RABBI LOWELL S. KRONICK IZAAK RYBAL — A PROFILE I have known Izaak Rybal and worked closely with him on a daily basis for the past nine years. In that length of time, you get to recognize another’s total per- sonality, his ideals, joys, sorrows and hopes. I would like to share with you some of my perceptions of Mr. Rybal. He is totally devoted to the memory of Bialystok and anyone having any connection with Bialystok and its provinces, including /andsleit, friends, members of our Center and Home, the well-to-do and the needful. Whoever utters the word Bialystok possesses the pass- key to Mr. Rybal’s heart. In pursuing his many humanitarian activities on behalf of these people, Mr. Rybal demonstrates remark- able energy. Never running out of steam, he is con- stantly working, planning, arranging and relating to others. In the office he is indefatigable; I have never seen him relax for a moment, whether physically or intellectually. He values precision. He is a stickler for detail; everything must be just right, whether a letter, punctu- ality for an appointment, or detailed planning of the many functions the Bialystoker Center and Home con- ducts throughout the year. While he delegates responsi- bility, he always makes sure that those working with him give the same painstaking attention to detail he does. He will not tolerate any error that he perceives as diminishing the Center’s prestige or threatening its har- monious operations. Izaak Rybal is a fierce, skilled infighter for his principles, unaccustomed to defeat or to serious challenge. He can also be, as many know, a warm, thoughtful and sentimental human being whose friendship can prove valuable. What I have described is a man whose total dedica- tion to his role as “Mr. Bialystok’? was shaped by long devotion to family and friends, reinforced by his expe- riences during the horrible years of World War II in which he lost his entire family and beloved hometown — events that would have destroyed a lesser person. Born in Bialystok to Dwejre and Meir Rybalowski, one of eight children, he grew up in an environment where you helped other people in need, whether related or not, and where you valued friendship. The Rybalowski family owned a kosher restaurant- catering hall in Bialystok, near the railroad station (Rybalowski lebn Bahn), where many Jewish weddings took place. Open twenty-four hours a day except on the Sabbath, the restaurant was founded about a hundred years ago by Mr. Rybal’s grandmother, known as **Sarah of the Railroad” (Sore fun Bahn). It was a place 176 where travelers waited for the next train and ate a good meal before continuing on to the next destination. In 1941, when the Germans invaded Russian- administered Bialystok, Mr. Rybal was swiftly drafted into the Russian Army because of his skills as a printer. He was taken away from his family, his friends and his beloved hometown, never to be reunited with them. In fierce battle he was severely wounded and discharged from the army. Good medical care restored him to sound health, however, and he spent the remainder of the war years first traveling, then settling in Tashkent to rejoin /andsleit there and, finally, along with other Pol- ish citizens, was exiled to Siberia. Throughout these years, he constantly sought out other people from Bialystok. Feeling lonely, he wished to contact friends from his birthplace, whom he consi- dered part of his extended family. In Tashkent, placed in charge of a large restaurant for travelers who could obtain their meals only by pre- senting a special card, Mr. Rybal arranged that Bialy- stoker /andsleit and friends without this card receive wholesome meals. Moreover, he assisted eight couples in leaving Tashkent for Lemberg after the war ended. From there they went to Poland and other countries. Returning to Bialystok in 1945, at the end of the war, he was devastated on learning that none of his family survived the Bialystok ghetto and the concentra- tion camps. He was also deeply saddened that his beloved city was so utterly destroyed by the war, including its once large and proud Jewish community. The joys of his youth were now just memories, never to be recaptured. It was time to move on and make a new life for himself. This was not easy. Six months in Prague and eleven months in Paris were agonizing steps toward that goal. While in Paris, Mr. Rybal contacted the local Bia- lystoker community, made wonderful friends and joined a Bialystoker relief committee, where he was able to assist other Jandsleit passing through Paris.