THE ATHLETES AND HEROES During the reign of Czar Nicholas II, most Bualy- stoker Jews were indifferent to sports, which were frowned upon. They considered athletics an arena.for gentiles. Nevertheless, there were Jewish youngsters who did poorly in their religious studies but well in sports. Bialystok was destined to have Jewish athletes in its ranks. One young man, H. Osynski, was considered a latter-day Samson. For him lifting weights of fifty pounds was like picking up a piece of balsa wood. His dream was to spar with other husky men in town and eventually with professional athletes. Osynski organized a group of energetic boys to study the art of boxing. He taught them how professional boxers fight, which parts of the body may be struck and which ought not to be touched. Osynski himself would often participate in public bouts with professional athletes and succeeded, from time to time, in flooring a celebrated champion. He was on friendly terms with many international boxing stars, some of whom considered him an intimate. It may be said that he was the pioneer of Jewish athletes in Bialystok. Another young man with a reputation as a sports- man was Motel Ostrynski. Also able to lift heavy weights, when Motel squeezed someone’s hand, the lat- ter invariably grimaced in pain. But his primary spe- cialty was firefighting. He was an important member of the voluntary fire department in Bialystok. During outbreaks of fire, he would gravitate to the most dangerous places, demonstrating great heroism in saving people and containing the fire. In those days fire equipment was rare and in poor condition. It was often necessary for the firemen to climb walls without a ladder. Motel Ostrynski was the right man for these challenges. Ostrynski, like Osynski, had a weakness for sports. Whenever a group of champion boxers came to town and the director invited a member of the audience to go a few rounds with a boxer, Ostrynski was the first to accept the challenge. In the early 1920's, he left Bialystok for the United States but returned from time to time for vacation. In 1923, Bialystok was drenched by incessant rains for sev- eral days. The Biala River overflowed its banks, flood- ing a large portion of the town. A group of good samaritans saved people from drowning in the flood- waters and preserved property. Motel Ostrynski was adept not only at putting out fires but was courageous during a flood as well. He built a rowboat from a few pieces of lumber and headed for the most hazardous places to bring relief. If not for his great efforts, The Bialystoker Memorial Book together with others, that flood would have ended in mass tragedy for Bialystok. Perhaps not as well known or as conspicuous among the heroes of Bialystok were the porters, the wagon drivers and the coach drivers. In the late 19th century, under Czarist rule, Jewish porters worked twelve to fourteen hours a day, lifting and delivering back-breaking loads to their destinations. Under both the Russian and German administrations, they were paid starvation wages. After World War I, the porters and drivers orga- nized into a union of transport workers. Their lot sig- nificantly improved, and a strict division of labor among these three job categories was thereafter observed. The Bund and other revolutionary movements attempted to indoctrinate these exploited workers with socialist propaganda. Many were receptive to the con- stant agitation against the ‘“‘exploiters of the proletar- iat” and the need to struggle against the bourgeoisie. As we have seen, Bialystok had its intellectuals, thinkers and scholars. But it was also well endowed with athletes and laborers whose work required brawn. Although knowledge was more respected than strength, the athlete did command a grudging admiration. ZEIDEL RUDI The Bialystoker “Samson,” who went to Israel in the 30’s. )6 2 6 6.9 29