DAVID PODLIACHOUK THE BIALYSTOKER COMMUNITY IN FRANCE To understand the origins of the Bialystoker Jewish community in France, we must recall that in the 1930’s, between the two World Wars, our dedicated /andsman, Dr. Awrom Bonczewski, attempted to found a society of Bialystoker Jews in Paris. Unfortunately, his efforts failed. During the Nazi Holocaust, Dr. Bonczewski and his son Victor were deported to Auschwitz. Several months later, Bonczewski’s brother, Herszl Georges, was also sent there; all three perished in that death camp. Under the Vichy regime, Bialystoker Jews were proudly represented in the resistance movement by their spokesmen, Dr. Aron Youchnovetzky and his wife, Rywka. This couple risked their lives each day to save, first of all, Jewish children, and then any other Jews in jeopardy of falling into Nazi hands. Because they were in the forefront of the resistance, the Youchnovetzkys often had to move from place to place, not daring to return home because they were in danger of arrest and extermination. Following the war, Dr. Youchnovetzky served as chairman of a committee consisting of Bialystoker landsleit. The committee included the following: Dr. Youchnovetszky, chairman; Wolf Babicz, treasurer; David Podliachouk, secretary; Benn, H. Barenbojm, members. Mrs. Youchnovetzky and Miss M. Hofenbach rendered valuable assistance. At the beginning, this committee was very popular among Bialystokers living in Paris, since Youchnovetzky was an encyclopedic source of information about the fate, suffering and liq- uidation of Jews in the Bialystok ghetto. When the full magnitude of the tragedy became clear, the committee continued to receive the full support of local Bialystok- ers for its activities in helping other surviving Jandsleit on their way to the United States, Canada, Australia and other countries, most of whom passed through Paris. These transients provided answers about what happened to particular Bialystokers — whether they perished in the ghetto or in the concentration camps, whether they survived or were exiled to Siberia. At a meeting of the Bialystoker Society in France held October 8, 1945, the following goals were adopted: 1. To stay in direct contact with Bialystok and to acquire more information about surviving Bialy- stokers, including details about the lives of Jews in the Bialystok ghetto and their resistance, which could be recorded in a future Bialystok memorial volume. 2. Remain in close touch with the Bialystoker Center in New York and serve as liaison between that institution and the Jews in Europe. 3. Assist needful Bialystoker Jews in France, espe- The Bialystoker Memorial Book cially those returning from the deportations, with funds that we and the Bialystoker Center in New York will raise. After the survivors left Paris, the Bialystoker Jews there lost interest in the committee, which was reflected in the decreasing turnout at annual memorial meetings. Nevertheless, a small group of Bialystokers continued perpetuating the memories of the Holocaust victims of Bialystok, particularly on each anniversary of the ghetto’s destruction. The Bialystoker committee in Paris also con- ducted a cultural program for local Jandsleit, including Chanukah, Purim and other holiday performances. Thanks to the late Sara Babicz, a talented pianist, and to Zalman Kolesznykow, the well-known actor, these shows were popular among Bialystokers and other Jews. Credit must be given to the late Wolf Babicz, who together with his wife, Sara, invited many Jewish entertain- ers, musicians and singers from all over the world to their home, and of course Bialystokers or anyone who had a connection with Bialystok. The committee in Paris continued its activi- ties until 1977. Because its active membership diminished, so did its functions. Nevertheless, the small group of /andsleit still remaining in Paris continue to be in touch, despite changing circumstances. For many years, the committee maintained cooperative relations with the Bialystoker organi- zation in Israel. We played an important role in establishing Kiryat Bialystok. We raised funds to the best of our ability to carry on our cultural program. Furthermore, we invited Dr. Samuel Pisar, the youngest Bialystoker survivor from Auschwitz and a renowned international lawyer living in Paris, as our guest speaker at annual memorial meetings, through the good offices of the late Wolf Babicz. With the death of Dr. Aron Youchnovetzky in March 1977, the committee came to a virtual standstill. At the same time, the late Wolf Babicz was already quite ill and a number of other active Bialystokers ceased their work because of old age and illness. We may be proud of the thirty-two years — 1945 to 1977 — during which our com- mittee made a major contribution to advance the Bialystoker Jewish community throughout the world. We did everything possible to commemo- rate our sacred heritage and to carry on the humanitarian legacy of our beloved birthplace.

May all those who participated in these noble efforts who died find eternal repose. 199