influx of refugee Jewish writers from Warsaw, Lodz and other places in Poland applied their journalistic skills in the service of the new publications. A Jewish theater sponsored by the government was formed, as well as a Jewish vaudeville company. Some of the best Jewish actors in Poland, who were in Bialystok as refu- gees from the Nazis, performed in these two newly established theaters. In addition, guest stars from the Soviet Union entertained. A fine choir was formed under the direction of the famous choirmaster from Warsaw, M. Sznejur. A jazz orchestra, art exhibits and concerts surfaced in the city. Also, gambling casinos went into operation. They attracted quite a few patrons. Neither was Jewish religious life in Bialystok spared from these shifts. Because factory employment occupied such a major segment of the Jewish popula- tion — both young and old, from morning until night — it became exceedingly difficult for the orthodox to pray with a minyan and many were forced to work on the Sabbath. Most of the synagogues and batei midra- shim were empty and because of the severe housing shortage, the Soviet administration commandeered the Jewish houses of worship for their own purposes. For example, a brick-constructed bet hamidrash was con- verted into a new sports club. Other chapels became staff quarters for the Russian Army. Still other syn- agogues were used as granaries. On the other hand, the congregation of the Great Synagogue in Bialystok was to pay the most exorbitant rent to the Soviet regime. Electricity imposed a heavy financial burden on the religious institutions, costs far exceeding those for secular buildings. These discrimina- tory charges forced the synagogues to use electricity sparingly, so most of the time they were dark. Only on Jewish holidays did the congregations allow lights be to be used. But the mood was gloomy and strained. Despite these difficult circumstances created by the authorities, some religious Jews did manage to form a special carpentry cooperative, where it was possible to avoid working on the Sabbath and Jewish holidays. Understandably, this cooperative attracted observant Jews who became the chief advocates for the religious needs of other Jews in Bialystok who wanted to con- tinue observing their traditions. The public bath, which the municipality of Bialy- stok had sponsored, became the domain of the State. As a result, the mikvah, which had been part of the public bath, was liquidated. The leaders of the carpen- try cooperative succeeded in raising enough funds to build a new mikvah in the home of one of their members. Not only did the residents of Bialystok use this new facility, but Jews from surrounding communi- ties did so as well. In summary, the atheistic Russian adminstration in Bialystok was unable to eradicate Jewish religious life. The observant Jews did everything possible to perpetu- ate their traditions and beliefs, often demonstrating great Ingenuity in circumventing the obstacles created by the Soviets. No religious Jew would accept employ- ment, even with decent working conditions, if he was required to violate the Sabbath, regardless of the loss of considerable income. Orthodox Jews would rather take lower paying jobs and remain true to their heritage. Many accepted employment as watchmen in State-run stores. When people passed by these stores in the early morning, they would notice these religious watchmen wrapped in falis and tefillin, 1mmersed in prayer. THE JEWISH WAR REFUGEES One of the reasons many Polish Jews, in fleeing from the Nazis, were interested in reaching Bialystok was that 1} was easier to steal into this city than into other places. Moreover, once in Bialystok, there was not too much difficulty in crossing the border into the Soviet Union. The peasants who lived in border areas at that time profited financially from assisting the uninter- rupted flow of refugees in entering Russia. At first, frontier crossings were not too arduous. A short time after the war’s outbreak, however, the Soviet border guards, increasingly vigilant, succeeded in repelling ille- gal aliens back into Nazi-occupied Poland. It often occurred that the unsuccessful refugees, driven back across the border, were brutally beaten by Nazi soldiers for their attempt to leave German jurisdiction. When Bialystok was completely overrun by the Soviet Army on September 17, 1939, the influx of refu- The Bialystoker Memorial Book gees from Poland increased. Furthermore, many pre- ferred to live in Bialystok because Jewish life there had reportedly improved under Soviet hegemony. Among these refugees from Poland and immigrants from Rus- sia were Jewish actors, artists, musicians and writers.

Since a severe housing shortage developed, a number of refugees elected to travel to more interior Russian cities and towns to live and work. In a short time, however, many returned to Bialystok, disap- pointed and depressed. They told of the hard life in the Soviet Union, thereby discouraging others from follow- ing in their mistaken footsteps. On the other hand, Jews streaming to Bialystok from Warsaw recounted the inhuman treatment they had received at the hands of the Nazi invaders. Some Jewish men and women, disre- garding the horrifying anecdotes about life under the Nazis, sneaked back into Poland. How tragic it was to 53