We Remember the Orphans!

The Fate of the Bialystok Children of Druskieniki

By Chana Lin-Kizelstein, 16.5.1975


The children's photograph taken on July 15th, 1943. Contributed by Emanuel Nahir (Bialostocki).

On June 22, 1941, some Jewish children from Bialystok were at the Druskieniki resort, a camp for youngsters. The war which broke between Germany and Russia separated the children from their families for ever. At five o'clock in the morning, our vacation turned into a nightmare. The skies darkened with German attack airplanes out to destroy us. We were besieged by bombs - powerless, isolated, and panic-stricken. Panic gripped us as we scattered in all directions following an air assault. Luck, however, was with us; not one child was killed. Our screams resonated throughout the camp, joining the cries of three hundred children between the ages of eight and thirteen. This tragedy continued for five years. At the end of our trial, we realized that we were orphans of war.

After twelve horrible days and nights of bombardment and hunger, we were able to wash ourselves and drink water. It was impossible for us to return home to our beloved families. The conditions in the railway station were horrible. Only very small part of the passengers had permission to leave the bombed site. Only thanks to the manager of the place, Samuil Markowitz Pewzner, a person with connections and influence, we were able to leave Druskieniki, escaping far away into the Soviet Union. Samuil Markowitz Pewzner saved our lives! He saved us from death as the bombs fell and he pushed us to the wagons of the last train. By evacuating us from Druskieniki, he rescued us.

Samuil Markovitz Pewzner
1912 - 28.12.1991
He Saved Our Lives...

 

 

 

Our teacher, Jakow Tobiasz, also found himself under the most difficult situation. He was a teacher and Zionist from Lomza, who was a graduate of the Teachers Seminar of Janusz Korczak in 1921. His deep suffering for losing his family and former pupils increased but he overcame it by helping us, the helpless orphans. He noticed us in the railway station and had never left us since then. His compassion for us was great and he did everything to assist and calm us. He saw in us, parentless boys and girls who still believed at that time we would be reunited with our families, a consolation for himself.

Jakow Tobiasz was a member of the Socialist Zionists and longing to Zion was deeply rooted in his soul since youth time. He searched every opportunity to keep contact with Eretz Israel and preserve and nourish Judaism and Zionism in the children's souls.


Jakow Tobiasz, a Zionist and Educator
Kislev 27, 5661 (12.12.1900) - Elul 16, 5730 (17.9.1970)

Arriving in the Ural in Russia, we became inseparable. Some tried to divide us at a time when we did not have the' necessities of life, but their efforts came to naught. We stayed together as a group and were prepared to share the same fate. We stayed in the town name Karakulino in the Ural.

At that time Mr. Tobiasz initiated contact with Jews in Israel, to whom he sent a list of our names, for publication in the "Davar" newspaper, searching relatives for us. We all developed a love for the land of Israel. Moreover, we missed our parents and families very much. The nights seemed like an eternity. Many of us cried and felt abandoned. The bombings and the terror left us with deep emotional scars. The younger children sought warmth from the older ones, who began fulfilling the function of surrogate parents.

In the beginning of 1945, the ties with the Anti-Fascist organization in Moscow strengthened. Contacts were established with its senior members such as: Dr. Spharad, Iciek Peffer, Prof. Berl Mark, Abraham Dzinski who encouraged and praised our educator for his dedication to the children. Samuil Markowitz Pewzner let Tobiasz act in the forbidden Zionist underground, thus risking his life for our sake.

In 1946, when the time came to repatriate Polish war refugees from Russia, our teachers had to convince us to return to Poland, knowing full well that our parents had perished at the hands of the Nazis. Mr. Tobiasz' objective, however, was to prepare us for emigration to Israel, returning temporarily to Poland and there contact "Aunt Aliyah" as the coded underground word we used.

On June 2, 1946, a group consisting of fifty-nine Jewish children and young adults, aged 12-19, set out for Aliyah to Israel from several points of embarkation. Our devoted principal, Samuil Markowitz Pewzner from Leningrad, our savior, assisted us also in preparing for our journey. At great danger to himself, he escorted us to the Russian-Polish border.

Once we arrived in Poland, Mr. Tobiasz assumed full responsibility. Previously he had been in contact with the underground Zionist organization Bricha, which was active inside Poland. He contacted the Aliyah activists Abraham Dzinski and Tzvi Netzer who helped him save us from the hands of the Communists just in time. At night, in hiding, they transferred us from the Red Cross station near Warsaw to Lodz - center of the Zionist activity at that time.

Our newly formed Kibbutz merged with the Kibbutz Dror of Ha-Kibbutz Ha-Meuchad. Living conditions were difficult although we were treated with Israeli warmth and concern. We learned Hebrew and other subjects pertaining to Israel in further preparation for A/iyah. We moved to Wroclaw and later to Kudowa Zdroj near the Polish-Czechoslovakian border, where Holocaust survivors were centered. Here joined us a young instructor of Dror movement, Shlomo Brod who brought new spirit to us and together with the educator Jakow Tobiasz we continued on our way to Israel as the children Kibbutz, bearing the name: "Mordechai Tenenbaum"

Many Jews from Bialystok organization in Poland, France and America financed our travel through Poland and all the way to Israel. We passed France and stayed in Chateau de la Guette, 30 kms from Paris. Here Tobiasz resisted stubbornly the French authorities and Leon Blum who wanted us to stay in France and he would take care of us. Due to the insistence of Tobiasz, the decision was made: Eretz Israel. Messengers from Eretz Israel visited us in France, among them: Itzhak Tabenkin, Hertzfeld, Cwia Lubetkin, Antek Tzukerman who returned from the twenty-second Zionist Congress in Bazel, Switzerland. The messenger Raphael stayed with us in our group and brought us the spirit of the Kibbutz.

We were divided into two groups, according to age and physical condition, and were about ready to go to Israel in "Aliyah B". A large part of our kibbutz departed on the ship Theodor Herzl. The rest of the kibbutz was taken to Cyprus. Those children who arrived in Israel by various routes and under different circumstances united to help build the Jewish State. It should be remarked that the Bialystok children survivors of the common fate, integrated in the creation and defense of the new State of Israel. The group paid highly price. We remember:

  1. Aharon Menczkowski z"l - died in the age of 16 near the border of Poland Czechoslovakia 1946
  1. Meir Friedman z"l, befell in the age of 16 in Kibbutz Gesher at the Beit Shaan valley in 1948
  2. Josef Pilecki z"l, member of Kibbutz Ashdot Yaakov, befell in the Six Days War in 1967.

Let their memory lives with us forever.


The Children of Druskieniki

On June 9, 1966, all the members of the kibbutz participated in a reunion marking twenty-five years since we faced danger together at Druskieniki. We reminisced about the hard times a quarter century earlier. Many proudly described their accomplishments in education, work and family life.

Jakow Tobiasz continued as an educator in Israel, heading a school in Safed until his death in September 1970. To the very end, he remained in close contact with those of us whom he shepherded to safety. We make every effort to remain in touch, getting together from time to time and assisting each other when necessary.

"Girl With Two Landscapes, The Wartime Diary of Lena Jedwab, 1941-1945" Holmes & Meier, New York 2002

Fania and Berta Pavlowna - 1941-1945 Wartime Memories Written by Emanuel Nahir (Bialostocki)

 

A book about the odyssey of the children was written by Sara Sner - Nishmit, A Different Pedagogue Poem, Tel Aviv 1996 (Hebrew: "Poema Pedagogit acheret").

  

The Names of the Bialystok Children Evacuated from Druskieniki
June 1941
The List Includes Names of Children who Joined the Group in Different Phases

SURNAME

Given Name

Year of Birth

Parents

AKSELROD

Abrasha

-

-

BAKST

Riszard

-

-

BALGLEJ

Wolf (Zeew)

1926

Mosze & Doba

BERENSZTEJN

Gerszon

1934

Jakob & Sara

BIALY - MALBIN

Elimelech

1930

Josef & Riwka

BINSZTOK

Jakob

-

-

BRZEZINSKI

Frida

1926

Aron & Rachel

BUKI

Alba

-

-

CHANIN

Mosze

-

-

CHOROWSKI

Jehoszua

1931

Abraham & Menucha

CHOROWSKI

Szmuel

1929

Gdalia & Liuba

CZABAN

Roza

-

-

DREBINSKA

Emma

-

-

EDELSZTEJN

Chaia

1932

Abraham & Frida

FISZMAN

Chaia

-

-

FRIDMAN

Meir

1931

Szalom & Zelda

FURMANSKA

Vera

-

-

GARBER

Mordechai

-

-

GARBOWICZ

Sara

1933

Szlomo & Riwka

GECHT

Abraham

1931

-

GOLDMAN

Bluma

-

-

GORFINKIEL

Wila

-

-

GRYNBAUM

Lea

1930

Mosze & Adela

IZAKOWICZ

Tania

-

-

JABLKO

Cywje

1930

Israel & Noami

JASZINOWSKI

Szmuel

1932

Szlomo & Chaia

JEDWAB

Lea

1924

Leib & Freide-Rive

KAGANOWICZ

Liusja Lea

1932

Jakob & Riwka

KANZYPER

Ajzik

-

-

KAPINUS

Sonia

1930

Szmuel & Perl

KAUFMAN

Miriam

-

-

KRASNOBURSKI

Icchak

1932

Abraham & Sima

KORDON

Sima

1930

Lajb & Chana

KRYSZTAL

Lejzer

1931

Icchak & Fajga

LENDER

Pinie

-

-

LEON

Abraham

1932

Szlomo & Sara

LEW

Cyrel

1930

Naftali & Riwka

LEW

Klara

1926

Mosze & Rachel

LEWIN

Abraham

1931

Zeew & Sara

LEWIN

Boris

-

-

LEWIN

Dawid

1931

Towel (Tuwia) & Sara

LICHTENSZTEJN

Jeszayahu

1930

Szymon & Pasza

LIN

Chana

1927

Jechiel & Mariasza

LIN

Mindel

1932

Abraham & Chana

LIPKES

Genia

-

-

LOPIAN

Zisl

1928

-

LUBASZICKI

Szymon - Sioma

-

-

MAZO

Galia

-

-

MENCZKOWSKI

Aron

1930

Icchak & Alta

MERETIK

Lonia

-

-

MILER

Zecharia

1934

Chajkel & Cwia

MURKES

Dawid

1931

-

NAHIR (BIALOSTOCKI)

Emanuel

1930

Yehuda & Sara

NIEWIADOMSKI

Isser (Icchak)

1931

Szabtai & Riwka

NOWIK

Mina

-

-

NOWIK

Mosze

1931

Berl & Sara

OLEJNIK - BESORAI

Jochanan

-

-

OPENHAJM

Chaim

1936

Jakow & Jehudit

OPENHAJM

Efraim

1931

Jakow & Jehudit

PASZKO

Boris

-

-

PEREJ

Liuba

1930

Kalman & Masza

PILECKI

Josef

-

-

PLONCZAK

Ester

1931

Mosze & Perel

PLONCZAK

Nachman

1933

Mosze & Perel

PONJEMONSKI

Jona

1930

Zalman & Gitl

RABINOWICZ

Zenia

-

-

RAJCHER

Basia

1926

-

REFITKIES

Jakow

1934

Szaul & Fruma Ne'e Kaplan

ROZANCZYK

Chaja

1935

Mosze & Pesia

ROZENBLUM

Tajba

-

-

RUBINOWICZ

Zwulon

1931

Chaim & Henia

RUCKI

Berl

1930

Szmuel & Sara

RYBAK

Fanja

1930

Zelig & Gitel

SIBIRSKA

Chana

1932

Icchak & Fajga

SKOWRONEK

Hela

1932

Mosze & Raya

SOKOLSKI

Julian

1931

Herszel & Liba

STOLOWICKI

Sioma

-

-

SURASKA

Fanja

1930

Szmuel & Perel

SZAPIRO

Sima

-

-

SZEJTLIS

Sonja

1933

Pessach & Raya

SZENGERC

Lena

-

-

SZEPES

Bela

1928

Abraham & Gitl

TRESZCZANSKI

Elimelech

1930

Szalom & Riwka

UBERMAN

Kijum

1929

Herszl & Riwka

UBERMAN

Szymon

1928

Herszl & Riwka

URSZANSKA

Mejta

-

-

WALANSKA

Jehudit

1933

Lajb & Roza

WASERNYS

Josef

1931

Mosze & Chawa

WEIN

Frida

-

-

WILCZYK

Frida

1933

Lajzer & Bluma

WOLFSON

Chaim

1930

Icchak & Riwka

WOLFSON

Kima

-

-

WRUBEL

Pessach

-

-

ZAKUTA

Liza

-

-

ZELIGZON

Raya

1930

Jona & Hinda

ZELIGZON

Zina

-

-

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Last Updated March 28th, 2004