trial crisis of 1900. Construction depended on easy and cheap credit, and on the false premise there would always be a booming textile industry. That rosy out- look, however, changed precipitously. A large number of homes were taken over by the banks because tenants could no longer pay the land- lords. Many buildings were sold at lower prices. The resulting economic downturn led many Jews to leave Bialystok and its surrounding communities. Housing no longer generated the earlier copious revenues; rents plummeted sharply. Banks, which previously had granted mortgages on liberal terms, stopped because of the unfavorable circumstances. As a consequence, hous- ing construction ceased altogether. From that time, Bialystok grew no more. It remained more or less the same size it was in 1900, even after the economic crisis passed and the population increased. No longer were vacant homes to be found. On the contrary, a housing shortage developed. Rents soared to an all-time high. Despite the housing crunch, new homes were not constructed. This situation con- tinued until the end of World War I. After 1918, when a large number of emigres returned to Bialystok, a great demand arose for new homes. People paid high prices for uncomforable resi- dences, bribing landlords to secure apartments. Ordi- narily, such conditions would have led to a new wave of housing starts. Incredibly, however, no new homes were built in those difficult transition years. Only a small number of delapidated factory buildings were remod- eled into dwellings. Furthermore, a significant portion of larger homes were subdivided into additional living units. * * * Bialystok was sensitive to the needs of other com- munities — always ready to help a neighboring town in difficulty. When necessary, prominent businessmen as well as plain folk took it upon themselves to collect funds from the public in order to provide assistance. For their part, Bialystoker Jews routinely responded to such need with generosity that should be a source of pride for all Bialystoker /andsleit. Conversely, Bialystok received gracious support from other communities, individuals and distant institutions, when it found itself in distress after the terrible pogrom of 1906. Bialystok was always a predominantly Jewish city. Only the character of its Jewishness was to change to any great degree. Earlier on, the pacesetter of the intel- ligentsia was the Talmudic scholar, who possessed vast halachic erudition and set a high moral example. The scholar spent his free time studying the Torah, distanc- ing himself as much as possible from the alien technical culture of Western Europe. His goal was to be compe- tent in Jewish law. The scholar, therefore, not the rich man, enjoyed the greatest prestige within the Jewish community. 8 Material possessions and economic power did not confer nobility; knowledge did, coupled with clean liv- ing based on Torah principles. Gradually, however, the eminent position of the Talmudic scholar was taken over by the new intelligen- tsia and leaders of political parties. This new aristoc- racy no longer needed to possess much Jewish education. Effective public speaking was more important as well as the influence one could bring to bear upon the members AWROM SZMUEL HERSZBERG Historian and researcher, Hebrew-Yiddish writer, author of the exhaustive monumental work Pinkas Bialystok and other scientific works; organizer of the Hebrew Language Society. Perished in the liquidation of the ghetto in 1943. of his group. While this phenomenon was seen in many other places, it was particularly evident in Bialystok. Beforehand, legends were created around great person- alities in Bialystok. Subsequently, however, the public’s attention focused not on individuals but on parties and their accomplishments. * א * Because Bialystok was such an important indus- trial center, the first organizers of the labor movement had a greater impact on the life of its Jewish commu- nity than elsewhere. The Freedom Movement of 1903- 1906 put its stamp on Jewish life in Russia and Poland. In Bialystok, that revolutionary fervor left an even deeper imprint. Waves of change hit the city with great force, and when the tide began to ebb, a complete transformation had been effected. Both the labor movement and the young student organizations brought about alterations in Bialystok’s life style. The children who studied in Russian and Pol- ish schools introduced an alien spirit among many Jew- ish families, even among the most pious. The entire community began to acquire a new appearance. Even though the traditional life forms remained on the surface, a new attitude emerged from within. No longer was it possible in many batei midra- shim to pray. with a minyan during the week (an impedi- ment unheard of just a few years earlier). Jews did not The Bialystoker Memorial Book