KIRYAT BIALYSTOK — A NEW BEGINNING (Editor’s note: Following World War II, surviving men, women and children from Bialystok arrived in Israel amid great difficulty. They, together with /andsleit who had settled in Palestine years earlier, established a Bia- lystoker community in the Holy Land, which demon- strated their determination to perpetuate the legacy of their beloved hometown. Kiryat Bialystok (village of Bialystok) won’ the immediate support of the Bualy- stoker Center in New York, landsleit in other American and Canadian cities, and throughout the world. Thanks to this enthusiastic backing, Kiryat Bialystok became a reality. Following are excerpts from the first letter writ- ten by Bialystokers in Israel in 1948, shortly after the establishment of the State, to their counterparts in America about building Kiryat Bialystok.) Dear Brothers and Sisters! After two thousand years of exile and the worst catastrophe ever to befall mankind, which cost the lives of six million victims, we reclaim our homeland and our right to self-determination. In these joyful days we turn to you in the name of our surviving brothers and sisters and those still interned on Cyprus, and in the German, Austrian and Italian displaced-persons camps — please help us! We wish to erect in our Jewish homeland a living memorial to our birthplace, Bialystok. Let its successor in Israel resurrect everything that was dear to us. Let Kiryat Bialystok also become the home of those who miraculously survived: heroic Bialystoker partisans, former soldiers in the Red and Polish armies, who fought against the bloody Nazis for the glory of the Jewish people. Those who endured the German concen- tration camps, a true hell on earth, and Bialystokers all over the world who wish to make Kiryat Bialystok their new home will join them. In this village, we unite with other Jews seeking freedom and independence. We who lost beloved relatives and friends cherish the massive relief efforts the Bialystoker Center in New York has launched, enabling refugees to emigrate to Australia, Israel and other havens. We are confident you will help found a new Bialystok in the Jewish homeland. Over fifty young Bialystokers, the vanguard of the new Jewish community in Kiryat Bialystok, have already arrived in Israel. We instituted appropriate con- tacts with national Jewish organizations in this country to acquire land. Your satisfaction in assisting your brethren, as well as our undying appreciation for your help, will serve as your reward. Committee for Constructing Kiryat Bialystok in Israel: Zvi Klementynowski, Esq. Dr. Szymon Datner Mordechaj Krugliak Pejsach Bursztejn Signing a contract with Rasko Company to build the first homes in Israel. The Bialystoker Memorial Book 187