Zalman Yerushalmi brought other members of his family from Bialystok to Israel. He was quite successful in this effort. During the 1930’s, the Yerushalmi broth- ers’ enterprises expanded. Zalman acquired machines for his factories from other countries, and enabled many families to make a living. Soon Yerushalmi plants opened throughout Israel, manufacturing rope, wool and other textiles. Zalman also became active in Israeli banking and the Zionist movement. His ideas and plans increasingly received respect from those who worked with him. From the day he arrived in Israel, Zalman Yeru- shalmi remained in close contact with matters relating to Bialystok. He was one of the first to unite the Bialy- stoker /andsleit in Israel, as well as to promote Bialy- stoker interests throughout the world. He helped found many Bialystoker institutions and he urged Jandsleit in Israel to assist Jews remaining in Bialystok through hard times. AVRAHAM WERTHEIM The Holocaust years were very hard on Yeru- shalmi. He was anguished by the news filtering out of the Bialystok ghetto, but there was little he could do. Right after the war, as soon as it became possible to help the survivors, the Irgun Yotzei Bialystok in Israel alleviated the suffering of our landsleit who had miraculously survived. Mr. Yerushalmi was one who initiated the idea of a Kiryat Bialystok, a village in Israel that would perpetuate the name of our beloved hometown. Zalman Yerushalmi and Zvi Klementynowski, as well as others in Israel, insisted all along that a Bialy- stok memorial volume be published as soon as possible. We are proud of Zalman, successful businessman, con- scientious Bialystoker leader and communal activist. His long and productive life has brought prestige to Bialystokers everywhere. We hope he will enjoy many more healthy and fruitful years continuing the wonder- ful work he has been doing for a lifetime. A NEW SETTLEMENT IN ISRAEL I wish to describe the wonderful history of the Bialy- stoker community in Israel. In early 1925, a group of Bialystokers formed a village in Israel, twenty kilometers from Haifa, called Ramat Yishai. Its founders, most of whom were textile tradesmen, wanted to establish a settlement in Israel whose existence would depend not only on agriculture but also on textile manufacturing. To this end, they purchased 7500 dunams of land from the American Jewish Land Society and subsequently built a textile factory containing thirty-three weaving machines with diesel motors. It cost $150,000 to purchase the land and construct the factory. Seventy families arrived from Bialystok and vicin- ity; they settled in Ramat Yishai in temporary shacks. Despite hardships and a water shortage in the area, the newcomers were determined to develop the budding set- tlement and to make a new life for themselves in Israel. In 1927, the economic situation in Israel worsened, and at the same time Poland’s economy improved. As a result, some of the settlers left Israel and returned to Poland. Those who remained in Israel struggled to maintain the settlement and improve their existence. Only about twelve to fifteen families stayed behind in Ramat Yishai. Between 1936-38, the period of Arab uprisings, the small colony heroically defended itself, repelling Arab attacks on several occasions. But on August 30, 1938, the textile factory was set aflame by marauding Arabs, killing one Jewish settler who defended the village. The Bialystoker Memorial Book Thanks to assistance rendered by Jewish institu- tions in Israel, the factory was rebuilt. Twenty-five workers tilled two and a half dunams of land. With great effort the Jewish community maintained itself. At the beginning of World War II, the situation in the factory improved. But Ramat Yishai lacked water, a bet midrash, a school and a clinic for the sick. Then a remarkable thing occurred. A former teacher, Yishai Adler, donated his entire life savings of ten thousand pounds (forty thousand dollars) to develop this Jewish village. These funds were lent to people interested in building and living in houses. Part of the money was used to extend pipes across a distance of three kilome- ters, solving the severe water shortage. Thanks to Adler’s donation, ten homes were built, and another five homes were added by an institution known as Bi- tzur. There is also the factory and an office building. Twenty-five families live in Ramat Yishai and addi- tional families may settle there. Many Bialystoker Jews who left Israel for Poland in 1927 perished in the Holocaust. These people main- tained contact with the community in Ramat Yishai from the time they arrived in Bialystok until they were killed. All along, they hoped eventually to return to Ramat Yishai and reclaim their property. We are concerned about how best to expand and fortify our village. There is enough water and land to settle more families. Many homeless Bialystoker refu- gees are interned in European displaced-persons camps as well as on Cyprus. It would be a fitting tribute to our 185