Among the collection of photos of my father, he has one photo taken around 1935 ? , of "H'KHALUTZ" movement, the Zionist pioneering movement, in Gombin.
According to my father, it is one of the most important pictures he has, since the meetings of "H'khalutz" were rather rare, not like H'shomer H'tza'yir youth movement, from which he has tens of pictures.
Meir Holcman was among the founders of "H'khalutz" in Gombin. Later they would apply to Abraham Zamosc, the banker, with any question or problem. He was their consultant, among the Zionist adults in Gombin. While the question of "Aliya" rouse, (the immigration to Eretz Israel), the young leaders of Hashomer Hatzay'ir decided that they should also contribute their share for the immigration of ADULTS, who were not in Hashomer Hatza'yir; either too old, or retired for various reasons, but the Zionist pioneer ideology remained in their hearts.
All adults in the "KEN" of Hashomer Hatza'yir belonged automatically to "H'khalutz". Besides them, they organized many other adults and just called them "Khalutzim" - "pioneers".
"H'khalutz" was the federation of all the youth movements, preparing for "Aliya", under the ideological "umbrella" of the Zionist Labor Movement, aiming to immigrate to Israel and settle in Kibbutzim! In the whole of Poland other such youth movements were "Dror", "Gordonia", "Akiva" and others. In Gombin was active only Hashomer Hatza'yir.
The heroic chapter of the members of all those movements, later in the Holocaust is well known and should never be forgotten in the history of the resistance to the Nazi Opressor (most known the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, Bialistock and many many others).
Many books were written about "H'khalutz", which operated all over Europe, imbibing Hebrew and Hebrew culture, spreading the ideology of Zionism and socialism and mainly erecting "Kibbutz Hakhshara" (preparatory Kibbutzim in farms in Poland and other countries, before Aliya). The first group founded in Russia in 1905.
Among the most important "Kibbutz Hakhshara" were "Slowodke" in Galicia, Groczow near Warsaw, Keidany in Lithuania, "Tel Chai" in Krim Russia, Hashomer Hatza'yir in Czestochowa (where my father trained youngsters for a year and a half), "Massada" of Gordonia in Romania and others.
The activities of H'khalutz continued, for a much smaller scale, also after WWII, when Zionist "Shlikhim" - "messengers" from Eretz Israel were involved in erecting Kibbutzim and children homes in order to help and organize the immigration of the survivors in the refugee camps, in the framework of "H'khalutz".
The picture of "H'khalutz" in Gombin:
Standing, top row, from left to
right:
1) Nuto Kutnowski
2) Pesach Suchoczewski
3) Moisze Gelbert (brother of Rivka Aloni).
4) Pinchas Gostynski (my uncle).
5) Chanan Friedland, first cousin of George Zolna.
6) Szmuel Glickzeliger (changed to "Golan" in Israel)
7) 8) 9) Name not remembered
10) Rafael ? (surname not remembered). The founder of "Haoved" ("the Worker")
movement in Gombin.
Standing below Szmuel Glickzeliger:
11) Abraham Etinger
Standing, second row, from left to right:
12) Channale Topial
13) Ciwia Bauman
14) Chanale Tayfeld (now "Shane", lives in Michigan USA)
15) Mosze Etinger
Sitting, from left to right:
16) Channale Jurkowska
17) Meir Holcman
18) Riwka Makower
19) Zelig Etinger
20) Yosek Rak
21) Natan ("Nucik") Lipszic
Lying down, in the center of the picture:
22) Nussen "Rashowitz" - Natan (Woideslawski) Weiss.
We keep their legacy of Zionism and their sacred memory all
through our lives!
Web Page First Posted on May 9th 1998
Last Updated on October 12th, 2013
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