Zaritsky-Polonsky Family Album

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Ephrayim Polonsky
An autobiographical sketch, and a brief memory of his son, Mordekhai:

As told to his son Mordekhai Eliezer Lavi
I arrived in Kobryn in 1905 when Kobryn was under the Russian Tsar. 8000 very pious Jews live in it and in the surrounding area, very strictly observing all Jewish laws. They educated their children on the values of Torah and Jewish morals. They made their living on various of manual work and commerce. They had active Khovevey Zion organization and we, the youth, organized Tze'irey Zion. We acquired many Hebrew books and I kept them in my house. We founded a reformed school where the pupils studied in spacious rooms, only half a day, and were educated in a nationalistic spirit using modern textbooks.

Ephrayim Polonsky

A young generation of Zionists, pioneers, grew up. In those days Zionism was banned and it was forbidden to assemble without a permit. However, we were strict about meeting secretly every week, to learn and teach Hebrew. I was responsible for selling the "Zionist Shekel" which was transferred to me from Vienna.

On night May 1914, the secret Tsarist Police from Brisk surrounded our house. They found the Shekels and some pamphlets of Zionist propaganda. They detained me and interrogated me all night about the money. Finally they charged me and I was brought to trial to the Russian court. The Zionist center got me a lawyer, Ilinkov, and many came to listen to the procedures in court. The verdict was a month imprisonment in Petersburg on the charge of collecting money to undermine the present regime.

… In 1917 a bit after Balfour Declaration, the Zionists of Kobryn declared a day of "Gold Fund". There was a very big gathering in the big synagogue. The Rabbi gave an inspiring speech and asked for donations for the building up of Eretz Israel. Mother Zisl mounted the pulpit and to the astonishment of all took off her jewelry and wedding ring and put them on the table. The congregation was stunned.

Men and women followed suit, gave money, gold watches, jewelry and in a matter of one hour a real hoard was piled up.

… When a plain Jew of Kobryn was asked how he was making his living he would answer: "Making a living is difficult --like splitting the Red Sea--but nothing to complain, thank God. Our children are making aliya to Eretz Israel and we will follow them"

As told by Mordekhai about his father Ephrayim
Father not only said but did. He sent all his children to Eretz Israel when they reached maturity and them he went there with mother.

My mother, Zisl Metuka, was a real woman of valor. She took care of everything when my father was in prison. I remember mother singing to me in Yiddish, for example: about a cat:

Tra ra fish fish fash
Hint hot khasene unzere katz	Today our cat is getting married
Unzere veise ketzel Mir	our white cat Mirke
Mit dem shvatze kuter Filke	with the black he-cat Filke
Lekhuved dem khusn unt Ka-le	In honor of the groom and bride
Zint kumen a'	everybody will be coming
Nish kukendik oif di groise frest	Disregarding the great gorging
Zenen gekumen a'le gest	All the guest have arrived
Veil fun khusn hot men moire	Because they are afraid of the groom
Veil er iz a gute skhoire	As he is a real "commodity" [brat]
A groiser am ha'uretz	He is an ignoramus
Der tzu a groiser puretz	And in addition a great vainglorious
Iz trara fish fish fatsh
Heint hot Khasene Unzer katz	Today our cat is getting married.

Father sang it to me in Hebrew. My father was a teacher of Hebrew and very ardent Zionist.

Ours was a religous house. I remember especially the Holidays – Pessakh and Shavuot. On Shavuot mother used to spread greenery in the house. On Tisha Be'av we went to the synagogue. We, children, used to throw a sticky grass on the people who came to pray. On Sukkot my father slept in the Sukkah. Still he was an active Zionist. He headed Tze'irey Zion. Sometimes he encountered resentment of the opponents who did not want to hear of Eretz Israel. There was a group of hakhshara in Kobryn for Zionis youths. My parents, like other good Zionists in town, arranged an apartment for them, saw that they had wood for heating in winter, provided them with potatoes , etc. Zisl was nicknamed "mother of the Kibbutz" and really cared for all that they needed. Father taught them about Zionism. It can be said that our house was a meeting place for Zionsts of all organizations.

In Poland of those days they traveled in wagons and coaches. Those were the most common vehicles. The wagon-drivers competed with the trains. They were angry at the train for having deprived them of their source of income. Kobryn was never known for wealth. There were no factories in town and big merchants were not there either. Main source of living was small merchandise, various manual-work and work in the markets/fairs. In fact, the people actually made their living from each other – Jews and Gentiles. There was correct relationship between the Jews and gentiles but not more than that.

Notes: Tze'irey Zion: Youth of Zion. Zionist Shekel: When you gave your annual dues to the Zionist Organisation, rather than receiving a receipt you received a Shekel. This Shekel was your voting right at the following Zionist Congress. More... Tisha Be'av: the 9th of Av , a fast day commemorating the destruction of the Temple. hakhshara: prparation for Aliya.

Page Last Updated: 17-May-2014