greatest discretion to preserve the dignity of the recipients. The Jewish community of Bialystok displayed the best traits of the Jewish people as a whole: ambition mixed with mercy. It left a record of rich and ennobling achievements. There was every reason to expect that many more pages would be added to the chronicle, which would have made it even more impressive, had Bialystok continued to exist. Unhappily, the Nazi juggernaut, in its diabolical effort to annihilate every Jew, did not spare this illus- trious center of Jewish creativity and compassion. The town was utterly destroyed, but its legacy must never be forgotten. This Bialystok Memorial Book, therefore, represents the last and best attempt of /andsleit who remember Jewish Bialystok to make certain that the legacy outlined ELIJEZER FEJGIN in this chapter will long be remembered. Future genera- tions, it is hoped, will sift through these pages and discov- er their roots, physically buried under the rubble but spiritually everlasting. The tragedy of Bialystok’s destruction was elo- quently described in a poem written by Z. Segalowicz, titled ‘“‘My Bialystok.’’ He likens his memories of his beloved hometown to a book that has fallen into a fire, consumed by the hungry flames. Disbelieving and cata- pulted into a state of shock, the poet asks, ‘‘What hap- pened to my town? My generation? My past? Where are my family and friends? How devastating it was for an entire breed of believers with high hopes and expecta- tions, bubbling with pride, filled with courage and awaiting a bright future, to be condemned to oblivion by a raving and bloodthirsty nation.’ Surely all we can do is to rewrite, though in abridged form, the original book incinerated in the fire. BIALYSTOK — THE BEGINNING Former Jewish residents of Bialystok recall today the towering town clock in the center of the city built by Count Bronicki more than two hundred years ago. Var- ious streets, lanes and byways enabled people to take pleasurable walks, the young citizens looking forward to better times. Nearby was a forest where Jewish stu- dents, working youth, white-collar employees and sales- men congregated — laughing, expressing joy, singing songs of freedom and love, setting forth a vision of a more beautiful world. Who could forget the famed Great Synagogue, burned by the Nazis in 1941 with about 2,000 Jews inside? This holy place, before its 1ignominious end, was the main center for Bialystoker Jews to pray, vent their spiritual fervor and link up with the traditions of preceding generations. Throughout the existence of Bialystok’s Jewish community, circumstances were intermittently difficult. With the exception of the well-to-do, most Jews had to eke out a living with great effort. Life was often a strug- gle. Survival never could be taken for granted. Yet the Jews lived, worked and in general led a beautiful life. They studied and were involved in cultural, spiritual and intellectual pursuits. In so doing, they elevated the quality of their lives, not permitting poverty or other adversity to trivialize their existence. Particularly under Czarist rule, many Jews in Bialystok were moved by revolutionary zeal. Ferment and unrest often occurred in the face of oppression. In fact, the Jewish labor movement in Bialystok spear- headed this dissatisfaction with the status quo. The Bialystoker Memorial Book After World War I, Bialystok, then a part of inde- pendent Poland, became well known as an important labor center where Jewish entrepreneurs, workers, mer- chants and artisans made up a significant portion of the population. Discussions raged about the issues of the day. Bundists, Labor Zionists, anarchists and members of other parties engaged in formal as well as spontane- ous debates on the best way to achieve their goal of a more just society. Alas, this new world of social justice, this utopia, would never materialize. In the late 18th and early 19th century, Bialystok achieved a reputation as the third largest textile city after Moscow and Lodz. Several years before its liqui- dation in 1943, it did appear that Bialystok was outdis- tancing Lodz in manufacturing textiles, silk and coats. Because of its phenomenal industriousness, the city developed a worldwide network of markets for its tex- tile products. The first silk factories in Bialystok opened in about 1850. To be sure, they were small, with weaving looms that could be operated only by hand. This manual labor was difficult and tiring. Jewish weavers labored day and night for starvation wages. In 1850, two Bialystoker Jews, Nochum Minc and Sender Bloch, were the first silk manufacturers in Bialystok to institute a steam- powered loom. Later on, they utilized electric machines, which made the manufacturing process much easier. Jews in Bialystok developed and modernized many other industries as well — tailoring, tanning, furriery, masonry, shoemaking and tobacco manufacturing. 5