmund Tennenbaum

* The book “Stories from Piotrków” was written by Dr. Sigmund Tennenbaum, an ear-nose-throat doctor before the war, who survived the holocaust, and resided in Piotrków after the war until the end of his days. His son Hillel Yarkoni translated the book from Polish into Hebrew. The following is a selection of chapters from the book, which describes Piotrków at the beginning of the twentieth century. The book serves as an important document for former residents of Piotrków and for historians of Polish Jewry. The book comprises over 130 pages; 76 pages describe the Judengasse (Jewish ghetto) of Staro-Warszawska, which served as the center of Jewish life in Piotrków. The book is currently being considered for publication.Hillel resides in Haifa, and participates in memorials for Piotrków Jewry. We wish him many years of health and productivity.

scattered tradesmen, thugs, and unemployed and poor residents.

Everyone here knew each other. In addition to a given name, most people had a nickname relating to the color of their beard, their trade, or their origins: “Yellow Hershke,” “Black Moishe,” “Aaron the Tinsmith,” “Pinkus the Baker,” “Tuschinsky the Paramedic,” and so on.

Judengasse 7

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For me, incentive to write stems from the desire to stop the flow of life, and protect it from loss and devastation.

Zofia Nałkowska 1884 - 1954

Sometimes the name mocked a character trait: “David Tatalek (the stutterer),” “Samuel the Cut” (who was circumcised at 13), “Shima the Nose.” These names became so common that the original names were often forgotten. Only important people such as wealthy residents and great Torah scholars were referred to by name and family name.

Yiddish Speaking PolesEveryone spoke Yiddish. Even non-Jews

picked up the language and flaunted their Yiddish, especially in the presence of visiting friends from non-Jewish neighborhoods. They would greet their Jewish neighbors in Yiddish, and would accurately enunciate the Rosh HaShana greetings. They sang Jewish folk songs, loved Jewish cuisine such as łazanki (a Jewish dish made of wide noodles cut into squares) in golden chicken broth with beans, red Passover horseradish that tasted like wine, goose or chicken necks stuffed with chopped

meat and fried onions. Some favorite dishes included goose roasted in garlic, the goose-fat griblach, stuffed carp, and a wonderfully fatty chullent slow-cooking in the baker’s oven from Friday to Saturday morning.

The highlight of Shabbat lunch was the kugel – a noodle dish stuffed with raisins and soaked in fat. Sometimes noodles were replaced with sweet rolls or a sweet challah with raisins and almonds. The delicacy was made in a variety of ways.

Yiddish was the main language spoken on the Jewish street; only store and factory signs were written in Polish and Russian. All street signs were written by Mr. Krimolowsky, who also painted scenes from the lives of the Jews: a thick bearded Jewish man wearing a fox-fur streimel, leaning over an open volume of Talmud. His paintings decorated Jewish homes; these paintings were generally hung on the wall over a double bed built in the prestigious Piotrków carpentry shop, owned by Milstein.

A view of the city

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The hatters, Katz and Shteible, had showcases in front of their shops instead of signs. The glass encased showcases displayed the low round Jewish hats alongside the blue Polish Maciejówkas with their shiny sash, worn by both commoners and members of the upper-class Polish inteligencia. Many Jews wore the hat as well in order to exhibit their identification with Polish culture, earning the nickname “Moishejówka.” Other hats in the display included a coachmen’s oilcloth hats, a miniature military cap which the children loved to look at, and between the wars dark blue square hats lined with silver, with a prominent silver star in front. These were worn by the up-risers of 1863 (in the Polish national uprising against the Russian occupation).

The Great Ber HorowitzThe great Ber Horowitz strolled in front

of his store from sunrise, waiting to greet the customers of his fabric shop. His white beard reached the middle of his stomach; he looked like a Venetian prince or Santa Claus, despite the fact that his beard was real and he never gave out free gifts. Ber Horowitz loved sunshine and air. He was known to swim in the Psarski Lake as early as May. The lakes were in an area owned by Mr. Psarski of Sulejów. Psarski leased the areas to a German gardener named Beaderman. The German entrepreneur turned the dirty mud holes into shallow lakes. He would charge three kopek for people just to dunk their feet in the mud! Ber was a laughingstock to the youth and shepherds, since he was unable to hide his private parts in

Kaliska Street

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the water. They would call him “the cut one.”Beaderman also installed stalls for women,

which he assembled from old boards. Loud screams were often heard coming from these, since the youth would peek through the cracks, although girls then were less exposed in the water in those days than they are today walking on the street.

Piotrków ShopsThe shops in the Jewish neighborhood were

shabby dark hovels, lit with a kerosene lamps or a candle set in an empty bottle of vinegar. The shop owner remained in his shop until very late at night. There were no laws about trading hours in those days. In wintertime the shops were heated with a small metal stove which stood on thin legs; but often even a stove could not be found, when no stove was available tired hands would seek the heat of a metal pot filled with burning coals, which looked like the eyes of the devil.

Strawa – The River that Runs Acrossthe City

The very worst type of trade took place on a little bridge across the Strawa, in a dirty channel of sewer drainage, since there was no sewage system in the city at the time.

A woman sat there on a concrete beam, her breast exposed, nursing a baby wrapped in a shawl. Her withered breast was covered in blue veins, which were visible under her dry yellow skin. The woman sold the most amazing pretzels, peppered with salt and poppy seeds.

Another memory is a number of women sitting by their baskets, selling eggs, dairy products, mushrooms, berries, and poppies. They often offered a dish of cooked black peas, horse beans, and small pears. The dish was referred to as “farties.”

The women purchased their ware from the country folk at the markets each Tuesday

Tribolensky Square

18 | THE VOICE

and Friday. Others would travel to the villages, sacks on their back, in order to purchase goods and sell them at a profit on the Strawa or door-to-door.

Old Lazerowitz sold on the bridge as well. On a table covered with white paper he placed a shiny white block of cream, filled with raisins and sometimes almonds. Old Lazer had a small axe, and he would chisel a piece of the magical mountain to sell to Jewish children. Lazerowitz also sold ice cream in the Jewish neighborhoods as well. Since these delicacies were limited to summer, he spent the winter fixing galoshes. Lazerowitz was the patriarch of a family that suffered from osteoporosis, causing broken and distorted bones. The adults in the family were midgets, like the characters painted by Nikifor (a Polish artist, 1895 – 1968), or the images in a distorted circus mirror. Their children looked like little monsters from Walt Disney films – but instead

of being amusing, they were pathetic and pitiful.

The Jewish StreetThe Jewish street extended eastward to the

intersection with Sieradzka, and westward to Parna. The street and sidewalks were paved with protruding stones, and the center of the sidewalk was paved with long stone boards. Along the sidewalk there were ashen one-storey houses with peeling walls, revealing the red brick underneath. A row of arches led to dark entrance halls and into yards of houses filled with barracks, latrines, and garbage. The rats were plentiful, and the thin rooftops were filled with pigeons which belonged to the homeowners.

Krakow was referred to as Little Rome; Toruń was named Little Krakow. Piotrków should perhaps be called Little Toruń...

Brendinski Square

19 | הדים

The Water TraderOn the corner of the Jewish street and

Zamurowa, under the wall surrounding St. James’ Church, one could hear the pulse of the water well all day. The water trader, red-haired Moishe Mayer Kotronga, supplied drinking water for the entire street. His nickname was Moishe Mayer ‘Suralla.’ He was particularly amused when the children referred to him by this name; he would turn his back, stick out his behind, and encourage their taunts, to the delight of both children and adults.

Culture: Street ShowsMany vagrants seeking income passed by

the Jewish houses. These included merchants, musicians, singers and acrobats wearing pink Yeger pants, who would show off their acrobatic talents on little mats. Walking down the street one would come across a puppet show, a man with a gramophone; trained monkeys who would play music on a music box or emulate an old woman carrying a water bucket. We would look out the window and admire these shows, and when money was available we would throw a wrapped coin out the window.

A popular Piotrków music box player in those days was Wolf: an old thin man with a white curly sailor’s beard, who always wore a bright cap. He would crouch under the weight of his heavy music box, which he always carried on his crooked back. He would play melancholy tunes, shut his eyes, and hum.

Mashugena MiriamOn Sieradzka street, outside of Janowsky’s

shop, stood Mashugena Miriam. She would stand there morning to evening, in all weather, always barefoot, dressed in rags. Her feet grew thick dirty skin, like the skin of a crocodile.

Miriam was constantly active: she would turn to each and every passerby with her

request: “some money for a bun.” She would often try to seduce men with a more tempting offer.

One day Mashugena Miriam disappeared, having been banished from her post due to an outburst against Piotrków's Governor General Miller (Col. Konstantin Miller, 1836-1904, who served as Piotrków's District Governor 1890-1904). Miller was an old man, who liked to stroll through the city, followed closely by his bodyguard Mikolai, who wore a large silver medalion on his chest. Mikolai was well-known and well-liked by the Jews. He spoke fluent Yiddish, and was rumored to have descended from the Cantonists (Jewish children who were conscripted to military institutions in czarist Russia with the intention that the conditions in which they were placed would force them to adopt Christianity early in the nineteenth century). One day the governor was strolling down Sieradzka, when Mashugena Miriam made the regretful decision to elbow him and call out: “old sorcerer.”

Mashugena Miriam was an integral part of Sieradzka, just like Lefkowitz’s strange shop on the corner of Sieradzka and Rycerska.

20 | THE VOICE

Whither shall I go…?

Whither shall I go…?When every exit is shut.Whither shall I go…?When everywhere stands a guard.Whither shall I go…?I am told to stay put.Wherever I might turn,They tell me “Jew remain”.And return to your lot.

What was the song that Jewssang in Piotrkow’s Ghetto?

William Samelson tells

* Dr. Dina Feldmansent this beautiful song.* William Samelson. All in Wait. New Bulletin. No. 1, June, 1982. P. 31

“Soon a new song was born in the ghetto. It was hummed by every person able to carry a tune. Like all things in war, it came suddenly, as if carried by the shadows…The people needed a miracle. And while they waited and prayed, there was more fear there was more congestion, and there were rumors of imminent doom, there resounded the doleful melody, reverberating from every spiral of thebarbed wire fence: Whither shall I go…?

21 | הדים

* תרגום חופשי מאנגלית והבאה לדפוס ד”ר דינה פלדמן.William Samelson. All in Wait. New Bulletin. No. 1, June, 1982. P. 31. ויליאם סמלסון *

In the archive of Piotrków are kept documents which can be useful in the research for reconstructing genealogical

trees of Jewish people with roots in the area of Piotrków.

The most important are metrical books of fourteen Jewish communities of Piotrków, Rozprza, Sulejów, Kamieńsk, Radomsko, Przedbórz, Sulmierzyce, Bełchatów, Szczerców, Wolbórz, Ujazd, Tomaszów Mazowiecki, Opoczno, Żarnów .

In the Polish State Archives (PSA) are kept metrical books older than hundred years. So at the moment in the year 2013 the last metrical books kept in the archive of Piotrków are from the year 1912. The metrical books from the period 1913 - 1942 are still kept in the registries (URZĄD STANU CYWILNEGO,USC) in the offices of communes or cities.

The oldest metrical books in the archive of Piotrków start usually about the year 1870 (the books of Piotrków start in the year 1856). Older metrical books were microfilmed by mormons about 45 year ago. The microfilms are available in the archive of Łódź or in the

Findingsin thePiotrków ArchivesJacek Bednarek, Piotrkow

Our close friend Jacek Bednark currently resides in Piotrków. He was born in the village of Jakobitz, neighboring Piotrków. Jacek is genius: he speaks seven or eight languages and remembers the details of every submitted request for archival search over the years. He is an expert archivist, and often surprises requesters with information and photographs they did not know existed.

When asked to describe his work Jacek wrote: “I am fascinated by the history of Piotrków Jewry. Their history is a significant part of my past as a Polish resident of the city. The long hours I spent in the archives are deeply significant to me, and have contributed greatly to my personal development. I uncover history, and meet with others who do the same. I am aware that my discoveries are significant to the original Piotrków families.We thank Jacek for his remarkable work, and wish him many years of health and productivity.

22 | THE VOICE

archive of Kielce (in the case of Opoczno, Żarnów and Przedbórz). The oldest Jewish metrical books are from the year 1826. In that year appeared a law in the kingdom of Poland (which was the part of the Russian empire) which forced the Jewish communities to register their metrical data in books. In first metrical books were registered deaths of persons who had been born even in the middle of XVIII century. Sometimes those people had only names without surnames.

In the metrical books were registered births, marriages and death. Jewish parents usually registered births of their children with a delay of a few years. Today it makes genealogical reseach a little more difficult. The metrical books contain often attachments to the registrations of marriages and sometimes attachments to the registrations of births and deaths. It is an additional source of precious information. Not alway lists of births, marriages and deaths have indexes. The lack of index makes the research more difficult. The metrical books were written in the Polish language in the period 1826-

1867. In the period 1868-1915 the metrical books were written in the Russian language. During the WW1 the Russian troops and the Russian administration abandoned the central Poland in the year 1915. Our territory was under the German and Austrian occupation and in the administation was used the Polish language. It can happen that there are years without metrical books which were lost. So sometimes there are gaps in metrical books.

Other very important source of genealogical data are so called books of residents. Those books were established about the year 1880 and were closed in the year 1930. The oldest entries in the books of residents are in Russian and the entries after the year 1915 are in Polish. The information in the books of residents is often incomplete, some children were not registred in them. The oldest persons registered in the books of residents were born about the years 1810 - 1820. Those persons were still alive about the year 1880 and were about 70 years old. In the books of residents there are additional remarks about military commissions of men,

Archivist Jacek Bednark in Piotrków

23 | הדים

verdicts of courts of law, marriages of persons from other localities etc. The population was ordered by the policial numbers of houses.

The books of residents of Piotrków comprise for example 34 volumes (of more than 700 houses), the books of residents of Belchatów comprise 6 volumes. The documets of various communes contain books of residents of villages. So it is possible to find traces of Jewish people even in books of residents of small villages. Very interesting source of documents are attachments to houses from books of residents.

In the archive of Piotrków are kept other type of documents which can be used in the genealogical reseach, for example lists of conscripts. The young men in Poland had military commissions at the age of 21 years. The last list of conscripts are from the year 1939 of the men born in 1918.

A lot of Jewish people from the county of Piotrków appled for passports. They wanted to emigrate mainly to Palestine or America. Today their passport applications with pictures are valuable documents. Documents with pictures are also in the set of applications for new ID cards.

The Jewish communities had an obligation to prepare budgets for every year of their existence which were approved by the Polish administration. The budgets documents have lists of all members who contributed financially to support the activity of the Jewish communities. The lists contain the names, the addresses and the amounts of annual fees of contributors. The oldest list of this type is from the year 1841.

In the research one can use also various documents with lists of Jewish craftsmen, shopkeepers and businesses.

The property books of houses can be interesting for descendants of Jewish people who were owners of real estates in Piotrków. A lot of such books is still open which means that they are kept in the archive of the court of law of Piotrków.

I still discover new type of documents about the Jewish people of Piotrków. It is a very fascinating subject of the research of our common past.

Our shabatonim are unique personal, family, and historical experiences. We will spend an entire weekend in Piotrków, and visit the Jewish neighborhoods, the synagogue, and the cemetery.Participants will have the opportunity to search for information about their families, and look through documents in the Piotrków archives.We will meet with the mayor of Piotrków as well as current residents. Participants of previous shabtonim reported having an emotional and historical experience. This year we will also attend the Krakow Jewish Festival.

Dates: 25.6.14 – 3.7.14Director and Guide: Netanel YechieliInformation and Registration:054-5638196, Ny23456@gmail.com

Shabaton2014 is

Underway!The planning of a new shabaton

is currently underway!

24 | THE VOICE

On the 17th of Av 5773 (24.7.13), Rabbi David Lau was appointed Chief Rabbi of Israel. Rabbi Lau is the son of former Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, who was born in Piotrków, and served as chief Rabbi of Israel from 1993 until 2003, and serves today as Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv. Rabbi David Lau’s grandfather was Rabbi Moshe Chaim Lau z”l. who served as Chief Rabbi of Piotrków, and who was killed in Treblinka along with his community in the month of Heshvan 5703 (October 1942).

The Piotrków community feels a sense of great pride and continuity. At 47 years old, the current Chief Rabbi is the youngest to be elected in Israel, following in the prominent footsteps of two generations of chief rabbis.

Rabbi David Lau Grandson of the

Rabbi of PiotrkówCurrent ChiefRabbi of Israel

In 2009, Rabbi David Lau joined a tour of Piotrków, marking the 70th anniversary of the creation of the first Jewish ghetto in Poland. Rabbi Lau met with Mr. Krzysztof Chojniak, mayor of Piotrków, and spoke at the central event in the city’s cultural center.

Rabbi David Lau was born and raised in Tel Aviv. He was the first Chief Rabbi of Shoham, and later became the Chief Ashkenazi rabbi of Modiin. Rabbi Lau is aMajor in the IDF, serving as a Rabbi in the Intelligence Corps reserves.

In the name of all Piotrków descendants, we wish Rabbi Lau much success in his new position, and hope that he maintains contact with the community in the future.

Rabbi Lau speaks in Rakow, 2009; the smaller image shows Rabbi Moshe Chaim Lau, Rabbi of Piotrków

25 | הדים

On the seventh of Heshvan, 5773, we began reciting ‘ve-ten tal u’matar’ – the prayer for rain. The rain came

two days later giving those who journey to Jerusalem on Succot two more days to return; but this morning winter began in earnest. An exquisite rainbow rose above the valley of Beit Netofa near my home. One end of the rainbow could be seen in the Arab village of Manda, and the other in the Jewish town of Beit Rimon. The rainbow is a sign of reconciliation between man and his Creator. God had destroyed His world in the flood, but then showed Noah a sign of hope when the waters had ceased, and revealed a deeply rooted blossoming olive tree.

Seventy years ago, from the third to the eleventh of Heshvan, 5703 (14/10/42 – 21/10/42) the rainbow was hidden from the 20,000 Piotrków Jews who were crammed, shocked and terrified, in the train cars that led them to Treblinka. With precise logistical coordination, the daily transports correlated with the availability of gas chambers and incinerators. Of all the nations, we were up against the world champions in logistics and efficiency.

My grandfather, Rabbi Moshe Haim Lau hy”d, and my thirteen year old uncle Shmuel (Melk), were on the final transport, on the eleventh of Heshvan. My father, 16 year old Naftali Lau-Lavi, a forced laborer at the Hortensia glass factory, stood appalled under

Two Ends of a Rainbow Jerusalem and PiotrkowShai Lavi

the tracks, as the screams of the prisoners in the train cars passed above him. No rainbow was visible in the midst of this flood, and I don’t think my father ever reconciled with his Creator.

Seventy years are a blink of an eye in the historical sequence. The road travelled by the Jewish people in this short timeframe was significant. The motivation to harm Jews has not weakened; in fact it has increased and become more targeted. However, the State of Israel’s commitment to the safety and security of its citizens is great, our military abilities stable, and our air-force can reach Sudan if need be. The End of the Rainbow in Jerusalem works consistently to stabilize the end in Polish Piotrków.

* Shai Lavi is the son of Naftali Lau-Lavi. He resides in the Galilee town of Hoshaya.

Application for ID card from 1937 by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Lau. The application was discovered by Jacek Bednark

Train tracks near Hortensja

26 | THE VOICE

We, survivors of the Holocaust, wish to send the world a message in our old age.

Today, while the memory of the Holocaust still remains embedded in our flesh, we wish to hand the torch of memory to the next generation. Along with the remembrance we pass along a Jewish message: Memory must lead to action, and to moral commitment. Memory must be the foundation of action and the source of our ability to create a better world.

We have not developed a hatred of mankind or a sense of vengeance toward the innocent; instead, we have chosen life. We

have not allowed ourselves to sink into the depths of despair, or to lose faith in man and the image of God; instead we wish to extract a positive message from the horrors seared into our very flesh. We wish to disperse a message of commitment to human values.

The Holocaust is part of the universal legacy of all cultures. The Holocaust has set a standard for absolute evil, and the lessons of the Holocaust must serve as a cultural code of education to humanitarian values, human rights, patience and tolerance, and against racism and totalitarian ideologies.

We, the population of Holocaust survivors, are diminishing in numbers. In a few short years there will not be a man on earth who could say, “I remember, I was there.” All that will be left are memoirs and research, pictures and films and recorded testimony. The memory of the Holocaust will no longer be a forced destiny stamped in our flesh and souls, but rather a vocation for the next generations, who will assume the responsibility for the content and substance of the historical mission.

(Survivor’s Proclemation, Yad Vashem, April 2002)

The Universal Significanceof theHolocaust

27 | הדים

One week prior to Rosh Hashana 2012 I embarked on a Poland expedition with a delegation of IDF officers. One week of my life, for the journey of a lifetime. The following are excerpts from the journal I kept throughout the trip to Poland:

We are on our way to Auschwitz. We are all dressed in IDF uniforms showing our rank insignia. I have a silver beret under my shoulder strap, with a blue and white badge, symbolizing the Israeli flag. A young Major, whose uncle, Col. Avraham Hido z”l, was killed in Lebanon in 1985, is beside me. I stand behind Col. Erez, commander of the delegation; a Druze career solider is by his side. Across from me are two air force pilots. I look around and can’t help being moved. Here we are all together, in our IDF uniforms, on our way to Auschwitz…

My heart races; my mind is filled with thoughts.

I see the train tracks before me. I shudder to think of the hundreds of thousands of Jews who travelled past here, on their final journey. We approach the entrance to the camp, and are told to form lines of five, and march to the ceremony. We form ranks, with the Israeli and IDF flags waving before us. We all wear our berets, and the trumpeter begins to play “Elli, Elli” by Hannah Senesh. Suddenly, just as we were preparing to leave, it begins to pour, and the heavens cry with us… I march, and the rain falls, and the tears fall. My tears coincide with the tears of the heavens…

We exit the camp, and the rain continues to pour. I look ahead and see the beret of a pilot before me. I see the long line of IDF officers carrying Israeli flags in the very place

IDF OfficersPoland Heritage Trip,Summer 2012Ofer Goldring*

that over one million Jews met their bitter end. I feel pride, mixed with deep sadness. And the rain continues to pour, and the tears of heaven blend with our tears…

We stand for the salute and the recitation of Hatikvah; we raise our hands in salute and begin to sing the anthem, and the rain pours heavily. I sing, I shout the anthem, but my voice cannot be heard. The tears of heaven block me out, and my own tears choke my words, I can barely make a sound… I stand erect, straighter than ever before, proud to be in the company of great officers in this camp, all singing Hatikvah. We are soaked with the tears of the heavens, soaked by our own tears… the tears of proud leaders!

The singing is over, the saluting hands drop. We stand still. As our hands go down, the rain stops completely. I shudder, we all shudder at the thought of the sky crying with us, demonstrating that the drops of rain, the tears of the heavens, are also a source of life for us and our children.

Absolute silence. We all look at each other, in our soaked uniforms. We look up to the heavens that stopped crying at the end of Hatikvah.

* Ofer Goldring resides in Gan Yavneh, and is the Director of the Committee of Piotrkow Jews in Israel.

Ofer lights a candle by the Piotrków memorial in Treblinka

28 | THE VOICE

BIRTHMy grandma Huddes (in Polish: Chudesa)

was born on June 20, 1877, in Piotrków Trybunalski. She was the first child of Dwojra (nee: Nejman) and Fiszel Malec. Her birth transcript stated: “This happened in Piotrków on July 10, 1877, at 9 a.m. Fiszel Malec, a twenty year old merchant from Piotrków, arrived accompanied by Muzak Abraham Abramowitz, son of Abraham, age 25, registrar of the Jewish community, and by employee Yitzchak Litiak, age 29. Both resided in Piotrków. A girl was born. This child was born in the city of Piotrków on June 20 of this year, at 2 p.m. to the legal wife Dwojra (nee: Nejman), age 18. The daughter was named Huddes. This certificate was written in the presence of witnesses. Signed: Yitzchak Litiak, Abraham Abramowitz, and the registrar on behalf of the Mayor.”1

HOMEThe Bęczkowski family resided on Staro-

Warszawska St. no. 25 (known as “the Jewish street”). They owned a large, three-sided building, which surrounded a large courtyard

1. I would like to thank Jacek Bendrak, who found the document in the Piotrków’s archives and translated it.

* Dr. Dina Feldman resides in Jerusalem. She has devoted the last several years to researching her family and roots in Piotrków and Poland, and has initiated projects relating to Polish-Jewish dialogue for the commemoration of the Piterkow community. Dina acts as an advisor for the committee, and kindly offers her wisdom and talent to our cause. Thank you Dina.Written by Dr. Dina Feldman, daughter of Avraham Mevorach-Benchekovsky, based on the book: Feldman-Mevorch, Dina, and Boneh-Levi, Yael, Trilogiya Yehudit mi-Polin (Holon 2013), and on an interview with Ruth Meltz, with thanks to Yael and Ruth.

MY GRANDMAHUDDES

BĘCZKOWSKAnee MALEC

By Dr. Dina Feldman*

and a plentiful storage space. According to Ruth Maltz, Huddes’s aunt, Roda Zinger- Nejman owned a bakery in the courtyard, which provided employment for the entire family.

Birth registration: Huddes Malec

29 | הדים

Dwojra, Huddes’s mother, ran a tavern in the other side of the building. According to Ruth Maltz, Dwojra worked very hard all week, and would often been sick with exhaustion and bedridden by the weekend.

Approximately forty residents lived in the complex. Charging rent and tending to the many needs of the complex was a great challenge, and both led to endless quarrels. Huddes assisted her parents with the management of the property from a young age. When her parents grew old and her brother Yacob Malec moved to Warsaw, and later immigrated to Israel – she took sole responsibility for the management of the property. She was assisted by Yacob’s remote advice and her son Yossel, who lived in Łódź. The many challenges she faced are described in several postcards sent by Huddes to her brother and sons.2

FAMILY MALECHuddes’s father, Fiszel, was a Torah scholar.

According to Ruth, when the family sued several tenants for their failure to pay rent,

2. Published in the book : Feldman-Mevarch, Dina, and Boneh-Levi, Yael, Trilogiya Yehudit mi-Polin (Holon: Orion, 2013)

Staro-Warszawska 25, Piotrków

Dwojra Malec

Fiszel refused to swear over a bible in court, and was fined by the judge for contempt. His son Yacob explained the religious reasons behind his refusal, and saved him from paying the high fine. Like his father, Ruwen Lejzor, Fiszel was known as a skilled healer, and would tend to wounds and breaks without asking for

reward. According to his grandson Abram, Fiszel hosted the Piotrków “Mizrahi” meetings at his house.

Huddes had five brothers: Isaac (1857-1940), who was perished in the holocaust along with most of the family; Moshe, who died at 15 (1888-1903); Joseph, who died at the age of 23 (1890-1913); Hannah Rivkah, of whom we know nothing; and Yacob (1891-1980). Huddes and Yacob were particularly close.

Grandma Huddes was the descendant of well-established families in the city: she was the great-granddaughter of Szyja Szpiro, son of Rabbi Ya’akov Szpiro, the son of Rabbi Fiszele of Stryków, and granddaughter of Chaya Bernard, the granddaughter of the Dr. and Admor Chaim David Bernard “The Baal Tshuva of Piotrkow”.

FAMILY BĘCZKOWSKI

Fiszel’s tomb at the Jewish Cemetaryof Piotrków

30 | THE VOICE

On October 6, 1906, Huddes was married to my grandfather Moszek Bęczkowski of Bełchatów, b. 1878. They had three sons: my father Abram (1897-1984), Yossel (1902-1942) and Mendel (1913-2004) who was born in Łódź. They had also two daughters: Sara and Dwora, who passed away very young.

TWO NIECESHuddes filled the void created by the

absence of her two daughters by lovingly embracing her nieces, both born in Piotrków. She tutored Mary Maltz (1917-2004), the eldest daughter of her brother Yacob and Ruth (b. 1924), Jacob’s younger daughter, accompanied her everywhere.

LANGUAGESYiddish was the commonly spoken

language among Piotrków Jews. Most men were sufficiently fluent in Aramaic and Hebrew for the purpose of prayer and Torah study. Few Orthodox Jews knew Polish, and Huddes was one of them. The ability to communicate with the surrounding non-Jewish community was essential to her work, and she studied various languages for this purpose. While planning their immigration to Israel, her husband proudly wrote to his son:

“With regard to your mother, I believe, according the rumors here, that anyone who speaks English will easily procure a government job. Your mother is fluent in English, French,

Huddes, Yossel (erased), Mendel, Moszek. Yossel holds a photograph of Abram in his hand

Russian, Polish, and Yiddish. Sometimes an opportunity comes through – perhaps she can find employment, for example, at the post office…”3

MESSIAH, ISRAEL, AND THE SHOFAR

Anecdote, described by Huddes’s son - Abram: “One Saturday evening when I was three years old, I was sitting on my mother’s lap. I heard her whisper a prayer that began with the words “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,” and ended with “Elijah the prophet, Elijah the Tishbi, come soon with Messiah, son of David.” I asked my mother what she meant, and she explained that each day we wait for Messiah; and while Messiah was a poor man, he will come riding on a donkey. However he will influence all the nations of the world, who will release us from exile and let us return to Israel, the land of milk and honey, raisins and almonds. She continued: we will know the time has come when we hear the sound of a great shofar; then she made a round gesture with her hand, and pretended she was blowing a shofar. This was my first lesson from my mother about Messiah, and Israel, and the shofar.”4

3. Tenth letter, p. 78.4. Second memory, p. 16.

Avraham (cener) and Devorah in Kfar Hittim

31 | הדים

Mary Maltz

Ruth Maltz, (top row on left, closest to teacher), Piotrków Kindergarten. To her right: Ben Giladi

HOLOCAUST: THE ENDToward the end of the summer of 1939 the

winds of war were apparent, and the Jewish community of Piotrków fearfully awaited the future. At that time, Huddes still resided with her elderly father, Fiszel (1859 – 1940) on Staro-Warszawska, the main street of the Piotrków ghetto.

At that time Hudess was over sixty years old, at a time when the elderly were considered as good as dead. Her life in this difficult time remains unknown; all we heard is that our grandma did not give in easily, and like many other members of the community struggled to survive the war.

When rumors of the roundups in the fall of 1942 began to emerge, Hudess hid behind the wall of the bakery in their building. An informer gave away her position, and she was sent to her death, probably in Treblinka.

The last two postcards she wrote were sent to her sons, Mendel5 and Abram, just before the German occupation.6 In her postcards Hadassah attempted to remain reserved and hopeful, the terror managed to seep through her words:

5. Seventh postcard, Yiddish, p. 92. Translated from Yiddish to Hebrew by Lea Gurfinkel. 6. Eighth postcard, Polish, p. 93. I thank Tomasz Jankowsky for translating the document from Polish to Hebrew.

“25.08.39My Darling and Beloved Son, Mendel: I

received your lovely letter at Warsaw. I thank you for the letter and hope we can meet in peace, for the terror is great. Do not be afraid. We are healthy, thank God. I have been away from home on business. I have requested to return, and am now on my way home. I would like to be home by the afternoon, and so am rushing to the train.

You have given me joy. I pray for your health and happiness. I am sending you regards and kisses. Send my best also to Yankel and Fraidala, Abram, Sarah, Mary and Rotha. All the best. May God have mercy on us all.

From your loyal mother, wishing to see you again in days of peace.

Your true and loving mother, Chudesa Bęczkowska”

A few short days after the last two postcards were written, on 2-3 September 1939, the city of Piotrków was bombarded by the Germans. On 5 September, 1939, the German army marched into the city, and the world of the Piotrków Jewish community, as the life of my grandmother, and other family members, was smashed to traces.

32 | THE VOICE

In the last 6 years there has been renewed activity among survivors and descendants of Piotrkow around the world and especially in Israel and New York. The ability to quickly share information by email and the internet, and the hard work of many individuals has resulted in collaborative efforts to commemorate and preserve the heritage of our common ancestry. Considerable help has come from our landsman throughout the world and our Polish friends in Piotrkow. Here in New York, we feel that we are part of a larger international organization and we are trying to do our part.

In August 2007, a large group of survivors and decedents from Israel, the US and Europe, including Rabbi Israel Lau and Naftali Lau-Lavie, came together to visit Piotrkow. Since that visit, various efforts and collaborations have taken place. In June 2008 a group of us spent a week in the Piotrkow cemetery working to clean and document and photograph the graves and tombstones. This was immediately followed by a Shabbaton and the first celebration of Shabbat in the Great Synagogue since the Holocaust. In October of 2009 a delegation from the US, England and Israel, including the current Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi David Lau, attended

Piotrkow TrybunalskiAssociation New York

Irving Gomolin

a special memorial event organized by the city to commemorate both the establishment (1939) and liquidation (1942) of the ghetto. In June 2010 another Shabbaton was held during which the anniversary of the Bar Mitzvah of Naftali Lau-Lavie was celebrated with over 60 other people. During and since these years, other individuals have made trips to Piotrkow as well, in search of roots and to research the well preserved archives.

In October 2010, the group in New York invited Netanel Yechieli to visit and especially to interview and spend time with Ben Giladi z’l. Netanel was able to gather a lot of valuable information from this tireless man, who devoted so much of his life to preserving the memory of our city. Ben died June 2012 and the unveiling of his monument took place in the Piotrkow section of the cemetery in Woodbridge, New Jersey on September 8, 2013 during the annual Hazkara for the New Jersey and New York Piotrkow survivors and descendants.

In June 2012, Netanel once again organized a successful trip to Piotrkow where Shabbat was celebrated, tours were conducted and opportunity provided for personal research.

In New York our group has established an organization recognized as a charitable

Members of the American Piotrków Association

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tax exempt entity so that we may pursue our goals which are stated in the following mission statement:- To create, form and establish an

organization to organize Holocaust survivors, their descendants and other interested individuals for the purpose of documenting the recorded accounts of the Jews of Piotrkow Trybunalski, Poland;

- To record the accounts of Piotrkow survivors before the opportunity has forever passed;

- To develop and maintain a network of communication among Piotrkow survivors of the Holocaust and their descendants;

- To solicit donations for the upkeep and maintenance of memorial sites in the vicinity of Piotrkow Trybunalski, including the cemetery;

- To provide educational and other activities dedicated to the preservation and dissemination of the narrative account of the Jewish community of Piotrkow.

- To preserve and maintain social ties and communications among Piotrkow descendants through the establishment of a multi-lingual website:

http://www.piotrkow-jc.com/wp/- To promote, foster and advance interest

and awareness in the cultural heritage of the Jewish people and other ethnic groups with reference to their experience during the Holocaust.

In 2012 we supported one educational project in Piotrkow, Forum for Dialogue Among Nations, to provide education to High School students concerning the history of the Jews in Piotrkow.

We were also fortunate to receive a grant from the Claims Conference to allow publication of this issue of Hedim in both Hebrew and English in order to provide a forum

for Diaspora Jews to contribute articles in English, to increase the world wide readership of HEDIM, and to continue the legacy of Ben Giladi z’l whose life work centered around the preservation and commemoration of Jewish life in Piotrkow through his book, A Tale of One City and through publication of The Voice after which the journal Hedim is also named.

For further information on our activities, or to support us with charitable contributions, please send us your contact information including your email address.

Our current email address is:info@piotrkowassociation.com

B’vracha l’ Shana Tova L’kulamErvinIrving Gomolin (Gomolinski)Piotrkow Trybunalski Association,New York, USA

34 | THE VOICE

It has been over two months since we lost our Opa and it still seems almost impossible to put our love for him into words. Our Opa was everything to us and he left us too quickly. But then again if he had lived until 120 it would have been too soon. We had so much more that we still wanted to share with and learn from him. He loved life and loved being a part of our lives. It is a daily challenge to navigate the world without his constant support, wisdom and humor. He was our rock, our glue, and our best friend.

One of the greatest challenges of being one of 4 siblings is sharing the love and attention of grandparents. However, after talking about

Mygrandfather’s

missionRachel Krakowsky

our own and collective Opa experiences it became apparent that he had more than enough love to go around. He loved us all and took the time to get to know each one of us on a very deep level. There were constant Family gatherings, Shabbat dinners, individual and group shopping trips, weekends at the beach, and Sunday lunches with Opa. At the risk of sounding cliché, we each spent real quality time with him and lots of it.

He loved us all and was so very proud. As one would expect of four sisters, we disagree about a lot but not about how much we cherish our Opa and how empty our lives feel without him. He had a special and unique connection

* Recently deceased Yisrael Krakowsky of New York was formerly a member of the Piterkow community. Yisrael was a close personal friend to Rabbi Lau and an important donor to Yad Vashem. His contribution to the commemoration of the Piotrków community was significant. His granddaughter, Rachel Krakowsky, recently became active in the American Piotrków Association.

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to each one of us. He never missed a school play, or a birthday party and he attended each and every event dressed like a perfect gentleman in a suit and a tie.

Opa admired people who he thought possessed inner strength, as he himself was a pillar of strength in every way. If he labeled you a “fighter” it was the ultimate compliment. He never let on when he was sick and he pushed through every ache and pain, while remaining impeccably dressed and dignified until the very end.

We have come to realize that many of our most intrinsic characteristics, values and beliefs were instilled by Opa. As we carve out a place in this world, one thing of which we’re certain is that the most fundamentally important things in life are those values that Opa held so dear. Opa had a deep love and respect for Judaism and he showed us the importance of Hesed and family values. Like many grandchildren of survivors, we had a close relationship with Opa. Often, it seemed easier for Opa to discuss the Holocaust with us than it was for him to discuss it with his children. Time may have softened some of their pain, but whatever the reason, we are the ones to whom the stories are being entrusted. As a Holocaust survivor, Opa raised us with a strong sense of pride and

awareness of our heritage. From the time we were small children, Opa made it clear that we each carried that unique responsibility to educate our friends and future generations about the horrors of the Holocaust. We don’t take this obligation lightly, it is something to consider every day. Opa’s loss makes it even more clear that the challenge to remember the Holocaust is becoming even more important. Our generation represents the last direct link to the survivors, and we are taking on Opa’s mission to never forget and work towards remembrance.

36 | THE VOICE

I have known Ruta since I was 6 years old. We were in the same class and by the time the 2nd World War broke out we had finished 4 elementary classes. Ruta was very popular always surrounded by a number of giggling girls. She was amongst the tallest and had a pleasant disposition and always radiated a. nice smile We enjoyed school very much and had a lot of fun together.

Life changed when we moved into the Ghetto. Our happy and halcyon days were gone. Although we used to meet from time to time, our thoughts were preoccupied with the future and what would happen to us. We met until October 1942 when the deportation took place. After that we lost contact with each other.

In May 1945 soon after our liberation, I came to England with a few hundred teenage orphan survivors, It was not until the 1960s that Ruta and I met again, this time in Israel. It was indeed a very happy and emotional reunion. The last time we had spoken to each other we were 12 years old and now we were well in to our thirties…three times as old as when last we met. We talked of a vanished world that had no chance to blossom and we cherished the thought that we had survived and were privileged to revere the memory of those we had known and who had not survived.. We talked both in anguish and exhilaration realizing that we were probably the only survivors from our class who could share this memory. It was also the beginning

Tribute to Ruth Horowitzon her 80th birthday

February 2009Ben Helfgott

Ruth Krieger-Horowitz was born in Piotrków and died last year. She participated in the Shabbaton of 2012 with her daughter Anat Kalka, and filled an important role in the group. The following paragraphs were written by Ben Helfgot of England, Ruth’s close personal friend, in honor of her 80th birthday.

of a renewed friendship that matured over the years into a strong bond.

I hold Ruta in high esteem and my admiration for her knows no bounds. She is truly an “Eishet Chail”. In spite of difficult circumstances, she conducted herself throughout her adult life with great dignity and prowess. Others would have succumbed from the stress and problems that she had to cope with. She carved out a very successful career. She brought up a family of whom she is justifiably proud. The energy that she has spent in her devotion to their well being has produced admirable results. The “nachas” that she now derives from them sustains her at this time and keeps her young. Her love for bridge and her participation in the choir keep her busy. Her commitment and attention to her friends is meaningful and much appreciated.

My wife Arza joins me in wishing Ruta many happy returns, good health and much happiness.

Ben Helfgot’s report card, beside Ruth Krieger’s

Ruth greets the Israeli ambassadorto Poland, summer of 2013

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On August 12th, Fela “Faigle” Rosenblum (nee Katz) passed away. She was born In Piotrkow in 1919, the daughter of Zisskind and Miriam Katz, owners of one of the town’s kosher bakeries. Married to Juda “Yidle Moishe” Rosenblum (1915-2007) in 1945 and parents to Alex, Joe, and Saul and grandparents to Marissa, Cara, Lauren, Amanda, Rachel, Nathan, and Nick Rosenblum. Survivor of the Piotrkow ghetto and Bergen Belsen. Heart of the Rosenblum family.

Fella Rosenblum

Z”L

The power of ChoiceVictor Frankel

Those of us who were in concentration camps remember the people who walked between the cabins, encouraging others and handing over the last of their provisions.They were few in numbers, but they provide sufficient evidence that all but one thing can be taken from a person. The final human freedom lies in the ability to determine our response to any set of circumstances, and to choose our own path.

a native of Piotrkow Poland and Holocaust survivor.A kind and generous man who through his lifetime

supported the many efforts to commemorate and memorialize theflourishing life which existed in Piotrkow until the Holocaust.

Among his many accomplishments,he was among the founders of the American Society for Yad Vashem.

May his memory be a blessing.

The Piotrkow Trybunalski Association, worldwide,mourns the loss of

Israel Krakowski