Plotsk Poland

by admin

The Nazis invaded Plotsk in September 1939 and in January herded the approximately 10,000 Jews into a ghetto within the town. The Nazis did all sorts of heinous acts that cowed the population into submission, like rounding up random Jews and Poles and shooting them in the town square, an event memorialized in a monument in the town center.

Streshnev (Plotsk Poland,) Stroef - see Stroev Stroeff - see Stroev Stroev (Kostroma) Strogonov (4) (1- Perm, river Kama, St. Petersburg; 2- St. Petersburg) Strogonow - see Strogonov (1-) Struisky (Moscow) Strukov (Voronezh) Stupishin (Moscow) Stvolov Subotin Sudienko (Poland, Little Russia, Novgorod-Seversku) Sudovia - see Bobarykin Sukharev. Accommodation in Poland + PRO: Accommodation is affordable and generally easy to find. Accommodation, even in the capital of Warsaw, is affordable compared to other European countries.Polish cities also tend to have a variety of accommodation, from small apartments to free-standing houses, and expats won't have to search long to find something that suits their taste, budget. A son of Wolf Krotoshinsky, he was born in Plotsk, Poland, then part of the Russian Empire, and came to New York City in 1912 in order to escape service in the Russian Army. He initially worked as a barber 'I ran away from Russia and came to America to escape military service. I hated Russia, its people, its government, in particular its cruel.

Plotzk; a History of an
Ancient Jewish Community in Poland

(Poland)

52°33' / 19°42'

Translation of
Plotzk; toldot kehila atikat yomin be-Polin

Edited by E. Eisenberg

Published in Tel Aviv, 1967


AcknowledgmentsPlotsk Poland

Project Coordinator

Emerita Project Coordinator, Ada Holtzman z”lPlotzk Our sincere appreciation to Yochevet Brown, president, and the Plock landsmanschaft in Israel,
for permission to put this material on the JewishGen web site.

This is a translation from: Plotzk; toldot kehila atikat yomin be-Polin
(Plotzk; a history of an ancient Jewish community in Poland),
Editors: E. Eisenberg, Tel Aviv, World Committee for the Plotzk Memorial Book, 1967 (H, Y, E, 780 pages).

Note: The original book can be seen online at the NY Public Library site: https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/collections/yizkor-book-collection#/?tab= 2527

This material is made available by JewishGen, Inc. and the Yizkor Book Project for the purpose of
fulfilling our mission of disseminating information about the Holocaust and destroyed Jewish communities.
This material may not be copied, sold or bartered without JewishGen, Inc.'s permission. Rights may be reserved by the copyright holder.

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.

World CommitteeIrgun Yotzey Plotzk
for theBe-Israel
Ploth Memorial Book(Plotzker Association in Israel)


A History of an Ancient Jewish Community in POLAND

Editor:
Eliyahu Eisenberg

Vice-Chairman, Plotzker Association in Israel

“HAMENORA”
Publishing House
Tel-Aviv, 1967

Honorary President of the World Committee
for the Plotzk Memorial Book

Mr. Itzhak Grinbaum

Editorial Board

Chairman: Moshe Rubin

Members:

Itzhak Ben-Shai (Fuchs)Shlomo Greenspan
Benyamin GalewskiItzhak Tynski

Irgun Yotzey Plotzk (Polin) Be-Israel
(Plotzker Association in Israel)

Plotzker Young Mens' Independent Association
in New York

Sociedad de Residentes de Plock
en la Argentina

Organisation de les Amis de Plock et Environs
en France

Plotzker Groups in Australia, England, Canada
and the U.S. West Coast

Drawings: Yaakov Guterman
Title-page design: H. Dayan

All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 1967 by the Plotzker Association in Israel “Hamenora”
Publishing House, 24 Zangwill Street.

Printed by “Arazi” Press Ltd.,
4 Ayelet Hashahar Street,
Tel Aviv, Israel



Page
Foreword5
Introduction9
History of the Jews in Plotzk Until the First World War (1237 – 1914)
History of the Jews of Plotzk from the Middle Ages until the 17th CenturyY. Trunk10
The History of the Jews of Plotzk from the Middle of the 17th Century until World War IY. Trunk16
Activities of the Plotzk Jewish CommunityDr. Y. Schipper25
The Minute-Book of the Tailors' UnionDr. E. Ringelblum25
R' Moshe Ben Israel WasserzugE.E.25
S. Greenspan 26
Aharon ben Moshe Kahanstam (Konstam)E. Eisenberg27
Lives of Famous Plotzk RabbisS. Greenspan 28
Jewish Life in Plotzk in the light of Hebrew Periodicals of the Second Half of the19th CenturyS. Greenspan33
Nahum Sokolov's YouthF. Sokolov36
Beginnings of Zionism in PlotzkI. Grinbaum36
Inauguration of the first Jewish GymnasiumY. M. Zlotnik37
Memories of the PastS. Rozen37
Jewish Plotzk during the First World WarI. Tynski38
The Jewish Kehila of Plotzk (“Vaad Hakehila” – secretary memoirs)Y. Ben-Shai (Fuchs)40
The Jewish Hospital on the name of Icchak FogelA. Shmueli (Plutzer) 41
Ezrat Holim42
The Jewish Orphanage (“Ochronka”)G. Puk 42
Cooperative Banks and Trade UnionsI. G. Chanachowicz (Kent)43
The Small Traders organizationJ. Malonek44
The “Gildene” StreetB. Gincberg44
“Ort” in PlockI. Tynski44
Anti-Semitism in Plotzk between the two World-WarsE.E.45
The Mariavits Convent and the JewsI. G. Chanachowicz (Kent)45
The Jewish Gymnasium47
Jewish Primary EducationI. Ben Shai (Fuchs)47
Shmuel PensonB. Grey (Graubart)48
My Father, R' Shmuel PensonA. Penson48
Jewish Education in PlotzkProf. D. Eisenberg48
Memories of the melamed Yehiel Meir KravietzA. Sh.49
The Popular Functions of the Jewish Library “Hazamir”Prof. D. Eisenberg49
Local Theater GroupsM. Magnes49
Childhood MemoriesM. Zylberberg 50
The Struggle for Restoring the Good Name of Rabbi H. ShapiroA. Hartglas50
Nahum Sokolov and PlotzkY. Warszawski50
Nahum Sokolov's visit to Plotzk and WyszogrodM. Turkow51
Shalom Ash and PlotzkM. Zylberberg51
Ruhama Shnir (Zlotnik)51
Rabbi Yehuda Leib Avida (Zlotnik)Dr. Nechemia Aloni52
Alfred Blei, The Last ChairmanMeir (Michael) Koenigsberg52
Zysze LandauMelech Rawicz53
Memories of My Father's HomeE. Eisenberg53
Four friends and their spiritual worldM. Rubin55
“Agudat Zion”55
Keren Kayemet Activities55
“Zeirei Zion” in PlockI. Tynski56
The Agricultural Farm of Moshe KrakowskiE. E.56
“Hachshara” Kibbutz by the name of “Borochow”F. Fliderblum57
Hehalutz, Hehalutz Hatzair and HapoelY. Rosenblum57
“Mizrahi” Movement58
“Herzlia” AssociationM. Rubin59
“Poalei Zion (Left)”B. Okolica59
The “Freiheit” MovementD. Shahari59
“Agudat Israel” in Plock and the RegionL. Geliebter60
The Activities of the “Bund”I. M. Oliver (Ilover)60
“Hashomer Hatzair”E. E.61
Revisionists and “Beitar”62
“General-Zionist” Youth Movement and “Akiba”B. Galewski62
The Local Communist PartySh. P.63
The history of “Maccabi” in PlockM. Rubin63
The Last Two Years of “Maccabi”A. Najman (Nowicki)64
Nathan KorzenY. Aronson 65
Fishl Zylberberg (Zber) (1909-1942)65
Yechiel Meir (Maks) Eljowicz, Portrait-PainterM. Rubin66
David Tushinsky, Master of MiniaturesE. E.67
Shmuel Har-Shalom (Fridenberg)M. Rubin68
The Jews of Plotzk under the Nazi RegimeDr. J. Kermish70
The Privileges of the Jews in Plock [H]Michael Shperling74
Jews of Plotzk under the Nazi TerrorD. Dabrowska76
Jews of Plotzk in Exile76
Testimonies77
A Reminder (“Regards”) H. Elboim-Dorembus78
Between Warsaw and Plotzk Michael Zylberberg78
I left the Ghetto H. Mairanc-Meiri79
I was a “Submarine” in a Nazi-Camp M. Koenigsberg79
A Revolt in Hell, Testimony The horrors and heroism in the camp of Treblinka Marian Platkiewicz79
Jewish Plotzk cannot be rebuilt I. G. Bursztyn82
I returned Home I. G. Chanachowicz (Kent)83
Post- War Activities in Plotzk83
Jews of Plotzk in Israel85
In Memoriam86
History of the Plotzker Young Mens' Association in New York H. Lipner88
Shlomo Greenspan, In Memoriam Bezalel Okolica89
Plotzk Jews in the Argentine90
Plotzk Jews in France H. Zimmerman90
Rabbis, Essays by Plotzk Rabbis
Plotzk Jews in various countries91
92
Plock Hassidim and Nahum Sokolov [H]Kurt Blumenfeld130
Fragments of Memories [H]I. Grinbaum131
Memories of a pupil of the Russian Gymnasium [H]Jakob Brozda141
The value “Plock” in various encyclopedias [H]145
A Jewish settlement from the 11th century is discovered [H]145
The Community of Plock between two World Wars (1918–1938)
Community institutions, welfare, economy and neighborly relations [H](from Kalendarz–informator Mazowsza Plockiego207
Plock (Warsaw District) – in “Almanac Gmin Zydowskich in Posce” 1939 [H]208
The Jewish Hospital named after Yitzchak Fugel [H]Shmueli (Plutzer)209
'Ezrat Cholim' [H]211
The Jewish Orphanage ('Ochronka') [H]G. Puk211
'Charity will save from death' (the image of a popular welfare activist) [H]Halina Woitkowski Szlechter, source: Dina Berland212
The association of artisans in Plock [H]Jehoszua Zwirek220
The yard of Altman on Szeroka street 10 [H]Natan Lerman223
Grunim (published in “Plocker wart”, 1936) [H]Chaim Flaks224
Education, Religious Life, Cultural Organizations, Personalities
Jubilee to the Jewish library in Plock [H]E.E.249
The “small Beth Midrash” of Plock [Y]Israel Zylberberg258
The arrival of a new rabbi to Plock [H]259
The Victim [H]Y. Warszawski260
Political Parties, Youth Movements, Zionist Funds
The first Zionist fulfillment [H]Elisza Jecheskeli (Czrnobroda)297
The festivities of “L'g Baomer for the national fund [H]M. Rubin303
Summary of 10 years of “Poalei Zion” [H]R. Lichtman320
“Akiba” in Plock (“Divrei Akiba” 14.12.1933) [H]345
From our own ideas (the ideological struggle for Zionism and Judaism) [H]Meir Pagorek346
Nathan Korzen – the painter [H]370
He will not be forgotten [H]Harry Koren (Korzen)376
The exhibition of the works of F. Zylberberg [H]378
With Fiszl Zylberberg (Zber) before his tragic death [H]Itzchak Furmansky380
Personalities, Public Figures
Lexicon of Personalities and Pubic Workers [H]389
Nachum Sokolov (1860-1936) [H]391
Itzhak Grinbaum [H]393
Rabbis, dayanim (religious judges) and heads of yeshivot (religious colleges) [H]395
The Lexicon of Biographies [H]400
Destruction of the Plotzk Community
Letters of Plocker Jews from the towns of deportation [H]506
Pages in the diary [Y]Itzhak Tynski526
Testimonies of Holocaust Survivors
The tortures in the Forced Labor Camp Amsee (near Poznan) [H] Leib Geliebter539
Plock in the chronicle of Ludwik Landau (1909-1944) a Jewish famous economist from Tomaszow Mazowiecki [H]542
A Revolt in Hell, Testimony The horrors and heroism in the camp of Treblinka Marian Platkiewicz544
I was a mouth of hundreds of thousands murdered victims – (Sobibor trial) [H] Moshe Bahir (Szklarek)553
The testimony of Moshe Bahir (Szklarek) in the Eichman trial [H]555
Nothing Remain… (a poem) [H]Katriel (Kurt) Hazan558
To the Jews of Poland (a poem translated from Polish to Hebrew by Zvi Yashiv) [H] Wladyslaw Broniewski559
Warszawa year 5601 (1941) [H] Itzhak Bernsztein560
Our Plocker landsleit in Ghetto Warsaw [H] Michael Zylberberg570
Escaped from the claws of death (Josef-Jorzek Fiszman – Makowski) [H] Prof. Artur Ber573
575
Post War Efforts of Rebuilding
Survivors of the fire [H] Alfred Blei (30.10.1945)606
The activities of the Plocker Survivors Committee
In liberated Plock – the remembrance assembly of March 3rd, 1946 [H]608
Exhumation (21.10.1946) [H]610
Summary of the Plocker Survivors Committee activities (1948) [H] M. Tirman611
The dedication ceremony of the memorial monument to Plock martyrs (built by architect Benjamin Arie Leib Perlmuter) [H]612
Jewish Plotzk cannot be rebuilt [H] I. G. Bursztyn614
I returned Home [H] I. G. Chanachowicz (Kent)629
Associations of Plotzk Jews All Over the World
Jews of Plotzk in Israel643
The first immigrants (“ olim ”) from Plock in Eretz Israel [H] Eng. Mordechai Shoshani648
Yaacov Tzidkoni (Rechtman) – a Folklore researcher and a collector [H]651
In Memory of the Missing
Several details about the Plockers in Argentina [Y]676
Last Letter from Menachem Banach, 30.3.1942 [Y]677


Original Coordinator's Notes

The English part is not a complete translation of the Yizkor book of Plock but rather a synopsis, summary, and should be treated as such. there are 684 pages in Hebrew and Yiddish but only 96 pages in English.

I have translated and added the titles and page numbers of articles which do not appear in the English summary. I added the code “H” if article is in Hebrew, or “Y” if in Yiddish.

I have also added the names of people who appear in the photographs to the captions in English which did not include these names.

I wish to thank the Plock Landsmanschaft who encouraged me and gave me and JewishGen the permission to post the Plock Yizkor book in the Internet.

It is my hope that this book will serve as commemoration to the Jewish ancient grand and holy community of Plock, exterminated by the Germans during the Holocaust.

Ada Holtzman z”l

Plock Russia

Drawing by Yaacov Guterman
Yizkor Book Director, Lance Ackerfeld
Emerita Yizkor Book Project Manager, Joyce Field
This web page created by Moshe M. Shavit

Copyright © 1999-2021 by JewishGen, Inc.
Updated 26 Sep 2018 by MGH

TRIBUS CIRCITER

ENCYCLICAL OF POPE PIUS X
ON THE MARIAVITES OR MYSTIC PRIESTS OF POLAND
TO OUR VENERABLE BRETHREN,
THE ARCHBISHOPS OF WARSAW, AND BISHOPS OF PLOTSK
AND LUBLIN AMONG THE POLES

Plotzk Russia 1853

Venerable Brethren, Health and the Apostolic Benediction.

About three years ago this Apostolic See was duly informed that some priests, especially among the junior clergy of your dioceses, had founded, without permission from their lawful Superiors, a kind of pseudo-monastic society, known as the Mariavites or Mystic Priests, the members of which, little by little, turned aside from the right road and from the obedience they owe the Bishops 'whom the Holy Ghost has placed to rule the Church of God,' and became vain in their thoughts.

2. To a certain woman, whom they proclaimed to be most holy, marvelously endowed with heavenly gifts, divinely enlightened about many things, and providentially given for the salvation of a world about to perish, they did not hesitate to entrust themselves without reserve, and to obey her every wish.

3. Relying on an alleged mandate from God, they set themselves to promote without discrimination and of their own initiative among the people frequent exercises of piety (highly commendable when rightly carried out,) especially the adoration of the Most Holy Sacrament and the practice of frequent communion; but at the same time they made the gravest charges against all priests and bishops who ventured to express any doubt about the sanctity and divine election of the woman, or showed any hostility to the society of the Mariavites. Such a pass did matters reach that there was reason to fear that many of the faithful in their delusion were about to abandon their lawful pastors.

4. Hence, on the advice of Our Venerable Brethren the Cardinals of the General Inquisition, We had a decree issued, as you are aware, under date of September 4, 1904, suppressing the above-named society of priests, and commanding them to break off absolutely all relations with the woman. But the priests in question, notwithstanding that they signed a document expressing their subjection to the authority of their bishops and that perhaps they did, as they say they did, partly break off their relations with the woman, still failed to abandon their undertaking and to renounce sincerely the condemned association. Not only did they condemn your exhortations and inhibitions, not only did many of them sign as audacious declaration in which they rejected communion with their bishops, not only in more places than one did they incite the deluded people to drive away their lawful pastors, but, like the enemies of the Church, asserted that she has fallen from truth and justice, and hence has been abandoned by the Holy Spirit, and that to themselves alone, the Mariavite priests, was it divinely given to instruct the faithful in true piety.

5. Nor is this all. A few weeks ago two of these priests came to Rome: Romanus Prochniewsky and Joannes Kowalski, the latter of whom is recognized, in virtue of some kind of delegation from the woman referred to, as their Superior by all the members of the Society. Both of them, in a petition alleged by them to have been written by the express order of Our Lord Jesus Christ, ask the Supreme Pastor of the Church, or the Congregation of the Holy Office in his name, to issue a document conceived in these terms: 'That Maria Francesca (the woman mentioned above) has been made most holy by God, that she is the mother of mercy for all men called and elected to salvation by God in these days; and that all Mariavite priests are commanded by God to promote throughout the world devotion to the Most Holy Sacrament and to the Blessed Virgin Mary of Perpetual Succor, free from all restriction of ecclesiastical or human law or custom, and from all ecclesiastical and human power whatsoever. . .'

6. From these words We were disposed to believe that the priests in question were blinded not so much by conscious pride as by ignorance and delusion, like those false prophets of whom Ezechiel writes: 'They see vain things and they foretell lies, saying: The Lord saith: whereas the Lord hath not sent them: and they have persisted to confirm what they have said. Have you not seen a vain vision and spoken a lying divination: and you say: The Lord saith: whereas I have not spoken' (Ezechiel xiii. 6, 7). We therefore received them with piety, exhorted them to put away the deceits of vain revelation, to subject themselves and their works to the salutary authority of their Superiors, and to hasten the return of the faithful of Christ to the safe path of obedience and reverence towards their pastors; and finally to leave to the vigilance of the Holy See and the other competent authorities the task of confirming such pious customs as might seem best adapted for the fuller increase of Christian life in many parishes in your dioceses, and at the same time to admonish any priests who were found guilty of speaking abusively or contemptuously of devout practices and exercises approved by the Church. And We were consoled to see the two priests, moved by Our fatherly kindness, throw themselves at Our feet and express their firm resolution to carry out Our wishes with the devotedness of sons. They then caused to be transmitted to Us a written statement which increased Our hope that these deluded sons would sincerely abandon past illusions and return to the right road:

7. 'We (these are their words), always ready to fulfill the will of God, which has now been made so clear to us by His Vicar, do most sincerely and joyfully revoke our letter, which we sent on February 1 of the present year to the Archbishop of Warsaw, and in which we declared that we separated from him. Moreover, we do most sincerely and with the greatest joy profess that we wish to be always united with our Bishops, and especially with the Archbishop of Warsaw, as far as your Holiness will order this of us. Furthermore, as we are now acting in the name of all the Mariavites, we do make this profession of our entire obedience and subjection in the name not only of all the Mariavites, but of all the Adorers of the Most Holy Sacrament. We make this profession in a special way in the name of the Mariavites of Plotsk who, for the same cause as the Mariavites of Warsaw, handed their Bishop a declaration of separation from him. Wherefore, all of us without exception prostrate at the feet of your Holiness, professing again and again our love and obedience to the Holy See, and in a most special way to your Holiness, most humbly ask pardon for any pain we may have caused your fatherly heart. Finally, we declare that we will at once set to work with all our energy to restore peace between the people and their Bishops immediately. Nay, we can affirm that this peace will be really restored very soon.'

8. It was, therefore, very pleasant for Us to be able to believe that these sons of Ours, thus pardoned, would at once on their return to Poland give effect to their promises, and on this account We hastened to advise you, Venerable Brethren, to receive them and their companions, now that they professed entire obedience to your authority, with equal mercy and to restore them legally, if their acts corresponded with their promises, to their faculties for exercising their priestly functions.

But the event has deceived Our hopes; for We have learnt by recent documents that they have again opened their minds to lying revelations, and that since their return to Poland, they not only have not yet shown you, Venerable Brethren, the respect and obedience they promised, but that they have written to their companions a letter quite opposed to truth and genuine obedience.

Plotzk Russia

9. But their profession of fidelity to the Vicar of Christ is vain in those who, in fact, do not cease to violate the authority of their Bishops. For 'by far the most august part of the Church consists of the Bishops, (as Our Predecessor Leo XIII of holy memory wrote in his letter of December 17, 1888, to the Archbishop), inasmuch as this part by divine right teaches and rules men; hence, whoever resists them or pertinaciously refuses obedience to them puts himself apart from the Church. . . On the other hand, to pass judgment upon or to rebuke the acts of Bishops does not at all belong to private individuals - that comes within the province only of those higher than they in authority and especially of the Sovereign Pontiff, for to him Christ entrusted the charge of feeding not only His lambs, but His sheep throughout the world. At most, it is allowed in matters of grave complaint to refer the whole case to the Roman Pontiff, and this with prudence and moderation as zeal for the common good requires, not clamorously or abusively, for in this way dissensions and hostilities are bred, or certainly increased.'

Plotzk Poland

10. Idle and deceitful too is the exhortation of the priest Johannes Kowalski to his companions in error on behalf of peace, while he persists in his foolish talk and incitements to rebellion against legitimate pastors and in brazen violation of episcopal commands.

11. Wherefore, that the faithful of Christ and all the so-called Mariavite priests who are in good faith may no longer be led astray by the delusions of the woman above-mentioned and of the priest Johannes Kowalski, We again confirm the decree whereby the society of Mariavites, unlawfully and invalidly founded, is entirely suppressed, and We declare it suppressed and condemned, and We proclaim that the prohibition is still in force which forbids all priests, with the exception of the one whom the Bishop of Plotsk shall in his prudence depute to be her confessor, to have anything whatever to do on any pretext with the woman.

12. You, Venerable Brethren, We earnestly exhort to embrace with paternal charity erring priests immediately they sincerely repent, and not to refuse to call them again, under your direction, to their priestly duties, when they have been duly proved worthy. But should they, which may God forbid, reject your exhortations and persevere in their contumacy, it will be Our care to see that they are severely dealt with. Study to lead back to the right path the faithful of Christ who are now laboring under a delusion that may be pardoned; and foster in your dioceses those practices of piety, recently or long since approved in numerous documents issued by the Apostolic See, and do this with all the more alacrity now when by the blessing of God priests among you are enabled to exercise their ministry and the faithful to emulate the example of piety of their fathers.

13. Meanwhile as a pledge of heavenly favors and in evidence of Our paternal good will we bestow most lovingly in the Lord the Apostolic Benediction on you, Venerable Brethren, and on all the clergy and people entrusted to your care and vigilance.

Given at Rome, at St. Peter's, the fifth day of April, MDCCCCVI, in the third year of Our Pontificate.

PIUS X