Scenes in Gombin Filmed by Sam Rafel 1937 - Captured Photographs Part 2

We Remember the Jews of Gombin!

Scenes in Gombin Filmed by Sam Rafel 1937

Who Are the Jewish Townspeople of Gombin in the Photographs?

By Ada Holtzman

I wish to thank the descendants of Sam Rafel z"l who gave the film made by their father in 1937, to the Gombin Society. My work is dedicated to Sam Rafel's blessed memory.

Two years ago I've worked in a friend's pc shop for many hours and "CAPTURED" photographs from the video made after the film of Sam Rafel in 1937. The photographs captured were all in BMP format, more than one MB each one, impossible to post in the Internet. Many of the images were very dark and with poor quality. I was motivated mainly by the fact that I knew that all these people filmed in the rare film were murdered 5 years later in Chelmno, so this film became their last vivid remnant... Last lost smiles... last lost hopes... last lost lives... Last glimpse to a lost world...

Recently I converted the images to JPG format and added a number to each of the images, which are displayed in the following web pages. Out of 420 images captured by me in the past, remained 258, which could be processed and posted. I've sent one CD to Noam Lupo from the Gombin Society to show these images in the Gombin Society Web Site and make an album to be sent to Ben Guyer, Rose Greenbaum-Dinerman and other Gombiner survivors. I hope with all my heart that some of the people filmed in this film will be identified and their names be recorded forever.

ונתתי להם בביתי ובחומותי יד ושם טוב מבנים ומבנות שם עולם אתן לו אשר לא יכרת - ישעיהו נ"ו ה'

And I shall give them in My house and within My walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off. - Isaiah 50:5

Every Person Has a Name! A Whole Universe is Behind Each Name!

Part 1: Photographs Numbers: 10, 100-171

Part 3: Photographs Numbers: 3, 25-27, 243-312

Part 4: Photographs Numbers: 34-38, 312-399

Part 5: Photographs Numbers: 7-9, 40-98, 400-418

Sam Rafel Film 1937

Melvin Wruble (MW) identified many names in the photographs and added information about them when he remembered. My deepest gratitude to him for this blessed work, June 15^th, 2004

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173

174

177

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181

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A poor house in Gombin

172
I managed to decipher only the name:
SZACHER

187
ר' צבי נתן בן זאב זולנה ז"ל
ציון לנפש משרידי דור העבר
בעל נפש טוב ונאמן לכל דבר
ירא ד' וחרד מאד למצותיו
נתן ונשא באמונה מהולל במידותיו
בן הוריך בדרך התורה והאמונה
זכה לחתני רבנן מוקיר הבעה
אב טוב וחביב
ב...

Reb Cwi Natan son of Wolf ZOLNA
The elegy inscriptions constitute an acrostic.

Icchak Bauman, Mojsze Bauman's brother, he was the Shamash (beadle) in the synagogue, MW).

190
...אשה זקנה
מרת מלכה רבקה
אשת צבי יוסף
סלאמא
נפטרה ט' שבט תרס"ה
...Old woman
Mrs. Malka Rywka
Wife of Cwi Yosef
SLAMA
d. January 15^th, 1905

191
ירא ד'...
יחיאל מיכאל ב'ר' מאיר פיארא
נפ' יא' שבט תרצ"ה תנצבה
... a pious man
Jechiel Michael, son of Meir PIORO, d. January 15^th, 1935

192
see 193

193
אמנו היקרה והחשובה
שנפטרה שנת מח לחייה
בגן עדן תהא מנוחתה
ת נ צ ב ה
נפטרה ביום ד' אייר תרצ"ה
רייזל אשת שלמה יעקב קעסעלמאן
...Our dear and esteemed mother, died 48 years old, in Heaven she will find her eternal rest
Rajzel wife of Szlomo Jakob KESELMAN
d. May7^th, 1935

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The brothers Jankele (left) and Szymon Hodis (MW).

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185

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200

201

203

204

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Zolna - Josef Mayer & George Zolna's father

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207
Rabbi Natan Neta Nutkewicz & Abraham Zamość (see also 412 MW).

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Rabbi Natan Neta Nutkewicz & Abraham Zamość (see also 412 MW).

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214

215

217
Manele Risman (MW).

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The grand Catholic Church, also destroyed by the Germans

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Beniek Frenkel – 3^rd from left: Hershele Zolna

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Hershele Zolna visiting Gombin befroe WWII

24
Icek Wojdeslawski, a Gombiner boy, same as #217 (MW).

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