Czenstochover Landsmanshaft of Montreal (1966)
Memorial Book
This Yizkor Book was published in Montreal, in 1966, by the Czenstochover Landmannshaft of Montreal.
The organisation can trace its origins back to 16th December 1945, when it was established by longstanding residents of Montreal, who had a profound sentiment for their city which had been destroyed and who wished to support the Survivors. The name of the organisation was then the “Czenstochover Regional Aid Society in Montreal”.
With the post-War stream of immigration to Canada, many landsleit among them, the Society’s work was reorganised, under the new name of the “Czenstochover Society [Landsmannschaft] Montreal”.
According to this Yizkor Book’s introduction:
This book contains historical treatises, documents, testimonies taken from miraculously-saved landsleit, and descriptions of the communal and cultural life of our bygone, cherished Częstochowa. There are essays here about institutions, personalities, outstanding people and common Jews ….
According to our translator David Horowitz-Larochette:
Much of the information found here will probably be completely new. It is not just a re-write of previous Yizkor Books, with an emphasis on Montreal, but it actually provides a great many, new details and insights.
In translating this Yizkor Book, every effort has been made to translate, as accurately as possible, the Yiddish text and to transliterate (and double-check) the names of people and places as they would have been spelt in a historically, accurate manner (surnames may have been changed post-War). This includes the use of Polish diacritics where appropriate.
(Such care and research may not have been carried out in translations of this Yizkor Book appearing elsewhere.)
PLEASE NOTE: A great number of people are mentioned in this book. If any of these landsleit have relatives, who were in the Montreal Landsmannschaft, please email us if the spelling of their name is incorrect.
This Yizkor book, in its entirety, has been professionally translated into English
for the FIRST time.
The professional English translation of this Yizkor book has been made possible by the financial support of the
Wolf Rajcher z”l and Dora Rajcher z”l were both Holocaust survivors from Częstochowa.
They were prisoners in both the “Big Ghetto” and the “Small Ghetto” and, until liberation, were slave labourers in HASAG-Pelcery. Following the War, they emigrated to Melbourne Australia.
Upon the passing of both his parents, their son, Andrew Rajcher, established this charitable fund in their memory.
Click on SECTION HEADINGS to reveal chapters.
Chapters/articles are listed in the order in which they appear in the Yizkor Book.
(The numbers in brackets, after each article, correspond to the appropriate page numbers in the Yizkor Book.)
Title Pages (1-4)
Table of Contents (5-7)
Dr Benjamin Orenstein: “Częstochowa” – a poem (8-8)
Introduction (9-9)
Foundation of the Czenstochover and Vicinity Aid Society of Montreal (10-10)
The First Yizkor Service (10-10)
Nathan Gelber (11-11)
George Klein (12-12)
Harry Berkowicz (13-13)
Abram Mayerowicz (14-14)
David Gelber (15-15)
Motl Silver (Zylberberg) (16-16)
Willie Yablon (Wolf Jabłonkiewicz) (17-17)
Bessie Silver (Zylberberg) (18-18)
HISTORY and ACTIVITIES
Activities of the Czenstochover and Vicinity Aid Society of Montreal (20-20)
The Establishment of the Czenstochover Landsmanshaft (20-20)
The Executive of the Czenstochover Landsmanshaft of Montreal (21-30)
Ladies Auxiliary (30-31)
Constitution of the Czenstochover Landsmanshaft of Montreal (32-33)
Relief Campaigns (33-36)
Memorial Services (36-37)
Chazukes, Bikor Cholim, Sefer Ha’Zchus, Financial Means (38-39)
Welcome Celebrations (39-40)
Contacts with Other Częstochowa Organisations (40-43)
Events and Activities (44-54)
[Our] Losses (55-57)
Demonstration Against the Statute of Limitations (58-58)
Twentieth Anniversary of Liberation (58-59)
Monument (59-59)
The Book Committees (60-61)
General Achievements (61-61)
Archival Materials (62-76)
Czenstochover Relief Committee in New York (77-77)
A Message from Rabbi Benjamin Borzykowski (78-78)
A Message from Kopl Konarski (79-81)
The Foundation and Activities of the Chenstochover and Vicinity Aid Society of Toronto (82-84)
Dr Benjamin Orenstein: Lajbke Jakubowicz (85-86)
Dr Benjamin Orenstein: Szlojme Waga (87-90)
Zvi Rosenvein: Dr Benjamin Orenstein (91-96)
Lajbke Jakubowicz: Symcha Silver (Zylberberg) (97-98)
Dr Benjamin Orenstein: Rafał Federman (99-101)
Dr Benjamin Orenstein: Cwi Rozenwajn [aka Zvi Rosenvein] (102-104)
Dr Benjamin Orenstein: Berl Ickowicz (105-106)
Dr Benjamin Orenstein: Harry Klein (107-108)
Lajbke Jakubowicz: My Biography (109-110)
Photo Album – Yiddish Section (No page numbers)
Photo Album – English Section (No page numbers)
Harry Klein: The Tradition of a Częstochowa Family (113-113)
Dr Benjamin Orenstein: Berek Pieprz [aka Ben Pepper] (114-115)
Dr Benjamin Orenstein: Dawid Koniecpoler (116-118)
Wolf Skorup: The Biography of a Częstochower Landsmann in Israel – Godl Frajtag (118-120)
Berl and Sala (née Nudelman) Ickowicz (123-123)
Mojsze and Miriam (née Cukerman) Altman (124-124)
Dr Benjamin Orenstein (125-125)
Rywka ( née Wajchman) Abramson & Szlojme [Szlama] Białystoker (126-126)
Morris Bobrow (Bobrowski) & Chana Boruchowska-Prokosz (127-127)
Aron & Fryment (née Konopińska) Birenbaum (128-128)
Lajbisz Birenbaum & [his nephew] Szlojme Birenbaum (129-129)
Berl Broder [sic Broda] & Lajbel Brower [sic] [brothers] (130-130)
Machel Bergman & Jonas Berk (Berkowicz) (131-131)
Zofja (née Mestel) & Stanisław (Staszek) Grajcer (132-132)
Mordche Dudkewicz & Mordche Herszlikowicz (133-133)
Szlojme Waga (134-134)
Adam Wallace (Wrocławski) & [his daughter] Suzy (135-135)
Josl Wrocławski & Mania Lajchter (136-136)
Symcha & Chaja (nee Bergman) Silver (Zylberberg) (137-137)
Tadek & Dorka (nee Kopinska) Zylberszac (Zilbert) (138-138)
[Brothers] Icek & Mendel Jabłonkiewicz (Yablon) (139-139)
Majer & Fela Chłopak (140-140)
Bernard & Sabina (nee Szyfer) Lazarowicz (141-141)
Natalia (nee Wajsfelner) Lazarowicz & Izrael Lapides (142-142)
Mojsze & Regina (née Krakowska) Lewkowicz (143-143)
Simon & Dorka (née Gabel) Lerner pp. 144-144 (144-144)
Zelig & Hela (née Rozenbaum) Neufeld (145-145)
Lucy (nee Miętkiewicz) Nisker & David Nirenberg (146-146)
Liber & Hanka (née Katz) Segal (147-147)
Edward & Ester (née Gabel) Srebrnik (148-148)
Nadzieja [Nadia] (née Jakubowicz) Sporn & Ewa (née Zomper) Freiberg (149-149)
Berek & Cela (née Dilewska) Pieprz (150-150)
Szmul Prokosz & [his son] Josef (151-151)
Mendel & Chana’le (née Erlichman) Friedlander (152-152)
Abram Kamiński & Motek Kajzer (153-153)
Jechaskiel Konarski (154-154)
Mania (née Klajner) Konarski & Netty (née Bocian) Konarski (155-155)
Staszek & Gutka (née Nirenberg) Kartuz (156-156)
Harry (Herszl) & Chawa (née Borensztajn) Klein (Klajner) (157-157)
Herszl & Halina (née Opatowska) Rozenblum (158-158)
Madzia (née Klajner) Rozenberg & Nuta Rozencwajg (159-159)
[Brothers] Rubin & Dawid Rudnicki (160-160)
Szlojme Szwimer & Berl Szynkarski (161-161)
Dates of the Deportations in Częstochowa (164-164)
Dr Benjamin Orenstein: The Nazi Murderer Degenhardt (165-173)
Dr Benjamin Orenstein: The Evacuation Transport from HASAG-Pelcery to Germany (174-190)
Dr Benjamin Orenstein: The Resistance Struggle of Częstochowa Jewry Against the Nazi Regime (191-212)
Dr Benjamin Orenstein: High Holidays 1943-44 at the HASAG-Pelcery Concentration Camp and the Biographies of Two Young Częstochowa Cantors (213-218)
Dr Benjamin Orenstein: A Chapter of My Experiences in Częstochowa During the Nazi Epoch (219-224)
Harry Klein: The Destruction of the Częstochowa Jewry During the Nazi Epoch (225-230)
Mojsze Altman: The Tragic Yom Kippur of 1942 (231-233)
Herszl Rozenblum: From Rottleberode to Gardelegen (234-235)
Rywka Abramson: Kłobuck, a Shtetl Near Częstochowa (236-236)
Zvi Rosenvein: Częstochowa’s Avenues (237-240)
Mojsze Altman: The Beginning of Częstochowa’s Destruction (241-242)
Szlojme Waga: The Destruction of Częstochowa Jewry (243-245)
Harry Klein: “Bloody Purim” in the Częstochowa “Small Ghetto” (246-247)
Tadek [Dawid-Zalman] Zylberszac (Zilbert): Episodes From the Nazi “Vale of Tears” (248-256)
Lajbel Bergman: Częstochower Landsleit at the Cieszanów Concentration Camp (257-258)
Harry Klein: My Bygone Home (259-259)
Harry Klein: From the “Small Ghetto” to Bliżyn and Auschwitz (260-265)
Szlojme Waga: A Dream That Never Came True (266-267)
Zvi Rosenvein: Shadows in the Night (268-270)
Rivka Kopé: The First Akcja – a poem (273-273)
Harry Klein: Shoes – a poem (274-274)
Dr Benjamin Orenstein: Four poems – Destined, In the “Small Ghetto”, Bread, HASAG (275-278)
Dr Benjamin Orenstein: The Letter Carrier (279-280)
A. Chrobolovsky: Young Jewish Writers in the Yizkor Book Czenstochov (281-283)
Sarah Hamer-Jacklyn: Bunker 39 in Częstochowa (284-286)
Dr Benjamin Orenstein: Rabbi Josef Prokosz ztz’’l(289-292)
Dr Benjamin Orenstein: Dr Filip Friedman’s Contribution to the History of Częstochowa (293-296)
Dr Benjamin Orenstein: Yecheskel Silver (Zylberberg) RIP (297-298)
George Klein: In Memory of My Parents, Who Perished in Sanctification of [God’s] Name (299-301)
Dr Benjamin Orenstein: Reb Abram Wajskop z’’l (302-302)
Dr Benjamin Orenstein: Reb Szlojme Lerner RIP (303-304)
Dr Benjamin Orenstein: Szlojme Dilewski RIP (305-305)
Dr Benjamin Orenstein: Ida Maze [Massey] RIP (306-309)
Dr Benjamin Orenstein: Perl Prokosz RIP – the “Mother of the Shanghai Ghetto” (310-313)
Szmul Prokosz: A Eulogy – for Perl Prokosz (314-315)
Dr Benjamin Orenstein: Felicia Wallace (Wrocławska) RIP (316-317)
Dr Benjamin Orenstein: Rena Waga RIP (318-320)
Zvi Rosenvein: Jakow Klajner RIP (321-322)
Dawid Koniecpoler: My Mother’s Last Minutes (323-323)
Szmul Prokosz: The Luminous Personality of the Częstochowa Holy Martyr, Bencel RIP (324-325)
Eliasz Sztajnic: Dr Henryk (Herszl) Lajzerowicz (326-326)
Lajbke Jakubowicz: In Memory of My Deceased Friend, Josef Zylberberg (327-327)
To Eternal Memory – Tributes & Photographs (328-350)
Memorial Services & Headstone Pictures (last chapter – no page numbers)
ENGLISH TRANSLATION:
Dave Horowitz-Larochette
IMPORTANT NOTICE
While the English translation is available for download, it may not, either in part or as a whole, be distributed or published without the prior written permission of Andrew Rajcher, the copyright-holder of this English-language version of this Yizkor Book.